Neuroscience increasingly poses ethical issues relevant to everyday life, from students taking Adderall as a study aid to the use of brain scans to argue for clemency in criminal court proceedings. These and many other practices evoke moral judgments and may soon become subject to legislation, regulation and other forms of policy. Society needs to address these issues with an understanding of the science and its likely impact, as well as the ability to go beyond gut level reactions to analyze the ethical issues more thoughtfully. This seminar will build on students’ introductory level knowledge of neuroscience and help them develop the skills to analyze and discuss the ethical implications of the science. They will thus be positioned to guide legal and policy discussions about neuroscience in society.

Developmental psychopathology has been defined as “the study of the origins and course of individual patterns of behavioral maladaptation, whatever the age of onset, whatever the causes, whatever the transformations in behavioral manifestation, and however complex the course of the developmental pattern may be.” (Sroufe & Rutter, 1984, p. 18). We will read and discuss seminal papers in the field of developmental psychopathology, case studies, memoirs, and sociological writings with the goal that students will acquire a deep understanding of the historical and theoretical origins of the field, key concepts, popular methodological approaches, and well-replicated findings.

In this interdisciplinary seminar, advanced undergraduates explore the impact of technology on motivation, behavior, and well-being. Through readings, discussion, and hands-on projects, we will critically evaluate both the benefits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence, social media, and other technological advances—with the goal of developing interventions that encourage a more satisfying integration of technology into daily life.
Although there are no formal prerequisites for this class, it is particularly well-suited to juniors and seniors who are seriously considering an advanced degree in psychology, human-computer interaction, or a related field.

For more than a century, psychopathology has been organized according to clinical syndromes. Although syndromes like schizophrenia, major depression, and ADHD have some utility, there is growing concern that they may be deeply flawed in ways that hamper real progress in research and treatment. In recent years, an alternative approach has been gaining momentum in the field. Rather than focusing on syndromes, psychologists increasingly are studying—and treating—basic processes that cut across traditional mental disorder categories. This course explores psychopathology at the level of these processes. We will examine disruptions in human emotion, cognition, movement, behavior, and social interaction that underlie symptoms of mental illness. We will consider how disruptions in these processes are being defined and measured, what methods have been (and could be) used to study them, and how findings from basic research on these mechanisms may be translated into improved clinical interventions. Our goal will be to break free of the DSM-5 model of mental disorders and to explore, critique, and debate what transdiagnostic models have to offer for our understanding of psychopathology.
As a 5000-level course, this class is suitable for both graduate and advanced undergraduate students. The course will follow a seminar format in which student discussion plays a central role. All readings will be original scientific articles, and assignments will consist of written papers and an oral presentation.

Research has shown that improvisational theater can enhance cognitive processes like creativity and flexibility. This upper-level seminar explores cognitive neuroscience topics through the experiential lens of improvisational theater. Students will learn about the brain – particularly how we understand others’ minds – and apply improv exercises to illustrate and deepen that understanding. The course balances academic rigor with hands-on practice, maintaining an accessible approach to complex concepts. Classes meet twice weekly: the first meeting introduces a neuroscience concept with discussion of research, and the second meeting engages students in applied improv theater exercises related to that concept. Part of this class happens "on stage".
By the end of the seminar, students should be able to explain key principles of social and cognitive neuroscience (e.g. theory of mind, empathy, creativity, communication) and demonstrate them through improv activities. The course is experiential and will be graded through a combination of participation, written reflexion and science based conceptualization of new improv excercises.

This course describes current theorizing on how the human mind achieves high-level cognitive processes such as using language, thinking, and reasoning. The course discusses issues such as whether the language ability is unique to humans, whether there is a critical period to the acquisition of a language, the nature of conceptual knowledge, how people perform deductive reasoning and induction, and how linguistic and conceptual knowledge interact.

Students typically complete 8-10 full assessment batteries on complex patients referred from a number of different sources in the community. This practicum offers intensive supervision, with live (in the room) supervision of every trainee’s first case, and live peer-supervision of their second case. Throughout their time in the practicum they receive close supervision of every case, including checking the scoring of tests and measures, and close reading and editing of every report. Students do a final feedback session with every patient which the supervisor co-leads at the beginning of the year, and observes in the room throughout the rest of the year, thus ensuring direct observation of every trainee throughout the year.

This course, usually taken simultaneously with Psychology 810, provides a basic introduction to psychodiagnostic interviewing and differential diagnosis. Students learn to take clinical histories and to administer a number of standardized diagnostic interviews, including the mental status exam, the SCID I and II for DSM-IV, the ADIS, and various clinician rating scales such as the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. Attention is also given to self-report symptom inventories such as the Beck Depression Inventory and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised as well as to computerized diagnostic tools.

This course provides a basic introduction to the theories and tools of psychological assessment. Students learn how to administer and interpret a number of standard cognitive, neuropsychological and personality tests including the WAIS-III, WMS-III, WIAT-II, Wisconsin Card Sort, Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and the Millon Index of Personality Styles. Attention is given to serving as a consultant, differential diagnosis, case conceptualization, and integrating test results into formal but accessible reports.