Coursework

The IDS 94/Cooperman Scholars seminar, is a no-credit course at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) designed to introduce students to the academic culture and foster shared experience

This advising seminar is required for all freshman and external transfer students (including double majors) enrolled as Psychology majors. Topics covered include general information about the College and services offered, registration processes, degree requirements, academic standards and integrity, and time management. General advisement relative to the major is also included.

Methods and Tools of Psychology introduces students to asking and answering questions from a psychological perspective. The primary aim of PSY 121 is to teach students to be consumers of psychological science. It is an experiential course in which students focus on learning the basics of creating and evaluating knowledge in psychology. Students learn to appreciate the strengths as well as to understand the limitations of various research methods. Students will read research articles, formulate hypotheses, interpret data, and learn to write according to APA style.

An examination of the biological, psychological, socioemotional, and social/contextual changes that occur during development, across the human lifespan (i.e., infancy, childhood, adolescence, young and middle adulthood, old age, and death). The emphasis is on understanding the important theories, concepts, and controversies relating to human development.

Drawing from an interdisciplinary framework (psychology, education, sociology, philosophy, etc.), this course is designed to introduce students to theory and research on racial and ethnic identity development across the lifespan. We will also explore immigrant, mixed-race, and bicultural identity development. We will spend a considerable amount of time in understanding, dissecting, and extending the theories and methodologies employed in the study of racial and ethnic identity.

The Developmental Seminar’s focus varys across semesters with respect to both age (children/adolescents/adults) and topic (e.g., Peer Relationships, Child Therapy, Children and the Media). Students may repeat the seminar as topics change.

Independent research centers individual students working with a faculty member on a discrete literature-based or empirical research project. Such projects may be faculty or student initiated. In other words, students may apprentice with a faculty member by working on a faculty-initiated research project, or students may propose a research project and seek mentorship by faculty. In both cases, students will have a substantive and specified role in the research process (and not merely perform support tasks). Individual instruction of a standard course is not appropriate for Independent Research.

These courses are for students completing non-Counseling/Clinical internships (in I/O, Bio, or Social), OR who are not able to enroll in PSY 398 during the academic year, OR who want/need to complete a summer internship. They are developed in one-on-one working relationships between student and faculty sponsor, and differ in their academic components: PSY 399 requires a 12-15 page written paper, and PSY 487 is a writing-intensive senior experience course that requires the development of a 20-25 page paper and an oral presentation to an appropriate audience.