Psychology

Psychology may be defined as the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes. It is concerned with almost every aspect of our lives. Students will be exposed to a field of study that has assumed an increasingly important role in understanding and addressing social and individual problems. Psychology has developed as both a science and as a profession. Students will be introduced to the various approaches of psychology, including related theories, research, and concepts.

While students will discover that there are no simple answers to such questions as “How should I raise my child?” or “Why do I feel this way?”, they will learn that psychology can help them to appreciate the complexity of such questions and to seek and evaluate useful answers.

UCFV currently offers a major and an extended minor in psychology as part of its Bachelor of Arts program. In the Fall semester of 2000 changes were made to the courses offered by the Psychology department, the prerequisites for several courses, and the requirements for a major and extended minor.

Students who have completed part of the previous set of requirements for a major or extended minor in Psychology should consult with the Arts advisor or the Psychology department head. In some cases students will have met this previous set of requirements for the second-year level. In other cases students may be able to complete the previous requirements by obtaining special permission to substitute current courses for courses from the previous requirements that have been discontinued. Students will require this advice and permission because in some cases previous courses are simply renumbered, while in other cases previous courses will not be given specific transfer credit toward the new requirements.

Note: Students transferring to UCFV with psychology credits from other institutions should also seek advice from the Arts advisor or the Psychology department head in order to determine how their previous work can be used toward fulfilling the current requirements.

Note on prerequisites: Unless stated otherwise, the minimum grade acceptable in all course prerequisites is a C- (see the psychology course descriptions).

Listed below are the program requirements for the major and extended minor.

This section specifies the major and extended minor discipline requirements only. Please refer to the Bachelor of Arts section for more information.

Psychology major requirements

Lower-level requirements: 17 credits

• Psychology 101
• Psychology 102
• Psychology 110*
• Psychology 210
• Psychology 220

* MATH 104 or MATH 106 may be substituted for PSYC 110.

Upper-level requirements: 30 credits

Thirty credits of 300- and 400-level psychology, including:

• Psychology 408 or 308 (previously offered)
• No more than eight credits may be in directed studies.

Psychology extended minor requirements

Lower-level requirements: 17 credits

• Psychology 101
• Psychology 102
• Psychology 110*
• Psychology 210
• Psychology 220

* MATH 104 or MATH 106 may be substituted for PSYC 110.

Upper-level requirements: 15 credits

• Fifteen credits of 300- and 400-level psychology
• No more than three credits may be in directed studies.

Faculty

Rhonda Snow, BA (Hons), MA, PhD (SFU), Department Head

Patricia Ackland, BA (Hons), MA, PhD (SFU)

Zoe Dennison, BSc (Hons) (UVic), MA, PhD (Western Ontario)

Ronald Laye, BS (Clarkson), MSc, PhD (Alberta)

David Morosan, BSc (Trent), BEd (Queen’s), MSc (Calgary), PhD (UBC)

Wayne Podrouzek, BCS, BSc (Hons) (Mount Saint Vincent), MA, PhD (SFU)

Kim Striebel, BSc (UBC), MA, PhD (SFU)

Robin White, BSc, MA, PhD (Manitoba)

Staff

Rhonda Colwell, BA (UCFV), Department Assistant

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