Psychology
Faculty
Deborah Harris O'Brien, Associate Professor of Psychology (Program Chair)
Stacey Baugh, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Christopher Bishop, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Carlota Ocampo, Associate Professor of Psychology
Debbie Van Camp, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Description
The study of psychology emphasizes the behavior and experience of the individual. Psychology investigates the effects on the individual of other individuals, groups, the environment, and the world of sensation and perception. This investigation can be undertaken from a number of different perspectives: physiological, sociocultural, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and psychoanalytic. Psychology thus interfaces with fields such as sociology, economics, political science, education, biology, and philosophy. In summary, psychology contributes to an understanding of how people behave, think, interact, and make sense of the world around them.
The goals of the Psychology Program are to prepare students to continue on to graduate training in psychology or related fields (such as counseling or social work); to enable students to apply psychological theory and research to everyday experience; and to provide students with the skills to devise, execute, analyze, and write reports of psychological studies. In accordance with the overall goals of Trinity, the Psychology Program strives to heighten student awareness of the diversity of human behavior and experience, notably with respect to gender, ethnicity, and age, as well as to teach and instill an ethical approach to the study of human behavior and cognition.
Psychology supports a major and a minor in the College of Arts and Sciences. Psychology also supports the human relations major in both the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Professional Studies.
Major Requirements
In addition to completing a set of required courses (30 credits), all psychology majors are required to complete one of four course clusters (15 credits): general, developmental, forensic, or social psychology. Each cluster is designed to give the student a degree of expertise within a given area of psychology.
All psychology majors must take the following courses:
Required Courses (30 credits)
ALL of the following courses:
PSYC 101
PSYC 301
PSYC 311
PSYC 490
PSYC 499
BOTH of the following statistics courses:
MATH 110
MATH 210
ONE ethics course, such as:
PHIL 241
PHIL 245
PHIL 251
PHIL 341
ONE biology course chosen from among:
BIOL 101
BIOL 111
BIOL 112
Additional courses in mathematics and natural sciences are highly recommended.
General Psychology Cluster (15 credits)
THREE of the following courses:
PSYC 211
PSYC 221
PSYC 231
PSYC 241
PSYC 251
TWO additional psychology electives (6 credits minimum)
Developmental Psychology Cluster (15 credits)
ONE required course in child psychology:
PSYC 231
THREE of the following courses:
PSYC 261
PSYC 233
PSYC 235
PSYC 325
ONE additional psychology elective (3 credits minimum)
Social Psychology Cluster (15 credits)
ONE required course in social psychology:
PSYC 211
ONE course chosen from between:
PSYC 221
PSYC 231
TWO of the following courses:
PSYC 261
PSYC 313
PSYC 315
PSYC 317
PSYC 319
ONE additional psychology elective (3 credits minimum)
Forensic Psychology Cluster (15 credits)
THREE required courses:
PSYC 211
PSYC 221
PSYC 323
TWO of the following courses:
PSYC 317
PSYC 343
PSYC 325
SOCY 205
Minor Requirements
Psychology minors are advised to pursue a pattern of courses similar to the major described above. Eighteen credits are required for the minor; additionally students must obtain permission of the Program Chair to minor in psychology.
Minor in Forensic Psychology (18 credits)
Introductory Psychology is a prerequisite for more advanced courses in Forensic Psychology. Additionally, those desiring to minor in forensic psychology must take the following courses:
PSYC 211
PSYC 221
PSYC 323
SOCY 205
Students must choose ONE additional course from the following:
PSYC 317
PSYC 325
PSYC 343
Program Policies
Advanced Placement:
Credit is granted for a 4 or 5 on the AP examination. These credits may count toward the major and may be accepted as FLC credits upon consultation with psychology faculty members.
CLEP Policy:
CLEP examination scores will not be accepted as qualifying for psychology credits or requirements.
Grades in Major Courses:
A minimum of a "C"(2.0) average must be earned in the required courses for the major. A grade of C- may be counted toward fulfilling the requirements, at the discretion of the program faculty, if the overall average in the required courses is at least a 2.0. This policy applies to the required Psychology classes, including the co-requisites in Mathematics (MATH 110, MATH 210), but not in Biology and Philosophy.
Pass/No Pass:
No major courses may be taken on a pass/no pass basis. MATH 110 and MATH 210 may not be taken on a pass/no pass basis. However, required related courses (Biology and Philosophy) may be taken pass/no pass.
Senior Assessment:
All students are required to take PSYC 499, which prepares students for the Senior Assessment. Students receive eight comprehensive questions by the end of the fall semester in which PSYC 499 is taken. Two of these questions are chosen for the assessment, which occurs early in the spring semester. Two three-hour sessions are used to develop and present analyses of two selected questions, one question per session.
TELL Policy:
Psychology faculty review TELL portfolios and will accept up to nine credits toward the major.
Transfer Credits:
The following courses must be taken at Trinity:
- One of the three Experimental Psychology courses
- PSYC 301
- PSYC 311
- PSYC 331
- PSYC 499
- At least three psychology electives
All other psychology courses, as well as the Biology and Philosophy requirements, may be accepted as transfer courses toward the psychology major.