Psychology

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology is offered by the Department of Psychology and Sociology. The degree is offered as both a traditional day and a part-time evening major. It is the only comprehensive evening psychology degree offered in the Bay Area, differing not at all from the day curriculum, and prepares students superbly for graduate work in psychology. Some evening courses are offered in Intensive format, for qualified students.

The core curriculum consists of basic coursework spanning the different subfields of psychology, from the clinical to the social to the experimental. Special emphasis is placed on helping the psychology student to develop analytic skills and interdisciplinary perspectives, through lively classroom work, individual research, and community-based learning experiences. Students are encouraged to develop their own personalized curriculum after fulfilling the core courses, to equip them to bring innovation and interpersonal knowledge to their initial employment, or to go on to further graduate work.

Undergraduate Psychology offers special articulated programs with NDNU's graduate programs in Art Therapy and Clinical Psychology, and with NDNU's Special Education degree programs. Articulated programs allow qualified students in their last year of undergraduate work to begin study for the master's degree, while completing the bachelor's degree. They are allowed to enroll in up to six units of selected graduate coursework, that fulfills the undergraduate psychology elective requirements, while also counting toward the master's degree.

Bachelor of Arts: Psychology

In addition to major requirements, students must meet Core Curriculum Requirements and General Degree Requirements.
Prerequisites		Units
PY001	Introduction to Psychology	3
MA102	Statistics	3
Total Prerequisites		6
Major Requirements		Units
PY101	Personality Theory	3
PY104	Research Methods	4
PY106	Psychobiology	3
PY108	Cognitive Psychology	3
PY120	Social Psychology	3
PY161 or PY163	Developmental Psychology (3) Developmental Psychology in the Classroom and Community (4)	3-4
PY168	Abnormal Psychology	3
PY178	History and Systems of Psychology (Capstone class)	3
Upper-division Psychology courses (electives)		9
Total Major Requirements		34-35
Other Degree Requirements* and General Electives * Other degree requirements include Core Curriculum Requirements and General Degree Requirements (e.g., Career Development, U.S. History). Note: Certain psychology courses help fulfill the Career Development Requirement, e.g., PY190AB, PY174, PY163. See course descriptions for the number of units satisfying the Career Development Requirement.		83-84
Total Unit Requirement		124

Minor Requirements: Psychology

Required Courses		Units
PY001	Introduction to Psychology	3
Upper-division units in Psychology (PY101 Personality Theory is recommended)		12
Total Unit Requirement		15

Psychology Courses

Psychology courses listed as both lower-division and upper-division require a separate syllabus for each level. The amount of work required for upper-division credit will differ in both quantity and quality from that required for lower-division credit.

PY001 Introduction to Psychology (3)
Surveys the content and method of psychology, the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The course provides an overview of topics such as how the brain impacts behavior, how we develop, personality, psychopathology, and group and individual behavior.

PY015/115 The Inner City: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly [CDiv] (4)
Cross-listed with SO015/115. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY016/116 Exploring the Inner World of the Inner City [CDiv] (4)
Cross-listed with SO016/116. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY017/117 Lifestyles of the Poor and Infamous [CDiv] (4)
Cross-listed with SO017/117. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY018/118 The Promise of the Inner City [CDiv] (4)
Cross-listed with SO018/118. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY035/135 Human Sexuality (3)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Explores personal, interpersonal, and transpersonal dimensions of sexual experience: awareness, attitudes, meaning, expression, response, and different sexual orientations.

PY098/198 Cooperative Education Internship (1-3)
Provides students with the opportunity to gain career-related work experience in Psychology. See Career Development listings for course description.

PY101 Personality Theory (3)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Surveys classic and modern theories of personality development in their biographical and historical context, e.g. Sigmund and Anna Freud, Carl Jung, Alfred Adler, Karen Horney, Margaret Mahler, Melanie Klein, D.W. Winnicott, Heinz Kohut, Abraham Maslow, and Rollo May.

PY103 Counseling and Psychotherapy (3)

Prerequisite: PY001

Reviews the theoretical foundations and clinical techniques of a wide variety of psychotherepeutic approaches, including psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, existential, Gestalt, group, and family therapy.  Basic counseling skills, useful in a vast range of context, are also explored and practiced.

PY104 Research Methods (4)
Prerequisites: PY001 and MA102.
Introduces empirical, quantitative, and qualitative research in the behavioral sciences. Cross-listed with SO104.

PY105 Psychological Assessment (3)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Introduces the design, validation, and use of different kinds of psychological tests: ability, personality, psychopathology, interests, attitudes, and intelligence. Useful for those going on to graduate school, or interested in clinical, organizational, neuropsychological, occupational, and educational psychology.

PY106 Psychobiology (3)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Studies the brain and its functions as they relate to behavior. This course explores topics such as learning and memory, the rhythms of the brain, emotions, and the senses. Some disorders such as epilepsy, Alzheimer's, Huntington's Chorea, and memory defects are reviewed.

PY108 Cognitive Psychology (3)
This course is designed to provide a general overview of the field of cognitive psychology. Topics include sensation and perception, learning, thinking, problem-solving, inductive and deductive reasoning, creativity, language and memory, and cognitive neuroscience. Both theory and research will be discussed.

PY111A Introduction to Clinical Art Therapy (1)
PY111B Introduction to Clinical Art Therapy (2)
Cross-listed with PY411A and PY411B. See Art Therapy listings for course description.

PY112 Cultures, Communities, and Criminality (1)
Cross-listed with SO112. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY113 Society through Film [CDiv] (3)
Cross-listed with SO113. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY120 Social Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Gives an overview of the classic research areas in social psychology, including conformity, group influence, persuasion, prejudice, aggression, altruism, and interpersonal attraction. In addition, the newer approaches of social cognition, gender and cross-cultural factors, and applied social psychology are discussed. Cross-listed with SO120.

PY121 Careers in Sociology and Social Work (0.5)
Cross-listed with CD111 and SO111. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY123 Philosophy of Mind (3)
Cross-listed with PL118. See Philosophy listings for course description.

PY124 Forensic Science (4)
Cross-listed with BY024/124. See Biology listings for course description.

PY129 Love and Violence (3)
Cross-listed with SO129. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY133 The Family [CDiv] (3)
Cross-listed with SO130. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY136 Death and Dying (3)
This course commences with theoretical principles of death awareness in illnesses, accidents, suicides, and homicides. This course continues with therapeutic processes and clinical case studies of mourning and healing. It concludes with theological meanings of death and immortality from world cultures and world spiritualities.

PY142 Discovering Values (3)
Cross-listed with SO142 and RS142. See Religious Studies listings for course description.

PY144 Social Issues in the Community (3)

Cross-listed with SO144.  See Sociology listings for course description.

PY145 Crime in American Society (3)
Cross-listed with SO145. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY147 Deviant Behavior (3)
Cross-listed with SO147. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY149T Teaching Assistant (1-3)

This is an opportunity for advanced students to earn credit by special arrangement with the Psychology Department Chair.

PY153 Race and Ethnicity in Cross-cultural Perspective [CDiv] (3)
Cross-listed with SO153. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY154 Building Community through Diversity (1)
This course examines cultural diversity as it relates to leadership development and community building.  Students explore the impact of diversity on four levels: intrapersonally, interpersonally, in groups, and in the community.  This is a weekend course totaling 15 hours.  Elements of the course include discussion, experiential activities, small group sharing, dialogues, and reflection.  Cross-listed with SO154.

PY156 Interpersonal/Intercultural Communication [CDiv] (3)
Cross-listed with CM156 and SO156. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY159 Conflict Resolution (3)
This course gives students the basic skills needed to be a mediator, including an introduction to conflict theory and conflict styles, active listening and collaborative speaking techniques, skills for managing interaction in conflict settings, and knowledge about the stages of a mediation process. There is a strong emphasis on practice through role-play activities and sharing of real life experience. This course meets the State of California requirements for volunteer mediators at a community mediation center, and prepares students to volunteer at the on-campus Mediation Center. Cross-listed with CM159 and SO159.

PY161 Developmental Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Studies human growth and development from prenatal stages through adolescence. Attention is given to various developmental theories, interdisciplinary research, interconnected roles of biological and environment, and practical applications.  Students may not receive credit for both PY161 and PY163.

PY163 Developmental Psychology in the Classroom and Community (4)
Studies human growth and development from prenatal stages through adolescence. Attention is given to various developmental theories, interdisciplinary research, interconnected roles of biological and environment, and practical applications. PY163 allows students to choose a particular area of interest and participate in the community in some way exploring that interest. May be used to satisfy one unit of the Career Development/Community Based Learnng Requirement.  Students may not receive credit for both PY163 and PY161.

PY164 Sports, Service, and Society (1)
Cross-listed with SO164. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY166 Careers in Community and Criminal Justice (0.5)
Cross-listed with CD166 and SO166. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY168 Abnormal Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Focuses on introduction to mental disorders: classification, causes, diagnosis, and treatment. Emphasizes diagnosis using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.

PY172 Jungian Psychology (3)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Surveys the basic concepts in Jungian psychology, or Analytic Psychology, including the persona, shadow, anima and animus, the Self, the process of individuation, as well as the application of the Jungian system in the analysis of case histories, literature, film, and the political process.

PY173 Political Psychology (3)
Cross-listed with HY173 and PS173. See Political Science listings for course description.

PY174 Community Psychology (4)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Studies a wide variety of forces and structures in the community which affect the positive growth, development, and functioning of its members. As a service learning course, this class includes community work, theoretical discussions, and reflection activities. May be used to satisfy one unit of the Career Development/Community Based Learning Requirement.  Cross-listed with SO174.

PY176 Women, Shakespeare, and Psychoanalysis [CDiv] (3)
Examines some of the sophisticated ways in which Shakespeare explores the feminine psyche across the stages of psychological development. The course incorporates into this investigation the concepts of certain modern psychologists, including C. G. Jung, D. W. Winnicott, and Heinz Kohut. Cross-listed with EN176.

PY177 Time Management (0.5-1)
Cross-listed with CD177 and SO177. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY178 History and Systems of Psychology (Capstone Course) (3)
Prerequisite: PY001.
Taken by graduating seniors, this course provides an overview of the field of psychology from a historical perspective. The course examines the major systems, theoretical models, and personalities that have shaped the field since its inception.

PY179 Youth, Crime, and Society (3)
Cross-listed with SO173. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY180 Animals in Society (1)
Cross-listed with SO180. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY182 The Animal-Human Bond (3)
Cross-listed with SO182. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY184 Teaching, Learning, and Healing through Animals (3)

Cross-listed with SO184 and PY184.  See Sociology listings for course description.

PY190A Social Change through Social Service (3)
Cross-listed with SO190A. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY190B Social Change through Social Service (3)
Cross-listed with SO190B. See Sociology listings for course description.

PY195 Special Topics in Psychology (3)
Various topics are offered, providing elective opportunities for psychology majors.

PY199 Independent Study in Psychology (1-3)
Provides an opportunity for independent study or research under the direction of an instructor. See Undergraduate Policies and Procedures section on Independent Study.