3.5 Course Overviews: "P"
To speed your search, click on the appropriate alphabetical course reference:
PHILOSOPHY (PHIL)
PHIL 152
Basic Critical Thinking
3—Humanities
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
This is a preparatory course in critical thinking that stresses reading and
writing skills. It teaches an active, critical approach to a student's own
written work. The course focuses on comprehension tools and skills and the
development of critical capacities in application to both reading and writing.
PHIL 231
Introduction to Philosophy
3—Humanities
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
This introduction to philosophy takes a cross-cultural approach. While it
traverses ancient Greek and Chinese philosophies, developing comparisons between
the Eastern and Western traditions, it retains an emphasis on the argument form.
The focus is placed on the relationship between three main areas of philosophy:
ethics, metaphysics, epistemology. A thematic approach based on the notion of
the "good life" is used to draw out issues concerning ethical rightness, the
nature of the person/soul and how knowledge claims can be legitimized.
PHIL 252
Critical Thinking
3—Humanities
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced.
Prerequisite: None.
Critical Thinking is designed to improve a student's ability to analyse and
evaluate the kinds of arguments and assertions commonly met with in everyday
life. The course helps students improve their own arguments and presentations by
showing them how to draw sound conclusions from available evidence, and how to
construct well-reasoned cases to support these conclusions. Critical Thinking is
intended as a foundation course in the Bachelor of Arts program of study. It
will also benefit students resuming university studies after a lengthy period in
the home or workforce.
PHIL 333
Professional Ethics
3—Humanities
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced.
Prerequisite: None.
The course will acquaint students with the special moral questions and issues
that arise for practitioners of professions. Students will develop their ability
to recognize moral aspects of professional practice, to analyse concepts and
issues in professional ethics, and to develop and defend their own positions on
a variety of issues. The course is organized around issues common to many
professions, such as privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, and
professional-client relations. A number of professions are examined including
medicine, nursing, teaching, journalism, and counselling.
PHIL 371
Ethics, Science, Technology, and the Environment
3—Humanities
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced.
Prerequisite: PHIL 252 and one university-level science course are recommended
but not required.
As an introduction to the special ethical problems and issues associated with
science, scientific research, applied science and technology, this course
addresses a number of issues. For example, should research be conducted on
animals, and if so, under what conditions? What special moral qualities should
scientists and technical people bring to their work? What effects do practices
in science and technology have on the environment, and what are the
responsibilities of scientists and technical people in this area? Students will
develop their own ability to recognize moral aspects of scientific and technical
practices and defend their own positions on a variety of issues.
PHYSICS (PHYS)
PHYS 200
Introductory Physics I
3—Science
Delivery Mode: Home study with a home lab. Also available via independent lab
(reduced credit) only. Computer access required.
Prerequisite: None.
Precluded course: PHYS 200 and PHYS 201 cannot be taken for credit if credit has
already been obtained for PHYS 274.
Téluq equivalency: PHY 1021.
This is a junior, non-calculus course that provides a general overview of
mechanics as an introduction to the quantitative study of physics. It is divided
into seven units and covers kinematics of linear motion, motion in two
dimensions, Newton's Laws of Motion, rotational motion, gravitation, the
work-energy theorem and law of conservation of energy, and conservation of
linear and angular momenta. Physics 200, combined with either Physics 201 or
Physics 202, gives
6 credits of introductory physics able to be matched to offerings at other
institutions.
Special instructional features: PHYS 200 has a compulsory lab component. Refer
to Athabasca University's physics lab Web site at http://www.athabascau.ca/html/depts/sciences/labphys.htm
or contact the science lab coordinator or
course professor for lab details, dates, and sites.
PHYS 201
Introductory Physics II
3—Science
Delivery Mode: Home study with home lab. Computer access required.
Prerequisite: PHYS 200 or equivalent and permission of the professor.
Precluded course: PHYS 200 and PHYS 201 cannot be taken for credit if credit has
already been obtained for PHYS 274.
Téluq equivalency: PHY 1022.
This is a junior, non-calculus course that examines topics in mechanics,
thermodynamics, and electrical theory. The course covers equilibrium, harmonic
motion, heat and temperature, kinetic theory of heat, thermodynamics,
electrostatics, and circuit theory. Physics 201, combined with either Physics
200 or Physics 202, give 6 credits of introductory physics able to be matched to
offerings at other institutions.
Special instructional features: PHYS 201 has a compulsory lab component normally done by home study.
Refer to Athabasca University's physics lab Web site at http://www.athabascau.ca/html/depts/sciences/labphys.htm or contact the science lab coordinator to confirm whether an on-site lab will be offered this year.
PHYS 202
Introductory Physics III
3—Science
Delivery Mode: Home study with home lab. Computer access required.
Prerequisite: PHYS 200 or equivalent.
This is a three-credit noncalculus second physics course at the first-year
university level. Topics include magnetic fields, electromagnetic waves,
geometric and physical optics, and atomic physics including introductory quantum
concepts. It is designed so that six credits of first-year physics may be
obtained by combining PHYS 200 and PHYS 202, however, some familiarity with
harmonic motion and electricity (covered in PHYS 201 and included in the
textbook of
PHYS 202) would be helpful to students in this course.
Physics 202, combined with either Physics 200 or Physics 201 gives 6 credits of
introductory physics able to be matched to offerings at other institutions.
Special instructional features: PHYS 202 has a compulsory lab component normally
done by home study. Refer to Athabasca University's physics lab Web site http://www.athabascau.ca/html/depts/sciences/labphys.htm
or contact the science lab coordinator to confirm whether an on-site lab will be offered this year.
PHYS 274
Introductory Physics
6—Science
Delivery Mode: Home study with home lab. Computer access required.
Prerequisite: Permission of the professor.
Precluded course: PHYS 274 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PHYS 200 and PHYS 201.
Note: New admissions for PHYS 274 will be allowed only up until a Sept 1/ 00
start date. PHYS 200/(201 or 202) will be the new route for students needing 6
credits of introductory physics.
This is a junior, non-calculus course that provides a general overview of
physics as a description and explanation of the physical world. The course
covers kinematics of linear motion, motion in two dimensions, Newton's Laws of
Motion, rotational motion, gravitation, work-energy theorem and law of
conservation of energy, conservation of linear and angular momenta, study of
equilibrium, simple harmonic motion, heat and temperature, kinetic theory of
heat, thermodynamics, electrostatics, and circuit theory. The contents of PHYS
274 are duplicated in PHYS 200 and PHYS 201, two, 3-credit courses.
Special instructional features: PHYS 274 has a compulsory lab component. Refer
to Athabasca University's physics lab Web site at
http://www.athabascau.ca/html/depts/sciences/labphys.htm
or contact the science lab coordinator or
course professor for lab details, dates and sites.
PHYS 495-496
Physics Projects
3 each—Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite for PHYS 495: permission of the course professor, PHYS 200, 201 and
202, MATH 265 and 266, and at least one senior-level science course.
Prerequisite for PHYS 496: PHYS 495.
These courses are suitable for senior-level students who wish to do research
projects in physics or its branches, including geophysics and engineering, but
not normally biophysics. Physics Projects are based on a learning contract
between each student and an approved supervisor. In doing their research,
students learn to chose and define problems, obtain information from libraries,
theory, computational work, or experiments, organize facts and ideas, and report
ideas and conclusions in written form. The research undertaken will follow the
learning contract and represent new work.
Special instructional features: The course may involve library, laboratory,
computer, or other research work as agreed by the student and the supervisor.
Laboratory work in physics at a level useful for this course normally would
involve facilities not found in the home. However, typical home computers are
easily able to facilitate complex computational projects. Students are expected
to obtain and pay for all materials used in projects. Further information and a
course project proposal form may be obtained from the course professor.
POLITICAL ECONOMY (POEC)
POEC 230
Globalization and World Politics
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
This course is designed to introduce students to the theoretical and practical
issues associated with world politics and the impact of "globalization." Other
important issues examined include global structures, processes and issues;
environmentalism and sustainable development; transnational actors, companies
and migrations; nationalism and identity; culture and religion; and human rights.
It is a key course for a university student wanting an introductory course
aimed at making sense of globalization and its implications for local, national
and international relations. It should be of particular interest to students of
politics, economics, and cultural studies.
POEC 302
Introduction to Political Economy
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
This course introduces students to the fundamental concepts and questions of
political economy by reading the works of major political and economic thinkers.
It surveys the market system from its foundation in the thought of Aristotle to
its nineteenth century and twentieth century exponents and critics, including
Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and John Maynard Keynes. The course encourages students
to cultivate a greater appreciation of the relationship between politics and
economics, and how the integration of the two has produced the distinctive
tradition of political economy.
POEC 393
Canada and the Global Political Economy
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
This course describes the Canadian state in the global political economy. Global
competitiveness and Canada's role in the global economy are examined. Are there
different ways to compete? What should be the role of the Canadian government in
the quest for global competitiveness? Is free trade the answer? Written by
leading Canadian political economist, Professor Daniel Drache, the course gives
students the analytical tools to make sense of these questions.
POEC 395
Global Development Strategies
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisites: None. A previous course in development is recommended but not
required.
This course will allow students to study in-depth strategies of development in
the "Third World" or South since 1945. First, the course introduces students to
traditional Western theories of development and various indigenous critiques.
Second, it examines the main regions constitutive of the South, including Latin
America and the Caribbean; Africa and the Middle East; Southeast Asia; and North
and South Korea.
POEC 483
International Political Economy: Power, Production, and Global Order
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: Permission of the professor.
This course explores global power relations and economic change by examining the
dynamic interaction of states, social classes, and the international political
economy. Topics include: the global debt and growing disparities between North
and South; the changing roles of women in the new international division of
labour and transnational production processes; debates about the decline of the
U.S. and rise in power of Germany and Japan, as well as regional economic blocs;
and Canada's place in the rapidly changing world.
POEC 499
Directed Study in Political Economy
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: Permission of the professor.
This course allows students to pursue a topic of special interest in more detail
than permitted within the standard political economy curriculum. The course is
primarily intended for students who are in the latter stages of a four-year
program. In exceptional circumstances, other students may also be permitted to
take this course with permission of the professor. Students registering in this
course are required to conduct an independent empirical or conceptual research
project.
POLITICAL SCIENCE (POLI)
POLI 277
Introduction to Political Science I: Concepts, Structures,
and Institutions
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced.
Prerequisite: None.
This course provides an introduction to basic concepts, structures, and
institutions in Canada, the United States, and Great Britain. It introduces
topics such as power, legitimacy, and authority; sovereignty, states, and
nations; liberal democracy; feminist, radical, and Aboriginal approaches to the
study of political systems; representation and
legislatures; leaders and executive bodies; and public administration and the
judiciary.
POLI 278
Introduction to Political Science II: Political Processes and Political
Behaviour
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced.
Prerequisite: None.
Precluded course: POLI 278 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for POLI 214.
This course proceeds to an analysis of political processes and political
behaviour in the political systems of Canada, the United States and Great
Britain. There is growing public dissatisfaction with the performance of
democracy in all three countries. The course explores how citizens learn to
participate in the political process. Topics covered include political parties,
elections and electoral systems, interest groups, and social movements such as
the environmental, feminist, and civil rights movements.
POLI 307
Political Ideologies
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
This course first examines the nineteenth-century ideologies of capitalism,
liberalism, and democracy followed by anti-liberal and anti-capitalist
ideologies—conservatism, anarchism, utopian and scientific marxism, and
nationalism. It considers contemporary ideological currents, the search for
community, postmaterialism, postmodernism, and the new social movements:
feminism and environmentalism.
POLI 309
Canadian Government and Politics
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study with video component; or paced.
Prerequisite: None.
Precluded course: POLI 309 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for POLI 260.
This course introduces students to the structures and processes of the Canadian
political system, especially how the Canadian government makes political
decisions. The course examines such topics as the impact of the United States
upon Canadian politics; constitutional renewal and sovereignty for Quebec; and
the role and structures of parliament, cabinet, and the bureaucracy.
POLI 311
Aboriginal Politics and Governments
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced.
Prerequisite: None.
This course outlines Aboriginal governing traditions, the evolution of
Aboriginal politics and changes in Aboriginal governance systems as well as
current trends and issues associated with Aboriginal governments. Particular
attention is paid to the Indian Act, treaty making, land claims agreements, and
issues related to Aboriginal governments and intergovernmental relations.
POLI 325
Canadian Environmental Policy and Politics
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
The course emphasizes the impact of value choices upon Canadian environmental
policy and politics, e.g., the trade-off in values between clear air and water
and economic development. It considers how the environmental policy process
works in Canada and offers students a view of Canadian environmental
organizations and governmental structures.
POLI 330
International and Global Politics
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union transformed
international politics and intensified the debate about "global politics." This
course is about transformations in international and global politics. It
examines the changing role of states in the new international context,
particularly the relationship of states to multinational corporations,
international organizations, and non-governmental organizations.
POLI 340
Comparative Politics I: In the Industrial and Postindustrial Countries
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
The course has two primary objectives: 1) to introduce students to the
importance and basic methods of comparison in politics; and 2) to impart a
substantial amount of information about the actual institutions, political
culture and ideology, political processes, and political participants in the
industrial / postindustrial countries including Russia, Germany, Japan, England,
and the United States.
POLI 341
Comparative Politics in Developing and Industrializing Countries
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: None.
This course is designed to introduce students of world politics to countries
characterized variously as developing, industrializing, Third World and the
South. The course covers four regions: Asia, Latin America, Africa, and the
Middle East. It conducts detailed examinations of five countries: China, India,
Mexico, Nigeria, and Egypt and concludes with an examination of the struggle for
self-determination by the world's indigenous peoples.
POLI 350
Women in Canadian Politics
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: Students with an introductory course in women's studies or in
Canadian government and politics may find the material easier to master.
This course examines women's participation in Canadian political life. It
explores women's roles in "official politics" as aspiring and practising
decision makers in elected and appointed office. It further focuses on the
political work that women do outside of what is traditionally considered to be
the political arena, the grassroots and community-based realm of "unofficial
politics."
POLI 383
Introduction to Canadian Political Economy
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: Students who have taken a course in Canadian history, political
science, economics, or sociology may find the material easier to master.
Precluded course: POLI 383 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for LBST 383.
This course examines the reciprocal relationship between politics and economics,
wealth and power in Canada. Topics covered include Canada's industrial
development, and the impact of globalization and free trade on Canada. Special
emphasis is put on regional disparities, Alberta's role in Canada's political
economy, the controversy of forest development, the Klein Revolution, the 1990's
battle over deficits, cutbacks and their impact, women and the welfare state,
and the impact of economic development upon Canada's Native peoples.
POLI 390
Canadian Federalism
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: An introductory political science course or one other course in
Canadian government and politics is recommended but not required.
POLI 390 examines the origins and historical development of Canadian federalism
in the light of repeated demands for constitutional renewal. The course covers
the following topics: Canadian federalism and its origins, demands by provincial
governments for increased powers and sovereignty for Quebec, and prospects for a
renewal of Confederation.
PSYCHOLOGY (PSYC)
(See also Career Development (CADE) courses, Educational Psychology (EDPY)
courses, and the Diploma in Inclusive Education offered by the Centre for
Psychology.)
PSYC 228
An Introduction to Child Development
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: None.
Precluded courses: PSYC 228 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already
been obtained for PSYC 257 or PSYC 323.
Téluq equivalency: PSY 1200.
This course studies the basic concepts and mechanisms inherent in the process of
human development from conception to adolescence. It examines the biological,
intellectual, social, emotional, and moral aspects of development through a
stage-development framework. The major emphasis of the course is on normal
growth and development. Students considering an introductory psychology course
for general transfer should take PSYC 289 and PSYC 290. Some course components
are available via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 289
Psychology as a Natural Science
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: None.
Precluded course: PSYC 289 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PSYC 206.
PSYC 289 introduces the broad areas of biological bases of behaviour, sensation
and perception, learning, and memory. Specific topics covered include the brain,
sleep, drugs, variations in consciousness, touch, taste, smell, hearing, seeing,
attention, visual perception, emotion, Pavlovian conditioning, operant
conditioning, memory, and hypnosis. The Internet version of PSYC 289 is
available at http://server.bmod.athabascau.ca/html/centre/general.htm
PSYC 290
General Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 289 is recommended but not required.
Precluded course: PSYC 290 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PSYC 206.
This course provides an introduction to behavioural areas of study such as
maturation and development, personality, and social relationships. Specific
topics covered include intelligence and psychological testing, motivation and
emotion, human development, personality, stress and health, psychological
disorders, psychotherapy, and social behaviour. Some course components are
available via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 315
Psychology and the Mass Media
3—Social Sciences
Delivery Mode: Home study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: None.
This course introduces students to a range of psychological theories, processes,
and principles in the context of the mass media. In addition, the application of
these theories and principles to several prominent issues will be discussed.
Such issues may include violence on television programs, advertising, and news
reporting. Students will be encouraged to reflect upon their own lives and apply
the psychological principles they find useful to their work, study, or daily
lives. As most scholarly work has been written on the mass medium of television,
the material presented in this course will be over-represented in this area. The
newest electronic technologies, e.g., computer communication on the Internet,
will not be covered in this course. Some course components are available via the
Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 323
Developmental Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study with video component; or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: Students taking the classroom version at GPRC should have
previously taken PY 1040 and PY 1050.
Precluded course: PSYC 323 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PSYC 228.
This course examines the biological, cognitive, and social aspects of
psychological development, with special emphasis on infancy, childhood, and
adolescence. Some course components are available via the Internet as an
optional delivery mode.
PSYC 340
Introduction to Applied Social Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: A 200-level psychology course is strongly recommended but not
required.
This course examines the psychological basis of social problems and the
application of this knowledge in solving problems in the real world. The course
has three parts: the scope and meaning of applied social psychology including
contributions by Kurt Lewin; applications to family violence, teenage problems,
alcoholism, and job stress and burnout; and finally an opportunity to use the
knowledge from the first two parts of the course to develop a proposal for
effecting social change in an area of relevance to the learner. Some course
components are available via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 342
Psychology of Aesthetics
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: A 200-level psychology course is recommended but not required.
PSYC 342 introduces the theory, research, and methodology of the psychology of
the visual arts, music, and literature. Throughout the course, four major
questions are considered from a psychological perspective: What motivates the
artist to create? What motivates us to contemplate art? What behavioural
processes are involved in artistic creation? What skills are necessary to
understand a work of art? Students study each field to some degree, then select
one and focus on the development of artistic creation and appreciation in
children. The Internet version of PSYC 342 is available at
http://server.bmod.athabascau.ca/html/centre/general.htm
PSYC 343
Issues and Strategies in Counselling Women
6—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study with audio component. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: An introductory psychology or counselling course is strongly
recommended but not required.
This course provides students with an opportunity to examine their own attitudes
and beliefs about women and the problems women experience. Students are given
the opportunity to compare traditional approaches with alternative approaches to
counselling women, gain information about the nature of psychological distress
commonly experienced by women, and develop an awareness of the social and
cultural bases of problems commonly experienced by women. Some course components
are available via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 350
Adolescent Development
3—Social Sciences
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: A 200-level psychology course is recommended but not required.
This course examines the physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development
of adolescents in the contexts of family, peers, school, work, and culture.
Major theories, methods of studying development, and contemporary adolescent
issues and concerns (e.g., sexuality and suicide) are discussed. Some course
components are available via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 355
Cognitive Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 289 or PSYC 290.
Precluded course: PSYC 355 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PSYC 455.
Téluq equivalency: PSY 4001.
This course introduces students to research and theory in human cognition.
Topics covered include an historical review of developments that led to the
emergence of cognitive psychology, the sensory registers, selective attention,
working memory, memory improvement techniques, long-term memory, imagery,
psycholinguistics, language comprehension, problemsolving, reasoning, conceptual
thinking, and categorization. The Internet version of PSYC 355 is available at
http://server.bmod.athabascau.ca/html/centre/general.htm
PSYC 356
Introduction to Personality Theories and Issues
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 289 and PSYC 290 are strongly recommended but not required.
This course surveys the field of personality from a scientific perspective. It
examines four general approaches to understanding personality, namely, the
psychoanalytic, the dispositional, the environmental, and the representational.
The course looks at each approach, its strengths and its limitations. This is a
senior level psychology course, and it is expected that learners will have
library research skills and essay writing competence at this level. Some course
components are available via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 379
Social Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: A 200-level psychology course is recommended but not required.
Téluq equivalency: PSY 3001.
Social Psychology helps students develop insights into a science-oriented study
of social relations. While the course provides a solid survey of the whole field,
it also highlights centres of current action, such as social cognition and the
application of social psychology, and relates them to fields such as law and
health. Some course components are available via the Internet as an optional
delivery mode.
PSYC 381
The Psychology of Adult Development
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: A 200-level psychology course is recommended but not required.
Precluded course: PSYC 381 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PSYC 363.
This course explores psychological developments, changes, and adjustments during
adulthood and aging. It examines a broad range of life changes and events that
follow adolescence. Topics covered include life events and transitions,
biological processes, social processes, young adulthood, middle age, old age,
death and dying, and research methods. Some course components are available via
the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 387
Learning
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: An introductory psychology course is recommended but not required.
This course introduces students to the principles of learning and how those
principles can be used to modify human behaviour. The course emphasizes the
application of learning theories and principles to solve behavioural problems as
they exist in oneself, one's family, schools, the workplace, and in larger
social, economic, and political groups. The Internet version of PSYC 387 is
available at http://server.bmod.athabascau.ca/html/centre/general.htm
PSYC 389
An Introduction to Learning Disabilities
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: An introductory psychology or a junior social science course is
recommended but not required.
This course introduces the field of learning disabilities and focuses mainly on
understanding phenomena of learning disabilities from several viewpoints and
theoretical perspectives. It also deals with the recognition and remediation of
learning disabilities and emphasizes understanding the basic issues. Topics
range from legislation pertaining to learning disabilities to providing services
to individuals with learning disabilities. Some course components are available
via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 400
Teaching and Managing the Child with Learning Difficulties
6—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: Permission of the professor required. Previous course work in
special education or experience teaching children with special needs is strongly
recommended.
Precluded course: PSYC 400 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PSYC 348.
This course emphasizes a practical approach to meeting the needs of children
with learning difficulties in classroom situations. It is concerned with the
translation of theory into action, and students are required to assess a child
with learning difficulties, develop an educational plan, and provide remediation.
The course discusses the assessment and instruction of reading, written
expression, language, spelling, math, learning strategies, and study skills for
students who are experiencing difficulties. Some course components are available
via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 401
Learning Through Life
Reading—3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: Permission of the professor. Since this is an advanced course,
learners are expected to have previously completed a variety of junior and
senior level social science courses. PSYC 381 is recommended but not required.
This reading course is about how we learn from life's experiences. Specifically,
it examines how adult learners make meaning of their experience. It examines the
transformation theory of Jack Mezirow and looks at learning through the creation
of meaning schemes and through perspective transformation. Parts of the theory
are abstract and learners are expected to contribute illustrations in the
interpretation of the theory from their own experience. This is an advanced
course and a background in a variety of senior level, social science courses is
very important.
PSYC 402
Biological Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: A senior high school level biology course (or an introductory
university biology course) and a course in introductory psychology (or animal
behaviour) are recommended but not required.
This course shows how the brain and the nervous system enable and establish
limits for behaviour. Various topics include the biological view of behaviour;
the evolution of behaviour; philosophical and empirical perspectives on the
mind-body relationship; anatomy, physiology and function of the nervous system;
and methods of investigation; in preparation for detailed examination of the
biological basis of all areas of human function. Some course components are
available via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 404
Experimental Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 289 or PSYC 290. Math 215 is strongly recommended but not
required.
This course focuses on experimental designs and techniques used in psychological
research. Topics include principles of the scientific method, group experimental
research, single-subject research, ethical issues, and research reporting.
Emphasis is on laboratory experience (using readily available household
materials), reading and writing of research reports, and data interpretation.
Some course components are available via the Internet as an optional delivery
mode.
PSYC 405
Creating a Working Alliance
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study and online-enhanced, or paced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 488 is recommended but not required.
Precluded: PSYC 405 may not be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for CADE 400.
This course focuses on developing a working alliance between career development
professionals and others such that effective problem identification and problem
solving can take place toward mutual goals. The course covers some of the
knowledge and skills needed to do this. Specific areas covered include
establishing a collaborative working relationship founded on mutual trust and
respect, encouraging self-exploration, disclosing relevant information, and
helping others feel ready to risk trying new approaches to problem solving. The
course discusses factors that influence the effectiveness of a working alliance.
Home-study learners must find a person or persons with whom to practise the
communications skills, and prepare two audio or video skill assignments for
grading. Learners are expected to have previously completed a variety of junior
and senior level social science courses. Some course components are available
via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 418
Special Projects in Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: SOSC 366 and permission of the professor. Students should
preregister six months before the start date of this course to ensure the
availability of research materials.
Precluded course: PSYC 418 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PSYC 318.
PSYC 418 allows students to pursue a topic of special interest in more detail
than permitted within the standard psychology curriculum. The course is
restricted to students enrolled in the later stages of the four-year Bachelor of
Arts program with a psychology major. In exceptional circumstances, other
students may also be permitted to take this course with permission of the
professor.
PSYC 432
Psychology and the Built Environment
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: A 200-level psychology course is recommended but not required.
This course examines the transactions between people and their everyday physical
environment. Topics include environmental perception and cognition,
environmental stressors such as noise, spatial behaviour such as personal space
and territoriality, physical settings where we live, work, and learn, and
designing for more fitting environments. Some course components are available
via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 435
Abnormal Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study with optional video component; or paced.
Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: 6 credits in introductory psychology are strongly recommended but
not required.
Precluded course: PSYC 435 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PSYC 335.
PSYC 435 describes and examines human behaviours and mental phenomena that
diverge widely from the normal. The course reviews the historical and
theoretical basis of abnormal behaviour, followed by an overview of current
assessment techniques and treatment approaches. Other topics include stress and
anxiety disorders; psychotic disorders; social and personality disorders; and
organic and developmental disorders. The course concludes with an overview of
legal and ethical issues. Some course components are available via the Internet
as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 470
Consultation and Collaboration for Students with Special Needs
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: Previous course work in special education or experience teaching
children with special needs is strongly recommended.
PSYC 470's main emphasis is on understanding collaborative consultation as a
process to enable people with diverse expertise to work together to generate
solutions for educating students with special education needs in regular public
school classrooms. Topics range from the foundations of consultation and
collaboration, structural elements, dimensions of a team approach, and problem
solving, to communication, management, and strategies for implementation. Some
course components are available via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 471
Managing Behaviour Problems in the Classroom
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: Previous course work in special education or experience teaching
children with special needs is strongly recommended.
PSYC 471 is a senior-level course that will assist teachers to deal with
children with behaviour difficulties in the classroom. The course provides
background information on assessment and intervention methodology and presents
specific intervention strategies dealing with broad categories of problem
behaviours such as disruptive behaviour, aggressive behaviour, school survival
skills and social skills, stereotypic behaviours, attention problems, and
psychiatric problems. Some course components are available via the Internet as
an optional delivery mode.
PSYC 488
Introduction to the Process of Counselling
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Home study with audio component; or paced. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 289 or PSYC 290 and credit in at least one senior-level
psychology course or equivalent work experience are strongly recommended but not
required.
Precluded course: PSYC 488 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for PSYC 388.
This course explores a definition of counselling through consideration of its
context, necessary skills and relationships, and ethical issues. It examines how
counselling is done, from the initial assessment through goal-setting and
interventions to ending the process. A variety of applications, including health,
cross-cultural, career, school, crisis, family and group counselling, as well
as consulting and counselling in the creative arts, are also examined. Some
course components are available via the Internet as an optional delivery mode.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION (PADM)
PADM 301
Business, Society, and the Public Sector
3—Applied Studies
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: This course is intended for students who have completed about 48
credits in the B. Admin. degree program.
This course is designed for students who are likely to take only one course
about the public sector. It examines the machinery of Canadian government; how
business and the public sector influence each other; the main themes of
business-government relations in Canada; the Canadian industrial structure; the
relationship between business, the media and political parties; policy areas
including business regulation, international trade, and the Canada-United States
Free Trade Agreement; and rethinking or reinventing government.
PADM 366
Municipal Public Administration in Canada
3—Applied Studies
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: A previous course in political science is recommended but not
required.
This course examines the structures and political processes of municipal public
administration and government in Canada with a detailed examination of Alberta.
PADM 372
Canadian Public Finance
Reading—3—Applied Studies
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: A previous course in political science or public administration is
recommended but not required.
This reading course examines the nature of the public finance system in Canada
at the federal and provincial levels. It examines the public policy process, the
demand for public services, the price of government services, budgetary systems,
the structures and activities that control public finance at the federal and
provincial levels, the growth of public sector expenditures, sources of
government revenue, the tax structure, federal-provincial fiscal relations,
fiscal policy, government borrowing, and the public debt.
PADM 390
Canadian Public Administration
3—Applied Studies
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: A previous course in political science is recommended but not
required.
Precluded course: PADM 390 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been
obtained for ADMN 390.
This course examines the institutions and processes of Canadian public
administration, especially at the national level. After completing the course,
the student should have an understanding of the limitations imposed on the
actions of public administrators.
PADM 403
Public Policy in a Global Era
Reading—3—Applied Studies
Delivery Mode: Home study.
Prerequisite: A previous course in political science is recommended but not
required.
Public Policy in a Global Era examines definitions of public policy, approaches to public policy,
and the public policy process.
** This page is an official publication of Athabasca University **
Public Affairs
