PSYC 407 - Applied Topics in Psychology

(3 credits)

This course serves as a CORE 407 course, but it is not cross-listed because it is intended to help mainly psychology majors explore possible career paths after graduating from SFU, including widely varying opportunities for immediate job force entry and/or graduate school towards a master’s or doctoral degree. Therefore, it uniquely addresses APA Goal 5 Professional Development, aside from being designed to address General Education goals on moral/ethical issues, communication, creative and critical thinking, and active citizenship. Having taken at least 9 credits of psychology as prerequisites will help majors better narrow down their career plans. Community outreach projects emerging from a research-based, literature review related to career interests will be explored through the lens of critical reading and discussion of current scholarly psychology controversies, individual differences, diversity, and APA ethics; projects will be aimed at upper-level demonstration of APA Goals 1-5, aside from the above General Education goals. The final course grade will also serve as the SFU psychology major senior comprehensive exam. Psychology majors with a ≥ 3.00 GPA by their junior/senior year may substitute PSYC 487 (3-6 cr.) OR PSYC 398/399 (3-6 cr.), plus taking any CORE 407 of their choice, to count for their senior comprehensive exam. Students who opt to use PSYC 487 or 398-399 MUST take a minimum of 3 credits for it to serve as their senior comprehensive exam. Prerequisite: PSYC 101, and PSYC 311or PSYC 310 and any one other 3-credit psychology Spring, odd-numbered years.