Courses

Skills for developing helping relationships from a Christian perspective. A problem-management approach to helping: helping theory and skills practice.

The physical and psychological processes that take place during adolescence. Issues of identity formation, moral development, physical development, changes in family relationships and development of independence, sexuality in adolescence, a perspective on peer relationships and pressures, and anticipation of vocational preparation.

This course focuses on major forms of atypical development in childhood and adolescence. These include disorders of behaviour and emotion, developmental and learning problems, and problems related to physical and mental health. The focus is on the child, not just the disorder, and the biological, psychological, developmental, socio-cultural, and spiritual influences.

An advanced study of the motivational and emotional processes that influence complex human thought and behavior. Concepts will be explored from historical, biological, environmental/learning, and psychological perspectives and applied to real-world situations.

The need for and purpose of psychology in sport and physical activity. An examination of the research focusing on psychological and social psychological factors influencing athletic and motor performance.

An historical and thematic overview of the cognitive science of religion, introducing students to major figures, themes, methods, models, and results from the discipline. A major emphasis is understanding cognitive processes important for sustaining belief in supernatural agents, afterlife beliefs, prayer, and rituals. Students will also investigate the philosophical implications of the scientific data, connecting the cognitive science of religion to issues such as the rationality of religious belief and the lived experience of religious believers.

A thematic overview of evolutionary psychology, introducing students to applications of an evolutionary framework to various aspects of human thought and behavior. Topics surveyed include origins, sex, group cooperation, morality, religion, and cultural group selection. Students will also investigate broader social and philosophical implications of the scientific data, connecting evolutionary psychology to issues such as moral decision making and perspectives on the human person.

This course will introduce students to various traditions of qualitative social inquiry and their associated methodological features. Emphasis will be placed on the practical application of these traditions of inquiry as their associated methods of data collection and analysis are applied in a range of research settings.

An examination of selected issues, theories, or topics within the field of psychology.