Psychology

Major Requirements (B.S. Degree)

Ten courses are required including 101; 200; 300; one seminar (324-380); and one 400-level course. Two courses must be advanced research methods courses (numbered 301 through 320). Of the ten courses, students must take at least one in each of the following areas:

Cognitive/Neuroscience courses: 276, 280**, 282, 284, 295*, 296*, 301, 302, 303, 304, 305, 323, 324, BIO 220, BIO 223

Clinical/Developmental courses: 220, 231, 234, 241, 242, 243, 245, 280**, 297*, 314, 315, 319

Social/Industrial-Organizational courses: 232, 235, 254, 260, 266, 269, 298*, 313, 316, 317, 318, 320, POL 384

The seminar requirement may not satisfy any area requirement.

In addition, all seniors must satisfactorily complete an oral interview conducted by a psychologist who is not a member of the department. An opportunity to fulfill this requirement is offered each spring semester.

A Bachelor of Science will be conferred upon students that complete the requirements of the psychology major.

*Course reserved for transfer credits.

**PSY 280 may count in either the Cognitive/Neuroscience area or Clinical/Developmental area, but not both.

Honors Requirements

The Department of Psychology considers for honors those senior majors who meet the general college requirements with a minimum 3.2 GPA overall, meet the stated requirements for a major in Psychology with a minimum 3.5 GPA, complete a third course from the research method series (301-320), and complete a senior thesis (PSY 400). Completion of these courses does not guarantee a recommendation for graduation with honors. The student’s work must be of superior quality. Evidence for such superior quality consists of generally high degrees of proficiency or exceptional creativity in course work, thesis, papers and projects. In the case of an exceptional academic record, together with a thesis of the highest quality, the department may confer high honors.

Note on Prerequisites

Occasionally, under extraordinary circumstance, the department chair may waive a specific prerequisite for a particular course.

Study Abroad and/or Transfer credit

To receive credit for courses taken during a semester’s study abroad or from another domestic college or university, the request for transfer credit must first be approved by the Registrar’s office. Once this approval has been secured, students may submit to the Chair a portfolio (syllabus, course work, etc) for each course for which they wish to receive credit. The department faculty will review the portfolio/s, checking for comparable levels of rigor and alignment with the psychology curriculum. Requests for approval to transfer course credit are submitted after the study abroad or other transfer courses have been completed; approval of these requests cannot be granted in advance.

Rationale for Course Numbering

Psychology 101 is open to all levels of students and is the prerequisite (or scoring a 4 or 5 on AP exam or a 6 or 7 on the IB exam) for all other courses in the department.

The 200-level courses are survey courses suitable for all levels of students who have had PSY 101; exceptions are PSY 290 (Practicum) and PSY 292 (Collective Memory). PSY 290 is experience-based and requires students to get a faculty supervisor for their coursework. PSY 292 is grounded in psychology but multi-disciplinary so does not require PSY 101.

PSY 200 is appropriate for first, second and third year students, with recommended completion by the end of the Fall semester of junior year. PSY 200 is a required pre-requisite (or permission of the instructor) for all 300-level research methods courses (numbered 300-320).

The 300-level courses numbered between 301 and 349 focus on research methodology and/or participation in doing research. These are designed for majors, not open to first year students, and generally are taken after a few 200-level courses. The 300-level seminars (numbered between 350-380 and PSY 324/BIO 332) are generally restricted to juniors and seniors but not necessarily to psychology majors. PSY 300 is open to students of any class year, after completing PSY 200.

The 400-level courses are capstone experiences open only to senior psychology majors.

Davidson-Broughton Summer Program

Each summer, if there is sufficient enrollment, the department offers an internship in clinical psychology (Practicum in Psychology - PSY 290) during an eight-week period, with the students living and working at Broughton Hospital in Morganton, N.C. There students have direct contact with patients and staff members while studying with clinical faculty at the hospital. Students receive (pass/fail) credit for Psychology 290. Prerequisites: Psychology 231 or 234 and consent of instructor. Inquiries may be directed to Department of Psychology, Davidson College.

Psychology Courses

The courses described below represent the Department of Psychology’s active course catalog. Some of these courses are offered each semester (e.g. PSY 101, PSY 200, PSY 300), some are offered in either the fall or spring semester of each academic year, and others are offered every two or more years. We recommend that students consult the Registrar’s published course lists for an accurate list of the scheduled course offerings for each academic year.