DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

GRADUATE COURSES

Department Permit Required for ALL Graduate Courses
(For non-psychology graduate students, first get permission of instructor, then get permission of Dr. Jon Baron, the Director of Graduate Studies, then contact Claire Ingulli, Graduate Program Coordinator, to obtain department permit, cingulli@psych.upenn.edu)

Fall  2007
PROSEMINARS
(Proseminars are 1 c.u. unless otherwise indicated)

*.50 c.u.         
Psyc 600-303 meets for the entire semester and receives .5 c.u.s

SEMINARS

**This is Part 1 of a two-semester course.  May be used to count toward one Prosem - permission of DGS required

ROOMS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

GRADUATE COURSES

Department Permit Required for ALL Graduate Courses

Fall  2007
PROSEMINARS
(Proseminars are 1 c.u. unless otherwise indicated)

This course will cover fundamental topics in psychopathology, with an emphasis on etiological and diagnostic issues, in the context of current nosology (Research Diagnostic Criteria, DSM-IV, etc.).  Theoretical models of psychopathological phenomena and major syndromes (e.g., affective disorders, personality disorders, substance abuse) will be discussed, with reference to relevant empirical findings. Implications for treatment will also be addressed.  Fulfills the "Individuals and Groups" requirement.   

 

This course will broadly investigate the major areas of study of animal behavior with attention to evolution and ecology. We will study the diversity of behavior across animals of many taxa with special focus on mating, communication, sociality, and cognition. Fulfills the "Mind" requirement.

Cross-listed with INSC 592

Psyc 600-303 meets for the entire semester and receives .5 c.u.s
Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience.  This course will review what has been learned about the neural mechanisms underlying intelligent behavior in humans and animals.  The course will be organized by the traditional topic areas of cognitive science, specifically:  Vision (early vision through object recognition), attention, learning and memory, motor control, planning and problem-solving, and language.  Within each topic we will attempt to integrate the results of the different neuroscience approaches to each topic, including the study of human neurological patients, lesion studies in animals, single unit recordings, neural network modeling, and functional imaging techniques. Fulfills the "Brain" requirement.

SEMINARS

Cross-listed with BIBB451
This course will cover basic principles of human and animal behavior genetics, including the genetics of normal variation as well as extreme phenotypes represented by behavioral, psychiatric and neurologic disorders.  The course will focus on methods necessary to critically evaluate research findings on normal and abnormal human behavior.  Animal models will also be reviewed.  (This course will count as a 709)

Cross-listed with COGS 502 and LING 546
**This is Part 1 of a two-semester course.  May be used to count toward one Prosem - permission of DGS required
The backgrounds and mathematical sophistication of the students entering the LCS-IGERT graduate program will vary widely. A two-semester Mathematical Foundations sequence will provide all students with basic mathematical modeling and algorithmic tools, while still providing sufficient challenges for the most advanced. These two courses (course numbers to be announced soon), will be taught in a computer/media lab setting and will cover relevant aspects of a wide range of mathematical topics that are directly relevant to animal, human or machine communication, or that provide prerequisites for these topics. Examples of topics directly relevant to communication include information theory, game theory, and formal language theory. Examples of important topics include signal processing, machine learning, and probabilistic models. These two semesters obviously cannot substitute entirely for the dozen or more semesters that normally would be required to cover a similar range of topics. However, they can give students the ability to understand and implement algorithms from published descriptions, especially given appropriate libraries of basic functions, and to discuss alternative approaches with experts in a well-informed manner. It is clearly not the case that every LCS-IGERT students will use every mathematical or algorithmic topic from this course in his or her research. However, applications are often unexpected, and fortune favors the prepared. In addition, this background will enable students to make sense of a wide range of courses and readings that might otherwise be inaccessible. Finally, the shared experience of this course will help IGERT students to establish a personal as well as conceptual basis for future collaborations. Each semester of this two-semester sequence will be co-taught by two faculty members. Because of the diversity of topics and of the students' backgrounds, the two-semester course sequence will be organized into a series of "modules", each designed to explicate a core mathematical and algorithmic topic. Each module will deal with specific problems of the type that IGERT students need to solve and will be as self-contained as possible, although of course one module will often require understanding of concepts and techniques taught in another.  This is a "Mind"sector course.

Cross-listed with Stat 500

An applied graduate level course in multiple regression and analysis of variance for students who have completed an undergraduate level course in basic statistical methods.  Emphasis is on practical methods of data analysis and th eir interpretation.  Covers model building, general linear hypothesis, residual analysis, leverage and influence, one-way anova, two-way anova, factorial anova.  Primarily for doctoral students in the managerial, behavioral, social, and health sciences.

This seminar examines the role of psychology as a science and profession in matters of illness and health.  This course will give an overview of the major areas of research and application in health psychology.  We will study the biological, social, environmental, and psychological factors that influence the maintenance of health, the onset of illness, and the impact of treatment.  Examples of specific topics include stress and illness, obesity, type 2 diabetes, chronic pain, psycho-oncology, and promotion of health behaviors.

Cross-listed with INSC 576 and PHRM 550

 (This course may be used as a Psyc 709)  -  Neuropsychopharmacology provides an overview of the neurobiology of major neurppsychiatric illnesses.  The course is divided into four modules related to behavioral disorders or disciplines:  The specific modules covered are:  affective disorders, substance abuse, schizophrenia and behavioral genetics.  The modules present material that integrates clinical and basic neurobiology approaches to research of complex behavioral disorders.  Each module covers a specific area using the following format:  clinical features basic and clinical neuroscience studies relevant to understanding the pathobiology and mechanisms of treatment of each set of disorders case presentation or outside speakers.  Course Director:  Dr. Irwin Lucki, 3-3305.

All Clinical students will register for this course in the Fall of their second year.