Psychology & Social Policy Track

Since its earliest days, Boston has been a progressive site for thinking and innovation regarding the role of the individual and society. Now home to some of the world’s most respected research hospitals, universities, and institutes, Boston continues to examine ways to best address social issues and develop appropriate policies and social service systems.

Perspectives from an Intern
"My internship turned out to be amazing. It was better than I thought it would be, and not only did I meet potential references, but I also ended up making friends that I still keep in touch with"

Lauren Gagnon,
University of Southern Maine
Intern, Partners in Health

Students in the Psychology & Social Policy track explore some of the complex issues facing American society, including race, healthcare, aging, and the role of the family.

Summer 1: The Academic Phase
(May 19 – June 26, 2009)

The dates for the 2010 program have not been announced yet. Please check back on December 15 for next summer's information.

You’ll spend your first six weeks of the Summer Study Internship Program taking two 4-credit courses chosen from the following offerings in psychology and social policy. The course section has course descriptions and schedules.

Select Two:

  • CAS AN 260 Sex and Gender in Anthropological Perspective

    • Cross-cultural examination of changing gender roles, expectations, and activities. Focuses on economic, social, political, and ideological determinants that structure the hierarchy of power and privileges accorded the thoughts, activities, and experiences of women and men in various societies.   [ 4 cr.]

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Laporte CAS 233 M, W 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
  • CAS PH 251 Medical Ethics

    • Examination of a number of value problems arising within the context of medicine and health care. Particular ethical problems of euthanasia, abortion, human experimentation, reproduction, and allocation of scarce resources; critiques of contemporary medicine as an institution.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: one philosophy course or sophomore standing.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Richman KCB 107 M, T, R 6:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • CAS PS 101 General Psychology

    • Basic introduction to the field of psychology. Topics include theories and findings governing learning, memory, perception, development, personality, and social and abnormal psychology.   [ 4 cr.]

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Feinstein CAS 223 T, W, R 9:30 AM - 12:00 PM
    SA2 IND Ely PSY 153 T, R 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • CAS PS 211 Introduction to Experimental Design in Psychology

    • Concepts of experimental design in psychology, including the identification and control of bias, minimizing unsystematic error, the statistical description of data, elementary probability theory, and elementary statistical inference. Does not count toward the eight principal course requirement for concentrators.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: CAS PS 101.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Mostofsky PSY 153 T, R 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM
  • CAS PS 234 Psychology of Learning

    • Survey of theory and techniques in learning and their applications in different settings. Topics include problem solving, memory, reward and punishment, and reinforcement schedules as studied in animals, normal classrooms, and remedial settings.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: CAS PS 101.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Dunne PSY B45 T, R 9:30 AM - 1:00 PM
  • CAS PS 241 Developmental Psychology

    • Students may elect either CAS PS 241 or PS 243, but not both. Critical review of research and theories pertaining to intellectual and social development of infants and children. Role of early experiences and biological factors in later formation of personality, intellectual and motivational behaviors; theories include Erikson, Piaget, and Freud. Term paper may be required.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: CAS PS 101.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Shim PSY 155 T, R 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
  • CAS PS 251 Psychology of Personality: Theories and Application

    • Students may elect either CAS PS 251 or PS 252, but not both. The historical development of personality theories and their application to social and clinical concerns are emphasized. Classic theories of personality (e.g., psychoanalytic, behavioral, trait, humanistic, cognitive, and social roles) are explored and evaluated through lectures, readings, case materials, and films.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: CAS PS 101.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Fleming PSY 153 M, W 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM
  • CAS PS 325 Experimental Psychology: Personality

    • Systematic approaches to the study of personality. Experimental and observational investigations of selected aspects of personality. Demonstration of experimental procedures and student participation in laboratory and field studies.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: CAS PS 101 ; CAS PS 211 or CAS MA 115 ; CAS MA 116 ; CAS PS 251 or CAS PS 252.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Malley-morri PSY 155 T, R 2:00 PM - 5:30 PM
  • CAS PS 336 Introduction to Cognitive Psychology

    • Provides an introduction to basic topics and research issues relevant to cognitive psychology. Emphasis placed on understanding how we perceive, attend, and remember information. Related topics include language, problem solving, and intelligence.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: CAS PS 101.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Somers COM 215 T, R 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
  • CAS PS 338 Neuropsychology

    • Survey of theoretical aspects and major empirical findings in human neuropsychology, including memory, language, spatial function, attention, emotion, and abstract thought. Emphasis is on the relation between brain disorders (resulting from head injury, stroke, degenerative disease, etc.) and abnormal behavior.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: CAS PS 231 or CAS BI 325.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Dunne PSY B47 T, R 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • CAS PS 372 Psychological Perspectives on War and Peace

    • Considers psychological approaches to why some individuals support governmental decisions to go to war, to kill, to torture, and to tolerate civilian deaths while others resist war and strive to achieve a culture of peace.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: CAS PS 101.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Malley-morri PSY 155 T, R 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
  • CAS SO 100 Principles in Sociology

    • An introduction to the major theories and basic principles of sociological analysis. Subjects include methods of social research and investigation; role of individuals in groups, organizations, and society; socialization and education; stratification; race and ethnicity; science, culture, and religion; formal and informal organization; and economic and political systems.   [ 4 cr.]

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Jain SOC 275 M, W, F 9:00 AM - 11:30 AM
  • CAS SO 203 Introduction to Sociological Theories

    • Required of concentrators and minor concentrators. Prereq: An introductory course or consent of instructor. Introduction to founding sociological theories. Topics include the social character of money, the dynamics and possible demise of capitalism, the relationship between the individual and society, the social origins of religion, the causes of suicide, and the religious origins of capitalism.   [ 4 cr.]

    Prereq: one introductory course or consent of instructor.

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Mcquaid SOC 241 M, W 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • CAS SO 215 Sociology of Health Care

    • Social, cultural, and intercultural factors in health and illness. Training and socialization of medical professionals, roots of medical power and authority, organization and operation of health care facilities. U.S. healthcare system and its main problems. Comparison of health care systems in the U.S. and in other countries.   [ 4 cr.]

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Guseva SOC B65 M, W 1:00 PM - 4:30 PM
  • CAS SO 240 Sexuality and Social Life

    • Introduction to sociological perspectives on gender and sexuality. Historical and global comparative analysis of sexuality, with a focus on the social, cultural, political, and economic institutions and processes that shape sexuality in the contemporary social world.   [ 4 cr.]

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Gurd SOC B59 T, R 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM
  • MET PS 295 Psychology and Film: Images of Madness

    • Classic feature films (1920's 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.]

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Fleming PSY 153 T, R 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM
  • MET PS 340 Business and Organizational Psychology

    • The discipline of business and organizational psychology is a fast-growing expert area in the behavioral sciences. As a whole it concerns itself with the scientific application of psychological principles, research, theories, methods, and interventions to the world of business and organizations. This course introduces the undergraduate student to the discipline’s theories, methods, and practical applications.   [ 4 cr.]

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Guedj CAS 322 M, W 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
  • MET SO 310 Sociology of Business Organizations

    • How businesses are organized and relate to the larger world around them.   [ 4 cr.]

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times
    SA1 IND Christoforo SOC B59 T, R 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM
  • MET SO 533 Sociology of Medicine

    • Research and substantive findings in the sociology and social psychology of health, disease, and medical practice; particular reference to institutional provision for health.   [ 4 cr.]

    Offered: Summer 1 2009

    Section Type Instructor Location Days Times

Summer 2: The Internship Phase (July 6 – August 14, 2009)

The dates for the 2010 program have not been announced yet. Please check back on December 15 for next summer's information.

For the second six weeks of the program, you’ll be placed as an intern in a Boston-area organization or business that matches your interests and experience. You should expect to work five days a week for a minimum of 35 hours.

Psychology & Social Policy Internship Opportunities

Internship placement opportunities are available at non-profit organizations; social service agencies; after-care facilities; counseling services; and hospitals.

Internship Placement

  • Guaranteed internship placement for 35 hours a week
  • Internship matches are based on your interests, abilities, and experience
  • All internship sites are accessible by public transportation
  • Visit our Placement Process page for additional information

Summer Study Internship Course (May 22 – August 11, 2009)

The dates for the 2010 program have not been announced yet. Please check back on December 15 for next summer's information.

Throughout the 12 weeks of the Summer Study Internship Program, you will participate in a required 2-credit Summer Study Internship Course. This course serves as a means of preparing you for the internship and provides support as you adjust to a new workplace. It will also provide you with an opportunity to explore links between your academic coursework and your work experience.

You’ll have a faculty advisor and a shared forum with other interns to address your expectations, goals, and challenges as an intern. In the Internship Course, you will continue to develop as a professional by addressing topics such as workplace culture, networking skills, and self-assessment.