University of Pennsylvania
Handbook for Psychology Majors
2007-2008
- Undergraduate Studies Office
- Room B24, Solomon Lab Building
- 3720 Walnut Street
- Philadelphia, PA 19104-6241
- Phone: 215-898-4712
- fax: 215-898-7301
- Undergraduate Chair
-
Dr.Robert Seyfarth, Chair
(dus@psych.upenn.edu) - Phone: 215-898-5663
- Undergraduate Coordinator
- Ms.Claire Ingulli (cingulli@psych.upenn.edu)
- Phone: 215-898-4712
-
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Advising and Course Registration
- Advising
- Advance Registration Advising Sessions
- Rules Governing Registration Holds
- Admission to Seminars and Research Experience Courses
- Admission to Graduate Courses
- Independent Study
- Psychology Honors
- Departmental Resources
- Talks and Presentations
- Department Website
- Computers and Computer Accounts
- Undergraduate Psychology Society
Faculty with Appointments in the Department of Psychology
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The Undergraduate Major in Psychology
Background. The psychology major at Penn provides an opportunity to study the principal areas of scientific psychology. It is designed to introduce students to contemporary understandings of how organisms perceive, learn, think, and interact with one another, how they develop, how they are motivated, and how, as individuals and as members of species, they may be compared with one another. The major program provides a balanced treatment of the central issues in psychology, taking into account the particular methods of inquiry from which our knowledge is derived and the conceptual frameworks that organize the factual basis of the discipline.
Psychology at Penn may be studied as a core scientific discipline in its own right, or in conjunction with many other fields of inquiry, including cognitive science, biology, philosophy, linguistics, and sociology. The major program is designed to provide a coherent and integrated intellectual experience that can serve as a foundation for advanced graduate work or as a basis for training and careers in other fields. Many students who complete the psychology major at Penn go on to further training as scientists and scholars. But many others undertake professional training in clinical, counseling, industrial or educational psychology, in the legal and medical professions, or in schools of business.
Structure of the Major
Introductory Psychology. The psychology major begins with Introductory Psychology (Psychology 001). This one-semester course provides initial contact with the facts and basic concepts that underlie the field as a whole. It is an integrated treatment of the scientific basis of the field, and its content is assumed, but not duplicated, in the other psychology courses. Psychology 001 is a prerequisite for all other psychology courses.
Distribution. Following Introductory Psychology, majors normally take several lecture courses which approach the various areas of the discipline in greater depth. These courses - numbered in the 100's and 400's - cover such central topics as perception, learning, thinking, biological psychology, developmental psychology, social psychology, personality theory, and abnormal psychology. Because Psychology is such a diverse discipline, majors are required to distribute their courses across the content areas in order to guarantee broad coverage. For this purpose the 100 and 400 level lecture courses are divided into three lists: the neural basis of behavior; the cognitive basis of behavior; and the social/clinical aspects of behavior. Majors are required to take at least 5 courses from these three lists, distributed according to a 2, 2, 1 pattern. Students may elect from which of the three lists they take only one course. Psychology minors must take one from each of the lists. The lists will change from time to time as new courses are added and others deleted, but the current lists are:
Research Experience. All psychology majors are required to take at least one one-semester course involving research experience. Such first-hand experience is essential to a sound education in psychology. Students are offered two means of satisfying this requirement:
(1.) They may complete a 300-level course, whose specific purpose is to give research experience.
OR
(2.) They may complete an independent study course involving empirical research. Such independent study courses are designated Psychology 399. (Psychology 299 is used for independent study projects involving only scholarly library research and does not satisfy the requirement). Individual research is especially appropriate for students planning to go on to graduate school in psychology. See website to obtain a 399 application form.
Arrangements for independent study are made on an individual basis, at the initiative of the student, with a faculty supervisor from the Psychology Department. A list of Department faculty and their research interests can be found under Faculty with Appointments in the Department of Psychology
Statistics. Each psychology major must complete one semester of Statistics. The following courses currently satisfy the requirement: Biol 446, Psyc 020, Stat 111, Soc 120, Anth 454, Econ 103, Nurs 230, and Stat 101. The first three courses use examples that are especially appropriate for psychology majors. The evaluation of scientific findings requires the kind of expertise in the analysis and interpretation of primary data that comes from the study of statistics. For this reason, students are strongly advised to complete statistics relatively early in their education, if possible in the sophomore year. Students who expect to pursue graduate work in psychology or a related discipline are strongly encouraged to take a second term of statistics. The most appropriate courses are Stat 112 or Stat 102.
NOTE: In agreement with the Statistics Department, College students are no longer permitted to enroll in a Statistics course offered through CGS. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Krieger, Chair of Statistics.
Further Courses. The psychology major is completed by taking a sufficient number of additional psychology courses so that the total is at least 13. Students are encouraged to include several 200 or 300-level courses among these. The 200 or 300-level courses are seminars that focus on topics--often of current research interest--in depth. The seminars are deliberately held to small enrollments and usually involve considerable class discussion, reading in original sources, and writing of original papers. Seminars are offered each year and the topics vary in order to serve a diversity of interests. While additional seminars are not required for the major, any well-conceived program will include them. When the topic of a seminar changes, a student may enroll a second time. However, a student should seek advice as to whether this degree of specialization is warranted at the undergraduate level, and students who have never had the seminar will be given admission preference if the seminar is over-subscribed.
Non-Psychology Courses. Students are permitted to include among the 13 courses required for the psychology major one course from one of the following sectors: Physical World, Living World, or Formal Reasoning and Analysis. The courses listed in these three sectors provide a broad range from which a student may strengthen their own particular major. With this exception, no course from any other department at Penn or any other domestic institution can be count toward Penn's Psychology major.
GPA Requirement. In order to receive a major in Psychology, at time of graduation, students must have a minimum Psychology GPA of 2.0.
Double Counting of Courses. Psychology courses that satisfy a General Requirement of the College may also be counted towards the psychology major. However, psychology majors who are double majoring in another subject must have a minimum of 5 Psychology Department courses that they count only towards the psychology major and not also towards another major. Those 5 courses may not include statistics or the one non-psychology course they count towards the major. Students minoring in psychology must have a minimum of 3 such courses that they count towards the minor and not towards any other major or minor.
Summary
of Requirements of the Psychology Major
- Introductory Psychology
- Five 100 or 400 level courses distributed in a 2:2:1 pattern across three distribution lists
- One Research Experience Course
- Four addtional Psychology Department courses at any level
- One term of Statistics, e.g.. Psyc 020, Stat 111
- One additional Psychology Department course at any level, or One non-Psychology course (must be listed under one of the following sectors: Formal Reasoning & Analysis, Living World, or the Physical World)
| Freshman Year | Introductory Psychology |
| Sophomore Year | Three 100-level Psychology Department courses at any level
One term of Statistics |
| Junior Year | Three 100-level Psychology Department courses
at any level One 200-level Psychology Department course One 300-level Psychology Department course |
| Senior Year | Two additional Psychology courses at any level
One Independent Study course (299 or 399) |
Declaration of the Major. Students are encouraged to declare the major when they are in their sophomore year, before selecting their junior year courses. The declaration of the major involves these steps:
(1.) Visit your College Advisor in Logan Hall, where an official worksheet will be prepared, or updated if one is already available.
(2.) To declare a Psychology Major you must meet with Dr. Robert Seyfarth, Director of Undergraduate Studies (dus@psych.upenn.edu). Your Psychology Major Worksheet must be completed prior to your advising meeting and brought with you to the meeting.
Advising and Course Registration
Advising. Majors and prospective majors should discuss their plans with Dr. Robert Seyfarth, Director of Undergraduate Studies, who has regularly scheduled "walk-in" office hours in the Solomon Lab Building for this purpose. See website for advising hours.
Basic questions can often be answered by referring to the departmental web page http://www.psych.upenn.edu/undergraduate.php or by asking Ms. Claire Ingulli, the Undergraduate Coordinator (Room B24, Solomon Lab Building ). The Undergraduate Psychology Society also schedules an informal information session during Advanced Registration each semester.
Advanced Registration Advising Sessions. Students should take the time to plan their undergraduate years thoughtfully and carefully. To help with this, the Director of Undergraduate Studies provides extended advising hours during the advanced registration period each semester. During advanced registration psychology majors must either meet with Dr. Robert Seyfarth, Director of Undergraduate Studies (dus@psych.upenn.edu), or submit a Psychology Major Worksheet, outling your course of study. See the department website for detailed information about Advanced Registration. Your Psychology Major Worksheet must be completed prior to your advising meeting and brought with you to the meeting.
Rules Governing Registration Holds. All sophomore and junior Psychology majors are placed on registration hold during Spring Advanced Registration; all junior and senior Psychology majors are placed on registration hold during Fall Advanced Registration. In order to clear that hold, students must meet with Dr. Robert Seyfarth, Director of Undergraduate Studies (dus@psych.upenn.edu).
Admission to Seminars and Research Experience Courses. Admission to all 200-level seminars and 300-level research experience courses is by permission only. Many of these courses have more applicants than can be accommodated, and admission is based on an application process. Students are asked to submit Seminar and/or Research Experience Request Forms to the Undergraduate Studies Office (Room B24 of the Solomon Labs.). These forms are due just prior to advanced registration (the due date will be posted on the department website). A list of admitted students will be posted on our web page prior to advanced registration.
Admission to Graduate Level Courses. Under unusual circumstances, exceptionally qualified undergraduates who have exhausted the undergraduate curriculum will be permitted to take graduate level seminars (courses above the 400-level). These are intense, advanced lecture courses in topics such as cognitive, social, and abnormal psychology that meet for four hours per week. Such courses are very challenging with extensive readings. Students seeking to take one of these graduate-level courses must obtain permission and signatures of the course instructor, the Undergraduate and Graduate Chairs in Psychology, and a College representative.
Independent Study. Enrollment in Psychology 299 or 399 (Independent Study) requires the agreement of a faculty member in the Psychology Department to serve as a supervisor. Students have until the end of the "add" period each semester to enroll in an Independent Study. The usual procedure is for the student to meet with the faculty member and decide on the general nature of the project. Both student and faculty member complete the standard Application for Independent Study . The student must then meet with the Undergraduate Chairman to discuss the project and have the form signed. All 299 and 399 courses have as their product a written paper. A copy of this paper must be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Studies at the end of the term before a grade is submitted to the Registrar. Students can take two semesters of independent study with the same or different advisors. If the independent studies are done with different advisors, papers must be completed for both projects. Students who take two semesters of independent study with the same advisor must write a final paper and present a poster about their research at the Undergraduate Psychology Research Fair which will be held late in the spring term of each academic year. Students wishing to be considered for the Morris Viteles prize must also deliver a 15 minute oral presentation at the end of the Spring term. Although students are encouraged to take as many independent study courses as they wish, in order to ensure an adequately broad program, no more than two semesters of Independent Study may be counted towards the major.
Psychology Honors. Departmental Honors are available to majors who have especially strong academic records. The honors program involves (a) completing a year-long research project in your senior year (a 399) under the supervision of a faculty member (b) completing a second term of statistics, (c) participating in a year-long seminar (Psychology 400) designed especially for Psychology Honors majors, and (d) participating in the Undergraduate Psychology Research Fair in the Spring semester, at which honors students present a poster and give a 15-minute talk about their research. Finally, (e) a total of 15 cu's in psychology is required. See the Honors webpage for full details: http://www.psych.upenn.edu/ugradold/NewHonors.htm
The Undergraduate Psychology Research Presentation is normally held during the first three days of the Reading Period in the Spring Term. To allow time for preparing the thesis, poster, and talk, students should complete their data collection no later than April 1.
Honors candidates should also note that there is a deadline in April for providing the College Office with Honors candidate names; these names will be printed in an "Honors" listing which the College will mail out to all graduating seniors. In order for the College to list a student as an honors major, the student's supervisor will send a note to the Undergraduate Chairman before the deadline certifying that the student is making satisfactory progress on his/her Honors project. All senior honors majors are automatically considered candidates for the Morris Viteles Award, which is given for outstanding research. The recipient will be determined by the Undergraduate Chair, in consultation with a panel of faculty members who will judge the posters and talks presented by each year's honors candidates.
Summary of Independent Study and Honors Requirements
| One term 299 or 399 | One paper |
| Two terms 299 or 399 (same project/advisor) | One paper and one poster (presented in the Spring) |
| Two terms 299 or 399 (different project/advisor) | Two papers (one for each project) |
| Two terms "Honors" 399 (same project/advisor) | One paper, one poster, and 15 minute talk (presented in the Spring) |
Transfer Credit. Credit from U.S. Institutions. Effective Fall of 2003, no psychology course taken at another U.S. institution will be eligible for credit in the Psychology Department. This means that no student (except transfer students) may receive credit for a psychology course taken before coming to Penn, nor may any student who is currently enrolled at Penn receive Psychology credit for courses taken at other institutions over the summer months. A note to transfer students: Five (5) of the total credits towards the Psychology major must be Penn classes taken in the Penn Psychology Dept.
AP Credit. Students who have taken the Psychology AP test and received a grade of 5 can receive a waiver for Psyc 001 (they will not receive credit for Psyc 001) and are allowed to enroll directly into any 100-level lecture course without taking Psyc 001. The AP waiver does not count toward the 13 courses required for the Psyc major or toward the 6 courses required for the Psyc minor. Students who use the AP waiver must therefore take one additional Psychology Department course. This policy applies to all undergraduate students.
StudyAbroad. Study Abroad is an attractive option that all Psychology Majors are invited to consider. The Director of Undergraduate Studies will be glad to discuss its advantages and drawbacks in the context of your overall program in psychology and future plans for work in the field.
You'll find complete information about Study Abroad at the Penn Abroad website. Practical steps, including information about the necessary forms, are described in Philosophy, Policies, and Procedures of the Penn Abroad Guide.
For each Psychology course you want approved, first check to see if it is pre-approved on the Study Abroad Database. If it is, this item on your "Proposed Course of Study" form will be approved automatically. If it is not, bring all the supporting material you can gather, including a detailed syllabus, together with the College form for approval, to Room B24 of the Solomon Lab Building . In order for a course to be approved, you will need to provide a course syllabus (not just the description) which contains a week by week listing of topics and readings, the name of the textbook, the mode of evaluation of your work in the course, and the number of hours that the course meets. Frequently, this information can be obtained from the web page of the institution you expect to attend. It is best to obtain this information and the approval of the course before going abroad. Unless special permission is given, no more than two psychology courses can be counted towards the major from a term abroad.
While you are abroad, all transactions with the Department, including application for seminars and Advanced Registration, will be carried out via e-mail, unless you make explicit alternative arrangements with the Undergraduate Coordinator.
Departmental Resources
Talks and Presentations. The Psychology Department encourages its students to take advantage of the fact that Penn has an outstanding graduate and research community. Therefore it invites undergraduates to attend the Departmental Colloquium series. This series brings in researchers from all over the country to discuss their latest work in a manner available to a general psychological audience. A list of speakers is posted at http://psych.upenn.edu/news_colloquium.php
In addition to the colloquium series, the Department sponsors many other more specialized seminars and talks, and many faculty maintain e-mail lists of interested students in order to inform them when such talks occur. Undergraduates who are interested in one of these are encouraged to inquire of the person sponsoring the session about attendance.
Department Website. Further information about the Department and the field of psychology can be found at our website: http://www.psych.upenn.edu
Computers and Computer Accounts. Among its physical resources, the Psychology Department has several computers that are available for independent study projects. Inquiries about the use of these computers should be directed to the Undergraduate Chairman.
Undergraduate Psychology Society. Students majoring in psychology are encouraged to participate in the activities of the Undergraduate Psychology Society. This society schedules various events of interest to students, publishes a journal of student papers, oversees the undergraduate psychology lounge, and conducts advising sessions. A full description of their activities can be found on their website.
Preparation forAdvanced Training. Many psychology majors will wish to continue their training beyond their undergraduate degree. A good way to begin considering this possibility is go to the web page, http://www.psych.upenn.edu/undergraduate_gradcareer.php. Of particular interest is a video stream about graduate schools: http://mediamogul.seas.upenn.edu:8080/ramgen/psychology/psychnov2002.rm. Students may also find the following suggestions helpful in planning.
The key to admission to many advanced programs is the obtaining of strong letters of recommendation. Such letters can only be written by faculty members who have gotten to know the work of the student intimately, as in a 200 or 300-level seminar or independent study. Therefore, it makes sense to take such small courses fairly early in one's program. Moreover, many graduate programs want students who have had research experience as an undergraduate. This is often facilitated by the prior taking of a 200 or 300-level seminar. For instance, if one takes a 200 or 300 level seminar in one's junior year, then it can often be followed by a related independent study project in the senior year. If one is to benefit from such independent study, it is best to have completed a statistics course earlier. Thus a good sequence is to take statistics in the sophomore year, one or two 200 or 300-level seminars in the junior year, and then an independent study in the senior year. Students interested in advanced training in clinical psychology would benefit from some clinical experience obtained as an extracurricular activity either during the year or in the summer.
Students interested in advanced study/training in psychology should take the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) early in the Fall of their senior year. Students with excellent records should consider applying for fellowship funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF). Applications may be obtained after October 1 at the Graduate Division Office, Suite 322A , 3401 Walnut St .
Career Advising. Penn has an excellent advising office in the Career Planning and Placement Service ( Suite 20 , McNeil Building ). That office can provide information on both summer and longer-term employment and internships. They will help with resume preparation, letters of application, preparation for personal interviews, etc. Students are strongly urged to consult with that office regardless of their plans following graduation from Penn.
JONATHAN BARON (Professor of Psychology) A.B. Harvard University, 1966; Ph.D. University of Michigan, 1970. Heuristics and biases in decision making and moral judgment. Utility theory and utilitarianism. Value measurement for environment and for health care. Public policy implications.
DAVID H. BRAINARD (Professor of Psychology) A.B. Harvard University, 1982; M.S. Stanford University, 1989; Ph.D. Stanford University, 1989. Human vision, machine vision, and computational modeling of visual processing.
DIANNE L. CHAMBLESS (Merriam Term Professor of Psychology and Director, Clinical Training Program) B.A. Sophie Newcomb College, 1969; M.A. Temple University, 1972; Ph.D. Temple University, 1979. Anxiety disorders, psychotherapy outcome research, predictors of response to psychotherapy, especially expressed emotion (familial emotional environment).
DELPHINE DAHAN (Assistant Professor of Psychology) M.A. University of Paris La Sorbonne René Descartes, 1991; Ph.D. University of Paris La Sorbonne René Descartes, 1994. Psycholinguistics. Spoken-language comprehension. How adults represent and access the words they know.
ROBERT
J. DeRUBEIS (Professor of Psychology) B.A. University of
Wisconsin, 1975; Ph.D. University of Minnesota, 1983. Psychopathology,
especially the affective disorders; treatment process and outcome in depression.
.
RUSSELL
EPSTEIN (Assistant Professor of Psychology) B.A. University
of Chicago, 1991; Ph.D. Harvard University, 1996. Cognitive neuroscience
of high-level vision; neural basis of scene, place and object representations;
spatial cognition and navigation.
MARTHA FARAH (Bob and Arlene Kogod Term Professor of Psychology) S.B. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1977; A.M. Harvard University, 1981; Ph.D. Harvard University, 1983. Neural bases of cognition, emotion, and development.
LORETTA M. FLANAGAN-CATO (Associate Professor of Psychology) B.A. Rutgers University 1985; Ph.D. University of Pittsburgh, 1990. Behavioral neuroendocrinology, especially the interactions between steroid hormones and neuropeptides in the modulation of ingestive and reproductive behaviors.
HARVEY J. GRILL (Professor of Psychology) B.A. City University of New York, 1970; Ph.D. New York University, 1974. Neural systems mediating energy balance; neural control of the feeding, autonomic, and neuroendocrine compensatory responses; brainstem and hypothalamic interactions; obesity; animal models of disordered feeding; oral and gastrointestinal sensory systems; melanocortin, leptin, and CRH contributions of energy balance; behavioral pharmacology.
SARA R. JAFFEE (Assistant Professor of Psychology) B.A. Oberlin College, 1994; M.A. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1996; Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2001. Developmental psychopathology, parenting, child development and public policy, behavioral genetics.
AMISHI JHA (Assistant Professor of Psychology) B.S. University of Michigan, 1993; M.A. University of California at Davis, 1996; Ph.D. University of California at Davis, 1998. Cognitive Neuroscience. Neural substrates of human working memory, relationship between working memory and selective attention, role of prefrontal cortex in higher cognitive functions, role of sensory/perceptual systems in memory and attention, impact of distraction on attention and memory, impact of mood/emotional state on memory, automaticity in memory/perception of faces.
MICHAEL KAHANA (Professor of Psychology) B.A. Case Western Reserve University , 1989; Ph.D. University of Toronto , 1993. Computational and neurophysiological studies of human memory and learning.
ROBERT KURZBAN (Assistant Professor of Psychology) B.A. Cornell University, 1991; Ph.D. University of California Santa Barbara, 1998. Evolutionary psychology. Adaptations for cooperation, especially in groups. Social categorization. Social stigma/exclusion. Experimental economics.
M. FRANK NORMAN (Professor of Psychology) B.A. Dartmouth College, 1961; Ph.D. Stanford University, 1965. Behavioral genetics, evolutionary psychology, psychological testing, statistics.
ROBERT A. RESCORLA (Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor in Psychology) B.A. Swarthmore College, 1962; Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, 1966. Elementary learning processes, particularly Pavlovian conditioning and instrumental learning.
VIRGINIA M. RICHARDS (Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor) B.A. University of California at San Diego, 1979; Ph.D. University of California at Berkeley, 1986. Auditory perception and cognitive psychology.
JUDITH RODIN (Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology and former President of the University of Pennsylvania) A.B. University of Pennsylvania, 1966; Ph.D. Columbia University, 1970. Health and behavior; food intake regulation, including the etiology and maintenance of overweight and bulimia; stress/coping and control, immune system effectiveness.
PAUL ROZIN (Edmund J. and Louise W. Kohn Professor for Faculty Excellence) A.B. University of Chicago, 1956; Ph.D. Harvard University, 1961. Cultural psychology and cultural evolution. Interactions of innate and cultural processes, particularly in human food habits and the emotion of disgust. Morality and emotion. Acquisition of preferences and values. Magical thinking. Lay attitudes to food, health and risk, in a cross-cultural (France, India, Japan, USA) perspective. Identification, forgiveness.
MARTIN E. P. SELIGMAN (Robert A. Fox Leadership Professor of Psychology) A.B. Princeton University, 1964; Ph.D. University of Pennsylvania, 1967. Positive psychology, learning, motivation, psychopathology; particularly learned helplessness, depression, avoidance, dreaming, optimism.
ROBERT M. SEYFARTH (Professor of Psychology) A.B. Harvard College, 1970; Ph.D. University of Cambridge, 1976. Behavioral ecology of non-human primates; animal communication and cognition.
DANIEL SWINGLEY (Assistant Professor of Psychology) A.B. Brown University, 1992; Ph.D. Stanford University, 1997. Language development in infancy and early childhood, especially with respect to speech perception, word recognition, and word learning.
SHARON L. THOMPSON-SCHILL (Class of 1965 Term Associate Professor of Psychology) B.A. Davidson College, 1991; Ph.D. Stanford University, 1996. Cognitive neuroscience; especially, studies of semantic memory, implicit memory, frontal lobe functions, effects of brain damage on cognition, functional magnetic resonance imaging.
JOHN C. TRUESWELL (Associate Professor of Psychology) B.A. University of Rochester, 1988; M.A. University of Rochester, 1992; Ph.D. University of Rochester, 1993. Psychology of language; sentence processing; eye movements in reading; visual perception.
DAVID
WHITE (Assistant Professor of Psychology) B.A. University
of Western Ontario, 1994; Ph.D. McMaster University, 1999. Avian behavioral
ecology; social learning, social development, and social evolution; communication;
cultural transmission.