Topic: Emotion and the Embodied Mind

This course introduces the scientific study of emotions, including where they come from and how they shape our perception of the world around us. We will discuss the ways in which action and thought are grounded in ongoing bodily needs and activity, how the mind makes meaning from incoming sensory input from the external world and the internal milieu, and how emotions both emerge from and shape these processes. 
Prereq: Psyc 402; 502; or permission. WI

Topic: Social Psychology of Prejudice

When you meet someone new, you make a guess about their gender, race/ethnicity, and age. You do this really quickly and often without thought. These group identities then guide how you interact with that person and your own sense of yourself. Here, we’ll read scientific articles about group biases. We’ll learn about bias in minds (how individual people think) and bias in systems (collective, institutional). We’ll learn about different ways the mind works (psychological processes) that contribute to biases and discrimination. We’ll often focus on gender and race/ethnicity groups. But you’ll also learn about groups more generally. 

A developmental perspective on psychopathology. The first half of the course will cover psychological disorders commonly observed in children and adolescents (emotional and behavioral disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, etc.). The second half of the semester will include an overview of child and family-focused treatments for childhood psychopathology, involving counseling skills practice specific to children and families.