Biography

How do psychologists ask questions about the mind and how do they answer them? What distinguishes scientific explanations of behavior from intuition, common sense, or anecdote? How do experiments, observations, and data shape what we think we know about human thought and action?

This one-semester seminar offers an advanced introduction to psychology with a focus on the core concepts, methods, and evidence that define the discipline. Students examine foundational topics including the historical development of psychology, the biological bases of behavior, learning and motivation, sensation and perception, cognition and language, social behavior, development, individual differences, and mental health. Rather than emphasizing diagnosis or treatment, the course centers on how psychological knowledge is generated, tested, and evaluated. Using the scientific method as a guiding framework, students engage in experiential investigations, analyze primary research, and practice communicating psychological ideas through discussion and analytical writing. The course culminates in the design of an original experimental study presented as an APA-style research proposal. As psychologist Kurt Lewin observed, “There is nothing so practical as a good theory.”

Note: Honors option available to juniors and seniors.

Open to juniors and seniors and sophomores if space is available.