Nov 4, 2011
HONOURS SEMINARS
Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012
Seminar Requirements for Honours Psychology:
Those in Honours Psychology (or Joint Honours Psychology) must take at least one of the following courses before graduation: Psych 420, 453-463, 485.
See the degree requirement check lists for further details.
Honours Seminar Topics
A list of the seminar topics for Fall 2011 through Spring 2012 are provided below.
Enrolment for Honours Seminars:
See the Schedule of Classes and the Psychology UG website for information regarding the course times for the coming year.
The Psychology Department reserves the right to implement priority enrolment in the Honours Seminars. Click here for further details.
If you are having difficulty enrolling in an Honours Seminar, contact Heather Smith (e.g., regarding the waiting list for enrolment).
Definitions for this Website:
- Antirequisite: When two courses are listed as antirequisites, this means that there is too much overlap between the two courses to allow credit towards the degree for both courses.
- Corequisite: A course that is named as a corequisite for another course must be taken before or at the same time as the course for which it is listed as the corequisite.
HONOURS SEMINARTOPICS
Fall 2011 (6 choices)
Winter 2012 (5 choices)
Spring 2012 (1 choice)
PSYCH 420 (Fall 2011)
HONOURS SEMINAR
TOPIC: AN INTRODUCTION TO METHODS IN COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE
Calendar description:
This course gives students with either a limited computational or psychology background a gentle introduction to computational neuroscience. The course involves a series of lectures and computational exercises and concludes with an in-class presentation. Programming exercises can be completed with either Excel or a computer language of the student's choice.
Prereq: Level at least 3A Honours Psychology students or permission of instructor.
Antireq: PSYCH 463 taken Winter 2009 and Winter 2010
Instructor: Britt Anderson
More details about the course:
Computational neuroscience uses mathematical and computational methods to develop, explore, and test theories and models in neuroscience. Students with computational training, but limited knowledge of neuroscience and psychology, or students from psychology with limited computational or mathematical training, are the intended audience. This course is intended to give students from both backgrounds an introduction to the computational material and how they can be used to address psychological and neuroscience topics. The course involves a gentle series of computational and programming exercises. To make the exercises accessible for those with no programming background, spreadsheets are used. Students comfortable with computer programming can use the language of their choice for the exercises. The majority of the course grade comes from a final presentation in an area of psychology or neuroscience, selected by the student, that makes use of a computational method.
If you are interested in taking Psych 420 but want more detail regarding the level of difficulty, please contact Britt Anderson.
A student's perception of this course Winter 2009 (taught as Psych 463 that term):
This course is not as scary as it sounds! I do not know any computer languages nor did I take any math courses in university, but Dr. Anderson was extremely helpful in making sure everyone understood the concepts. I took this course only because Dr. Anderson was teaching it. He is always willing to help and is able to communicate very complicated material in a way that non-math students can understand. The material of the course also gave me a completely different perspective and approach to psychology research not taught in other courses.
- Cynthia
A student's perception of this course Winter 2010 (taught as Psych 463 that term):
This course is great for people of different experience levels, from those with no programming or math background to those who have dabbled in them before. Dr. Anderson tailors the course to individual experience levels and provides an excellent mix of lecture, discussion and hands on experience. He also makes sure to be available to aid students with conceptual or programming questions. The course material is presented in a very straightforward and easy to understand manner. I would highly recommend this course for students who have an interest in the area but are uncertain of exactly what it is or how they can be involved in it.
- Neethan
PSYCH 453 (FALL 2011)
HONOURS SEMINAR: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCH
SPECIFIC TOPIC - LEARNING WORDS
Words are central to language. All levels of language – sound, meaning, and grammar – intersect at the level of the word. It is often believed that word learning is a simple task: the child observes her parents pointing to objects in the world and memorizes the spoken words associated with these objects. But learning object names is far more difficult than this. When a parent points to a dog in the yard and says “Look at the dog over there!”, how does the child know what object is being labeled? In a sentence full of words, how does she determine that “dog” is the word to be learned? Howdoes she know what aspects of the word’s sound pattern to attend to? The task is even more complicated for words that express meanings other than object categories (e.g., words for actions, or words like “think”). In this seminar, we will ask what it means to know a word, and we will consider various proposals for how children learn words. These proposals include learning based on association, social cues, and the existence of dedicated biases that constrain children’s interpretations of word meaning.
Prereq: all of Psych 211, 291, 292; enrollment in Honours Psych or Make-up Psych.
Coreq: Psych 391
Instructor: Katherine White
Enrolment Limit = 25
PSYCH 453 (WINTER 2012)
HONOURS SEMINAR: DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCH
SPECIFIC TOPIC - KNOWLEDGE OF NUMBERS
Our knowledge of numbers has many fascinating properties. First, it is knowledge about infinite sets; the natural numbers, the rational numbers, the real numbers are all infinite. Second, it is the product of a long history of innovation. Ancient Egyptian mathematics was a far cry from Ancient Greek mathematics which is a far cry from contemporary mathematics. Finally, our uniquely human capacity to use arbitrary pieces of matter -- sounds or written marks -- as symbols for other things seems to play a great role in developing mathematical knowledge. In this seminar, we will investigate the cognitive sources of this knowledge, we will discuss what allows us to create new knowledge, and we will discuss the role of symbolism in acquiring it.
Prereq: all of Psych 211, 291, 292, 391; enrollment in Honours Psych or Make-up Psych.
Instructor: Mathieu LeCorre
Enrolment Limit = 25
PSYCH 454 (Winter 2012)
HONOURS SEMINAR: EDUCATIONAL PSYCH
SPECIFIC TOPIC: EDUCATION AND BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS
(course added to this list on June 13, 2011)
(description upated Nov 2011)
This course will address advanced topics in educational psychology with a focus on ‘hot topics’ currently seen in our educational system – from junior kindergarten to university. Sample topics will include ADHD, autism, aggression, drugs and alcohol, child abuse, all forms of bullying, suicide, sexual orientation, exceptional learners, clothing trends, Facebook, cell phone use, and helicopter parents. The seminar will include an individual research project comprised of a literature review, a research proposal, and a presentation. This course will benefit students who want to work with high-risk children and adolescents in a teaching and learning environment.
Prereq: all of Psych 212, 291, 292, 391; enrollment in Honours Psych or Make-up Psych. Psych 317 or equivalent is also recommended but not required for enrolment.
Antireq: None (Psych 319 is no longer an antirequisite for this course)
Instructor: Maureen Drysdale
Enrolment Limit = 24
PSYCH 455 sec 1 (Fall 2011)
HONOURS SEMINAR: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
SPECIFIC TOPIC: CLOSE RELATIONSHIPS
We will focus on basic concepts in social psychology, examined in the context of the development and course of close relationships. For the formative stages of relationships, the discussion will centre on topics such as attraction, romantic love, and the self-disclosure process. As we move to studying continuing relationships, the focus will shift to topics such as intimacy, trust, and commitment, and on the darker side, interpersonal conflict and relationship dissolution.
Prereq: all of Psych 253 (or 220R), 291, 292; enrolment in Honours Psych or Make-up Psych.
Coreq: Psych 391
Instructor: John Rempel
Enrolment Limit = 24 instead of the usual 25
NOTE: Based on the first day (Feb 28) of preenrolment activity for Fall 2011, we know that there will be no room for year 3 students in Psych 455 and that not all of the year 4 students who preenrol for Psych 455 will be accommodated.
PSYCH 455 SEC 2 (Fall 2011)
HONOURS SEMINAR: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
SPECIFIC TOPIC: HUMAN AGGRESSION
This course was cancelled Tues Sept 13, 2011.
This seminar will explore the causes, consequences, and control of human aggression. Social issues such as sexual aggression, media influences, terrorism, domestic violence, and workplace violence will be examined as well as methods of controlling and deterring aggression. The seminar will include group and individual projects.
Prereq: all of Psych 253 (or 220R), 291, 292; enrolment in Honours Psych or Make-up Psych.
Coreq: Psych 391
Instructor: Rich Ennis
PSYCH 455 SEC 3 (Fall 2011)
HONOURS SEMINAR: SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY
SPECIFIC TOPIC: STEREOTYPES AND PREJUDICE
This course was added to the schedule of offerings as of Sept 13, 2011.
The course will examine stereotyping from the perspectives of the perceiver as well as the target. We will examine the circumstances under which stereotypes come to a perceiver's mind and influence judgments about members of stereotyped groups. We will discuss the extent to which such processes are automatic, and the extent to which they depend on perceivers' prejudice. We will also examine how perceivers maintain group stereotypes even in the face of group members who disconfirm these stereotypes. Taking the perspective of the targets of stereotyping, we will discuss how members of negatively stereotyped groups may have trouble making sense of feedback they receive from others, and discusses how their performance may be impaired when the relevance of the negative stereotypes is highlighted.
Prereq: all of Psych 253 (or 220R), 291, 292; enrolment in Honours Psych or
Make-Up Psych.
Instructor: Emiko Yoshida
PSYCH 457 (Winter 2012)
HONOURS SEMINAR: CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
TOPIC - HYPNOSIS
Hypnosis has been a topic of fascination since the earliest days of psychology as a science, and it has evoked a wide range of evaluations, with some commentators claiming it to be a downright hoax and others proclaiming it to be one of the most fascinating phenomena in all of psychology. In this course, we will first explore the domain of hypnosis (what it is) and the major theories of hypnosis (how it works). We will then develop both these themes with regard to the relevant research literature, which includes some of the most intriguing studies in all of psychology and connects social psychology, personality, and neuroscience. We will also address the clinical applications of hypnosis and their evidence base.
Prereq: all of Psych 257 (or Psych 323R), 291, 292, 391; enrolment in Honours Psych or Make-up Psych.
Instructor: Erik Woody
Enrolment Limit = 25
PSYCH 458 (FALL 2011)
HONOURS SEMINAR: COGNITION
SPECIFIC TOPIC - PSYCHOLOGY OF ECONOMIC DECISIONS
Throughout our lives we are faced with difficult economic decisions, both major (selecting a pension plan) and minor (buying a new DVD player). How do people make such decisions, and are there ways in which their decisions could be improved? Psychologists and economists have developed an increasingly sophisticated and influential depiction of the processes by which people make choices under conditions of uncertainty and conflicting objectives. This seminar provides a survey of recent research on the psychology of economic decision making, with an emphasis on the ways in which people's financial decisions systematically deviate from those expected under a “rational,” economic analysis. We will attempt to understand, among other things, why cab drivers quit earlier on profitable than on unprofitable days, why the stocks that investors sell from their portfolio outperform those that they retain, and how seemingly small changes to a pension plan can have big effects on how much employees save for retirement.
Prereq: all of Psych 207, 291, 292; enrolment in Honours Psych or Make-up Psych.
Coreq: Psych 391
Instructor: Derek Koehler
Enrolment Limit = 25
PSYCH 461 (Fall 2011)
HONOURS SEMINAR: BEHAVIOURAL NEUROSCIENCE
SPECIFIC TOPIC - COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE OF MEMORY
Memory is intimately involved in most, if not all, domains of human cognition, from the ability to temporarily remember a phone number to the acquisition of language, to defining who we are. This course will consider the cognitive and neural organization of memory, the basis of remembering and forgetting, and the nature of false memories, with an emphasis on the consequences of brain changes associated with normal and pathological aging. Throughout, cognitive theory and behavioural evidence will be integrated with data from neuropsychology and functional brain imaging. By reviewing and discussing classic and current research using these methods, and their findings, students will develop an understanding of how cognitive neuroscience informs current theories of memory function.
Prereq: all of Psych 261, 291, 292; enrolment in Honours Psych or Make-up Psych.
Coreq: Psych 391
Instructor: Myra Fernandes
Enrolment Limit = 25
PSYCH 462 (Winter 2012)
HONOURS SEMINAR: JUSTICE IN WORK ORGANIZATIONS
(added to the schedule June 22, 2011)
This seminar will examine psychological theories and research on justice, with an emphasis on understanding the dynamics of justice in the work setting. We will focus on research addressing how employees think about, define, and react to justice and injustice. Students should leave the course with a good understanding of the relevant research, and an ability to conceptualize problems that people face at work from a justice perspective. Students will be expected to participate in as well as lead weekly discussions, write commentaries, research proposals and the like.
Prereq: all of Psych 291, 292, 391, plus one of Psych 338 or M Sci 211; enrolment in Honours Psych or Make-Up Psych
Instructor: Leanne Gosse
Enrolment Limit = 25
PSYCH 462 (Spring 2012 )
HONOURS SEMINAR: INDUSTRIAL/ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCH
SPECIFIC TOPIC - LEADERSHIP VISION IN PERSONAL, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND COMMUNITY CHANGE
This seminar was originally advertised for Winter 2012 but has since been moved to Spring 2012.
This course covers the concept of vision within the larger topic of leadership, as it applies to community change, organizational development, and personal development for effectiveness as a leader or other contributor. Readings will be drawn from academic and non-academic literatures, and students will produce personal or organizational visions for beneficial change.
"Vision" is held to direct and motivate people's efforts. These effects will be analyzed from many angles, drawing upon various streams of theory and research in social and organizational psychology related to affect, cognition, and motivation. The application of visionary leadership in specific business contexts (e.g., entrepreneurship or organizational change) and community settings (e.g., voluntary organizations) also will be explored.
This topic lends itself to exploring a wide range of related topics in social and organizational psychology, including creativity, affect in the workplace, emotional intelligence, and employee participation, among others. Students will participate in choosing topics to be covered.
Prereq: all of Psych 291, 292, 391, plus one of Psych 338 or M Sci 211; enrolment in Honours Psych or Make-Up Psych
Instructor: John Michela
Enrolment Limit = 25
If necessary, priority enrolment will be given to those in the Co-op stream of study.
PSYCH 463 (Winter 2012)
HONOURS SEMINAR: SPECIAL TOPICS
SPECIFIC TOPIC - CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
This honours seminar will address current issues in child and adolescent psychopathology. Special emphasis will be placed on the theories and scientific research concerning social-emotional functioning, current diagnostic systems, therapeutic techniques, and the social and cultural contexts in which childhood disorders occur. Activities will include oral presentations, class discussions, individual projects, and written assignments.
Prereq: Psych 291, 292, 391, plus 1 of Psych 317 or Psych 336; enrolment in Honours Psych or Make-Up Psych.
Instructor: Maureen Drysdale
Enrolment Limit = 24
Notes re Psych 463 enrolment:
If interested in enrolling in Psych 463 Winter 2012, please preenrol during the preenrolment window for Winter 2012 (June 20-26, 2011). After the pre-enrolment window, you cannot self-enrol for Psych 463 on Quest because it is a 'special topics' course. Enrolment requests after June 26, 2011 must be submitted by email to Heather Smith (hsmith@uwaterloo.ca). Please include your full name, ID number, and the course request in the body of the message, and your last name and the course number in the subject line of the message.
Psych 485 (available Fall 2011/Winter 2012/Spring 2012)
DIRECTED STUDIES: HONOURS SEMINAR
Click here for details.
