Courses

Courses by semester

Courses for

Complete Cornell University course descriptions are in the Courses of Study .

Course ID Title Offered
PSYCH1101 Introduction to Psychology
Why are people superstitious?  Why do people blush when they are embarrassed?  What is intelligence (and are IQ tests a good way to measure it)?  Why don't psychopaths feel guilty when they harm others?  How reliable are childhood memories?  Why do we laugh?  Do violent video games make people act violently?  Why do some people seem instantly trustworthy and others seem "creepy"?  How do we choose whom to sleep with, date, or marry?  How does stress affect our body?  While questions like these have been asked for centuries, psychology has begun to provide answers to these--and other questions about the human mind--by applying the tools of scientific investigation. In this course you will receive a broad introduction to the science of psychology: from the history of the field and its major advances, to the latest research on topics such as perception, memory, intelligence, morality, sexuality, mental illness, religion, language, and creativity.  You will also learn about the tools and methods psychologists use to investigate the mind, such as observing how the mind of a child changes and develops over time, looking at people across cultures, measuring brain activity, and experimentally manipulating everything from the shape of a figure presented on a computer screen, to the smell of a room, or the attractiveness of the experimenter.

Full details for PSYCH 1101 - Introduction to Psychology

Fall, Summer (six-week session).
PSYCH1102 Introduction to Cognitive Science
This course provides an introduction to the science of the mind.  Everyone knows what it's like to think and perceive, but this subjective experience provides little insight into how minds emerge from physical intities like brains.  To address this issue, cognitive science integrates work from at least five disciplines: Psychology, Neuroscience, Computer Science, Linguistics, and Philosophy.  This course introduces students to the insights these disciplines offer into the workings of the mind by exploring visual perception, attention, memory, learning, problem solving, language, and consciousness. 

Full details for PSYCH 1102 - Introduction to Cognitive Science

Spring, summer (six-week session).
PSYCH1500 Introduction to Environmental Psychology
Environmental Psychology is an interdisciplinary field concerned with how the physical environment and human behavior interrelate. Most of the course focuses on how residential environments and urban and natural settings affect human health and well-being. Students also examine how human attitudes and behaviors affect environmental quality. Issues of environmental justice and culture are included throughout. Hands-on projects plus exams. Lecture and discussion sections. DEA 1501  - Writing in the major (WIM) option also is available (by instructor permission) for 4 credits.

Full details for PSYCH 1500 - Introduction to Environmental Psychology

Fall, Summer.
PSYCH1650 Computing in the Arts
Over the centuries, artists in a wide variety of media have employed many approaches to the creative process, ranging from the philosophical to the mechanical to the virtual. This course unravels some of the mysteries going on inside software used for art and music. It looks at ways of breaking things apart and sampling and ways of putting things together and resynthesizing, and explores ideas for creation. This course does not teach software packages for creating art and music. The course complements ART 2701 and MUSIC 1421.

Full details for PSYCH 1650 - Computing in the Arts

Spring, Summer.
PSYCH1990 Sports Psychology
Research, theory, and application in sport psychology. An interdisciplinary approach which applies social and personality psychology, motivation, clinical psychology, exercise physiology, and biochemistry to the study of competitive domains. Topics will include: achievement motivation, extrinsic and intrinsic motivation, group and team dynamics, leadership, aggression, stress, and youth sports. Where possible, fieldwork experiences will be conducted in exercise physiology and exercise testing, as well as biofeedback.

Full details for PSYCH 1990 - Sports Psychology

Summer.
PSYCH2230 Intro to Behavioral Neuroscience
Introduction to psychology from a biological perspective, which focuses on brain mechanisms of behavior. Topics include the structure and function of the nervous system, physiological approaches to understanding behavior, hormones and behavior, biological bases of sensation and perception, learning and memory, cognition, emotion, and communication.

Full details for PSYCH 2230 - Intro to Behavioral Neuroscience

Fall, Summer (six-week session).
PSYCH2750 Introduction to Personality
What is "personality"? How is it scientifically studied and measured?  To what extent, do biological, social, and cultural factors shape personality?  Is personality an expression of our genetic make up and biology, the culmination of social influences, the interplay of both, or the result of random events?  In this course, we will review the major theoretical paradigms of personality psychology, discuss contemporary research, theory, and methodology, and learn about key historical debates in the study of "personality".

Full details for PSYCH 2750 - Introduction to Personality

Fall, Winter, Summer (three-week session).
PSYCH3800 Social Cognition
How do we form and change our first impressions of other people? What kinds of events put us into happy versus sad moods?  What explains why we persist in holding stereotypes of groups?  Can we explain why we think an act is immoral?  This course addresses these types of questions (and many more!)  using social and cognitive psychological theory and methods.  Using a variety of sources – from empirical journal articles, textbooks, TED talks, and blog-posts – we examine cutting-edge psychological research on the causes and consequences of our own and other people's judgments, feelings, attitudes, and behaviors.  We use different teaching methods to accomplish these learning goals, including lectures, group activities, and small group discussions.

Full details for PSYCH 3800 - Social Cognition

Fall, Winter, Summer (three-week session).
HD1170 Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood
Broad overview of theories, research, and issues in the study of human development during adolescence and emerging adulthood. Focuses on the major biological, cognitive, and social changes during adolescence; the psychosocial issues of adolescence, including identity, autonomy, intimacy, sexuality, achievement, and problems; and the contexts in which adolescent development occurs, particularly families, peer groups, schools, work, and popular culture. Discusses empirical research, theories, case studies of the lives of real adolescents, and, to a lesser degree, public policies.

Full details for HD 1170 - Adolescence and Emerging Adulthood

Spring.
HD2600 Introduction to Personality
What is "personality"? How is it scientifically studied and measured?  To what extent, do biological, social, and cultural factors shape personality?  Is personality an expression of our genetic make up and biology, the culmination of social influences, the interplay of both, or the result of random events?  In this course, we will review the major theoretical paradigms of personality psychology, discuss contemporary research, theory, and methodology, and learn about key historical debates in the study of "personality".

Full details for HD 2600 - Introduction to Personality

Fall, Winter, Summer (three-week session).
HD3620 Human Bonding
Covers the science of interpersonal relationships. Examines the basic nature of human affectional bonds, including their functions and dynamics. Covers such topics as interpersonal attraction and mate selection, intimacy and commitment, love and sex, jealousy and loneliness, the neurobiology of affiliation and attachment, and the role of relationships in physical and psychological health.

Full details for HD 3620 - Human Bonding

Spring.
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