2019-2020 BSC Catalog

220 ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
PY 245 Stereotyping, Prejudice, and Minority Experience (1)
An examination of psychological theory and research on the causes and consequences
of stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. The course will consider the development
and causes of stereotypes and prejudice, and reasons for their persistence and prevalence;
the effects that stereotypes and prejudice have on people's perceptions of and behaviors
toward particular groups or group members, as well as their effects on members of
stereotyped groups; and the implications of research findings on stereotypes, prejudice
and discrimination for education, business and government policies. Possible techniques
for reducing prejudice and discrimination will also be discussed. Prerequisite: PY101.
PY 250 The Psychology of Belief (1)
An examination of how beliefs are formed and how they are influenced both by internal
factors (perception, memory, reason, motivation, emotion, and prior beliefs) and external
factors (experience, identification with a group, social processes). The course considers
how vulnerable beliefs are to error, and how they can be maintained even when factually
false. Common misconceptions of human behavior, various pseudoscientific claims, and
everyday patterns of human thought and behavior serve as illustrative concepts. An
emphasis is placed on how characteristics of scientific thinking and skepticism can be
used to assess extraordinary and ordinary beliefs and claims about behavior. Prerequisite:
PY 101.
PY 293, 393, 493 Independent Study in Psychology (½ or 1)
Directed study for advanced students in the major. Specific guidelines concerning
independent study projects appear in the “Exploration Term and Contract Learning”
section of this catalog.
PY 297, 397, 497 Internship in Psychology (½ or 1)
An internship opportunity allowing students to practice career skills and/or further
develop abilities beneficial for graduate study. Specific guidelines concerning internships
appear in the “Exploration Term and Contract Learning” section of this catalog.
PY 298, 398, 498 Teaching Experience in Psychology (½ or 1)
A teaching experience course. Specific guidelines concerning teaching experiences
appear in the “Teaching Experiences” section of this catalog.
PY 304 WR Research Methods for Psychology (1)
An in-depth study of experimental design techniques, psychological research
methodology, and research report writing in APA style. This course has a laboratory
component in which students will conduct experiments, including researching a topic
with primary sources, collecting data, analyzing results, and writing the study in APA
style. Laboratory required. Open only to psychology majors. A Writing Reinforcement
designated course. Prerequisites: PY 101 and PY 204.
PY 308 Judgment and Decision Making (1)
An exploration of classic and contemporary scientific theory and research in the
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2019-2020