Mission

In line with the university’s mission and its emphasis on the pursuit of academic excellence, the mission of a minor in psychology at LAU is to compliment students’ major field of study with knowledge and experience that will enhance their understanding of human behavior and interdisciplinary inquiry. 

Program Objectives

Graduates of the Minor in Psychology shall be able to:

1. Demonstrate a general knowledge of the discipline of psychology, and its subspecialties, as it applies to diversity populations in diverse setting with an emphasis on both theory and research.
2. Demonstrate competence in critical thinking by applying the scientific method.

Program Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the Minor in Psychology program, students will:

1. Demonstrate a general understanding of psychological theories and concepts.
2. Differentiate among the psychological subspecialties.
3. Critically evaluate psychological research.
4. Apply psychological concepts and theories to other fields and their daily lives in order to understand behaviors of individuals and groups.

Admission Requirements

To enter the major, students must meet the general university requirements.

Graduation Requirements

A total of 18 credits are required to graduate, based on:

Program Requirements

A Senior Study Project is required for all students in addition to successful completion of the course of study.

Minor Core Requirements (6 credits)

• PSY201 / Introduction to Psychology (3 cr.) 

  And one of the below two courses:

• PSY202 / Child Psychology (3 cr.) 
• PSY234 / Development Across the Life Span (3 cr.)

Minor Electives (12 credits)

Electives can be chosen from the following courses:

Developmental Psychology

• PSY202 / Child Psychology (3 cr.)
• PSY234 / Development Across the Life Span  (3 cr.)
• PSY203 / Psychology of Youth (3 cr.)
• PSY311 / Exceptional Child (3 cr.)

 Brain and Learning

• PSY256 / Sensation and Perception (3 cr.)
• PSY322 / Mind and Behavior (3 cr.)
• PSY295 / Theories of Learning (3 cr.)
• PSY355 / Biological Basis of Behavior (3 cr.)

 Socio-Cultural and Organizational Psychology

• PSY335 / Industrial Organizational Psychology (3 cr.)
• PSY204 / Social Psychology (3 cr.)
• PSY267 / Cultural Psychology (3 cr.)

 Mental Health and Special Topics

• PSY320 / Theories of Personality (3 cr.)
• PSY425 / Abnormal Psychology (3 cr.)
• PSY466 / Counseling Psychology (3 cr.)
• PSY498 / Topics in Psychology  (3 cr.)

Extracurricular Activities

The program encourages students to get involved in a large variety of extracurricular activities including psychology lecture series (example: ASOM), neuroscience student movement, psychology club, summer research circle, volunteer placement in the community, SPSS Workshops.

Career Opportunities

Graduates of this program can pursue a career in the following areas:

• Human Resources
• Schools
• Entry- Level Mental Health Facilities
• Entry- Level research projects
• Humanitarian and Community Agencies

Course Descriptions

PSY201 / Introduction to Psychology [0-3, 3 cr.]

Provides students with a general overview of the subject matter of Psychology, which is defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The course aims to give students a better understanding of why people act, think, and feel the way they do. Among others, it covers topics on learning, personality, emotions, psychological disorders, social interactions, and the biological bases of behavior. Knowledge will be drawn from the major approaches of psychology, namely psychoanalytic, behavioral, humanistic, cognitive, social and biological. 

PSY202 / Child Psychology [0-3, 3 cr.]

The course explores theories and research findings, on prenatal development, physical growth, emotional, social, and intellectual development, and cultural influences in children prior to adolescence. 

PSY203 / Psychology of Youth [0-3, 3 cr.]

This course focuses on the physical, cognitive and emotional changes experienced by young people and how these changes affected by family, peers, dating, and the media. It also considers the challenges faced by adolescence, with a focus on drugs, and deviance.

Prerequisite: PSY201/ Introduction to Psychology or PSY202 / Child Psychology

PSY204 / Social Psychology [0-3, 3 cr.]

Social Psychology focuses on how individual motives, cognitions, attitudes are affected by groups, organizations and institutes. These influences will be explored in domains such as interpersonal attraction, prejudice, conformity, attitudes, aggression and motivation. 

PSY234 / Development across Life Span [0-3, 3 cr.]

Human development through the lifespan is devoted to the study and understanding of constancy and change of human beings in the physical, cognitive, social and emotional domains interpreted through a variety of theoretical frameworks, contexts, and interdisciplinary research. The course will cover the periods of childhood, adolescence, adulthood, late adulthood and old age. 

PSY256 / Sensation and Perception [0-3, 3 cr.]

This course explores how multisensory mechanisms transform external stimuli into information that our brains can understand and reliably interpret. All senses will be examined with an emphasis on vision. Topics include perception of color, motion, form, depth, perceptual illusions, and perceptual disorders such as inability to see motion and/or identify objects or faces. 

PSY267 / Cultural Psychology [0-3, 3 cr.]

The course will give students an introduction to the scientific, theoretical and applied basis of cultural psychology. Students will develop an understanding of universal and culturally shaped psychological processes and how they shape morality, religious thought, emotions ,psychological health, conformity and other hot topics in the field.

Prerequisite: PSY201/ Introduction to Psychology

PSY295 / Theories of Learning [0-3, 3 cr.]

This course provides an analysis of the factors in learning, through a survey of the major theories of learning. Special emphasis is placed on the learning principles and their implications in the teaching process.