Bachelor of Arts
Psychology (Undergraduate)
Degrees and Certificates
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Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Completion Program,
Courses
PSB100: Introduction to Psychology
Credits 3An introduction to the fundamental theories and concepts of psychology, including transpersonal psychology. Topics will include the history and systems of psychology, lifespan development and developmental psychology, personality theory, and abnormal psychology.
PSB101: Statistical Reasoning in Psychology
Credits 3An introduction to elementary statistical principles and techniques relevant to psychological research. Topics covered include basic parametric and nonparametric statistics, analysis of variance, and simple factorial designs.
PSB102: Methods of Inquiry
Credits 3An introduction to analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of research reports and methods commonly used in education and the social sciences. Students will apply this knowledge in their concept paper as they identify an applied action research area of interest, prepare a literature review, develop researchable questions, and identify appropriate data collection and analysis procedures to answer the questions posed.
PSB103: Personality Theory
Credits 3A survey of Eastern, indigenous, ecological, and Western perspectives on being human, with emphasis on the integration of personality theories and transpersonal practices as preparation for identifying one’s own beliefs about human development.
PSB201: Abnormal Psychology
Credits 3An introduction to the field of abnormal psychology. Students will become familiar with the historical, social, and cultural contexts of what is normatively understood as the disorders grouped under the rubric of “abnormal psychology.” Students will also engage a transpersonal perspective of abnormal psychology and its understandings of the complexities of human behaviors.
PSB202: Professional Ethics
Credits 3An examination of professional ethics in psychology and counseling. Students will review ethical codes from the counseling profession and learn to apply normative ethics to tough moral problems. Students will explore the relationship between the practitioner’s sense of self and human value, ethical and spiritual mandates, and the relationship with and responsibilities to other providers while considering the issues of institutional and social barriers to access.
PSB203: Foundations of Transpersonal Psychology
Credits 3Introduces theories and concepts of transpersonal psychology. Students will learn about the origins of transpersonal psychology, the contributors to the field, the research that is being conducted, and the applications of transpersonal studies to personal growth, counseling, education, society, and human welfare.
PSB301: Biological Basis of Behavior
Credits 3An introduction to the basic principles s of neuropsychology. Students interested in psychotherapy and psychological transformation will examine the neurobiological aspects of consciousness, cognition, neuroplasticity, trauma, attachment, psychological healing, and psychological growth and transformation.
PSB302: Developmental Psychology
Credits 3The study of how the unique individual develops over time. Students will examine the general paths and stages of development, the role of genetics, environmental factors, and how our traits are developed.
PSB303: Perception and Cognition
Credits 3An investigation into the nature and dynamics of human perception and cognition. Students will explore how we make sense of the world through examining how our cognitive processes and our subjective perceptions, experiences, and interpretations of reality are shaped and influenced by social, cultural, evolutionary, and psychodynamic factors. Students will be exposed to the perspectives of multiple schools of psychological thought: the sociopsychological, the neuropsychological, the psychodynamic, and the transpersonal, while focusing on practical applications on how to facilitate psychological change, personal growth, and transformative learning processes.
PSB304: Neurodiversity
Credits 3The study of neurodiversity, or the range of variations in neurocognitive functioning in humans. Students will explore how neurodiversity is a natural product of human evolution, and a rich source of creative potential. Topics to be discussed include the dynamics of privilege, prejudice, and oppression, and the modern social trend toward pathologizing human neurocognitive variations such as autism and other commonly pathologized neurocognitive variants.
PSB401: Somatic Psychology
Credits 3An introduction to the field of Somatic Psychology. Students will examine the fundamental principles and approaches of Somatic Psychology through readings (including case narratives by notable practitioners of somatic psychotherapy), experiential exercises, journaling, and class discussion.
PSB402: Social Psychology
Credits 3A survey of the ways in which social phenomena influence the thoughts, feelings, and behavior of individuals. Students will examine the major theories, experiments, and issues in the field of social psychology. Sample topics include emotion, aggression, conformity, attitudes, altruism, prejudice, persuasion, and group dynamics.
PSB403: Meditation and Mindfulness
Credits 3A theoretical introduction to the practice of meditation and mindfulness from different scientific, spiritual, and cultural traditions. Students will examine the psychology of attention and how it plays a role in the treatment of addiction, trauma, and stress related illness.
PSB404: Psychology and Social Structure
Credits 3Understanding the relationship between individual psychology and larger social systems. Using theories of transpersonal psychology students will explore how society develops hierarchical structures related to the social identities of class, gender, race, physical ability, sexuality, and their intersections.
PSB405: The Impact of Technology on Human Wellbeing
Credits 3Explores the effect of technology has on efficiency, safety, and economy while considering the costs to human interconnectedness from a transpersonal perspective. Issues may include time, cost, complexity, environmental impact, social impact.
PSB406: The Psychology of Drug Use
Credits 3An exploration of social psychology and the implications of cultural and political aspects of drug use. Students will examine the history of the use and abuse of drugs around the world and throughout history. Topics include the pharmacology of mood-altering chemicals, chemical dependence and treatment, and drugs used in treating mental illness.
PSB407: Psychology and Gender
Credits 3Exploring feminist psychological theory. Students will examine the biological, psychological, social, and cultural meanings and implications of gender and its intersections with race, physical ability, sexual orientation, etc. Topics will include issues of socialization and social development, stereotypes, bodies and body image, social relationships, identity, language, violence, sexuality and sexual behavior, well-being, work, etc.
PSB408: The Psychology of Sustainability
Credits 3An examination of how people think about environmental issues. Students will explore questions surrounding ocean, land, and air pollution, and climate change and how our thinking about the environment can create sustainable action. In particular, students will use theories of transpersonal psychology to think through why creating a mindset of environmental sustainability is difficult to develop in the modern world.
PSB409: The Psychology of Disability
Credits 3An exploration of what it means to have differential abilities and how society is structured to define the lives of those not deemed to be "normal." Students will explore the stereotypes of disability and the socially, linguistically, and historically constructed meaning of physical, sensory, and cognitive "impairments."
PSB410: Psychology and Public Health
Credits 3An examination of community psychology and public health psychology in terms of the transpersonal. Topics include prevention and health promotion, risk and resilience, empowerment models, and community organizing related to mental illness, obesity, substance abuse, homelessness, and domestic violence.
PSB411: The Psychology of Pain
Credits 3Examines the clinical and social aspects of pain and pain management. Using theories of transpersonal psychology, students will explore how we define pain socially and the limits of the modern pain clinic. Special attention will be paid to the so-called opioid crisis, the impact of opioids on rural and urban communities, as well as its effect on chronic pain patients.
PSB412: Child Psychology
Credits 3This course provides an in-depth exploration of the foundational theories, principles, and applications of child psychology. Students will examine the major milestones of child development, including cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development. This spans various stages from infancy through adolescence. Emphasis is placed on understanding how family dynamics, cultural backgrounds, and environmental factors influence a child's development. Through engagement and studying current research, students will gain insights into contemporary issues and trends in the field. Interactive discussions and collaborative learning will foster the development of analytical thinking and the ability to articulate psychological concepts clearly and effectively. By the end of the course, students will be equipped with the knowledge to identify and analyze key developmental patterns and psychological processes in children, as well as evaluate the impact of diverse family structures and cultural contexts.
PSB413: The Psychology of Adolescence
Credits 3Examination of the biological, development, and social aspects of adolescent development.
PSB414: Human Sexuality
Credits 3Exploration of the psychology of human sexuality including the nature and variety of human sexual experience as well as the theories and therapies regarding sexual issues.
PSB415: Psychology of Delinquency
Credits 3Examination of the theories and practices of understanding the characterization, risk factors, and treatment of delinquency.
PSB416: Psychology of Emotion
Credits 3An exploration of the phenomenon of emotion from a transpersonal perspective. Particular attention will be paid to how emotions are connected to other basic psychological processes such as cognition, motivation, decision making, and well-being.
PSB417: Sports Psychology
Credits 3Using transpersonal psychology to better understand and enhance sport participation and performance, and the psychological issues associated with professional and amateur sports.
PSB418: Forensic Psychology
Credits 3An examination of the role psychology plays in the criminal justice system, with particular emphasis on the role of mental health professionals, and criminal investigation.
PSB419: Leadership and Transpersonal Psychology
Credits 3An exploration of the philosophical, psychological, and spiritual literature can explain how transpersonal psychology can train people to be better leaders. Topics will include personal philosophies of leadership, peer evaluation of leadership approaches, as well as the development and presentation of models of potentiating leadership as understood through transpersonal psychology.
PSB498: Psychology Capstone I
Credits 3A culminating project, completed individually or in teams, where students integrate program coursework, and consider how transpersonal psychology can be applied to a real-world problem. In part I students will define the scope of the project, review the literature from which the problem emerges, and gather information or data. Students may select an external practitioner or sponsor for the project.
PSB499: Psychology Capstone II
Credits 3A culminating project, completed individually or in teams, where students integrate program coursework, and consider how transpersonal psychology can be applied to a real-world problem. In part II students will produce a complete research paper and an oral presentation based on the paper.