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Psychology

The Psychology Department offers a broad program covering areas of clinical, cultural, developmental, humanistic, physiological, and social psychology. The Psychology major is designed to provide both breadth and depth in training, emphasizing the scientific nature of psychology. Students explore the study of behavior from both the empirical and the theoretical perspectives. Furthermore, students become familiar with statistical procedures and develop skills in research design. In addition to classroom work, internships and research placements are available. Several faculty members are involved in ongoing empirical research projects in which motivated students are encouraged to participate. The program provides strong academic training consistent with pre-professional preparation for a career in a variety of psychological fields, in education, in business, and in research.

Faculty and Professional Interests

Samantha Berkule-Silberman: Developmental psychology: infant and child development, parent-child interaction, attachment, school readiness, and early reading

Alison Carson: Cultural psychology: acculturation, cultural influences on body image and qualitative research methods.

Robin L. Cautin: History of psychology, particularly clinical psychology; pseudoscience and clinical psychology

Everett Delahanty: Humanistic psychology: folk psychology, psychology of experience, psychology of relationships, self psychology, sensation and perception, and psychology of emotions

P. Susan Gerrity: Developmental psychology: infancy through old age; development of attachment, identity, coping, and emotion regulation

Anthony C. Santucci: Biopsychology: biological bases of mental illnesses, neuroscience, physiological measures/effects of emotions, head trauma, and psychopharmacology

George E. Schreer: Social psychology: stereotyping, prejudice, social stigma, persuasion, aggression, and group processes

Psychology Major Requirements

A minimum of 14 courses are required for the major as described below (all courses are 3 credits unless indicated otherwise):

I. Overview of the Discipline (both courses required)

• PSY 1004: Fundamentals of Psychology

  AND

• PSY 1006: Survey of Psychological Research (1 credit)

II. Tools of the Discipline (both courses required)

• PSY 2012: Statistics for the Social Sciences (4 credits)

  AND

• PSY 2040: Research Methods in Psychology (4 credits)

III. Content Breadth of the Discipline (5 courses required)

• PSY 2001 Developmental Psychology: Infancy through Childhood OR PSY 2052: Developmental Psychology: Adulthood and Aging
• PSY 2004: Physiological Bases of Behavior OR PSY 2008: Sensation and Perception (4 credits)
• PYS 2009: Social Psychology OR PSY 2063 :Social Influence and Persuasion
• PSY 2011: Abnormal Psychology OR PSY 2036: Personality Psychology
• PSY 2042: Psychology and Culture OR PSY 2046: Psychology of Identity

IV. Capstone Experience (1 course required)

• The capstone is a culminating experience of students' undergraduate program of psychological study. Capstone courses are designated in the course schedules and are available to juniors and seniors only.

V. Elective courses (4 courses)

• Students must complete at least 4 additional courses in psychology, at least one of which must be at the 3000 level

  The recommended course sequence for the major would be:

  Freshman Year:

  • PSY 1004: Fundamentals of Psychology, PSY 1006: Survey of Psychological Research, and one course from the five content breadth selections.

  Sophomore Year:

  • PSY 2012: Statistics, and the four remaining content breadth courses.

  Junior Year:

  • PSY 2040: Research Methods in Psychology, and two or three (of the four) additional electives

  Senior Year:

  • PSY 3004: History and Systems of Psychology OR PSY 4020: Writing Review Articles in Psychology,

    OR

  • PSY 4025: Research Experience, OR PSY 4030: Fieldwork, and the remaining additional electives

Psychology Minor Requirements

For the minor, PSY 1004: Fundamentals of Psychology and a minimum of 4 elective courses are required. Students are encouraged to take electives from several content breadth areas in order to be broadly educated in the field of psychology.

Important Considerations for the Psychology Major and Minor

Students who major or minor in Psychology should be aware of the following provisions:

• A minimum grade of C - is required in order to count a psychology course for the major or minor.
• Any course intended to be used for Psychology major or minor elective credit must earn minimally 3 credits.
• Students are required to fulfill all major and minor degree requirements as stated in the College Catalog of the first year of their matriculation. In cases where changes occur to the major or minor during the student’s tenure at the college, the student may elect to pursue the new set of requirements upon approval of the Chairperson. In such cases, it is the student’s responsibility to be aware of any changes that have been made by consulting the College Catalog in which the requirements the student wishes to follow appear. If approved to do so by the Chairperson, the student should then be certain to declare, as part of their Portfolio submission, the particular Course Catalog edition (e.g., 2007-2009) in which the requirements they are completing appear.

Psychology Transfer Credits

For students wishing to major in Psychology, no more six courses can be transferred to Manhattanville from another academic institution. Similarly, for students wishing to minor in Psychology, no more two can be transferred from another academic institution. Students wishing to transfer courses from another institution to be used for either their Psychology major or minor must receive written approval of the Chairperson, preferably prior to the completion of said courses (see Academic Advising Office to obtain a "Transfer Credit Approval Form"). This written approval then should be placed in the student's Portfolio. For students transferring a two-semester Introductory or General Psychology course from another institution for major or minor credit, both semesters will be applied toward PSY 1004. Students receiving either a "4" or a "5" on a high school AP Psychology exam can apply that credit toward PSY 1004 upon presenting the Chairperson with the appropriate documentation confirming the student’s AP exam score.

Psychology Departmental Honors and Distinction

Departmental honors are awarded to students who achieve:

• at least an A - in the Capstone course;
• no grade lower than "B" in any psychology course;
• evaluation of the intellectual quality of a student’s entire psychology program, and
• the recommendation of the full psychology department faculty.

In addition to Honors, the Psychology Department also awards Departmental Distinction. This award is given to graduating psychology seniors who, although not meeting the formal requirements for Departmental Honors, have demonstrated outstanding performance in the classroom, in the laboratory, or in the field, or who have exhibited dramatic intellectual growth and development of scholarly sophistication during their time at Manhattanville. Distinction is awarded based on the recommendation of the full psychology department faculty.

Psychology Advising

Students planning to major in Psychology must have a full-time faculty member in the Psychology Department (see list above) as their academic advisor early in the sophomore year, but no later than the second semester of the sophomore year. Portfolios of Psychology majors are not accepted without a Psychology Department faculty advisor’s signature. The Psychology Department reserves the right to assign students to advisors.

Psychology Portfolio

Students who major in Psychology are required to obtain the signatures of both the Chairperson and their major advisor for their Portfolios. Moreover, students are required to obtain the signature of another full-time Psychology Department faculty member if their major advisor also serves as the Chairperson.

Psychology Departmental Web Page on the World Wide Web

Additional information about the department including faculty research interests and course syllabi can be found on the department's Web page located at http://www.mville.edu/AcademicsandResearch/AcademicDepartments/Psychology/. In addition, several Psychology faculty members maintain their own personal Web pages on the college’s Web site.

Psychology Course Distinctions: Making Sense of Numerical Course Listings

• 1000-level courses: Courses with 1000 numbers provide a broad introduction to the fundamental principles of the diverse field of psychology. These courses serve either as gateway courses into the major or minor, or provide general education in psychology for non-major/minor students. No prior background in psychology is assumed of students taking these courses. Students of any academic status (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) can enroll in these courses. PSY 1004 is a lecture-based course, while PSY 1006 is a 1-credit laboratory-based course.
• 2000-level courses: Courses with 2000 numbers are predominantly lecture-based courses that provide an introduction to the fundamentals of a sub-discipline in psychology. These courses are considered "foundation-level electives" and can be taken either for major or minor credit. Although, generally, no formal background in psychology is required of students taking these courses, students are encouraged to have already taken either PSY 1004. Some 2000-level courses may have 2000 level prerequisites (e.g. PSY 2001 is a pre-requisite for PSY 2002). Lower-level electives serve to prepare students for more in-depth specialized intellectual study that is required of 3000-level courses. Students of any academic status (freshman, sophomore, junior, or senior) can enroll in these 2000-level courses.
• 3000-level courses: Courses with 3000 numbers provide an in-depth intellectual study of a specialized topic or a subfield of psychology. These courses are considered "upper-level electives." Typically, these courses are conducted in a seminar-type format with significant reading, writing, and intellectual discussion required of the student. While it is often assumed and strongly encouraged that students have had a 1000-level introductory course, in addition to a 2000-level elective that has provided an overview of the particular sub-discipline of psychology from which the specialized topic is drawn, especially academically strong students without these courses may be allowed to enrolled in 3000-level course with the instructor’s approval. Students enrolled in these courses should have junior or senior academic status.
• 4000-level courses: Courses with 4000 numbers are arranged on an individual basis between the student and the full-time faculty member who has agreed to supervise the project. These courses, by their very nature, require a great deal of independent work on the part of the student. Given these characteristics, courses with 4000 numbers are considered "individualized upper-level electives." These courses involve either a significant empirical or library research-based component, or an internship experience at an institution outside Manhattanville College. A significant writing assignment is also an integral part of these courses. Depending on the supervising professor, students in these courses may occasionally meet in groups to share common experiences and progress made with fellow students. Courses with 4000-level numbers can be taken multiple times for credit. Almost without exception, these courses are reserved for students who major in Psychology, although there may be highly special circumstances under which a student not a major in Psychology is allowed to enroll. Typically, students enrolled in these courses are of junior or senior academic status.
• 5000-level courses: Courses with 5000 numbers designate graduate level courses.

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