This Calendar is effective September 1, 2002 - August 31, 2003
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Introduction
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registration
Evaluation
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Appendices

3.5 Course Overviews: "P"


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PHILOSOPHY (PHIL)

PHIL 152
Basic Critical Thinking
3—Humanities
Delivery Mode: Individualized 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: Individualized 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, and 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: Individualized study. Grouped study.
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: Individualized study. Grouped study.
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: Individualized study. Grouped study. Video component.
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 practises 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 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: Individualized study. Home lab. Computer access required. Lab component only.
Prerequisite: None.
Precluded course: PHYS 200 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 the Web site or contact the science lab coordinator or course professor for lab details, dates, and sites.


PHYS 201
Introductory Physics II
3—Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Home lab. Computer access required. Lab component only.
Prerequisite: PHYS 200 or equivalent and professor approval.
Precluded course: 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. PHYS 201, combined with either PHYS 200 or PHYS 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 Individualized study. Refer to the Web site 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: Individualized study. Home lab. Computer access required.
Prerequisite: PHYS 200 or equivalent.

This is a three-credit non-calculus 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. PHYS 202, combined with either PHYS 200 or PHYS 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 Individualized study. Refer to the Web site or contact the science lab coordinator to confirm whether an on-site lab will be offered this year.


PHYS 495-496
Physics Projects
3 each—Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite for PHYS 495: Professor approval, 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. These courses are excluded from the Challenge for Credit Policy.

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: Individualized 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: Individualized 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: Individualized 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: Individualized 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: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: Professor approval.

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: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: Professor approval.

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: Individualized study. Grouped study. Video component.
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: Individualized study. Grouped study.
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: Individualized 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: Individualized study. Grouped study. Video component.
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: Individualized study. Grouped study.
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: Individualized 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: Individualized 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: Individualized 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: Individualized 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: Individualized study. Video component.
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: Individualized 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: Individualized 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 Educational Psychology (EDPY) courses, and the University Certificate in Career Development and the Diploma in Inclusive Education offered by the Centre for Psychology.)

PSYC 205
Prior Learning Assessment and Portfolio Development
3—Reading—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: None.
Precluded course: PSYC 205 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for CADE 205.
NOTE: This course is for students in programs at Athabasca University. It is best taken near the beginning of the program.

This course is designed to facilitate an adult student's review of his or her prior experiential learning for the purposes of developing a portfolio that identifies possible course challenge opportunities and petitions for university credit for learning that are comparable to generalized competencies required in a specific degree program. Students will learn the rationale, format and process for developing a portfolio of prior learning. They will identify and describe key skills and competencies required in their chosen degree programs and in their chosen career areas; identify and articulate pertinent skills and knowledge they have gained which are germane to their chosen degree/career; identify possible courses for challenge at Athabasca University, as appropriate; solicit and collect meaningful documentation and attestations of their learning; develop learning narratives that detail key life experiences from which the learning was acquired; and present all of the above in a standardized portfolio format suitable for evaluation by Athabasca University faculty.

Through the portfolio that is produced in this course, a student can petition for credit in the Certificate in Career Development. However, credit for PSYC 205, itself, cannot be applied to this certificate because the course is only at the junior level. PSYC 205 credit might be useful in fulfilling other degree requirements.


PSYC 228
An Introduction to Child Development
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. 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 introduces 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. This course is intended as an introduction to child development for students with no previous coursework in psychology. Students with a previous coursework in psychology should consider PSYC 323. Students considering an introductory psychology course for general transfer should take PSYC 289 and PSYC 290. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 289
Psychology as a Natural Science
3—Social Science*
*Course can also be used to fulfill Science area of study (credential students only).

Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Online-enhanced. Grouped study. Video component.
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 course includes an extensive Web site.


PSYC 290
General Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced. Video component.
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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 300
Theories of Career Development
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: Success in a variety of junior-level social science courses is highly recommended but not required.
Precluded course: PSYC 300 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for CADE 300.

A number of career development theories are examined with the intent of integrating aspects of the theories into students' own work as career development practitioners. Learners will study a number of career development theories and be able to reflect critically on the contributions and limitations of each one. The intent of the course is for learners to develop a philosophy, theory, and practice of career development that is consistent with their personal style. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 301
Career Development Resources
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 300 (or CADE 300) is strongly recommended but not required.
Precluded course: PSYC 301 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for CADE 301.

This course examines resources used by career development professionals and their clients in the rapidly changing world of work. The examination of resources occurs within a career planning framework. Learners review resources from a variety of theoretical and pragmatic perspectives. The course considers assessment instruments as resources and enables learners to make decisions about using them. Learners also explore online resources to evaluate their content and applicability to career development. The online course materials are available.

Special Instructional Features: A practical application of resources is intended to make the material personally relevant. Students are expected to find one or more participants for the application. Students must have access to a videotape or an audiocassette player.


PSYC 315
Psychology and the Mass Media
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized 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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 323
Developmental Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Online-enhanced. Video component. Grouped study.
Prerequisite: Psychology 290 is recommended but not required. 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 nature of development in the cognitive, social, emotional and physical realms of the infant, the toddler, the child and the adolescent. The course also covers prenatal development, the role of heredity, and developmental psychopathology. This course is intended for students who are majoring in psychology with an interest in developmental psychology. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 340
Introduction to Applied Social Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 290 is strongly recommended but not required.

This course examines the application of social psychology to solving problems in the real world. The course has three parts: theories and methods in applied social psychology; applications to youth, work, substance abuse, forensic issues, family violence, diversity issues, media and advertising; and achieving social change which includes the opportunity to use the knowledge from the course to develop a proposal for effecting social change in an area of relevance to the learner. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 343
Issues and Strategies in Counselling Women
6—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Audio/video 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 online as an optional delivery mode.


PSYC 350
Adolescent Development
3—Social Sciences
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 290 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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 355
Cognitive Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. 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 cognitive psychology, pattern recognition, attention, models of memory, sensory memory, short-term memory, long-term memory, autobiographical memory, memory improvement, semantic memory, language comprehension, problem solving, creativity, logical reasoning, decision making. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 356
Introduction to Personality Theories and Issues
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. 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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 375

History of Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: a 200-level psychology course. It is recommended students who have successfully completed several psychology courses and are in their third or fourth year of undergraduate studies take this cours.

This course is an introduction to the history of psychology. The development of psychology is traced from early Greek civilization to the present. The coverage of psychology is broad in scope and encompasses the historical development of diverse sub-fields including clinical psychology, educational psychology, biological psychology, humanistic psychology, etc. The course includes an extensive Web site.


PSYC 379
Social Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. 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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 381
The Psychology of Adult Development
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Audio component. 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.

The course explores current psychological and psychosocial theories and research findings that are relevant to adult development. The course provides comprehensive coverage of the physical and psychological changes associated with aging and normal adult development. It also covers disease, disability, and psychopathology in aging, family and intimate relationships, work and retirement, and death and dying. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 387
Learning
3—Social Science*
*Course can also be used to fulfill Social Science area of study (credential students only).

Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 289 or professor approval.

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 course includes an extensive Web site.


PSYC 388
Introduction to Counselling
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Audio component. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 290 is strongly recommended but not required.
Precluded course: PSYC 388 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for PSYC 488.

This survey course introduces the field of counselling, starting with a look at its contexts, the skills used, 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 marriage and family, groups, career, school, college, mental health, substance abuse, rehabilitation and consultation, as well as evaluation and research are also examined. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 389
An Introduction to Learning Disabilities
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Video component.
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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 395

Psychology and Law
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 290 is recommended but not required.

This course examines the application of psychological science to the Canadian justice system. Topics covered include applications to investigative procedures; juries and sentencing; forensic assessment and treatment; decisions regarding fitness to stand trial, criminal responsibility, violence, and risk assessment; as well as applications to civil law in the areas of civil competencies and rights, family law, and psychological injuries.

PSYC 400
Teaching and Managing the Child with Learning Difficulties
6—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced. Video component.
Prerequisite: Professor approval. 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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 401
Learning Through Life
3—Reading—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: Professor approval is required. 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: Individualized study. Grouped study. 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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 404
Experimental Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized 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 either readily available household materials or computer applications), reading and writing of research reports, and data interpretation. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 405
Creating a Working Alliance
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 388 is recommended but not required.

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. Individualized 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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 406
Introduction to Theories of Counselling and Psychotherapy
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 290 and PSYC 388 are recommended but not required.

PSYC 406 examines the basic tenets and therapeutic processes that characterize various theoretical approaches to counselling / psychotherapy. The models are clustered according to the four major forces in psychology: Psychodynamic (Psychoanalytic, Adlerian); Behavioural and Cognitive-Behavioural (Behavioural, Cognitive-Behavioural, Reality); Humanistic (Existential, Person-Centred, Gestalt); and Contextual / Systemic (Feminist, Family Systems, Multicultural). Emphasis is placed on critical analysis of the various approaches as well as self-reflection in relation to values, beliefs, assumptions about human nature, and worldview. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 418
Special Projects in Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: SOSC 366 and professor approval. 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: Individualized study. Online-enhanced. Video component.
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. The online materials are available.


PSYC 435
Abnormal Psychology
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Video component. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 289, 290 and 356 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 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 relevant to stress and anxiety disorders; mood and dissociative disorders, eating and addictive disorders, personality and sexual disorders, psychotic disorders; and organic and developmental disorders. The course concludes with an overview of contemporary issues in abnormal psychology and a Canadian perspective on legal and ethical issues. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 440
Special Projects in Career Development 2
3—Reading—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 443 and PSYC 300 (or CADE 403 and CADE 300) (or equivalent), and competence in organized, written English at the 400 level.
Precluded course: PSYC 440 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for CADE 404.

This course is designed to explore a career development topic of interest in more depth than is provided in the balance of the University Certificate in Career Development program. Topics are chosen in consultation with the course instructor. Students are expected to have worked as career development practitioners for several years, have familiarity with career development theory, and have the competence to express their reflections in writing at the senior undergraduate level. The paper submitted in this course is to be original work, and not the basis of credit awarded in another career development course. The online course materials are available.

PSYC 441
Experiential Learning and Reflective Practice 1
3—Reading—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 300 (or CADE 300) or equivalent. Learners are expected to have worked as career development practitioners for several years and have the competence to express their reflections in writing at the senior undergraduate level. The focus of learning in the miniportfolio in PSYC 441 must be clearly separate from the focus in PSYC 442. Credit will not be awarded twice for the same learning.
Precluded course: PSYC 441 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for CADE 401.

Colloquially, experiential learning has come to mean learning that takes place outside of formal education and the classroom. This reading course is designed for practitioners who have been involved in experiential learning related to their work in career development. Insights gained from the workplace can be combined with learning acquired from seminars, workshops, private study, travel, hobbies or other forms of informal learning. The course is evaluated on a case-study basis through production of a miniportfolio describing and documenting the integration of theory and practice in career development. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 442
Experiential Learning and Reflective Practice 2
3—Reading—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 300 (or CADE 300) or equivalent. Learners are expected to have worked as career development practitioners for several years and have the competence to express their reflections in writing at the senior undergraduate level. The focus of learning in the miniportfolio in PSYC 442 must be clearly separate from the focus in PSYC 441. Credit will not be awarded twice for the same learning.
Precluded course: PSYC 442 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for CADE 402.

Colloquially, experiential learning has come to mean learning that takes place outside of formal education and the classroom. This reading course is designed for practitioners who have been involved in experiential learning related to their work in career development. Insights gained from the workplace can be combined with learning acquired from seminars, workshops, private study, travel, hobbies or other forms of informal learning. The course is evaluated on a case-study basis through production of a miniportfolio describing and documenting the integration of theory and practice in career development.


PSYC 443
Special Projects in Career Development 1
3—Reading—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Grouped study. Online-enhanced.
Prerequisite: PSYC 300 (or CADE 300) or its equivalent, and competence in organized, written English at the 400 level. Precluded course: PSYC 443 cannot be taken for credit if credit has already been obtained for CADE 403.

This course is designed to explore a career development topic of interest in more depth than is provided in the balance of the University Certificate in Career Development program. Topics are chosen in consultation with the course instructor. Students are expected to have worked as career development practitioners for several years, have familiarity with career development theory, and have the competence to express their reflections in writing at the senior undergraduate level. The paper submitted in this course is to be original work, and not the basis of credit awarded in another career development course.


PSYC 470
Consultation and Collaboration for Students with Special Needs
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Online-enhanced. Video component.
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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 471
Managing Behaviour Problems in the Classroom
3—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study. Online-enhanced. Video component.
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. The online course materials are available.


PSYC 472, 473, or 474
Topics in Special Education
1 each—Social Science
Delivery Mode: Individualized study.
Prerequisite: Professor approval.

This series of one-credit courses is offered in conjunction with conference and/or professional development activities completed independently by the student. Students will select presentations from conference or professional development activities that are of interest and relevant to their own professional/learning interests. After discussion with the course professor, students will attend 12 to 13 hours of conference presentations and complete a follow-up assignment. The first time students register in this series they will register in PSYC 472; second registration PSYC 473; and the third registration PSYC 474. Students may earn a total of three credits if they complete the entire series.



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