Departmental Notes
Subject Code for Psychology: PSYC
Subject Code for Wellness: WELL
World Wide Web Address: http://www.queensu.ca/psychology/
Head of Department: Kate Harkness
Departmental Office: Humphrey Hall, Room 232
Departmental Telephone: 613-533-2874
Chair of Undergraduate Studies: Meghan Norris
Undergraduate Office: Humphrey Hall, Room 235
Undergraduate E-Mail Address: ug.psyc@queensu.ca
Undergraduate Telephone: 613-533-2493
Coordinator of Graduate Studies: Mark Sabbagh
Graduate E-Mail Address: psycgrad@queensu.ca
Graduate Telephone: 613-533-2872
Overview
We have a variety of degree plans available including Specialization plans, Majors, and a Minor.
We offer 3 Specialization plans. Although all of our programs are research intensive, these Specialization plans are the most research-intensive of our degree offerings.
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Specialization and Bachelor of Science (Honours) Specialization: These degree plans consist of 60 specified units in PSYC, and require the successful completion of our courses in advanced statistics and research methods. The BScH Specialization plan requires additional units in science courses. There is a thesis pathway in PSYC in these degree plans, pending satisfaction of pre-requisites and matching with an approved supervisor. There are also research opportunities in this degree plan through directed research courses.
Bachelor of Science (Honours) BioPsychology Specialization: This degree plan consists of 42 units in PSYC. There are research opportunities in PSYC through this degree plan, and a thesis pathway in BIOL (not PSYC), pending satisfaction of pre-requisites and an approved supervisor.
We offer 2 Major plans in Psychology, a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) and a Bachelor of Science (Honours) Major in Psychology. These degree plans consist of 48 specified units in PSYC. The BScH Major requires additional units in science courses. There are research opportunities in these degree plans through directed research courses. The Majors do not require advanced courses in research methods and statistics, though they may be options for you if space permits. There is no option to do a thesis in Psychology through the Majors. A Major must be paired with a second Major, or Minor, in another discipline.
We also offer an Arts Minor in Psychology. The Minor consists of 24 units in PSYC. The Minor can be added to both an Arts or Science Major in another discipline.
Departmental Policies
PSYC 100 Requirement
PSYC 100 is a prerequisite for all other psychology courses. It can only be waived if a student has completed a similar advanced high school (AP, IB) or college level introductory psychology course and official transfer credit is noted on the student’s Queen’s transcript. PSYC 100 must be taken at Queen’s for admission into an Honours Psychology plan.
Special Study Opportunities
Special Directed Courses
Directed lab and reading courses are a great opportunity for students to work with a faculty member in a research area of interest. Students are encouraged to work in different labs during their undergraduate studies for breadth—this can be helpful both for experience, and building professional relationships with professors who may be able to write letters of reference.
- A student may not complete any special directed lab or reading course and the PSYC 501 Honours Thesis course concurrently with the same supervisor.
- Students are limited to a total of two courses from PSYC 550, PSYC 555, PSYC 570, or PSYC 575.
- Students can take a maximum of three courses from PSYC 299, PSYC 550, PSYC 555, PSYC 570, PSYC 575, PSYC 501 with the same supervisor.
For more information, please visit the Psychology undergraduate website.
Graduate Courses
Requests for permission to register in certain graduate courses from especially well-qualified fourth-year honours students will be considered where space permits. Students desiring such consideration or more information should consult with the Undergraduate office in Psychology.
Faculty
For more information, please visit: https://www.queensu.ca/psychology/people
- Christopher Bowie
- Monica Castelhano
- Meredith Chivers
- Wendy Craig
- Hans Dringenberg
- Lee Fabrigar
- Stanka Fitneva
- Randy Flanagan
- Jason Gallivan
- Kate Harkness
- David Hauser
- Tom Hollenstein
- Jill Jacobson
- Li-Jun Ji
- Elizabeth Kelley
- Valerie Kuhlmeier
- Tara MacDonald
- Janet Menard
- Michele Morningstar
- Meghan Norris
- Mary Olmstead
- Effie Pereira
- Jordan Poppenk
- Caroline Pukall
- Mark Sabbagh
- Tim Salomons
- Jonathan Smallwood
- Jeremy Stewart
- Dean Tripp
- Anita Tusche
- Sari van Anders
- Vera Vine
- Jeffrey Wammes
- Daryl Wilson
Courses
Psychology (PSYC)
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Also offered at Bader College, UK (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Not offered at Queen's; only available as a transfer credit.
EXCLUSION PSYC 100; PSYC 102; PSYC 103.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Also offered at Bader College, UK (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE PSYC 302/3.0 is required for admission to PSYC 501/9.0.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
LEARNING HOURS may vary.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe how scientists use to experience sampling as a tool for understanding the human mind.
- Describe the different features of human cognition that experience sampling are useful for understanding.
- Critically evaluate the validity of claims that are made based on studies which use experience sampling studies of human cognition.
- Develop skills for oral and written communication, and presentation skills.
- Summarize and communicate research findings in this research domain.
- Generate new research questions that can be addressed using experience sampling.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Apply cognitive and psychological principles to technology use.
- Analyze the impact of technology on mental health and well-being.
- Describe the role of technology plays in shaping social interactions and societal norms.
- Evaluate the ethical implications of technological advancements.
- Develop critical thinking skills through analysis of current research and case studies.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Understand the foundational concepts that drive how our memory functions.
- Integrate knowledge from different methodologies and theoretical perspectives.
- Discuss, communicate, and disseminate current (and future) research projects.
- Connect theory with practice, learning how textbook concepts are derived in real life, and how data are presented.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe, execute, analyze, and interpret the results of standardized experimental measures used to study social decision-making.
- Work in teams to achieve common goals.
- Critically evaluate the strengths and potential pitfalls of experimental approaches to study social decision-making, apply this ability when designing their own experiment, and communicate perceived strengths and shortcomings of experiments in a constructive, respectful and effective manners to their peers.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
LEARNING HOURS may vary.
NOTE Only offered online, consult Arts and Science Online.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Also offered at Bader College, UK (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE Also offered at Bader College, UK (Learning Hours may vary).
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Students will integrate clinical psychology within allied professions, recognizing overlapping and independent features.
- Students will be able to demonstrate basic skills in interviewing people in a clinical context.
- Students will be able to recognize proper psychological assessment techniques and critique how errors in assessment can influence interpretation and formulation.
- Students will be able to debate critical topics in the field.
- Students will be able to perform introductory skills in diagnostic and clinical case conceptualization.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
LEARNING HOURS may vary.
NOTE Top Hat (Student Engagement Platform/Software): estimated cost $30.
NOTE Also offered at Bader College, UK (Learning Hours may vary).
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Define, provide examples of, and apply concepts of language research.
- Compare and apply models of language learning, processing, and use.
- Apply knowledge to derive conclusions from sample data.
- Communicate orally and in writing with various audiences (peers, academics) about current language research.
- Develop and execute teamwork strategies for disseminating information.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe developmental trends in socio-emotional behaviour and interrelated changes in brain structure and function across infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
- Synthesize knowledge about developmental change across several functional domains.
- Critically appraise empirical research findings in developmental social neuroscience.
- Effectively communicate concepts, findings, and implications of empirical research in developmental social neuroscience to a layperson audience.
NOTE Students will spend two full nights in the Sleep Laboratory.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
LEARNING HOURS may vary.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online (Learning Hours may vary).
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe how fMRI works and how it is commonly used to investigate cognitive processes in the brain.
- Interpret both basic and advanced fMRI analyses and develop appropriate interpretation of results.
- Identify basic human functional neuroanatomy and topography.
- Critically read and scrutinize an fMRI paper and articulate the strengths and weaknesses of the presented findings (i.e., appreciate what a research paper does and does not show).
- Compare and contrast the merits and limitations of fMRI in relation to other methodologies used in cognitive neuroscience.
NOTE Also offered online, consult Arts and Science Online.
NOTE Also offered at Bader College, UK.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Students must complete an application and be invited for an interview in the spring to be eligible for this fall term course. During the fall term, students will be responsible for facilitating 2-3 PSYC 100 tutorials per week as part of their teaching practicum.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and interpret academic research.
- Generate research questions using scholarly evidence.
- Analyze and discuss scholarly research and texts.
- Apply oral presentation skills in a seminar setting.
- Apply analytic writing skills in the context of research.
- Analyze and critically discuss broader impacts of course content across socio-cultural contexts and applications.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe and evaluate the methods used for understanding spontaneous thought.
- Critically evaluate different theories of spontaneous thought ability to account for observed data.
- Evaluate the different methods used to study spontaneous thought.
- Be able to communicate about theoretical and applied aspects of research into spontaneous thought.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe the basic anatomy and function of the autonomic nervous system and other peripheral systems relevant to emotion; describe methodology commonly used to measure them; understand common psychological interpretations of these functions, including ambiguities.
- Apply principles from affective psychophysiology to socially important outcomes, especially phenomena in clinical psychology and selected processes in developmental and social psychology.
- Integrate principles across different aspects of the course, for instance, integrating principles from assigned readings to independent and group work, or from class discussions to weekly reading assignments.
- Demonstrate improved reading, writing, and communication mechanics in psychology and related fields; read more carefully and with deeper comprehension, even of content outside one’s knowledge area; communicate more clearly orally and in writing.
- Participate in learning as an active and self-motivated partner; evaluate one’s own progress in learning and scholarship.
- Practice balancing autonomy and collaboration in academic endeavors; develop original ideas in response to coursework and develop ideas further in collaboration with peers.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and interpret academic research.
- Generate research questions using scholarly evidence.
- Analyze and discuss scholarly research and texts.
- Apply oral presentation skills in a seminar setting.
- Apply analytic writing skills in the context of research.
- Analyze and critically discuss broader impacts of course content across socio-cultural contexts and applications.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and interpret academic research.
- Generate research questions using scholarly evidence.
- Analyze and discuss scholarly research and texts.
- Apply oral presentation skills in a seminar setting.
- Apply analytic writing skills in the context of research.
- Analyze and critically discuss broader impacts of course content across socio-cultural contexts and applications.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Understand, evaluate, and discuss with classmates major constructs in language and reasoning, such as the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, conceptual metaphors, and distributed semantics.
- Facilitate active and productive classroom discussion of course-related concepts.
- Develop and present an original research project proposal related to language and reasoning.
- Write an APA-style proposal of the original research project.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and interpret academic research.
- Generate research questions using scholarly evidence.
- Analyze and discuss scholarly research and texts.
- Apply oral presentation skills in a seminar setting.
- Apply analytic writing skills in the context of research.
- Analyze and critically discuss broader impacts of course content across socio-cultural contexts and applications .
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe contemporary issues in the field of autism spectrum disorders.
- Synthesize, interpret, and communicate effectively about academic research articles, and their connections to the broader academic field.
- Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of research in the field of autism spectrum disorders.
- Develop and share discussion questions for topics in autism.
- Articulate and justify a position, grounded in scholarly evidence.
- Identify, articulate, and justify considerations of inclusion within this field.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Develop and hone high-level critical inquiry skills.
- Review and apply theories of normative social and emotional development.
- Critically evaluate research on digital phenomena in youth and families.
- Formulate a coherent application of social or emotional developmental theory to one aspect of digital experiences in youth or families.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Identify and interpret academic research.
- Generate research questions using scholarly evidence.
- Analyze and discuss scholarly research and texts.
- Apply oral presentation skills in a seminar setting.
- Apply analytic writing skills in the context of research.
- Analyze and critically discuss broader impacts of course content across socio-cultural contexts and applications.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Also offered at Bader College, UK.
NOTE This course is repeatable for credit under different topic titles.
NOTE Students whose research involves the care and/or handling of animals must also complete the Introductory Animal Care Course and if required the appropriate Animal Use workshops through the Office of the University Veterinarian.
NOTE Students are limited to a maximum of two of PSYC 550, PSYC 555, PSYC 570, or PSYC 575. Students are also limited to a maximum of two 500-level courses supervised by the same faculty member. (Students registered in PSYC 501 concurrently will not normally take one of these courses with their thesis supervisor.)
NOTE Students are limited to a maximum of two of PSYC 550, PSYC 555, PSYC 570, or PSYC 575. Students are also limited to a maximum of two 500-level courses supervised by the same faculty member. (Students registered in PSYC 501 concurrently will not normally take one of these courses with their thesis supervisor.)
NOTE Students whose research involves the care and/or handling of animals must also complete the Introductory Animal Care Course and if required the appropriate Animal Use workshops through the Office of the University Veterinarian.
NOTE Students are limited to a maximum of two of PSYC 550, PSYC 555, PSYC 570, or PSYC 575. Students are also limited to a maximum of two 500-level courses supervised by the same faculty member. (Students registered in PSYC 501 concurrently will not normally take one of these courses with their thesis supervisor.)
NOTE Students whose research involves the care and/or handling of animals must also complete the Introductory Animal Care Course and if required the appropriate Animal Use workshops through the Office of the University Veterinarian.
NOTE Students are limited to a maximum of two of PSYC 550, PSYC 555, PSYC 570, or PSYC 575. Students are also limited to a maximum of two 500-level courses supervised by the same faculty member. (Students registered in PSYC 501 concurrently will not normally take one of these courses with their thesis supervisor.)
NOTE Requests for such a program must be received one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program.
NOTE Also offered at Bader College, UK.
NOTE Requests for such a program must be received one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program.
NOTE Requests for such a program must be received one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program.
NOTE Requests for such a program must be received one month before the start of the first term in which the student intends to undertake the program.
Wellness (WELL)
Course Learning Outcomes:
- Describe and evaluate the science of stress and stress management
- Apply scholarly evidence to articulate the relationship between lifestyle factors and well being
- Evaluate and measure personal lifestyle factors that affect wellbeing
- Identify and appropriately utilize basic stress management techniques
- Identify and apply methods for overcoming common barriers to implementation of stress management techniques