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    American University
   
    Apr 25, 2024  
American University Catalog 2016-2017 
    
American University Catalog 2016-2017 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Psychology


Chair  David A.F. Haaga

Full-Time Faculty

Professor Emeritus  E.M. McGinnies, B. Slotnick, S.J.Weiss
Associate Professor Emerita  C.S. Weissbrod
Professor  M. Carter, T. Davidson, J.J. Gray, D.A.F. Haaga, L.M. Juliano, B.W. McCarthy, S.R. Parker, F.Z. Peynircioglu, A.L. Riley, A.G. Shapiro, A.M. Silberberg, J. Tubman, B.T. Yates
Associate Professor  A.H. Ahrens, B.D. Fantie, K.C. Gunthert, D. Kearns
Assistant Professor  N. Caporino, N. Enchautegui-de-Jesus, N. Herr, C. Stoodley
Senior Professorial Lecturer  M. Gomez-Serrano
Professorial Lecturer  L.L. Duval, E. Hart

The undergraduate program in the Department of Psychology offers the student an opportunity to appreciate psychology’s diversity and its applications. Courses are offered in clinical, social, personality, developmental, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, learning and memory. Advanced topics courses in these and related areas are often available. Students may design programs that approach psychology as a social science, a natural science, or a combination of the two. During their junior and senior years, majors are encouraged to take small, specialized seminars and engage in internship experience with community mental health agencies and in ongoing research within and outside the department. Students should work with their faculty advisors in planning their schedules, internship, and research experiences. The program is sufficiently flexible and broad to satisfy career goals and to provide a solid background for graduate study.

Affiliations

Washington, DC Veterans Administration Hospital; Baltimore Veterans Administration Hospital; St. Elizabeth’s Hospital; Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University Hospital; Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore; Children’s Hospital; George Washington University Medical Center; Alexandria Community Mental Health Center; Woodburn Center for Community Mental Health; National Institutes of Health; National Institute on Drug Abuse; Uniformed Services University; American Association of Suicidology; American Psychological Association; Association for Psychological Science; Psychiatric Institute of Washington; and St. Luke’s House.

Honors in Psychology

To complete the Honors in Psychology program, students are required to: (1) pass an advanced research course, PSYC-433 or PSYC-480, with a grade of B- or better; (2) pass one 500-level graduate course in psychology with a grade of C or better; (3) pass one honors colloquium course with a grade of C or better; and, (4) complete an Honors Capstone project. The Capstone in psychology is an original research project that is completed under the mentorship of a full-time faculty member in psychology.

Students should apply for the Honors in Psychology program in the spring of their sophomore year. Students may apply in their junior year, but it is their responsibility to ensure that all requirements will be met by the end of the senior year. Admission requirements are: (1) a minimum GPA of 3.5 overall; (2) a minimum GPA of 3.5 in the major (students in the program must meet a minimum GPA of 3.67 in the major by the end of their junior year); (3) a written proposal. The written proposal should describe one’s engagement in the field outside of the classroom, how the Honors in Psychology will facilitate one’s goals in psychology, and plans for research within the psychology department. Application materials should be emailed to the Director of Undergraduate Studies in the psychology department, and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee will make admission decisions.

To strengthen one’s candidacy, a student might (1) take both introductory level psychology courses (PSYC 105 and 115); (2) take a few additional psychology courses; (3) volunteer in a research lab; (4) volunteer in a clinical internship or placement; and/or (5) demonstrate interest in psychology outside of the classroom in other ways (e.g. join the Psychology club, join a student advocacy group with a mental health focus, etc.)

Programs

    MajorMinorMaster’s ProgramGraduate CertificateDoctoral Program