Overview
of the Curriculum
for '08-'09
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Introduction
The Department
of Psychology offers students a balanced curriculum
in experimental methods, perception, cognition, neuroscience,
developmental, social, personality, and clinical areas.
The curriculum prepares majors for graduate education
in these fields and provides a relevant background for
social work, education, medicine, law, and business.
The department offers an honors
program for outstanding students and encourages
all majors to participate in advanced seminars and supervised
research.
The course offerings
have been designed to meet the needs and interests
of four groups of students:
- those who wish to
explore a few topics in psychology
- those who wish to
major or concentrate psychology
- those who wish to major
in neuroscience and behavior
- those seeking to fulfill
the science requirement
Many opportunities exist
for becoming involved in research projects in the
Department of Psychology. All
qualified students are welcome. Students may volunteer
to work in a lab, register for supervised individual
research (W3950), or participate in the Department's
two-year Honors Program. Information on
faculty research is available on the Department's
web site. You are invited to read about the research laboratories on
faculty webpages and go to the professor's office hours to discuss potential research opportunities.
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Majors and concentrators
in psychology, and majors in neuroscience and behavior,
should begin planning a program
of study as early as possible. All necessary forms and information
are available outside 406 Schermerhorn or online
at http://www.columbia.edu/cu/psychology/dept/ugrad/infopack.html.
You should complete a Major Requirement Checklist
before consulting an advisor.
Returning students should check the department web pages for recent
updates to the curriculum.
Please see the Program
Planning Tips page for more suggestions regarding
program planning.
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Guide
to Course Numbers
Course numbers reflect the
structure of the psychology curriculum. The 1000 level
contains introductions to psychology, introductory laboratory
courses, and statistics. W1001 (The Science of
Psychology) and W1010 (Mind, Brain, and Behavior)
are introductory courses with no prerequisite. Either
one can serve as the prerequisite for most of our 2000-level
courses. The 2000 level contains lecture courses that
are introductions to areas within psychology and have
few, if any, prerequisites. The 3000 level contains
more advanced and specialized undergraduate courses,
most of which are given in seminar format. The 3900s
are the courses providing research opportunities for
undergraduates. The 4000 level contains advanced seminars
suitable both for advanced undergraduates and graduate
students.
Subcategories within the 2000, 3000, and 4000 levels
correspond to the three groups in our
Distribution Requirement for undergraduate psychology
majors:
(1) Perception and Cognition (2200s, 3200s,
and 4200s),
(2) Psychobiology and Neuroscience (2400s,
3400s, and 4400s), and
(3) Social, Personality, and
Abnormal (2600s, 3600s, and 4600s).
Science
Requirement:
PSYC 1001, 1010, and any course numbered in the 2200s
or 2400s may be used to fulfill the science requirement.
2600-level and some other psychology courses may not
be used to fulfill the science requirement. For psychology
courses that may be applied toward the science requirement,
see Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of
Arts in your College
or General Studies
Bulletin, or see the "Sci" column in the Table
of all Courses.
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DEGREE
REQUIREMENTS
For
a Major in Psychology
Thirty or more points
are needed to complete the major. The program must
include:
- One Introductory
Psychology Course (Psychology W1001
or BC1001)
- One Laboratory
Course (Psychology W1420,
W1440,
W1450,
W1455,
W1480,
W1490)
- One Statistics
Course (Either Psychology
W1610 or Statistics 1001, 1111, or
1211)
Majors are advised to complete the laboratory
and statistics requirements by the junior year.
We recommend that statistics be taken before,
or concurrently with, the laboratory course.
- Three Courses
meeting the Distribution Requirement.
In addition to the introductory, laboratory, and statistics courses described above, one course must be taken from each of the following three groups. Barnard courses will not fulfill this requirement.
- Group
I - Perception and Cognition: (Courses
numbered in the 2200s, 3200s, or
4200s. Also W1420, W1480, or W1490.)
- Group
II - Psychobiology and Neuroscience:
(Courses numbered in the 2400s, 3400s,
or 4400s. Also W1010 or
W1440.)
- Group
III - Social, Personality and Abnormal:
(Courses numbered in the 2600s, 3600s,
or 4600s. Also W1450 or W1455.).
- Additional Courses
("electives") for a total of 30 points.
These may include Barnard psychology courses, as
described below.
No course may be counted
twice in fulfillment of the above requirements.
Grades: A grade
of C-, or higher, must be earned and revealed on your transcript in any Columbia or
Barnard course-- including the first-- that is used to satisfy the major or concentration requirements.
The grade of P will not be accepted for psychology majors or concentration credit; only if the P is uncovered by the Registrar's deadline will the course be applicable towards the major or concentration requirements.
Research credits:
No more than 8 points of Supervised individual research
(PSYC W3950)
may be applied toward the major, and no more than
4 pts may be taken in any one term.
Barnard courses:
No more than 9 points from Barnard psychology courses,
including BC1001, may be applied as credit
toward the major. Barnard courses may not be applied
toward the laboratory or statistics requirements,
nor will they satisfy the major distribution (Group I, II, and III) requirements.
Transfer Credits:
No more than 9 transfer credits (including any Barnard
credits) will be accepted toward the psychology major.
Columbia College's approval of transfer credits on
a student's Entrance Credit Report toward general
requirements for the bachelor's degree does not
grant approval of these credits toward the psychology
major. Approval
of transfer credits to fulfill psychology requirements
must be obtained in writing from a psychology
program advisor. To be approved for the major
a course taken at another institution should be substantially
similar to one offered by the department and the grade
received must be B- or better.With the exception of
Barnard courses, students should consult their Program
Advisor before registering for psychology courses
offered outside the department.
If you completed an
Introductory Psychology course at another institution
prior to declaring a psychology major, you should consult
a Program Advisor to verify whether or not this course meets departmental standards for major transfer credit. If transfer credit toward the major is not approved, you must enroll in PSYC W1001 or PSYC BC1001 to complete this major requirement.
Overlapping Courses:
Students will not receive credit for two courses--one
at Columbia and one at Barnard--whose content largely
overlaps (e.g., PSYC BC1001--Introduction to Psychology
and W1001--The Science of Psychology or PSYC
BC1138--Social psychology and W2630--Social
psychology).
In planning your Psychology
Major, please refer to the Program
Planning Tips page and use the appropriate Major Requirement Checklist from the Undergraduate
InfoPack.
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For a Concentration
in Psychology
A concentration in psychology
requires a minimum of 18 points, including an introductory
psychology course (W1001
or BC1001) and courses in at least two of the
three groups listed under Distribution Requirements above. Restrictions on research credits
(PSYC W3950), Barnard credits, and transfer
credits are modified from those of the major as follows:
(1) only 4 points of W3950, (2) only 5 points
from Barnard (including BC1001), and (3) only
5 points total (including any Barnard points) from
psychology courses taken outside the department may
be applied toward the concentration. Except as noted
above, other regulations outlined in the Psychology
Major section regarding grades, transfer credits,
and overlapping courses also apply toward the concentration.
In planning your Psychology
Concentration, please refer to the Program
Planning Tips page and use the appropriate Major Requirement Checklist from the Undergraduate
InfoPack.
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For
a Major in Neuroscience & Behavior
The Department
of Psychology and the
Department of Biological Sciences co-sponsor a combined
major in neuroscience and behavior.
Advisors:
Biology
Psychology (CC & GS)
Program Requirements
In addition to one year of general chemistry (or the
high school equivalent), ten courses are required to
complete the major, five from Biology and five from
Psychology.
I. Required
Biology Courses
(See Biology Dept. for
the Definitive List
of Biology Requirements)
- B.1 and 2. Biology
C2005
and C2006
-Intro. to Molecular and Cellular Biology I
and II
- B.3.
W3004 - Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology
- B.4. W3005
- Developmental and Systems Neurobiology
- B.5. One additional
3000 or 4000 level biology course from a list approved
by the Biology Department advisor to the major.
II. Required
Psychology Courses
An asterisk following the
course number means the course is scheduled to be offered
in 2008-9. Click
here for a table of courses being offered in 2008-9;
note that the "N&B" column shows which
of the five psychology requirements a given course fulfills.
- P. 1.
W1001*
or
S1001* The Science of Psychology (summer
2008)
- P. 2.
- W1010*
or
S1010*
Mind, Brain, and Behavior (summer 2008)
or
-
W2450 - or
S2450* Behavioral Neuroscience (summer
2008)
- P.
3. A statistics or lab course:
- W1610
* Introductory Statistics for Behavioral Scientists
or
- S1610
* Introductory Statistics for Behavioral Scientists
(summer 2008), or
- STAT 1111 *
or STAT 1211 *
- W1420
- Exp. Psych.: Human Behavior or
- W1440
- Exp. Psych.: Learning & Motivation or
- W1450
* Exp. Psych.: Social Cognition and Emotion
or
- W1480
- Exp. Psych.: Perception & Attention or
- S1480
* Exp. Psych.: Perception & Attention (summer
2008) or
- W1490
* Exp. Psych.: Thinking & Decision Making
-
P. 4. One additional
2000 or 3000 level Psychology course
from a list approved by the Psychology Departmental
Advisor to the program. Possible courses are listed
below.
- W2210
- Cognition: Basic Processes
- S2210 - Cognition: Basic Processes
- W2215
* Cognition: Mind & Brain
- W2220
* Cognition: Memory & Stress
- W2225 * Attention & Perception
-
W2230- Perception & Sensory Processes
- S2230 * Perception & Sensory Processes (summer 2008)
-
W2235 * Thinking and Decision Making
-
W2240 - Human Communication
-
W2250 * Evolution of Cognition
-
W2280 * Intro to Developmental Psychology
-
S2280 - Intro to Developmental Psychology
- S2410
- Learning & Motivation
-
W2420 * Animal Behavior
-
W2440 - Language and Brain
-
S2450 * Behavioral Neuroscience (summer
2008)
-
W2460 * Drugs and Behavior
- S2460 * Drugs and Behavior (summer 2008)
- W2480
* Developing Brain
-
W2620 * Abnormal Behavior
-
W3615 - Children at Risk
- P. 5. One advanced
psychology seminar from a list approved by the Psychology
Department Advisor to the program. Possible courses
are listed below.
- W3205
- Models of Cognition
- W3210
/
G4250 - Language and Cognition Seminar
- W3215
- Memory without Awareness
- S3240
- Seminar in Language and Communication
-
W3250 /G4230
* Seminar in Space Perception / Sensation and
Perception
-
W3255/G4255
* Modern Classics in Visual Percept., Vis. Science,
and Vis Neuroscience
- W3265
* Auditory Perception
- W3270
* Computational Approaches to Human Vision
-
S3280 * Seminar in Infant Development (summer
2008)
- W3410-
Seminar in Emotion
- S3410 * Seminar in Emotion (summer
2008)
-
W3420-/G4420 * Animal Cognition Seminar
-
W3435 * Neurobiology of Reproductive
Behavior
-
W3440 - Issues in Brain and Behavior
-
W3450/G4450 * Evolution of Intelligence
and Consciousness
-
W3460 * Evolution of Behavior
-
W3475 - Psychology and Neuropsychology
of Language
-
W3480 - Seminar in Cognitive Neuropsychology
-
W3485*/G4485 - Neuroscience of Cognitive
and Emotional Control
- W3620
* Seminar in Developmental Psychopathology
-
W3680/G4685 * Social Cognitive Neuroscience
- W4210
- Visual Cognition
- G4215- Memory Representations
- G4220
- Fundamentals of Cognitive Neuropsychology
- G4225 * Consciousness and Attention
- G4227 * Philosophical and Empirical Issues of Consciousness
-
G4232 - Production and Perception of
Language
-
G4233 * Language and Music (MUSI-PSYC)
-
G4235 * Special Topics in Vision
-
G4270 * Cognitive Processes
- G4272
- Advanced Seminar in Language Development
- G4275
- Contemporary Topics in Language & Communication
- G4280
- Probability in Human Reasoning
- G4410
- Human Psychophysiology
-
W4415 * Methods and Issues in Cognitive
Neuroscience
-
G4430 - Neural Basis of Behavior
-
G4440 * Topics in Neurobiology and Behavior
- G4470
- Psychology and Neuropsychology of Language
- G4490 * Inheritance
-
G4690 - Soc. Factors & Psychopathology
*
Offered in 2008-09. Click on course number to
see course description, prerequisites, term, and time
offered. Also see the
Table of All Courses and the Psychology Information Packet. For assistance in planning
the psychology portion of your Neuroscience and Behavior
Major, please refer to the Program
Planning Tips page and use the appropriate Major Requirement Checklist from the Undergraduate
InfoPack.
Transfer
Credit for Psychology Courses taken elsewhere.
Students should consult the psychology advisor before
registering for psychology courses offered outside
the Department. With the advisor's approval, one Barnard
psychology course, but not more than one, may be applied
toward the 1st, 3rd, 4th, or 5th psychology requirement.
Alternatively, a student may apply to the advisor
to have one course from another institution applied
toward the psychology portion of the Neuroscience
and Behavior major. To be approved for
transfer credit a course taken at another institution
should be substantially similar to one offered by
the department and the grade received must be B- or
better.
NOTE: No course may
be counted twice in fulfillment of the above biology
or psychology requirements. A grade of C-, or higher,
must be earned and revealed on your transcript for any Columbia or Barnard course --including the first-- that is used
to satisfy the major requirements. The grade of P will not be accepted for neurosciene and behavior credit; only if the P is uncovered by the Registrar's deadline will the course be applicable toward the major requirements.
Most graduate programs
in Neuroscience require one year of calculus, one
year of physics, and chemistry through organic.
Revised February 5, 2008
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Double
Majors/Concentrations
All students attempting
to complete double majors, double concentrations,
or a combination of a major and a concentration should
keep in mind that they must complete separate sets
of required and related courses for each field. A
single course may not be counted twice. Please consult
with one of the Directors of Undergraduate Studies
or Program Advisors if you
have questions. Statistics courses are special cases; see an explanation and examples of how to deal with them.
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Evening and Summer Courses
The department normally
offers at least one lab course (currently Psychology
W1450
and W1490)
in the late afternoon with evening labs. A number of
other courses are occasionally offered in late afternoon
and evening hours. No more than one quarter of the courses
required for the major are normally available in the
evening. Working students may find the wide variety
of early morning (9:10 a.m.) classes, as well as Summer
Session offerings, helpful in completing degree
requirements.
Any "S" course offered by the Psychology Dept. in
the Summer Session is applicable toward the same degree
requirement(s) as a "W" course of that same number
offered during the academic year. (For instance, S1001D
meets the same requirements as W1001X or W1001Y.)
To see what requirements each course may be applied
toward, please see the relevant Table
of Courses in the Psychology
Information Packet.
Honors
Program
The department offers an
honors program, designed for
a limited number of juniors and seniors interested in
participating in research. Beginning in the first term
of their junior year, honors students take the Honors
Seminar (Psychology
W3910) and simultaneously participate in an
Honors Research Course (Psychology
W3920) under the supervision of
a member of the department. Students make a formal
presentation and complete an honors essay based on this
research toward the end of the senior year. To qualify
for honors, students must take a total of 6 points beyond
the number required for their major, and satisfy all
other requirements for the major. The additional 6 points
may include the Honors Seminar and Research courses; up to 12 points of credit from W3920 and W3950 will be accepted toward the major.
Interested students should apply at the end of their
sophomore year by completing the application
available on the web and turning it in to the department
office by the April deadline.
For additional information, see the
Department of Psychology Honors Program
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Requirements
for Admission to Graduate Programs in Psychology
Most graduate programs in
psychology, including those in clinical psychology,
require undergraduate courses in introductory psychology
(Psychology
W1001), a laboratory course in experimental
psychology (Psychology
W1420, W1440,
W1450, W1455,
W1480, or
W1490),
and a course in statistics (Psychology
W1610 or Statistics W1001, W1111, or W1211).
Students should also take a variety of more advanced
undergraduate courses and seminars, and participate
in supervised research. Students interested in applying
for graduate programs should inform their academic advisors
as soon as possible.
Students interested in clinical psychology should
obtain experience working in a community service program, in addition to supervised
research experience. Consult the department's pre-clinical
advisor, Dr. Catherine Monk, if you need additional
information. Dr. Monk is available by e-mail appointment. A handout on
preparing for a career in clinical psychology
is available on the web and in the department office.
Undergraduate courses in clinical psychology (e.g.,
Psychology W2620)
are available in the department.
For additional web-based resources, be sure to consult
"How to Get In:
Your guide to applying to graduate schools in psychology."
Also see "Applying to Grad School" in the Post-bac Psychology Program web site.
Additional
Information & Updates
Check the Undergraduate
Info Pack for regular updates on course offerings.
Also see the undergraduate bulletin boards on the 3rd
and 4th floors in Schermerhorn for course information
and announcements regarding internships, applying to
graduate schools, etc. Students interested in summer
research opportunites should read about the
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program (SURF).
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