Course Catalog

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SEXUALITY, AGGRESSION, & GUILT (PY2051)

Introduces the study of the moral conscience, repression, and the search for happiness. Examines Freud and Marcuse's theses concerning human sexuality and human rights in terms of antagonisms between, on the one hand, erotic preference, gender identity and aggression, and on the other, socialization, morality, and so-called civilized refinement.

BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR (PY2055)

This course provides students with knowledge of the central nervous system of humans and an understanding of its contributions to various psychological functions. An emphasis will be on applying this knowledge to various diseases, disorders, and injuries. A further focus will be on how individuals who are affected understand their neurological changes and how they cope with them. Additional topics may include the mechanics of basic biological functioning in behaviors such as emotions, sleep and sexual behavior.

LOVE, SEXUALITY, & CINEMA (PY2061)

Applies psychodynamic concepts to the understanding of romantic love as presented in the contemporary cinema. Studies in detail the film Dangerous Liaisons (Frears-Hampton), then analyzes a selection of the following films: Nine And A Half Weeks (Adrian Lyne), L'Amant-The Lover (Duras-Annaud), Sunset Boulevard (Wilder).

SELF AND IDENTITY (PY2068)

What is my identity? And what is my self? Or should we speak of identities and selves? Whatever they are, these questions run through our lives. They are central issues in our relationships; they influence our view of the future; they impact what we remember from our past; they underlie our quest for a meaningful existence. They also are at the heart of countless investigations of psychologists, philosophers, social scientists, writers, and artists. In this class, we explore these issues both theoretically and empirically, that is, in research contexts of psychology and neighbouring human sciences.

COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY (PY2075)

This course introduces students to the basic aspects of human cognition. How do humans think? How do we come to know the world? The course will concentrate on the classic topics in adult cognition: pattern recognition, memory, attention, categorization, problem-solving, reasoning, and decision-making. Special emphasis will be placed on cross-cultural aspects of cognition.

TOPICS IN PSYCHOLOGY (PY2091)

Treats a series of topics that change every year and deal with various aspects of psychology. Courses are taught by permanent or visiting faculty and are generally related to their fields of specialization.This course can be used to fulfil the fundamentals requirements in the psychology major.

PSYCHOLOGY OF SENSATION (PY3025)

Provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental operations by which every human being acquires knowledge about the external world. This course provides a scientific understanding of how and why the human senses affect the way people perceive the world around them, including how perceptions can be distorted by both physical and experiential factors.

PSYCHOLINGUISTICS (PY3035)

Studies the psychological processes involved in the acquisition, understanding and use of language. Provides an overview of the following research areas: speech perception, word recognition, sentence and discourse processing, speech production, first-and second-language acquisition, bilingual acquisition, and language processing in the brain. PY1000 is recommended as a prerequisite.

PSYCHOLOGY AND PHILOSOPHY (PY3040)

Psychology and philosophy have a long history in common. The course addresses philosophical dimensions and implications of psychology – concerning our understanding of cognition, action, emotion, imagination, mind, body, and brain. It also deals with central issues in philosophy that reflect and elaborate our understanding of human psychology and the way it is scientifically investigated: consciousness, thought and language, identity, and other forms of human subjectivity and its social, cultural, and historical fabric.

PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING & MEMORY (PY3065)

Students discover the classic and modern theories on classical and operant conditioning and the application of these in such phenomena as drug addiction, marketing and the formation and treatment of phobias. The second part of the course explores the concept of memory and the application of theory and research in understanding everyday memory phenomena, such as autobiographical memory, childhood amnesia, flashbulb memory, false memories and eyewitness testimony. The course also focuses on memory loss and memory training.