|
  |
 |
|
The Psychology Major: Goals and Performance Standards
Prior to transferring from University College to the College of Arts and Sciences as a psychology major (or being coded as a psychology major in the College of Arts and Sciences), a student must earn a grade of C or better in (a) PSY 113; (b) one of the courses PSY 232, PSY 235, or PSY 254; and (c) PSY 300.
In order to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree at URI, a student must earn at least 120 credits, with at least 42 credits in courses numbered 300 or above, and an overall quality point average of at least 2.00. The major in Psychology requires at least a 2.00 quality point average in 30 credits (a maximum of 45 credits) in psychology courses, distributed among the following seven categories:
Psychology majors should be exposed to the range and scope of the discipline of psychology. They should have a knowledge base of significant facts, theories, and issues in the more prominent areas of psychological theory and research. A student will meet this standard by passing PSY 113 with a grade of C or better.
Intermediate Perspective. Psychology majors should achieve a more detailed knowledge of at lest two areas of study in psychology offered in courses at the 200 level. In these areas, students should achieve a conceptual framework that embraces historical as well as current work and the ability to use this framework in understanding societal and personal problems and issues. A student will meet this standard by earning an average grade of C or better in the best two courses passed in this category.
Methods of inquiry and Analysis. Psychology majors should achieve skills in critical thinking and reasoning. These skills come, in part, from working with quantitative information in statistics and from understanding the rationale and methods of research design and their strengths an d limitations. Psychology majors should be able to use library resources to gather information to support an argument, to design a study, to investigate a hypothesis relevant to the argument, and to present the argument and data in the language of the discipline using the elements and style of the APA Publication Manual. A student will meet this standard by earning an average grade of C or better in the two courses (PSY 300 and PSY 301) in this category.
Topics Areas. Psychology majors should achieve a more in-depth knowledge of several of the content areas within psychology. They should be familiar with the facts, theories, and questions of historical and current interest within these content areas. They should be able to understand the discourse of the discipline used in textbooks and scientific journals. Students should read current texts and original sources in each of these courses. They should be able to present written arguments in support of their chosen positions on controversial topics within the content areas. A student will meet this standard by earning an average grade of C or better in the best three courses passed in this category.
Applied Knowledge. Psychology majors should achieve some knowledge of the application of psychological theory, facts, and methods to the practical needs of individuals, organizations, and society. Students should be able to monitor their own behavior; to be sensitive to differences in treatment of people of differing backgrounds, race, ethnicity, culture, age, class, lifestyle, and disability status. A student will meet this standard by earning a grade of C or better in one course in this category}.
Experiential Practica and Internships. Psychology majors should achieve some experience in applying psychology. Depending on their areas of interest, students should participate in one or more of the basic and applied research opportunities or service-delivery opportunities available through the department's course offerings. Students should gain experience in the application of principles learned in the classroom to the point where they will be recognized by potential employers/graduate programs as having prior experience in their areas of interest. A student will meet this standard by earning a grade of C or better or S in one course in this category.
Enrichment. Psychology majors will have the opportunity to take additional, elective psychology courses within their major to add to or to expand their knowledge and experience in the areas of Intermediate Perspective, Topic Areas, Applied Knowledge, and Practica/Internships. These courses will allow them to become better educated in the areas that they see as important to their individual objectives and interests. A student will meet this standard by taking enough psychology courses to have a minimum total of 30 earned credits in psychology. (Pass/fail and satisfactory/unsatisfactory courses do not count toward the 30 credit minimum.)
The following table is a worksheet showing the course and grade requirements and progress for URI's major in Psychology:
Knowledge Objective
Required Minimum Credits and Grades
Broad Perspective Grade: _____ (C or better)
Course 1: _____ Grade: _____
Course 2: _____ Grade: _____ (C or better average in the best two courses)
Methods of Inquiry and Analysis
PSY 300 Grade: _____
PSY 301 Grade: _____ (C or better average for the two courses)
Topic Areas 335, 361, 381, 384, 385, 388, 391, 399, 432, 434, 436, 442, 460, 464, 470, 479 (selected topics), 480
Course 1: _____ Grade: _____
Course 2: _____ Grade: _____
Course 3: _____ Grade: _____ (C or better average in the best three courses)
Applied Knowledge 103, 261, 334, 465, 466, 471, 479 (selected topics)
Course: _____ Grade: _____ (C or better in one course)
Experiential
Practica and Internships 305, 371, 382, 456, 473, 489, 499
Course: _____ Grade: _____ (C or better in one course)
Enrichment 405, 430, as well as any of the courses listed above, and any other psychology courses. (Upper-level students also may take 500 and 600 level psychology courses as electives, with the permission of the instructor.)
Total
Note. At least four of the underlined courses are recommended for students intending to attend graduate school in psychology.