Psychology 300 - Sem: Controversies in Psych

Why can't psychologists agree on basic assumptions? Why is so much of the field still controversial after more than a century? This seminar gives advanced psychology and neuroscience students a broad conceptual and historical overview of their discipline through an analysis of its enduring disputes. We will analyze primary source materials (both historical and contemporary) on several sides of major controversies such as: Are there racial differences in intelligence? Is madness rooted in faulty biology? Do women's brains differ from men's? Is violence innate or learned? Each student will have the opportunity to research a controversy of particular interest to her.

Prereq: 8 credits from the department and permission of instructor