2023-2024 BSC Catalog Updated_UG ONLY_FINAL[82]

236 ACADEMIC PROGRAMS
PY 108 ES Developmental Disabilities (1)
An introduction to developmental disabilities and mental retardation in children. Topics
will include history, causes, treatment/education, behavioral interventions, and family
issues related to specific disabilities. An Explorations in Scholarship designated course.
PY 177, 277, 377, 477 Special Topics in Psychology (1)
An exploration of a selected topic in psychology. Prerequisites: PY 101 for PY 277; PY
101 and instructor consent for PY 377 and PY 477.
PY 202 Sleep and Dreams (1)
An investigation of the fundamental human need for sleep, including exploration of
proposed purposes for dreams. Topics include how sleep is scientifically defined and
measured, what happens when we do not sleep, current theories about the need for sleep,
common sleep disruptions and disorders, and the structure and utility of dreams. Topics
are examined on the individual, group, and societal levels. Prerequisite: PY 101.
PY 205 Introduction to Forensic Psychology (1)
An examination of forensic psychology, or the application of psychological principles to
legal matters. Topics include criminal behavior, victimization, criminal investigation
(e.g., criminal profiling, lie detection, eyewitness testimony), forensic assessment, and
jury selection and deliberation. Prerequisite: PY 101.
PY 211 Social Psychology (1)
An introduction to concepts, theories, and methods of social psychology. Topics include
the self, person perception, persuasion, conformity, obedience, stereotypes and prejudice,
aggression, prosocial behavior, group processes, and attraction and relationships.
Prerequisite: PY 101.
PY 217 Drugs, Brain, and Behavior (1)
A study of licit and illicit drugs (focusing on drugs of abuse) examining their effects on
the brain and on behavior. Topics may also include addiction and treatment, history of
drug use, and the influence of drugs on the unborn child, the individual, and on society. A
Public Health Studies designated course. Prerequisite: PY 101.
PY 219 Psychology of Aging (1)
A comprehensive overview of psychological aspects of aging, examining intellectual,
social, cognitive, and physical development in adulthood with special emphasis on the
last years of life. Specific topics include age-related changes in sensation/perception,
cognition, and personality, as well as application to late-life psychopathology.
Prerequisite: PY 101.
PY 221 QA Statistics and Research Methods I (1)
A laboratory course designed to introduce students to experimental research design,
statistical theory and techniques, and computer data analysis. Laboratory required. Open
only to psychology majors. A Quantitative Analysis designated course.
Birmingham-Southern College Catalog 2023-2024