Bachelor of Science in Psychology

The future: the only constant is change. The only certainty is uncertainty. So how do you prepare today for what might come tomorrow? In this introductory, interdisciplinary course unique to Excelsior University, you will learn through questions, not answers. You will challenge your prior assumptions, open your mind, and consider society s future dilemmas, progress, and crises. You will plan and question your own future your educational path, career trajectories, personal interests, ambitions, and mindsets. And you will build the foundational skills and flexibility of mind research and writing, critical thinking, argumentative reasoning, metacognition, and self-regulation to help you navigate the uncertainty and change of our future societies, workplaces, and selves. Note: This course must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Registration in this course is restricted to incoming students with fewer than 60 transfer credits. This course duplicates IND301 and CCS120. Credit for only one of these courses will be applied toward graduation. The Cornerstone cannot be completed in the same term as a Capstone course.

Information literacy is the ability to find, evaluate, interpret, and use information legally, ethically, and effectively. This course provides a broad overview of information literacy concepts, including the differences between academic and popular research methods, finding and evaluating sources, reading sources critically, writing with sources, and safely navigating information networks such as the internet. Students must complete information literacy within their first 13 credits at Excelsior.

In this course, you'll apply psychological principles and theory to your everyday life.  In addition to foundational topics like psychology as a science, learning and memory, human development, and consciousness, you will learn about some more specific topics like stress and health, psychological disorders and therapy, and human sexuality. Concepts learned in this course can be applied in any career to better understand behavior, thought, and emotion. Note: This course uses lower cost interactive courseware instead of textbooks.  

This class provides students with foundational knowledge and skills to prepare them for academic and professional writing. By analyzing the work of other writers, students will learn to approach writing from a rhetorical and genre-based perspective. They will practice sentence- and paragraph-level writing, learning to revise and correct their own work. They will also work on finding, documenting, and effectively integrating sources into a research-based essay. Both traditional (textual) and multimodal (textual and visual) composition will be addressed.

This course helps students to develop their skill as public speakers and oral communicators. Designed to provide students with a supportive environment where they can  overcome the anxiety they may feel about public speaking, the class emphasizes techniques and practices for effective speech construction and delivery. Students will also develop critical thinking and listening skills. Students taking this course will need access to recording equipment for the purpose of creating podcasts, voiced-over PowerPoint presentations and videotaped speeches.

The purpose of this course is to give the student an overview of current and emerging trends in science and technology so that s/he will be able to make informed decisions and be an informed consumer. The course will introduce the scientific method and terminology used in reporting scientific results. A survey of current topical science issues will be covered as examples. This course will also prepare the student to read accounts about scientific, technological, and medical advances in the press and assess the scientific conclusions presented.

The goal of this course is to help students develop mathematical reasoning and problem solving skills that will serve them well in their lives both in and out of school. Topics will include the important real-world applications of measurement units, managing money, statistics in the media, the mathematics of voting, and mathematics in the arts and nature. Providing correct solutions to routine problems is not the goal; more important is the ability to communicate effectively about mathematical reasoning and to solve realistic, practical problems both collaboratively with other students and individually. This is a survey course introducing the student to a variety of mathematical topics. It does not prepare a student for future courses that require a knowledge of algebra (e.g. PreCalculus or Statistics).

This course introduces the science of lifespan development and the concept of human growth as being a product of the interaction among the biology, psychology, and environment of the individual. This course examines the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, and environment factors across the lifespan. Students will explore, analyze, and present theories and evidence associated with developmental science from conception through death. Concepts learned in this course can be applied to any career focusing on health or human services and can help learners raise healthier children and live in more functional families. 

This course offers an introduction to the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, research methods, and scholarship in sociology. Sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior, and this course examines several important sociological topics, including: culture; socialization; deviance; social inequality; social institutions; and social change. This course also explores various socio-historical and socio-cultural frameworks across the world, promoting an appreciation for unique cultural identities and institutions. Students will improve their analysis, understanding and interpretation of contemporary social issues in this rapidly changing world. This course encourages the practice of "doing" sociology through exploration of students' everyday social world, and the often invisible and taken-for-granted social forces that shape it.

In this interdisciplinary course, students will develop the analytical skills necessary to examine ethical issues in the workplace. Students explore conventional ethical theories and principles, develop ethical decision-making, and resolve common dilemmas. Students discuss the multiple challenges faced by professionals and identify ethical practices or codes that apply to each of their own professions.

This is a course designed for students who need to complete the General Education requirement for math and science as well as for those considering majoring in the natural sciences. The course covers the major areas of study and aspects of life on our planet explored by biologists. The course moves from the cellular and biochemical level through all classifications of living organisms to the examination of ecology and the biosphere. Students will also spend time examining the process of evolution for both populations and species. There is a final project that the students will work on throughout their time in the course. This final project is a presentation that will utilize both audio and video recordings. Several discussions in the course will require audio recordings to be submitted.  Students are expected to be able to access the appropriate technologies to complete these assignments. Freely available technology options will be provided in the course. 

This course is designed to help you improve your academic and workplace writing skills. The course emphasizes research-based, argument-driven writing. You will complete a research paper, a workplace proposal, and an oral presentation related to your academic discipline or profession. You will practice finding, evaluating, and citing sources; paraphrasing and summarizing; outlining and paragraphing; and revising and proofreading.

Develops the statistical skills of collecting, organizing, summarizing, and analyzing information to draw conclusions or answer questions. Major topics include descriptive statistics, frequency distributions, probability, binomial and normal distributions, statistical inference, linear regression, and correlation. Duplication Note: MAT201 duplicates BUS233: Business Statistics, BUS 231 Business Data Literacy and MAT215: Statistics for Health Care Professionals. Credit in only one of these courses will be applied toward graduation. MAT201 also duplicates the Excelsior Examination MATX210. Students will receive credit for either the course or the examination, as both will not be applied toward graduation.

Is Thor greater than Zeus? Can vampires be good guys? Why are so many American companies named after Greek Gods and Goddesses such as Nike, Amazon, Pandora, and the (Tennessee) Titans? Who gets to live forever and why? Explore these questions and other mysteries of the universe as we track the enduring role of mythology in our lives. Get to know Hercules, Cupid, Prometheus and Pandora. Read distinguished scholars like Mircea Eliade, Northrop Frye, and Carl Jung. Discuss the hero s journey, read creation myths, and watch Star Wars and Harry Potter. A healthy imagination and a love of action and adventure required!

During this course you will investigate how research is conducted in the social sciences. You will learn research methods and techniques that you are likely to come across in your professional and personal lives. Throughout the course, you will have opportunities to apply the different research methods and techniques that you have learned. Lastly, you will leave the course with an understanding of research methods that will give you the knowledge and skills needed to gather, evaluate, and apply information and research findings.

This course explores what happens when people become ill and how their experience of the care they receive from medical practitioners can affect and change their lives, for better or for worse. We look at current Western practices surrounding end-of-life care, the processing and acknowledgment of grief, and the tendency to deny our very mortality. We witness what people in stigmatized groups undergo when they seek medical treatment. And we confront what happens when a person, either ill or well, decides to end their life on their own terms. Throughout all of these explorations, we examine why empathy is crucial to both giving and receiving good care and how exposing ourselves to the arts can help foster empathy skills in those of us who live with, care for, and support the ill and dying.

This course is an introductory survey of US history from pre-European contact through the end of Reconstruction in 1877. Students will examine the major political, social, and economic trends in the American colonies and new nation, with a particular focus on diversity and cross-cultural encounters. Students will learn to think like a historian by contextualizing the past through a research project about a major trial in early American history, applying historical information to our contemporary world, and reading and interpreting primary sources. This course uses a lower-cost interactive webtext instead of a traditional textbook.

This course examines how neurons work individually and together to enable behavior, feelings, and thoughts. The structures and functions of the nervous system are examined to provide the biological bases of behavioral development, perception, learning, memory, cognition, motivation, language, sleep, and psychological disorders. The concepts learned in this course can be applied to any health science or human service career. Note: This course uses a lower cost interactive webtext instead of textbooks.

What is normal, anyway? Abnormal psychology is a course where we talk, think, and share our ideas about mental health diagnoses, the cultural contexts in which they exist and are treated, and most importantly, the unique people who have them. Note: This course uses all open educational resources and does not require the purchase of a textbook.

This course will empower students to look at and understand Western art from the time of the Renaissance to the early 20th century, covering painting, sculpture, and architecture. It focuses on the power of perception and visual storytelling so that students become engaged with specific art examples from each period and culture. Students will analyze famous works by Michelangelo, Caravaggio, Vincent Van Gogh, and many more brilliant artists. By developing a sophisticated eye, students will learn how artworks reflect their cultural origins and their individual creators, who give shape and meaning to their art. By the end of the course, students will be surprised at their recognition and knowledge of art that they see operating in American culture now.

This course provides an overview of personality psychology and related issues. Students will explore the history and systems of personality, analyze current theories and evidence associated with personality psychology, and learn how personality is assessed and researched. Learners examine individual differences, including the way gender, race, religion, and national origin impact personality development and expression. Special emphasis is placed on personality in the work-place to help learners identify careers appropriate for their personality and better understand the traits that are highly valued by employers. Note: This course uses a lower cost interactive webtext instead of textbooks.

One of the most pressing questions a student always has about any given course is, How will this class help me in the real world? A class on critical thinking is arguably the most useful and valuable course you can take, no matter what field of study you are pursuing. Not only will you learn how to effectively solve personal and professional problems and achieve goals, you will also deeply examine some of the most important issues in your life and persuasively communicate about them! From tackling real world situations and case studies, to evaluating arguments from a range of perspectives, you will have the opportunity to skillfully articulate positions, drawing from your own experience as well as aptly applying the solid critical thinking skills you acquire in this class. By the end of the course, you will have mastered the understanding that it is not so much what you know, but how skillfully you think!

Are you interested in how people learn? Educational psychology is an applied field examining how learning occurs at all ages. Topics covered include learning and cognition, cognitive development, motivation to learn, classroom management, teacher-centered and learner-centered instruction, and various contexts in which learning occurs. Students will uncover evidence-based strategies for effective teaching, learning, and assessment as well as ways to create effective learning environments. Upon completion of this course, students will be able to apply their knowledge of educational psychology to any career that involves teaching or training.

This course will provide students with knowledge and skills to effectively communicate in global business environments. Students will identify and use computer technologies and social media tools for conducting interpersonal communications with diverse organizations. Additionally, students will develop and evaluate both written and oral business communications.

This course analyzes how people influence and are influenced by the real or imagined presence or others and how people interact with and relate to those around them. Topics include research in social psychology, social cognition, social perception and judgment, attitudes and attitude change, conformity and obedience, group behavior, attraction and intimate relationships, helping behavior, aggression, prejudice, and the application of social psychology to other fields including the legal system. The concepts learned in this course can be applied to all careers in which one works with and in teams, as well as work where it is important to influence or persuade others. Duplication Note: This course duplicates PSYX365: Social Psychology. Credit for only one of these will be applied toward graduation.

This intensive course introduces students to the concepts of culture and cultural diversity as they relate to health care and the health care delivery system. During the course students will explore religious, racial, ethnic and other subcultures that exist in our society and examine conflicts that often occur when differing cultures enter the health care arena. Students will also discuss the concept of cultural competence and study strategies that health care organizations are using to create more inclusive services.

Sexuality plays in a major role in each individual's life throughout the lifespan. This course is a critical inquiry through the lenses of theory and research into the psychosocial and physiological aspects of sexuality. Topics include the psychology of love, intimacy and relationships, sexually transmitted infections, sexual assault, gender identity, sexual orientation, and sociocultural influences impacting sexuality. This course increases student knowledge, ability, and skill in thinking about and discussing human sexuality in different contexts. The concepts explored and practiced in this course can be applied to any career in the health or human services. Note: This course uses a lower cost interactive webtext instead of textbooks.

This course is an introductory survey of US history from the end of Reconstruction in 1877 through the recent past. The course examines the evolution of the United States from a nation torn apart by war to a global superpower. Students will study major political, social, and economic trends in the modern United States, with a particular focus on diversity and cross-cultural encounters. Students will engage in primary and secondary source analysis and learn to communicate historical arguments using a variety of tools. This course uses a lower-cost interactive webtext instead of a traditional textbook.

What does it mean to learn ? This course provides an overview of the major theories that explain the dynamics of behavior and learning in humans and animals.  Topics include classical and operant conditioning, social learning, learning occurring through the media, memory, and forgetting.  This course has a focus of making course concepts meaningful by helping students create connections between learning and career outcomes. The concepts learned in this course can be applied to any career in which it s important to teach, influence, or change the behavior of self or others. Note: This course uses all open educational resources, and does not require the purchase of a textbook

This course introduces students to the skills and theories of interpersonal communication, which are essential for building and maintaining successful personal and professional relationships. Students will evaluate the complicated interactions of psychological, social and cultural forces involved in interpersonal exchanges, while learning about personality traits, the perception of self and others, listening, managing conflict, and verbal and non-verbal communication.

Motivation can be thought of as what energizes and directs human behavior, and when studying motivation, researchers attempt to ask to questions: a) What causes behavior? and b). What causes behavior to vary in intensity? This course examines the major issues and theories that describe and explain human motivation across the globe. Individuals behavior is examined from biological, psychological, and social perspectives. Students will analyze and integrate information from empirical research in psychology, in order to develop an understanding of motivation that is applicable to all individuals, including students own lives. The concepts learned in this course can be applied to across a multitude of settings including leading, managing, counseling, nursing, teaching, and parenting.

This course examines leadership and team building from the standpoint of communication theory. Students will learn about leadership theory and practice successful leadership models. Another major focus of the class is teamwork. Teamwork depends on different, complementary points of view to seize hidden opportunities, overcome difficult obstacles, and achieve challenging objectives to reach a common goal. 

This course introduces students to a study of understanding how people think, feel, behave, and interact within diverse social contexts. Fully understanding the psychology of diversity requires consideration of the historical, political, educational, economic, and societal factors that influence psychological processes and people s responses to diversity. Students will study both differences and similarities that are at the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, weight, age, language, veteran status, and other factors. Readings, including recent journal articles, provide a greater understanding of diversity and the interrelationship between diversity and psychology, and an appreciation for the value of diversity. Students develop a better understanding of themselves and the world around them in an appreciation for a global society. The concepts learned in this course can be applied to any career in which it is valuable to have a better understanding of how to successfully leverage the benefits of diversity.

The Lincoln presidency. Antietam. The Emancipation Proclamation. Gettysburg. Draft Riots. Sherman s March. Appomattox. The Civil War was a pivotal turning point in American history and its legacies are still with us today.  From its antecedents in Antebellum America to its legacies in the Reconstruction era through today, this course will investigate the causes and consequences of the war. The course will cover the major battles and the military and political circumstances that led to the Union s victory and Confederacy s defeat. It also covers the social, cultural, and economic histories of the war and its impact on the people who lived through it on the battlefields and the home front.  NOTE: This course replaces HIS 334 Civil War. Credit in only one of these courses may be applied toward graduation.

Known colloquially as the Great War and the War to End All Wars, World War I was a watershed event in twentieth-century global history. Borne out of imperial rivalries and complex European alliances, the war erupted suddenly in 1914 and ended more than four years later, at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. In the years between, the Allied and Central Powers engaged in a horrific and devastating Total War, drafting unprecedentedly large armies and transforming their economies to support the war effort, yet producing little more than stalemate and death on much of the Western Front. The Great War changed how wars were fought and introduced new technology to the battlefield. Students in this course will examine the origins and consequences of the war, the major strategic decisions, as well as the intertwining history on the home front of the combatant nations. Students will engage with the historical material through innovative games and simulations, designed to allow students to experience the major decision points and strategy during World War I as if they were really there. Along with the simulations, students will read primary source accounts of the war to understand the war s significance, its toll on the Lost Generation, and its ramifications more than one hundred years later. Note: This course includes gaming technology that requires students to have a web browser that meets the minimum Excelsior University requirements.

This course will assist students to develop a greater understanding of addictions. Using an eco-systems approach, the addictive process and recovery will be studied, including the reciprocal interaction between addicted individuals and their various social systems. Students will examine substance abuse and behavioral compulsions. There will be a focus on addiction in various populations as well as the business of drugs and prevention. Attention will be given to the biological and genetic factors in the etiology of addiction, family issues, and community responses. The consequences of addictions will be studied at the individual, family, and community levels. This course draws on current research in the field of addictions, and emphasizes critical analysis of contemporary controversies. This course builds on the foundations of health and human services knowledge and skills to help students better understand this complex problem affecting American society.

Free elective credit may be earned in any field of collegiate study. Please contact your academic advisor to discuss course options.

Ever wonder how Steve Jobs created such amazing products or Sarah Lewis used failure for creative success?   Given the rapid changes in today s economy and workplace, creativity and innovation continue to be important skills that support career growth. Because employers continuously rate the ability to solve problems as an essential skill, this course is designed to introduce and strengthen a student s ability to move through logical problem-solving processes in order to creatively find solutions to problems that are personally or professionally relevant to them. Neuroscience research affirms that we all possess the same mental capacities as people with highly inventive minds, so students will study innovators and global thinkers who will show them the crucial techniques to increase their competency, sharpen their skills, and develop their innovative mindset.

This course provides an overview of historical perspectives and theoretical developments that have contributed to the modern discipline of psychology throughout the world. In addition, students will study the terminology, theoretical systems and theorists. Major perspectives will be discussed, including Gestalt psychology, structuralism, behaviorism, psychoanalysis, and cognitive psychology. Students also study psychology of social change and the development of modern psychological branches and applications. The concepts learned in this course are particularly relevant for learners making connections across different fields and disciplines in psychology.

This course provides an introduction to the genre of rock and roll, its form and derivations, and rock and roll artists and bands spanning the years 1955 to 1970. Through reading and numerous listening examples, this course will look at the state of American popular music after World War II, the inception of rock and roll in the 1950s, the growth of youth culture in America, and the growing popularity of rock and roll through radio, film, and television.

This is a competency-based, senior level course designed for advanced students and working professionals who are seeking to complete their bachelor's degree in psychology.  Course content focuses on demonstrating the competencies associated with the psychology degree program student learning outcomes.  Through a mixture of discussions, reflective writing, and multimedia presentations, students apply knowledge, skills, and abilities to showcase their learning and interests.  This course requires students to research and connect psychological theory to real-world problems, as students think deeply about their academic and career goals.