Psychology Minor
This minor provides students with a comprehensive background in psychology: the science of behavior and the mind. Students will examine core ideas, theoretical foundations, empirical research, and practical applications intended to enhance their understanding of psychological science and of themselves and others. Students also will have the opportunity to explore a range of topics in which psychological processes are at work, including the human nervous system, sensation and perception, language acquisition, cognition and learning, social development and interaction, and mental illness and psychotherapy.
The Psychology minor requires completion of four courses (16 credits), including the core course, PS 101 Introduction to Psychology, and three courses on the list below, two of which must be taken at Emerson, and one of which needs to be at the 300 or 400 level. Students who minor in both Psychology and Science may not double-count SC 213 or SC 312.
Courses
- CD 201 - Language Acquisition
- CD 315 - Autism*
- PS 101 - Introduction to Psychology (core course)
- PS 200 - Social Psychology*
- PS 201 - Abnormal Psychology*
- PS 202 - Developmental Psychology
- PS 203 - Cognitive Psychology*
- PS 208 - More than a Feeling: Explorations in Human Emotion
- PS 210 - Topics in Psychology**
- PS 301 - Personal Growth and Adjustment*
- PS 306 - Psychology of Prejudice*
- PS 307 - Psychology of Relationships*
- PS 340 - Narratives of Disorder*
- PS 380 - Advanced Topics in Psychology**
- PS 405 - Advanced Seminar in Psychology**
- PS 498 - Directed Study in Psychology*
- SC 213 - The Brain and Behavior
- SC 312 - Visual and Spatial Perception*
* Note prerequisites
** Check current course listings for specific topics
Faculty
Lindsey Beck, associate professor in Psychology, is a social psychologist who studies how people initiate, develop, and maintain close relationships. She examines how people react to signs of initial interest in a relationship, how partners ask for and offer support as they develop relationships, and how couples respond to stressful situations in ongoing relationships. She uses diverse methodologies, including developmental approaches, biological methods, field studies, experimental designs, and longitudinal and daily-report studies. She teaches courses in the psychology of relationships, social psychology, and introduction to psychology.
Anne Gehrenbeck-Shim, affiliated faculty member in Psychology, is a clinical psychologist who has been providing individual, family, and couples therapy to teens and adults for more than 20 years. She is also a consultant to special needs programs within the Boston Public Schools, servicing students with severe emotional and behavioral difficulties. Her clinical interests include emotion and feelings, and the role of attachment in family relationships and in adult interpersonal functioning. She teaches courses in introduction to psychology and psychology and emotions.
Vinoth Jagaroo, associate professor, is a cognitive neuroscientist. His current areas of focus are integrative cognitive neuroscience and neurobiology, neuroinformatics in neuropsychology, and the interface of psychiatry and neuropsychology with systems neuroscience and the “omics” research environment. His other interests in the field include visual cognition, hemispatial neglect, posterior parietal spatial representation, and mental rotation. He teaches introduction to psychology, brain and behavior, and visual and spatial perception.
Heather May, senior lecturer in Communication Studies, is concerned with the ways that social determinants, such as race and poverty, affect mental health challenges, access to treatment, and outcomes. She continually works to reduce stigma in the mental health field by providing real-world, factual, and relatable information about mental health challenges to students. For the minor, she teaches introduction to psychology, abnormal psychology, and growth and adjustment across the lifespan.
Eileen McBride*, assistant professor in Psychology, is a clinical psychologist. She studies psychosocial adjustment and well-being in early adulthood. Her current research examines how college students’ efficacy beliefs and psychological well-being affect their ability to succeed in academic and clinical programs. She teaches courses in abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, psychology of personal growth and adjustment, psychology of prejudice, introduction to psychology, human development, and narratives of disorder.
Please note this may not be a comprehensive list, as our affiliated faculty rotate on a semesterly basis. Please refer to the semester registration listings to identify any additional faculty participating in the minor.
* Minor Coordinator
