Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular term. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

• MET PS 275: Principles of Counseling and Motivational Interviewing
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: MET PS 101 or consent of instructor. - Basic theories of counseling and motivational interviewing are compared and contrasted. Emphasis is placed on investigating the various contexts in which these theories and techniques are particularly applicable (e.g. , sports psychology, weight loss, smoking cessation, crises management, etc.)
• MET PS 295: Psychology and Film: Images of Madness
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METPS101) - Classic feature films (1920's to the present) portraying mental illness are considered from both cinematic and psychosocial perspectives. The public image of madness on the big screen is related to clinical concepts and practices current during the period of the film.
• MET PS 300: Applied Social Science Theory
  Applied Social Science Theory introduces students to major authors and seminal works that continue to inform theory and research in social sciences. The focus is on reading primary source materials to examine not only the major conclusions of these authors, but the arguments they use to justify those conclusions. Effective Spring 2021, this course fulfills a single unit in each of the following BU Hub areas: Social Inquiry II, Critical Thinking, Research and Information Literacy.
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  • Critical Thinking
  • Research and Information Literacy
  • Social Inquiry II
• MET PS 302: Women and Health in the Twenty-First Century
  Examines current issues directly related to the health experiences of women in America and around the world. Topics include an historical overview of women's health and examine in depth issues such as: gender specific medicine; puberty, body image and eating disorders; contraception and the abortion issue; infertility and technology; pregnancy, childbirth and breast feeding; violence against women; incarcerated women and the female brain. Provides a framework to integrate the social variables involved in exploring the roles played by men and women as medical consumers and its affects on overall health and attitudes.
• MET PS 320: Play and Art Therapy
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METPS101 & METPS241) - Considers the psychological roots of play and creative processes as they relate to child and adult therapy. Specific schools of play and art therapy are considered. Emphasis is on psychological processes and direct application of therapies. Note: This course cannot be used as one of the principal courses required for the CAS psychology major or minor.
• MET PS 323: Experimental Psychology: Learning
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METPS234 & METMA113) - Methodology, results, and interpretation of respondent and operant conditioning. Experimental analyses of selected topics in learning within the context of reinforcement theory. Students write reports of instructor- and student-planned experiments using the albino rat as subject. Laboratory course.
• MET PS 324: Experimental Psychology: Developmental
  Human development selected for experimental study; live subjects. Class discussion and practical experience with observational, assessment, and experimental techniques, and review of statistical concepts. Focus varies. Independent research and paper required. Courses include two hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory work a week.
  
  Prereqs: METPS101; METMA116; METPS241
• MET PS 325: Experimental Psychology: Personality
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METPS251 & METMA113) - Experimental and observational investigations of selected aspects of personality. Demonstration of experimental procedures; participation in laboratory and field studies. Laboratory course.
• MET PS 326: Experimental Psychology: Social
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: PS101 and PS261, and MA113 or MA213 - Supervised experience in formulating, carrying out, interpreting, and critically evaluating social-psychological research. Students conduct research on such topics as attraction, impressions and stereotypes, helping, aggression, conflict, etc. Variety of research techniques examined.
• MET PS 330: Leadership in the Workplace
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METPS101) - This class is aimed at students who are eager to develop an understanding of the interplay between psychology, leadership, and workplace dynamics within organizations. The focus of the class is on the practical as well as the applied and theoretical aspects of organization psychology. Investigations will focus on actual work related case studies and leadership and work related issues, as well as an investigation of the dynamic nature of the field. We will use the classroom setting as a laboratory to analyze cases and to discuss solutions for work related problems. This class is ideal for students preparing to enter the workplace.
• MET PS 333: DRUGS & BEHAVR
  DRUGS & BEHAVR
• MET PS 335: How the Brain Works: An Introduction to Neuropsychology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METPS101) - Where do our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors come from' They all originate in the brain. The mysteries of the brain become accessible through the study of tragically commonplace medical events and conditions such as stroke and dementia and exceptionally rare cases where n = 1 (the amnesic patient H.M.; the infamous Phineas Gage). Neuropsychology is the study of the relationship between the brain and behavior. This course examines the anatomical structures of the brain including the cerebral lobes, brain stem and subcortical regions and will explore cognitive processes including memory, language, attention, and emotion. Significant emphasis will be placed on the relation between brain disorders (resulting from head injury, stroke, degenerative disease, etc.) and abnormal behavior.
• MET PS 340: Business and Organizational Psychology
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: MET PS 101 - The discipline of business and organizational psychology is a fast-growing expert area in the behavioral sciences. As a whole it concerns itself with the scientific application of psychological principles, research, theories, methods, and interventions to the world of business and organizations. This course introduces the undergraduate student to the discipline's theories, methods, and practical applications.
• MET PS 350: Depression and Disorders of Mood
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METPS241 & METPS251) - Examines current theories and research findings on depression and mania. Evaluation of major biological and psychosocial theories and treatments. Attention to personality, psychosocial risk factors, and depression in children. Note: This course cannot be used as one of the principal courses required for the CAS psychology major or minor.
• MET PS 366: The Psychological Unconscious
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METPS101) - The psychological unconscious has been cause for fascination since the dawn of civilization among philosophers, scientist and artists. In recent years, thanks to swift advances in the neurosciences, many unconscious phenomena have been studied experimentally and revealed to us. These empirical studies, when combined with the theoretical work of previous generations, offer sharp insights into how the psychological unconscious works in generating thoughts, beliefs, and behaviors.
• MET PS 371: Mental Health, Diagnosis, and Wellbeing
  Learn an integrative approach to the psychology of mental health, focusing on the biopsychosocial paradigm for understanding and treating psychological distress. You will examine psychological diagnoses, emotional distress, and treatment approaches through different fields of knowledge, including psychiatric symptoms and diagnosis, the ¿recovery model,¿ subjective lived experience, and holistic approaches.
• MET PS 401: Psychological Perspectives on Self and Identity
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: (METPS101) - This course explores the manifold ways in which the sense of "who one is" as a person is approached and understood within the field of psychology. The psychological construct of identity will be utilized to survey the varying ways in which the experience and nature of "one's own sense of self" is examined and elucidated across the major sub-fields of psychology, including: developmental psychology; personality psychology, abnormal psychology, humanistic, existential and transpersonal psychology; and the psychology of religion. Particular consideration will be given to the significance of such cultural and contextual factors as race, ethnicity and gender.
• MET PS 404: Senior Seminar in Psychology and Culture
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: three courses in psychology. - This class addresses the key role culture plays in shaping the human experience. Emphasis will be put on key social, affective, and cognitive aspects of group identity and self-identity development. The historical role psychology has played in understanding these phenomena will be reviewed. Topics that will be covered include: cross cultural communication and the constant evolution of prejudice and racism in today's world. The course is taught in seminar format and requires intensive student motivation and participation.
• MET PS 472: Psychology of Women
  Undergraduate Prerequisites: three psychology courses or consent of instructor. - This course is designed to introduce undergraduate students to the myriad factors influencing the development of girls and women in a variety of cultures and societies. Topics that will be covered include feminist scholarship and research; gender socialization, women's biology, and health; sexuality, relationships and family; and work, career, and power issues.
• MET PS 510: Special Topics in Psychology
  PS510 is the designation for "Special Topics in Psychology". The subject matter for PS510 courses changes from semester to semester, and more than one PS510 can be offered in a given semester. For course descriptions, please contact the Department of Applied Social Sciences or the Student Advisor.