This is an archival web page that describes how psychology courses were taught at Penn State DuBois prior to 2014. These descriptions no longer apply to psychology courses taught at Penn State DuBois, and the links in this archival page may lead to outdated pages or dead ends.
This guide was designed to help Penn State DuBois students to decide which
psychology courses they would like to take. Although the University provides a
set of official
course descriptions on its web site, these descriptions lack detail about
how these courses are taught at Penn State DuBois. The hope was that, the more
detailed descriptions in this guide would help Penn State DuBois students to
select the most suitable courses for their educational and career goals.
Below are general descriptions of the courses offered regularly at Penn
State DuBois, taught by Dr. Pamela P. Hufnagel and
Dr. John A. Johnson. On occasion these instructors or other instructors may
offer courses on special topics in psychology; students would have to contact
the instructor for information in those cases. More detailed information on the
courses listed below can be found by following the web link listed with each
course. Further information about the instructors can be found at Dr. Hufnagel’s
web site and Dr.
Johnson’s web site. While we strive to keep the course descriptions below
as accurate as possible, students and advisors can contact Dr. Hufnagel or Dr. Johnson to verify any of the information on
this page.
Dr. Johnson retired from the university on December 31, 2013, so the
descriptions of his courses serve more of an historical function now than a
tool for current students to use in selecting courses. It is Dr. Johnson’s hope
that when a new psychology professor is hired that he or she would consider
creating a page similar to this one.
This webpage was created in 2004, prior to the introduction to the ANGEL
course management system. Although some links to course materials are provided
on this page, more up-to-date and complete information can be acquired by using
the ANGEL
Course Search function. [Next to the Organizational Unit box, click the
“Change” link, and then click on the + sign next to the folder
labeled DU BOIS (DS) (DS), then on the + sign next to the folder labeled LA
(LA), and then on the circle labeled PSYCHOLOGY (PSY). Click the
“Select” button. This should create the following in the
Organizational Unit box: Institution > DS > LA > PSY. Click the
“Search” button and all of the psychology courses with ANGEL pages
made visible by DuBois instructors will be displayed. The courses you see and
the materials in them will depend on whether you are logged in with a Penn
State access account and the course visibility settings created by the instructor.]
Psychology 100:
Introductory Psychology (formerly Psychology 002)
(Dr. John A.
Johnson, instructor)
Description: Psychology 100 is the basic, introductory course in
psychology. The first quarter of the course introduces the history of basic and
applied fields of psychology, scientific reasoning, and psychological methods
and statistics. The second quarter covers the way in which evolution has shaped
human motivation, development, and social relationships. The third quarter
presents research on the brain, perception, learning, and memory. The final
quarter deals with both normal and abnormal individual differences. Each
quarter of the course is followed by a 40-question multiple-choice test. Grades
are based on test performance plus extra credit earned by participating in an
activity near the end of the course. The class is held in the 210-seat Hiller
auditorium; class size varies from about 70-90. The format is primarily lecture
with PowerPoint slides, mixed with films and in-class experiments and demonstrations.
There is no textbook for the course.
Prerequisites: None.
Who Should Take the Course: Psychology 100 is required for students majoring in psychology
(both the PSYBA and PSYBS options) and students minoring
in psychology. It is also a requirement for a number of majors, including
Advertising and Public Relations, Biobehavioral
Health, Education, Kinesiology (Athletic Training Option), Nursing,
Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapist Assistant, and Rehabilitation
Services. Psychology 100 satisfies a General Education requirement in the
social sciences (GS) for students in any major. This course is for anyone
seeking a broad overview of the field of psychology. The course is taught every
fall and spring semester.
Web Link: http://www.personal.psu.edu/~j5j/psy100/
Psychology 100:
Psychology
(Dr. Pamela P. Hufnagel, instructor)
Description: This course introduces students to the study of behavior
and the mind. The course is divided into five units. The first unit introduces
the scope of the field of psychology, psychological research methods, learning,
and memory. Students use material covered in the first unit throughout the
course as they design and carry out a plan to change one aspect of their own
behavior. The second unit delves into the biological basis for behavior,
covering topics such as the brain and the effects of drugs and alcohol on the
brain and behavior. The third unit presents research on thinking, language, and
intelligence, and how they change as people develop. The fourth unit covers
motivation, emotions, personality, and the effects of the social situation on
behavior. The final unit deals with abnormal behavior and therapy. Each unit of
the course is followed by a 50-question multiple-choice test. The last test
includes an additional 50 questions integrating material from the first four
units. About 92% of the course grade is based on exam performance, with the
remaining 8% based on the behavior change project. Extra credit may be earned
by submitting answers to review questions.
The class meets in a regular classroom and usually has about 15 to 20
students. The format is a mix of
lectures with transparencies, videos, demonstrations, in-class experiments, and
discussions. Reading
assignments come from a standard introductory psychology textbook that has
on-line study aids.
Prerequisites: None.
Who Should Take the Course: Psychology 100 is required for students majoring in psychology
(both the PSYBA and PSYBS options) and students minoring
in psychology. It is also a requirement for a number of majors, including
Advertising and Public Relations, Biobehavioral
Health, Education, Kinesiology (Athletic Training Option), Nursing,
Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapist Assistant, and Rehabilitation
Services. Psychology 100 satisfies a General Education requirement in the
social sciences (GS) for students in any major. This course is for anyone
seeking a broad overview of the field of psychology. The course is taught every
fall and spring semester. The course is taught every summer.
Web Link: http://www.personal.psu.edu/pph1/PSY2.htm
Psychology 300W:
Basic Research Methods in Psychology (formerly Psychology 201W)
(Dr. John A.
Johnson, instructor)
Description: This course is designed to impart, through lectures and
laboratory exercises, a basic knowledge of psychological research methods.
Lectures, reviews, and exams are scheduled for Monday and Wednesday classes,
and laboratory exercises and special activities are scheduled for Friday
classes. Some of the laboratory exercises can be completed within class, while
others will require additional work outside of class. Students who successfully
complete this course should be able to locate, read, and understand
psychological journal articles. They also should understand the logic of
research designs and statistical analyses used by psychologists. Finally, they
should be able to generate scientific hypotheses, to design studies to test the
hypotheses, and to write research reports following APA style guidelines.
Grades are based on the total number of points earned on three 50-point
multiple-choice exams, three papers, and ten laboratory exercises. The class is
held in a computer studio (normally 149 or 151 Smeal);
class size is usually between 6-12 students. Lectures are presented with
PowerPoint, but much of the class is hands-on practice working with data in
Excel. Students are required to read from a standard textbook on behavioral
research methods and from the APA publication manual.
Prerequisites: Psychology 100 and Statistics 200. Dr. Johnson insists
that students must have taken Psychology 100 or another basic psychology course
before enrolling in Psychology 300W, but he will waive the statistics
prerequisite because he teaches all of the necessary statistics in the course
presuming no prior knowledge.
Who Should Take the Course: This course is required for students majoring or minoring
in psychology. Because it is a writing-intensive (W) course, it satisfies the
University-wide, 3-credit intensive writing requirement. The course is rigorous
and time-consuming (it is a 4-credit course) and is therefore more appropriate
for students who require it rather than students wishing to take a psychology
course out of idle curiosity. Despite the demanding nature of the course, its
small size allows Dr. Johnson to give students a lot of personal attention to
insure their success. Because sections of this course at University Park are
very large, students who desire personal help from an instructor might be
advised to complete the course at Penn State DuBois. This course had been offered
in the spring semester in odd-numbered years, but it is unknown when the course
will be offered again.
Web Link: http://www.personal.psu.edu/~j5j/psy201/web201.html
Psychology 269: Evolutionary
Psychology (formerly Psychology 209)
(Dr. John A.
Johnson, course co-creator and instructor)
Description: Evolutionary psychology strives to understand how human
thinking, motivation, behavior, and social relationships evolved over
evolutionary time. This course demonstrates how knowledge and principles from
evolutionary biology are used to conduct research on the design of the human
mind. The course explains how evolutionary psychologists identify adaptive
problems faced by our ancestors and test hypotheses about psychological
mechanisms designed by natural selection to solve these adaptive problems. The
psychological mechanisms discussed are involved in phenomena such as perception
and the control of activity, learning and cognition, mate selection and
courting, development and parenting, altruism, aggression, and social
structure. This course was offered for the first time in the Penn State
system in the Spring 2004 semester. The course follows
a lecture/discussion format, guided by PowerPoint slides on Mondays and
Wednesdays and a pure discussion class on Fridays. Grades are based on four
short-answer exams and class participation. The course is taught in room 47 Smeal and class size is about 10 students. Students are
expected to read from a standard evolutionary psychology textbook as well as
following discussions in the evolutionary psychology discussion group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/evolutionary-psychology/
.
Prerequisites: Psychology 100 and either Anthropology 021 or
Biological Science 002 or Biology 133 or Biology 222. Students absolutely must
have completed Psychology 100 before taking this course. It would be very
helpful to come into the course with some background in genetics from an anthropology or biology course, but Dr. Johnson does not
insist upon this prerequisite, which were included to try to limit class sizes
when the course is taught at University Park.
Who Should Take the Course: Psychology majors planning to work on
either the PSYBA or PSYBS degrees at
University Park must complete courses from at least three different categories.
Psychology 269 counts in group C. Non-majors who are simply interested in
acquiring the deepest possible understanding of human nature the psychology has
to offer should take this course. The course had been offered every spring; it
is uncertain when the course will be offered again.
Web Link: http://www.personal.psu.edu/~j5j/psy269/web269.html
Psychology 212:
Developmental Psychology (formerly Psychology 213)
(Dr. Pamela P. Hufnagel, instructor)
Description: This course examines the biological and environmental
forces that shape individual development from conception through adolescence.
Although the emphasis is on normal development, attention is also given to
problems in development. The course is divided into five units. The first unit
reviews psychological research methods and theories, and then covers heredity
and prenatal development. Each of the remaining units focuses on physical,
cognitive, and social development in one of four age groups (infancy,
preschool, elementary school-age, and adolescence). Each unit is followed by a
50-point multiple-choice exam. The exam after the last unit has an additional
50 questions covering material from the first four units. About 83% of the
course grade is based on exam performance, with the remaining 17% based on a
child study project conducted outside class. Extra credit may be earned by
submitting answers to review questions.
The class meets in a regular classroom and usually has about 20 to 40
students. The format is a mix of
lectures with transparencies, videos, demonstrations, in-class experiments, and
discussions. Reading
assignments come from a standard developmental psychology textbook that has
on-line study aids.
Prerequisites: PSY 100
(Students who have taken PSY 100 have an advantage over students who
have not taken it during the first unit in particular, which reviews
information that may have been covered in more detail in PSY 100.)
Who Should Take the Course: Psychology 212 is required for students
majoring in Special Education and is on a short list of options for students
majoring in Elementary Education, Rehabilitation Services, or Communication
Disorders. It can apply towards a major in psychology
or minor in
Psychology, and is a prerequisite for some higher level Psychology courses.
Psychology 213 satisfies a General Education requirement in the social sciences
(GS) for students in any major. This course is for anyone who is interested in
children and nurturing their development. The course is taught every spring.
Web Link: http://www.personal.psu.edu/pph1/hd229.htm
Psychology 238:
Introduction to Personality Psychology
(John A. Johnson,
course creator and instructor)
Description: Personality psychology, or personology,
is the scientific study of the whole person. Through lecture and discussion,
this course compares and contrasts the major views of personality according the
root ideas in the personological tradition:
motivation, personality development, self-knowledge, unconscious processes,
psychological adjustment, and the relationship between the individual and
society. Grades are based on the total number of points earned on four 40-point
multiple-choice exams and can be adjusted upward for students who demonstrate
understanding of the course material in class projects and discussions. The
class is normally held in a regular classroom in Smeal
Building and enrollment is usually about 15-20 students. In most classes, Dr.
Johnson lectures from PowerPoints and leads
discussions. He also provides a number of classroom activities such as analyzing
a case study of a pyromaniac and taking and interpreting various personality
tests. Students are expected to read a standard personality textbook.
Prerequisites: Psychology 100. Students who have completed Psychology
100 may have a slight advantage over students who have not, but Dr. Johnson
waives the prerequisite for any student who is interested in taking the course.
Students who have taken the course without having taken Psychology 100 have
done just fine.
Who Should Take the Course: Psychology majors planning to work on
either the PSYBA or PSYBS degrees at
University Park must complete courses from at least three categories. Psychology 238 counts in group B. Psychology 238 satisfies a
General Education requirement in the social sciences (GS) for students in any
major except psychology. This course is for anyone interested in learning how
and why people differ from one another. It is a prototypical liberal arts
course, centered on the discussion of ideas from the classic theories of
individuals such as Freud, Jung, Allport, and Erikson
and applying the ideas to areas of contemporary concern. The course is taught
every spring semester.
Web Link: http://www.personal.psu.edu/~j5j/psy238/syl238.html
Psychology 243:
Introduction to Well-Being and Positive Psychology
(John A. Johnson,
course co-creator and instructor)
Description: This is Penn State’s only psychology course designed
specifically to provide practical, personal benefits to students. The goal of
the course is to teach students how to apply principles from psychological
research that have a demonstrated ability to improve self-understanding and
psychological well-being. Methods taught include setting and achieving goals
that bring happiness by realistic planning and also developing habits of
thought for optimizing well-being in normally unpleasant situations. Grades are
based on 22 short writing assignments, a 40-question mid-term exam and final
exam, a group writing project, and the quality of one’s contributions to
small-group discussions. Students can normally achieve the grade they desire if
they choose to complete all of the assignments. Classes are normally held in
one of the Smeal classrooms to allow the presentation
of PowerPoint slides and small-group discussions. The enrollment limit is 24,
and class size is normally between 20-24. Prior to
every class, students are expected to complete a reading assignment or other
activity in preparation for that class. At the beginning of most classes,
students will meet in small groups to discuss their experiences with the
reading and activity assignments. Dr. Johnson alternates between facilitating
the discussions and presenting additional material to think about and discuss.
Required books include a standard textbook on positive psychology, a workbook
for learning about and practicing self-improvement techniques, a book on
increasing freedom by avoiding erroneous thinking, and a book that links
ancient Toltec practices to modern positive psychology.
Prerequisite: Psychology 100. Dr. Johnson believes that this course
can be completed successfully regardless of a student’s background in
psychology and therefore does not require students to have completed Psychology
100.
Who Should Take the Course: This course is required for 2-year
Occupational Therapy and 2-year Physical Therapist Assistant majors. Psychology
majors planning to work on either the PSYBA or PSYBS degrees at
University Park must complete courses from at least three categories. Psychology
243 counts in group C. Psychology 243
satisfies a General Education requirement in the social sciences (GS) for
students in any major except psychology. The course is also a good choice for
any student who desires a greater degree of self-understanding and personal
well-being. The course is taught in both the fall and spring semester every
year. In the fall the course is open first to Occupational Therapy students;
others can register if not all seats are taken. In recent years there have been
openings in the fall for any student who has wanted to take the course.
Web Link: http://www.personal.psu.edu/~j5j/psy243/web243.html
Psychology 438:
Theory of Personality
(John A. Johnson,
instructor)
Description: Before the lower level version of this course,
Psychology 238, was created, Psychology 438 used to survey the major classic
theories of Freud, Jung, etc., and examine how well these theories are
supported by research. Because the classic theories are now covered in
Psychology 238, the emphasis in Psychology 438 has now shifted to more limited,
modern theories and research on specific topics such as the hereditary and
biological basis of personality, personality development, motivation, the
unconscious, self-efficacy and self-control, sex and gender, aggression,
stress, relationships, and personality disorders. Classes are held in an
ordinary classroom in Smeal, and enrollment is
usually in the range of 10-15 students. Students are presented at the beginning
of the course with a set of questions and asked to seek answers to the
questions in the assigned readings. During the first half of each class,
students compare and discuss answers in small groups, and during the second
half of class, Dr. Johnson reviews the answers to the questions. Students
receive credit toward their course grade for submitting their answers, which
are checked but not graded. Grades are based on successfully submitting answers
to all questions, on a three-part paper (ungraded) in which students analyze
their own personalities, on the quality of contributions to group discussions,
and on performance on a midterm and final exam (both contain 40 multiple-choice
questions). Each chapter of the main textbook is written by one of today’s
leading experts on the topic covered in the chapter. In addition to the main
textbook, students are required to read two chapters from the Handbook of
Personality, copies of which are placed on ANGEL.
Prerequisite: Psychology 100 and fifth-semester standing. Dr. Johnson
strongly recommends that students take Psychology 100 prior to 438 and that
they be at least third-semester standing. Psychology 238 is not a prerequisite
for 438, but students who take 238 first may find 438 more meaningful and a
little easier. However, one can certainly take 238 after 438 as well.
Who Should Take the Course: Psychology majors planning to work on
either the PSYBA or PSYBS degrees at
University Park must complete 12 credits of courses at the 400-level, beyond
Psychology 490. Psychology 438 counts toward this requirement. This course is
recommended for students who are interested in personality research conducted
by current, practicing personality psychologists.
Web Link: http://www.personal.psu.edu/~j5j/psy438/web438.html
Psychology 479 /
Women’s Studies 471: Psychology of Gender
(John A. Johnson,
instructor)
Description: This course explores the myths and
realities of gender. Specifically, we will seek answers to the following
questions:
- As far
as we can tell from scientific research, to what degree are women and men
actually different or similar in their thoughts, feelings, and behavior? - What
are the roles that genes, prenatal hormones, parenting, educational
systems, casual observation, peers, and the mass media play in shaping actual
gender? Everyday beliefs about gender? - How do
everyday beliefs about gender differences correspond to actual gender differences
as understood by scientific research? - How do
everyday beliefs about gender affect the way that people treat each other? - How do
actual gender and beliefs about gender affect
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A primary goal of this course is to increase students’ self-understanding and
their understanding of relationships with those of the same and other sex. The
course does address problems such as stereotyping, discrimination, economic
inequality, gender-related health issues, assault, and marital/family strife.
But the slant of the course is positive rather than negative. An increased
understanding of gender is meant to help students make good decisions that
result in positive self-growth and relations with others. Classes are held in
an ordinary classroom in Smeal, and enrollment is
usually in the range of 10-15 students. Students are presented at the beginning
of the course with a set of questions and asked to seek answers to the
questions in the assigned readings. Written answers to these questions are
graded. Class time is divided between lecture and discussion of students’
answers to the questions in small groups. Overall grades are based on the
quality of answers to all questions, on the quality of contributions to group
discussions (based on the evaluations of others in the small discussion group),
and on performance on a midterm and final exam (both contain 50 multiple-choice
questions). Two textbooks are used; one is on gender and the nature-nurture
issue, and the other is a reader containing chapters written by experts on
different gender topics. Students are also required to read a number of journal
articles.
Prerequisite: Psychology 100 and Psychology 221 and fifth-semester
standing. Because the DuBois Campus does not offer Psychology 221, Dr. Johnson
waives that prerequisite.
Who Should Take the Course: Psychology majors planning to work on
either the PSYBA or PSYBS degrees at
University Park must complete 12 credits of courses at the 400-level, beyond
Psychology 490. Psychology 479 counts toward this requirement. This course also
satisfies a requirement for the Women’s Studies major or minor.
Web Link: http://www.personal.psu.edu/~j5j/psy479/web479.html
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Last updated: December 6, 2013