His 1220 H Intro to Psych Honors

Merit’s Intro to Psychology course will introduce the students to the study of human consciousness and behavior. Topics to be covered include neuroscience, learning, perception, cognition, memory, the psycho-pharmaceutical industry, human development, social interactions, and mental disorders. Students will read a selection of original influential writings by Freud, Jung, Skinner, Maslow, and Rogers. An attempt will be made to enmesh various psychological movements and schools of thought to relevant social, philosophical, and historical movements. Each student will volunteer to participate in psychological research studies at a local college. They’ll write a term paper entitled “Who am I really?”(12-15 pp), which considers the application of the psychological perspective to the student’s daily life. The students will also write weekly response papers about in-class readings and lectures. The class will take two field trips: to the Behavioral Health Unit at the local hospital, and to a mental institution.