Page 215 of Boston College 2005-2006 University Catalog by Boston College University

Undergraduate and Graduate Course Offerings PS 390 Psychology and Law (Fall/Spring: 3) Prerequisite: Either PS 241 or PS 264 Understanding the relationship between law and psychology in the U.S. in integral to both disciplines. Both the law and psychology affect, and are affected by each other as well as other disciplines. The relationship has been and continues to be an evolutionary one. This course shall explore the law-psychology relationship through readings and cases. Complex issues with no easy solutions will challenge students. Just some of the topics to be covered will be jury selection and psychology, expert witnesses, eyewitnesses, and the use of scientific evidence. Marie D. Natoli PS 531 Social Psychology of Human Emotion (Spring: 3) Prerequisite: At least a 300-level course in psychology and permission of instructor This seminar examines human emotion from a social psychological perspective. Topics include the role of social context in the perception of emotion in self and others, the role of cognitive and attentional processes in the elicitation of emotion (including Schachter and Singers two-factor theory), theories of emotional consciousness, and psychophysiological indicators of emotion. Lisa Feldman Barrett PS 544 Identity, Group Membership, and Intergroup Relations (Spring: 3) Prerequisite: PS 241 or permission of the instructor for undergraduate students This advanced seminar is designed for graduate students to engage in discussion and analysis of research on identity, group membership, and intergroup relations. Students will become acquainted with a range of theoretical perspectives both classic and contemporary regarding how personal and social identities contribute to individuals self-concepts. We will also examine the role that group membership plays in how we perceive and evaluate members of our own group and other groups. In addition, we will consider how conditions of the social context may enhance or inhibit intergroup biases, and how best to promote positive relations across group boundaries. Linda Tropp PS 545 Affective Neuroscience (Fall: 3) Prerequisite: PS 285 or PS 241 or PS 242 Until recently, psychologists assumed that emotions are discrete, natural kinds that are defined by distinct biological systems. This course tests this assumption. Students have the opportunity to integrate biological and psychological aspects of emotion within a common conceptual framework by mapping theories about emotion-related computations taken from the personality and social psychology literature onto findings from the neuroscience literatures. Students gain a thorough familiarity with current emotion theory as well as recent developments in cognitive and behavioral neuroscience approaches to emotion. By the end of the course, students have constructed a functional neuroarchitecture for the emotion generation process. Lisa Feldman Barrett PS 550 Advanced Topics in Cultural Psychology (Fall: 3) Prerequisites: PS 254, PS 241, or PS 242, graduate students, permission of the instructor Satisfies Cultural Diversity Core Requirement This seminar reviews the major conceptual and methodological issues in the emerging field of cultural psychology, the study of the role of culture in the mental life and actions of human beings. The topics include: cognition, cognitive development, emotions, the self, gender roles, ethnic identity, intergroup conflict, and social change all of which will be considered in relationship to different Western and non- Western cultural contexts. In the case of each topic, the extent to which psychological processes, at both individual and collective levels, develop and are influenced by specific sociocultural environments will be a principal focus of analysis. Ali Banuazizi PS 551 Seminar in Cultural Context of Child Development (Spring: 3) Prerequisite: PS 254 or PS 260 Satisfies Cultural Diversity Core Requirement This course examines the developing child from a cultural perspective. Topics related to the role sociocultural features play in arranging the daily lives of children, and how children appropriate the skills and competencies needed to be functioning members of their community will be examined. The underlying perspective is that knowledge emerges by active participation in day-to-day routines of the community. Topics for discussion include parenting and parental beliefs, gender-role, sibling and peer relationships, psycholinguistics, everyday cognition, and education and the transmission of knowledge. Gilda Morelli PS 560 Advanced Topics in Developmental Psychology (Fall: 3) Prerequisites: PS 260, graduate students, permission of the instructor This seminar explores major theories and issues in developmental psychology, with an emphasis on cognitive development. The course examines Piagetian, Neo-Piagetian, information-processing, Vygotskian, and nativist theories, and considers some of their educational implications. Ellen Winner PS 561 Seminar in Social and Emotional Development (Spring: 3) Prerequisite: PS 260 In this seminar, we will explore qualitative changes that occur in social and emotional functioning from birth through adolescence. We will examine normative trends and individual differences in the development of attachment relationships, peer relations, self-control, aggression, sex-typed behaviors, empathy and prosocial behavior, and morality. Contemporary issues such as the effects of day care, dual-career couples, divorce and single parenthood will be discussed. We will consider the social context within which children live and grow and explore the role of mothers and fathers, siblings, peers, and schools in the developmental process. Karen Rosen PS 565 Human Development and Social Policy (Spring: 3) Prerequisite: PS 254 or PS 260 Enrollment will be restricted to juniors, seniors and graduate students. Knowledge of human development can inform social policy. The social policies of our nation profoundly influence the developmental contexts individuals experience. This course is an exploration of select- 212 The Boston College Catalog 2005-2006 ARTS AND SCIENCES

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