PRINCIPLES OF PSYCHOLOGY

Lawrence University

SPRING TERM 2004

INSTRUCTOR: Terry Rew-Gottfried

OFFICE HOURS: MWF 11:10-12:00, or by appointment

OFFICE: Briggs Hall 311 PHONE: (832)-6706

CLASS TIME: MWF 1:30-2:40 p.m., Science Hall 102


COURSE DESCRIPTION

Psychology is a field of study that is varied and broad. This course will introduce you to five major psychological perspectives.We will consider the questions asked by each perspective, the methods used, and the assumptions made. The focus is, therefore, on the way psychologists approach and think about human behavior, rather than on the myriad of facts accumulated by psychologists. On the other hand, it is in the specific examples of research findings that we will see more clearly the important characteristics of psychological science and practice.

Psychology is one of many academic disciplines that attempt to study human nature. As a science, psychology studies human nature by looking for underlying general principles, characteristics common to all humans. In practice, psychology uses these principles to help individuals and groups in the psychiatric clinic, the classroom, the workplace, and their everyday lives. Although the application of scientific findings will be discussed, the emphasis in this course is on psychology’s scientific basis­and not merely what we have learned about human nature from the variety of psychological perspectives, but the methods by which such perspectives conduct their investigations and the aptnessof these perspectives for solving human problems.

REQUIRED TEXT





Revised 29-Mar-04