credit programs Conference Center Professional Development and Enrichment Programs The Friday Center Credit Programs for Part-time Students

Credit Programs for Part-time Students

Psychology

PSYC 101: General Psychology

This course is structured to provide you with an overview of the many areas of the rapidly changing science of psychology. No prerequisite is required, and no prior knowledge of psychology is assumed. This survey course will introduce you to many of the underlying principles and approaches believed to guide human behavior, including biological factors, learning, memory, social cognition, intelligence, emotion, and personality.

After completing this course you will be able to

  • define both the science and the practice of psychology
  • identify the various subfields and specialties within psychology
  • understand the importance of the scientific method to the study of psychology
  • explain the conditions that allow experimental research to infer cause and effect relationships
  • compare different theoretical and methodological approaches to behavior
  • master countless terms, names, concepts, scientific experiments, and theories vital to the understanding of psychology as a science
  • apply psychological principles and findings to solve real problems
  • critically evaluate sources of information found on the World Wide Web.

Required Textbook

  • Feldman, Understanding Psychology, 8th edition

You may purchase the textbook at Friday Center Books & Gifts in person, online, or by mailing or faxing in the book order form. Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Please see Textbooks for textbook purchase dates.

Course Details

  • Instructor: Charlie Wiss, PhD
  • Department: Psychology
  • Credit hours: 3
  • UNC-Chapel Hill perspectives/requirements fulfilled: The Office of Undergraduate Curricula has links to information about which perspectives this course fulfills under the “Pre-2006 Curriculum” and which requirements it fulfills under the new curriculum (see “2006 Curriculum”).
  • View sample course syllabus.

link How to Enroll

top of page

PSYC 250: Child Development

Child development is characterized by an increase in biological, behavioral, and intellectual complexity. In this course, we seek to understand how new capabilities emerge in each of these domains, and how they change from infancy to adulthood. Consider changes that take place in self-concept. The young child who describes himself as "six years old, black, and a good boy" matures into an adolescent who defines his identity as "self-reliant, liberal, and creative." What accounts for these changes? In this course, we will explore the theories, methods, and research findings that aim to answer this and similar questions about child development.

Who Should Take This Course?

To register for the course, you must have completed the prerequisite of an introductory psychology course (such as PSYC 101) or have permission of the instructor. Some familiarity with the material from this course will be assumed, but we also briefly review relevant information at various points in the course.

You should not register for this course if you are expecting it to provide a "how to" guide for parenting. Although we will touch upon issues such as discipline, moral development, and intellectual development, we will be focusing primarily on the development of the child, and not explicitly on the practices of the parent. You can, however, expect to gain general knowledge about factors that facilitate or interfere with normal development.

You should not register for this course if your primary interest is in developmental disorders or psychopathology (such as autism or attention-deficit disorder). We will talk about these disorders, but mainly for what they tell us about normal development.

Required Textbook

  • Hetherington, Parke, Gauvin, and Locke, Child Psychology: A Contemporary Viewpoint, 6th edition (2006)

You may purchase the textbook at Friday Center Books & Gifts in person, online, or by mailing or faxing in the book order form. Refer to the online ordering site for current book prices. Please see Textbooks for textbook purchase dates.

Required CD-ROM

  • Patterson, Multimedia Courseware for Child Development – Dual Platform CD-ROM, 1st edition, ISBN 9780072545807

The CD-ROM is not available from Friday Center Books & Gifts but can be purchased from online sources such as Amazon.com, AbeBooks, or Alibris.com. Students should purchase the CD-ROM as soon as possible to ensure availability. Be sure to purchase ISBN 9780072545807.

Course Details

  • Instructor: Jean-Louis Gariepy, PhD
  • Department: Psychology
  • Credit hours: 3
  • Prerequisite: PSYC 101 or permission of instructor
  • UNC-Chapel Hill perspectives/requirements fulfilled: The Office of Undergraduate Curricula has links to information about which perspectives this course fulfills under the “Pre-2006 Curriculum” and which requirements it fulfills under the new curriculum (see “2006 Curriculum”).
  • View a sample course syllabus.

link How to Enroll

top of page

Carolina Courses Online