THE
FACULTY SENATE
Senate
Document Number 6809S
Date
of Senate Approval 04/09/09
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Statement
of Faculty Senate Action:
APC Document 53: Delete PSYC 215,
320 and 325;
Replace
above courses with PSYC 216, 321 and 322
Effective Date: Fall 2009
1. Delete:
On
page 243, the entry for PSYC 215:
215 Mind and
Brain (3)
Coverage of current
concepts, theory and research on the nature of mind
and brain with emphasis
on recent developments in cognitive and brain
sciences as they relate
to perception, consciousness, memory and decision
making. Prerequisite:
PSYC 101. Fall or Spring.
Add: On page 243, in place of deleted entry:
216 Fundamentals
of Neuroscience (3)
An introduction to psychological neuroscience. Topics
include research methods, basic anatomy and physiology of mammalian nervous systems,
mechanisms of neuronal development and integration, vision and other senses,
sensory-motor control, basic drives and behavioral systems. No credit given to
students who have credit for PSYC 215. Prerequisite: PSYC 101. Offered every
year.
Impact:
The
same faculty who teach PSYC 215 will continue to staff the new course, which
will be a prerequisite for two other new courses, PSYC 321 and 322. PSYC 216
will be taught every year as part of our 200-level “core” course menu, required
of all majors. We do not anticipate any difficulties staffing this course, and
this change does not impact hours required for our major, minor, or any other
university requirement.
Rationale:
PSYC
215 evolved during our last curriculum revision in 1994; hence the content of
this course must be updated to better represent contemporary knowledge in a
rapidly changing field. The new course content will be standardized by faculty
with expertise in neuroscience who have primary responsibility for teaching
this course and establishing it as a prerequisite for upper-level neuroscience
electives. The new course description allows for the development of a
standardized skill set that is necessary if students are going to be successful
in PSYC 321 and/or 322.
2. Delete:
On
page 245, the entry for PSYC 320:
320 Biopsychology (3)
The relationship between brain and behavior: current
theories of brain function in the context of perception, memory, emotion and
drive. Prerequisite: PSYC 101. Previous introductory biology is helpful, but
not required. Fall or Spring.
Add: On page 245, in place of deleted entry:
321 Advanced Neuroscience (3)
An evaluation of theories of brain function using
current physiological evidence and computational models. Topics include the
central and peripheral nervous systems, neuronal functioning, biological and
computational models of perception, movement, and cortical organization;
higher-level functions, biological bases of mental disorders, neuroscience
research methods, and computer simulations of biological phenomena. No credit
given to students who have credit for PSYC 320. Prerequisite: PSYC 216, or
permission of instructor. Offered every year.
Impact:
This
change in course content will not significantly alter our teaching pattern for this
particular course, and we are adequately staffed to teach it. A moderate
increase in enrollment is expected for two reasons: a) interest in neuroscience
has increased significantly over the past decade, and b) the Psychology
Department now has two faculty members with expertise in neuroscience. This
change has no impact on hours required for the major or the minor.
PSYC
320 is currently a requirement for completion of the Health and Wellness major;
hence, the Chair of HWP was consulted about this proposal. The Health and
Wellness department is submitting an APC proposal, contemporaneous to this one,
which states that HWP majors are no longer required to take PSYC 215 or 320,
effective in the Fall of 2009. The Department of HWP may decide to add a required
PSYC course for their majors in the near future, and the Psychology Department
stands ready to assist them.
Rationale:
The
content of the course has not been updated since our last curriculum revision
in 1994. It needs to better reflect both contemporary knowledge in this field,
and the particular expertise of the faculty in our department who currently
share primary teaching responsibility for this course. Our faculty has
repeatedly observed that students who enroll in this course without first having
completed PSYC 215 (216) are seriously disadvantaged; therefore, PSYC 216 will
be a prerequisite to ensure that all students who enroll in PSYC 321 have
exposure to the fundamental content before enrolling in the course with more
advanced content. Because this course may also attract non-psychology majors
(e.g., students who take courses in the neuroscience minor) who are adequately
prepared for the content, the faculty wish to retain the ability to permit
enrollment in this course at their discretion.
3. Delete:
On
page 245, the entry for PSYC 325:
325 Perception
(3)
The study of human perception, with special emphasis
on vision and audition. Prerequisite:
PSYC 101. Fall or Spring.
Add: On page 245, in place of deleted entry:
322 Sensation and Perception (3)
A comparative study of sensory systems and perception
in humans and other organisms. Topics
include computational and biological models of vision, audition, and chemo- and
mechanoreception. No credit given to students who
have credit for PSYC 325. Prerequisite: PSYC 216, or permission of instructor.
Offered every year.
Impact:
This
change in course content will not significantly alter our teaching pattern for
this particular course, and we are adequately staffed to teach it. A moderate
increase in enrollment is expected for two reasons: a) interest in neuroscience
has increased significantly over the past decade, and b) the Psychology
Department now has two faculty members with expertise in neuroscience. This
change has no impact on hours required for the major or the minor.
PSYC
325 is currently an ILSS course in Cluster 4 (Perception: Senses, Self, and
Society), and the change in a single prerequisite may impact the small number
of students who select this course to complete Cluster 4. Dr. Mike Ruiz, the
Coordinator for Cluster 4, has been informed of this change and indicated a
minimal impact. In addition, there are 7 other ILSS courses that students in
Cluster 4 could elect to complete, including PSYC 101 and 102, both of which
have no prerequisites.
Rationale:
The
content of this course has not been revised since our last curriculum revision
in 1994. It needs to better reflect both contemporary knowledge in this field
and the particular expertise of faculty in the department who currently share
primary teaching responsibility for this course. The new course content will require and
assume completion of PSYC 215 (216) to ensure minimum levels of preparation.
Because this course may also attract non-psychology majors (e.g., students who
take courses in the neuroscience minor) who are adequately prepared for the
content, the faculty wish to retain the ability to permit enrollment in this
course at their discretion.