Psychology

Overview

Psychology concerns the study and understanding of thoughts, feelings, and behavior. The courses offered by the department are directed toward the study and appreciation of the complex factors that influence behavior and covert experience in people and other animals, using methodology designed to enhance objectivity and responsibility. Studying psychology has a twofold function: (1) to further the intellectual development of the student; (2) to enhance preparation in professions within and related to psychology, such as clinical practice, research, counseling, education, social work, medicine, law, and business.

Requirements

Major

The major consists of twelve 4-unit courses (48 units). Students may apply to the major and receive credit for upper-division coursework after having successfully completed Introduction to Psychology and Methods in Psychological Science. Majors select an academic advisor from among the department’s full-time faculty for consultation regarding their course programs. Though not strictly sequenced, the major is structured to provide both breadth and depth.

Departmental Core

Students must receive a grade of C- or better.

Fundamental Domain

Students must survey psychology’s diverse subdisciplines by taking at least six courses (24 units) listed within our four Domains: Biologically Based Analyses, Information Processing, Interpersonal and Intergroup, and Application-Oriented. Students must take at least one course in each of the four Domains to fulfill this requirement. Students must also complete two courses at the 400 level. At least one 400-level course must be within a Domain.

Biologically Based Analyses Domain

Information Processing Domain

Interpersonal and Intergroup Relations Domain

Application-Oriented Domain

Additional Electives

Choose three additional Psychology courses.

Honors in the Major

Honors in Psychology may be awarded to qualified students. Eligible students are those who have earned an overall college grade point average of 3.25 or better and a grade point average in Psychology of 3.5 or better, and completed an empirical project that demonstrates the student's psychological sophistication, intellectual creativity, and research skills, culminating in an APA-style manuscript. Only courses completed at Occidental are used to calculate grade point average. Consult the Psychology Department Moodle website for information pertaining to the honors proposal, thesis readers, enrollment expectations, and the evaluation process including critical dates.

Second-Stage Writing Proficiency

Students will satisfy the Second-Stage Writing Requirement by earning a Pass on the research paper assigned in PSYC 201: Statistics in Psychological Science, as determined by a departmental writing rubric. Students who do not meet this standard will revise their paper, subsequent to the course, until it does.

Comprehensive Requirement

Senior majors must take and pass a comprehensive examination early in the semester that precedes graduation (i.e., spring of senior year for most students).

Transfer Credit Policies

The department will apply toward the psychology major most broad-based courses in Introduction to Psychology taken at accredited colleges and universities.

A score of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) Psychology exam or a score of 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate (IB) Psychology exam is deemed equivalent to having taken PSYC 101. Students who have received such a score will be counted as meeting the PSYC 101 course prerequisite and the PSYC 101 degree requirement for the major.

In addition to Introductory Psychology, the department will accept a maximum of two psychology courses taken at other institutions and passed with grades of C or better toward the completion of the Psychology major. Please consult with your academic adviser and the department chair for course approval.

Students transferring from another institution in the junior year or students who have taken a leave of absence for more than 1 semester may transfer Introductory Psychology and up to four other psychology courses, with approval from the department chair.

Students should reference the Transfer Credit section of the Catalog for more details.

Advising Information

Students interested in the Psychology major are encouraged to start by taking PSYC 101 no later than the fall of their sophomore year. (See an important exception in the Placement Information below.) Once you decide to major, take PSYC 200: Methods in Psychological Science and PSYC 201: Statistics in Psychological Science soon after to gain the skills needed to absorb as much as possible from every course taken afterward.

Placement Information

No placement exams are specifically required for the Psychology major. Students with a 4 or 5 on the AP Psychology exam or a 6 or 7 on the IB Psychology exam are not eligible for Psych 101 and will typically start their studies with PSYC 200. 

Sample 4-Year Plan

Psychology Transfer Student Advice

Transfer Course Limit for Transfer Students: PSYC 101 + 4 additional courses

Designated Transfer Adviser

Expected preparation for transfer students wanting to major in Psychology:

• Transfer students intending to pursue Psychology should have already completed a course equivalent to PSYC 101: Introduction to Psychology or taken the AP Psychology exam and received a score of 4 or 5. 

• Transfer students should come in having met as many Core requirements as possible. Depending on how many psychology courses they still need to complete, they may not have room for many Core requirement courses while at Occidental.

General advice for transfer students wanting to major in Psychology:

• Students who transfer Statistics can complete the second-stage writing requirement (normally completed in PSYC 201: Statistics) with an APA-formatted paper written for another class.

What courses should a transfer student take during their first semester at Occidental?

• In their first semester, transfer students should enroll in PSYC 200: Methods in Psychological Science. If they have already completed an approved methods course, they should take PSYC 201: Statistics in Psychological Science. If they have taken both an approved methods course and an approved statistics course, they should consult with their adviser on the appropriate course(s) to take. 

Courses

Psychology Courses

Faculty

Tenure and Tenure Track 

Andrew Shtulman, chair; designated transfer adviser 

Professor

B.A., Princeton University; Ph.D., Harvard University

Nicolas P. Alt
Assistant Professor
B.A., Wesleyan University; M.A., The College of William & Mary; Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles

Jamie Amemiya

Patricia Cabral
Assistant Professor
B.A., M.A., California State University, Northridge; Ph.D. University of California, Irvine

Nicholas Grebe
Assistant Professor

Zachary Silver

Non-Tenure Track Faculty

Scott Blum

Visiting Assistant Professor

B.A., California State University, Los Angeles; Ph.D., University of California, Irvine

Bryon Cunningham

Visiting Assistant Professor

B.A., University of Georgia; M.A., Ph.D., Emory University; M.F.A., University of Southern California 

Andrew V. Frane

Visiting Assistant Professor

B.A., M.A., California State University, Los Angeles; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles 

Susan Geffen

Visiting Assistant Professor

B.S., University of Miami; M.A., Ph.D., University of Southern California

Shani Habibi