metropolitan college academic courses undergraduate courses
psychology

Psychology Undergraduate Courses

MET PS 101 General Psychology

Basic introduction to the study of psychology as a behavioral science. Emphasis on learning, motivation, perception, personality, and social psychology. (4 cr.)

MET PS 221 Psychology of Human Sexuality

The course provides a psychological framework for reviewing the science of human sexuality. Emphasis is placed on not only what has been learned, but how it has been studied. The clinical, developmental, personality, social psychology, and neuropsychological theory and research of human sexuality are presented. Specific topics include sexual dysfunctions and sex therapy, bio-social views on sexual differentiation, alternative sexual orientations, and attraction to love. (4 cr.)

MET PS 234 Psychology of Learning

Prereq: MET PS 101. Theory and techniques in learning and their applications in different settings. Explores problem solving, memory, reward and punishment, and reinforcement schedules in animals, normal classrooms, and remediational settings. (4 cr.)

MET PS 241 Developmental Psychology

Prereq: MET PS 101. Critical and technical review of theories on intellectual and social development of infants and children. Emphasis is on the role of early experiences and biological factors in the later formation of personality and intellectual motivational behaviors. Discusses the work of Erikson, Piaget, and Freud. (4 cr.)

MET PS 250 Violence and Trauma

Prereq: MET PS 101. Examines the psychological impact of crime, terror, and disasters on society and the individuals who are members of it. The class is geared toward students in the social sciences including psychology, urban affairs, criminal justice, and sociology. A variety of traumas will be examined (e.g., childhood abuse, domestic violence and crime, war combat, terrorism, and natural disasters). The course examines the social, cultural, and political environments in which trauma, trauma research, and treatment occur. Introduction and overview of the field of traumatic stress studies including the nature of trauma, responses to trauma, and treatment for disorders of traumatic stress. (4 cr.)

MET PS 251 Psychology of Personality

Prereq: MET PS 101. Provides a conceptual framework for understanding the development, organization, and change of the normal individual according to such diverse theoretical positions as the psychoanalytic, humanistic, and social learning schools. (4 cr.)

MET PS 253 Psychology of Dreams

Prereq: MET PS 101 or consent of instructor. Covers a wide range of theoretical and empirical studies on dreams; presents a review of the major schools of thought regarding the origin, content, and purpose of dreams; topics include dream interpretation, the physiology of sleep and dreams, daydreams, and nightmares. (4 cr.)

MET PS 261 Social Psychology

Prereq: MET PS 101. Manner in which the behavior, feelings, and thoughts of one individual are influenced and determined by the behavior and/or characteristics of others. Attraction, attitudes, aggression, person perception, and groups. Readings cover theories, experimental research, and application. (4 cr.)

MET PS 273 Introduction to Clinical Psychology

Prereq: MET PS 101. An overview of the field of clinical psychology as applied to children, adolescents, and adults. Theoretical, applied, and research topics include: neurobiology, psychopharmacology, individual and group psychotherapy, testing and assessment, family systems therapy. (4 cr.)

MET PS 275 Principles of Counseling and Motivational Interviewing

Prereq: MET PS 101 or consent of instructor. Basic theories of counseling and motivational interviewing are compared and contrasted. Emphasis is placed on investigating the various contexts in which these theories and techniques are particularly applicable (e.g., sports psychology, weight loss, smoking cessation, crises management, etc.) (4 cr.)

MET PS 295 Psychology and Films: Images of Madness

Classic feature films (1920s to the present) portraying mental illness are considered from both cinematic and psychosocial perspectives. The public image of madness on the big screen is related to clinical concepts and practices current during the period of the film. (4 cr.)

MET PS 320 Play and Art Therapy

Considers the psychological roots of play and creative processes as they relate to child and adult therapy. Specific schools of play and art therapy are considered. Emphasis is on psychological processes and direct application of therapies. (4 cr.)

MET PS 323 Experimental Psychology: Learning

Prereq: MET PS 101 or MET MA 113. Methodology, results, and interpretation of respondent and operant conditioning. Experimental analyses of selected topics in learning within the context of reinforcement theory. Students write reports of instructor- and student-planned experiments using the albino rat as subject. Laboratory course. (4 cr.)

MET PS 325 Experimental Psychology: Personality

Prereq: MET PS 251 and MET MA 113. Experimental and observational investigations of selected aspects of personality. Demonstration of experimental procedures; participation in laboratory and field studies. (Offered alternate years.) Laboratory course. (4 cr.)

MET PS 330 Leadership in the Workplace

This class is aimed at students who are eager to develop an understanding of the interplay between psychology, leadership, and workplace dynamics within organizations. The focus of the class is on the practical as well as the applied and theoretical aspects of organization psychology. Investigations will focus on actual work-related case studies, leadership, and work-related issues, as well as an investigation of the dynamic nature of the field. We will use the classroom setting as a laboratory to analyze cases and to discuss solutions for work-related problems. This class is ideal for students preparing to enter the workplace. (4 cr.)

MET PS 350 Depression and Disorders of Mood

Prereq: two psychology courses. Examines current theories and research findings on depression and mania. Evaluation of major biological and psychosocial theories and treatments. Attention to personality, psychosocial risk factors, and depression in children. (4 cr.)

MET PS 371 Abnormal Psychology

Prereq: MET PS 251. Explores the complex causes, manifestations, and treatment of common behavior disorders. Introduces abnormal behavior in the context of psychological well-being to show these behaviors along a continuum, from functional to dysfunctional. Interviews with patients and analysis by therapists and other mental health professionals provide students with invaluable perspectives on the suffering of behavioral disorders as well as the multiple approaches to treatment. (4 cr.)

MET PS 401 Psychological Perspectives on Self and Identity

This course explores the manifold ways in which the sense of "who one is" as a person is approached and understood within the field of psychology. The psychological construct of identity will be utilized to survey the varying ways in which the experience and nature of "one’s own sense of self" is examined and elucidated across the major sub-fields of psychology, including: developmental psychology; social psychology; personality psychology; abnormal psychology; humanistic, existential and transpersonal psychology; and the psychology of religion. Particular consideration will be given to the significance of such cultural and contextual factors as race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, and religious affiliation in the formation and development of who we come to understand ourselves to be. (4 cr.)

MET PS 404 Senior Seminar in Psychology and Culture

Prereq: three courses in psychology. This class addresses the key role culture plays in shaping the human experience. Emphasis will be put on key social, affective, and cognitive aspects of group identity and self-identity development. The historical role psychology has played in understanding these phenomena will be reviewed. Topics that will be covered include cross-cultural communication and the constant evolution of prejudice and racism in today’s world. The course is taught in seminar format and requires intensive student motivation and participation. (4 cr.)

MET PS 472 Psychology of Women

Prereq: Three courses in psychology. This course is designed to introduce undergraduate students to the myriad factors influencing the development of girls and women in a variety of cultures and societies. Topics that will be covered include feminist scholarship and research; gender socialization, women’s biology, and health; sexuality, relationships, and family; and work, career, and power issues. (4 cr.)

MET PS 515 Introduction to Forensic Psychology: Methods, Practice, and Theory

Prereq: MET PS 371 (Abnormal Psychology). The field of forensic psychology lies at the crossroads of psychology, the law, and the criminal justice system. This course presents upper-level undergraduates and master’s-level graduate students with the scope of forensic psychology practice and research. First, the course focuses on the scope of the field: what forensic psychologists do, the ethical conflicts they encounter, and the field’s special methodology (e.g., assessment of malingering and deception). The use and function of expert witness testimony is reviewed and critically evaluated. A range of civil and criminal psychological issues is addressed including eyewitness memory, sexual offenders, and battered women. (4 cr.)

Additional Courses

MET IS 423 The Experience of Forgiveness: Psychological, Sociological, and Spiritual Perspectives

This seminar explores the psycho/social/spiritual dimensions of the individual's experience of forgiveness. The forgiveness process is investigated through the work of psychologists such as Carl Jung and Robert Enright and the spiritual/political leaders Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela, and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Individual narratives by forgivers are viewed in relation to the frames provided by these activists and researchers. Throughout the course, students will examine their own life narratives in relation to forgiveness, and the experiential nature of this course offers students the opportunity to apply what they are learning. (4 cr.)