Learning Goals for Psychology 451: Health Psychology
CLASS LEARNING GOALS:Content: Students will demonstrate familiarity with major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical and current trends in Health Psychology. They will be able to:
- Characterize the relationship between the scientific and applied nature of Health Psychology
- Understand and explain the variety of different topics Health Psychologists seek to illuminate with their research, and seek to practically apply toward health promotion and disease prevention
Methods: Students will understand and use scientific research methods.
- Understand and identify the different types of data health psychologists gather to test hypotheses
Critical Thinking: Students will think about and view behavior through a psychological lens, i.e., using empirical information to understand the causes, correlates, logic, and consequences of behavior. They will be able to:
- Be epistemologically aware—understand how Health Psychologists come to know things
- Reflect on information from the discipline and apply it to their lives
Diversity and Multicultural Awareness: Students will be able to:
- Demonstrate tolerance of multiple individual perspectives within the context of small group discussions in class. Students will be sensitive to, and respectful of, other viewpoints shared in class.
Communication: Students will be able to communicate effectively in various formats. They will be able to:
- Formulate a written argument that is logical and coherent, that relies on scientific evidence, and that draws appropriate conclusions from that evidence. They will be able to independently locate, select, read, and evaluate relevant sources, in addition to summarizing and synthesizing resources effectively
- Participate in small group discussions in class and successfully integrate ideas with other students’ ideas
- Give a formal presentation to the class (using appropriate visual aids) on a personally meaningful topic in the field