Undergraduate Course Descriptions

Explore courses offered in our Undergraduate Program in Psychology at Rutgers–Camden.

50:830:095 Student Success in Intro to Psychology (1)
This 1-credit class supports students’ success in Introduction to Psychology.  It must be taken concurrently with Introduction to Psychology (it is not a stand-alone class).

50:830:096 Student Success in Statistics (1)
This 1-credit class supports students’ success in Statistics for the Social Sciences.  It must be taken concurrently with Statistics for the Social Sciences (it is not a stand-alone class).

50:830:100 Introductory Topics in Psychology (3)
Introductory-level review of selected topics in psychology.
No prerequisite; does not substitute for 50:830:101. May be taken a maximum of two times for departmental credit, as long as the department agrees that the topics are different.

50:830:101 Introduction to Psychology (R) (3)
An introduction to the methods, theories, facts and basic principles of major topics in psychology, including the scientific nature of the psychological sciences, the biological foundations of psychological functioning, the cognitive processing systems from sensation and perception to higher-order cognition and decision-making, the processes of lifespan development, the assessment and characterization of personality, the processes of social psychology, the nature of psychological testing, and the foundations of clinical diagnosis for psychological disorders and their treatment.  Participation in research or completion of an approved, appropriate alternative activity required.

50:830:135 Introductory Social Psychology (R) (3)
An introductory survey of psychological research and theory about individuals as they influence and are influenced by other people.  Topics include social perception and judgment, attitudes and behavior, self and identity, social influence and persuasion, intergroup relations, prejudice and discrimination, and love and close relationships. Attention is given to applications in real-world settings, such as business/organizations, the law, health, and education.
Credit in the major not given for both this course and 50:830:335.  If both Introductory Social Psychology (50:830:135) and Social Psychology (50:830:335) are taken, credits for only one course will be applied to the major in psychology; credits for the other course will be applied to general graduation electives. Not recommended for psychology majors.

50:830:201 Frontiers in Psychology (3)
Faculty members and distinguished visiting lecturers described their career paths and lead seminars in their fields of specialization and. Students prepare and present papers on assigned topics that change from year to year.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135.

50:830:203 The Psychology of Minority Groups (D) (3)
Examination of the personality patterns, psychological dynamics, and social-cultural styles that emerge from the encounter of minority groups with American culture. Attempts made to define the major psychological events within minority groups as they relate to developmental processes, attitudes, perceptions, and identity patterns.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135.

50:830:206 Psychology of Couples and Families (3)
The psychological study of interpersonal behavior within family units, both nuclear and extended; addresses conjoint personal development, communication networks, and intrafamily conflict.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135.

50:830:222 Human Development (3)
Human development across the lifespan: A critical examination of psychological constancy and changes throughout the human life span, with emphasis on biological, cultural, intergenerational, social and other systemic experiences and influences.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135. This course does not count toward the psychology major

50:830:226 Psychology of Childhood (3)
Examination of psychological development from birth through late childhood. Topics include motor abilities, language, intelligence, social and emotional behavior and attitudes, with emphasis on the prevention of maladjustment.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135.

50:830:231 Psychology of Personality (3)
Examination of theoretical and research approaches to the understanding of individual behavior, considering both individual traits and situational sources of influence.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135.

50:830:250 Statistics for Social Science (3)
Introduction to basic concepts of statistics, both descriptive (organization and presentation of data) and inferential (drawing conclusions from data), with emphasis on practical applications in psychological research.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135. Credit not given for this course and 50:960:183 or equivalent

50:830:255 Method and Theory in Psychology (WRI) (3)
Survey of research methods in psychology that emphasizes the guiding role of theory in scientific research.  Consideration of the nature and history of scientific theories in psychology, hypothesis generation, review of professional literature, measurement, research designs, control of extraneous variables, and the analysis, interpretation, reproducibility and ecological validity of empirical results. Discussion of the self-correcting nature of the research process through replication, peer review, increased methodological sophistication, and quantitative analysis, with an emphasis on reading and writing research papers in psychology.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135.

50:830:256 Research Methods in Psychology (3)
Survey of research methods in psychology, emphasizing the guiding role of theory in scientific research.  Students will learn about distinguishing between nonscientific versus scientific sources of information, hypothesis generation, review of extant literature, measurement, experimental versus nonexperimental designs, control of extraneous variables, analysis, interpretation, replication, and testing the ecological validity of results. Emphasis on the self-correcting nature of the research process through replication and extension, peer review, increased methodological sophistication, and quantitative analysis.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 50:830:135 Credit not given for both this course and 50:830:255

50:830:301 Educational Psychology (3)
Examines how individuals develop and learn, with particular emphasis upon the classroom. Includes motivation, student interests, creating a healthy learning climate, language development, testing, and individual differences.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256

50:830:303 Psychology of Gender (3)
The psychological impact of being gendered; a review of research and theory on the development of sex differences in identity and other aspects of personality.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:305 Psychology of Human Sexuality (3)
Examination of major topics and approaches to the psychological study of human sexuality. Begins with introduction to the history of the field, the major obstacles to conducting research in human sexuality, and major theoretical approaches, followed by presentation on anatomy and physiology of the human sexual attraction and relationships, sexual orientation, variations in sexual behavior, commercial sexuality, coercive sexuality, and sexual dysfunctions and therapy.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:306 Human Emotions (3)
Inquiry into the nature of human emotions, their causes and functions. Topics discussed include: physiological, behavioral, and cognitive approaches to emotions; expressive aspects; motivational aspects; emotional development; individual, gender, and cultural differences; emotional pathology; emotional self-regulation and control.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:312 Psychology of Consciousness (3)
Examination of various aspects of consciousness from psychological perspectives, including those of cognition, neuroscience, phenomenology, and evolution. Topics include sleep and dreams, perception and thought, effects of psychoactive drugs, introspective reports, and brain function in healthy and injured people.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:316 Psychology and the Law (3)
Explores the relation between the field of psychology and the legal system, the decision-making process of judges and juries, eyewitness reliability, criminal insanity, the use of psychological knowledge to raise legal issues, and assumptions that the legal system makes about human nature.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:318 Ethics in Psychology (3)
Provides an overview of the ethical questions and dilemmas that psychologists encounter in their everyday practice, research, and teaching, with the goal of familiarizing students with he role of ethical behavior and decision making in psychology
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:319 Industrial Psychology (3)
Personnel selection and placement; psychology of industrial and human relations; worker morale, motivation, and efficiency; human factors in equipment design, marketing, and advertising research.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:326 Psychology of Adolescence (3)
A survey of development during the adolescent and early adult years. Contemporary theories and research will be used to help students understand issues central to adolescence including: pubertal development; cognitive development; identity, dating and sexuality; family and peer relationships; adolescents at school and work; culture and the media; and the challenges faced by adolescents. Adolescence will be discussed both as a distinct stage of life, and as an integral component of development across the life span.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:328 Psychology of Aging (3)
This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the field of psychology of aging/gerontology.  The focus on later life will be examined from a multidisciplinary perspective, using a lifespan developmental framework, and will cover fundamental theories, major topics, and characteristic methods in the psychology of aging.  Topics include changes in physical, cognitive, social, and personality functions; mental health issues; retirement; long term care; death and dying; and successful aging.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:335 Social Psychology (3)
Psychological theory and research examining how individuals influence and are influenced by their social environment. Topics include social cognition, cultural influences, conformity, persuasion, group behavior, prejudice aggression, interpersonal attraction, and prosocial behavior.  Credit in the major not given for both this course and 50:830:335.  If both Introductory Social Psychology (50:830:135) and Social Psychology (50:830:335) are taken, credits for only one course will be applied to the major in psychology; credits for the other course will be applied to general graduation electives.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256. 

50:830:340 Abnormal Psychology (3)
A survey of different types of psychological disorders as defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (currently DSM-5) of the American Psychiatric Association.  To a lesser extent, the course examines causes of these disorders and the treatments for them.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:345 Introduction to Clinical Psychology (3)
Introduction to theory and practice of clinical psychology, with a focus on case studies and workshop design. It also includes individual, couples and family therapy models.
Prerequisites: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:348 Health Psychology (3)
Focuses on understanding psychological processes that influence health. Topics include stress and illness, personality and disease, chronic illness and death, health promotion and disease prevention through behavior change, and relationships between patients and practitioners. The changing health care environment and the need to understand the role of individuals’ lifestyles in determining their health are emphasized.
Prerequisites: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:355 Psychological Tests and Measurements (3)
Introduction to the history, development, and principles of psychological testing, including techniques of administration, scoring, and interpretation. Intelligence, aptitude, achievement, interest, and personality tests studied theoretically and empirically. The impact of testing on the individual and on society.
Prerequisites: 5 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:360 Cognitive Processes (3)
Examines research on human information processing, including attention, pattern recognition, memory, thought, and problem solving. Discusses laboratory techniques, theoretical models, and research applications to practical concerns such as reading, training strategies, and human engineering.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:365 Cultural Psychology(3)
Examines how culture influences the way people process information about themselves and the world. Topics include cultural differences in self-construal, cognition, perception, and other basic psychological processes.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:380 Laboratory in Experimental Psychology (1)
Examines scientific methods of approaching psychological questions, and students gain practical experience with research techniques used in selected areas of psychological investigations.
Prerequisites: 50:830:101, 250, and 255 or 256 Corequisites: 50:830:381

50:830:381 Experimental Psychology (3)
Designed to give students experience with using research techniques for the investigation of psychological phenomena and understanding the methodological strengths and limitations of different techniques.  Prepares students to conduct empirical investigations, analyze data, and interpret and report results for research studies in psychology.
Prerequisites: 50:830:101, 250, and 255 or 256 Corequisites: 50:830:380

50:830:434 Psychology of Eating (3)
Focuses on understanding the psychological processes underlying humans’ development of eating behaviors and the adoption of both healthy and maladaptive cognitions and behaviors concerning food, eating, and our bodies. Issues to be addressed include: food choice, the development of food preferences, motivation to eat, cultural influences on eating patterns, weight regulation, body image, dieting behaviors, obesity, eating disorder, and treatment of unhealthy and clinical eating problems. The psychological, not physiological, processes of eating will be emphasized.
Prerequisites: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:438 the Psychology of Strongly Held Beliefs (3)
Inquiry into the origins, structure, and psychological functions of strongly held systems of belief, such as political liberalism and conservatism, attitudes toward war and peace, and attitudes toward social issues (e.g., abortion, racial attitudes, etc.). Topics include relationships of personality, personal experiences, and socialization to political beliefs.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:440 Developmental Psychopathology (3)
Applies a developmental approach to the understanding of childhood disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Depression, and Anxiety disorders.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:441 Theories of Psychotherapy (3)
Examination of different approaches to psychotherapy including psychoanalytic, humanistic, gestalt, existential, cognitive, behavioral, and solution-focused approaches. The focus will be on the theory behind each approach. While techniques used by the different approaches will be briefly discussed, students will not be taught how to do therapy.
Prerequisite: 50:830:255

50:830:457, 458,459, 461, 462, 463, 464 Special Topics in Psychology (2-3)
Selected theoretical, experimental, and applied problems in psychology. Specific topics covered are rotated from term to term depending on the interests of participating faculty and students.
Prerequisites: 50:830:101 or 135

50:830:465 Learning and Memory (3)
Critical survey of the outstanding attempts to understand the nature of learning and memory. Emphasis on classical and current theories and their implications. Demonstrates a range of phenomena from simple conditioning to complex verbal learning.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:467 Perception (3)
Examines what we need to know about the objects and events that surround us, how our eyes and ears sense this information, how the patterns of neural activity in our brain represent this information, and finally, what scientists know about our visual and auditory experiences.
Prerequisite: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:471 Behavioral Pharmacology (3)
The action of drugs on the nervous system and behavior. Topics include principles of drug action, drug-environment interactions, drug abuse, drugs and therapeutic agents, and drugs as tools in psychological research.
Formerly 50:830:437 Prerequisites: 50:830:255 or 256, and junior or senior status or permission of instructor.

50:830:475 Physiological Psychology (3)
This course examines the relationship between biology and behavior. By studying the workings of animal brains, the functional deficits of brain damaged humans, and the genetics of behavior, scientists have identified some of the biological mechanisms that underlie language, addiction, anxiety, depression, learning, aggression and other aspects of human psychology. Prerequisites: 50:830:101 or 135 and 50:830:255 or 256.

50:830:476 Animal Behavior (3)
Review of the behavior patterns of lower animals with emphasis on the evolution of instinctual and experiential determiners of these patterns. Topics include communication, behavior-structure relationships, adaptive ability versus specialization, and the evolution of intelligence.
Formerly 50:830:486 Prerequisite: 50:830:255

50:830:493 Applied Experience (R) (1-3)
Provides advanced psychology majors with an opportunity to integrate and expand their knowledge of psychology through applied experiences in the community. Students are encouraged to develop their own placements, but prearranged placements are also available. Individual supervision in the conceptualization and carrying out of projects will be provided.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. This course (combined with 494, 495, and 498) may be repeated for a maximum of 10 credits.

50:830:494,495 Advanced Independent Study in Psychology (R) (1-3)
The student is required to undertake a term-long or year-long laboratory or library project under the supervision of a member of the department. Strongly recommended for students planning to attend graduate school. (This course does not substitute for Experimental Psychology with Lab, for that course see 50:830:498: Independent Study in Psychology Capstone.)
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. This course (combined with 493 and 498) may be repeated for a maximum of 10 credits.

50:830:496,497 Honors Program in Psychology (3, 3)
Design, execution, analysis, and presentation of original research, undertaken after departmental approval of an honor’s research proposal and conducted under the supervision of one or more faculty members. May be taken only with departmental approval.
Prerequisite: By permission only.

50:830:498 Independent Study in Psychology Capstone (4)
This course is an alternative to Experimental Psychology, for students who have already been working on research with a department faculty member.  In this course, a student works directly with faculty on a Capstone research project
Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor; 50:830:255 or 50:830:256 and 50:830:250 or 50:960:183; minimum GPA of 3.0 overall and in all prerequisites. Credit not given for both this course and 50:830:380,381