THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT ASHEVILLE

FACULTY SENATE

Senate Document Number 4710S

Date of Senate Approval 04/08/10

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Statement of Faculty Senate Action:

APC Document 33: Delete PSYC 101 and 102, replacing with PSYC 100;

Change to major requirements in PSYC

Effective Date: Fall 2010

1. Delete: On page 246, the entries for PSYC 101 and 102:

101 General Psychology: Brain and Behavioral Processes (3)

An overview of foundations and core concepts in psychology, emphasizing the basic behavioral and mental processes. Topics include biological influences on behavior, sensation, perception, consciousness, learning, memory, cognition, development, the history of psychology and research methodology. Fall and Spring.

102 General Psychology: Personality and Social Processes (3)

An overview of foundations and core concepts in psychology, emphasizing behavioral and mental processes, and the application of psychological principles. Topics include motivation, emotion, psychological testing, personality, psychopathology, psychotherapy, social psychology, the history of psychology

and research methodology. Fall and Spring.

Add: On page 246, in place of deleted entry:

100 Introductory Psychology (3)

An overview of scientific foundations and core concepts in psychology with emphasis on basic and applied research across major fields in the discipline. Topics include brain and behavioral processes, personality and social processes, and research methodology. Fall and Spring.

Impact:

The Psychology Department currently offers an approximate total of 9-10 sections of PSYC

101 and 102 per year, and we anticipate that we will need to offer slightly fewer sections of PSYC 100. Transfer students usually enter the major having completed an introductory psychology course elsewhere and are automatically given credit for PSYC 102. Many transfer students have taken additional PSYC courses elsewhere, and we typically allow one of those courses to substitute for PSYC 101. But for transfer students who are now required to complete PSYC 101, the combining of PSYC 101 and 102 will eliminate the need for these students to take any introductory PSYC course here. All PSYC majors will now be required to take only PSYC 100, reducing credit hours in the major by three. This change will concurrently reduce the number of prerequisites required by some of our advanced electives, allowing our majors to move into our advanced curriculum more quickly. All PSYC faculty are able to teach either PSYC 101 or 102, so there should be minimal impact on staffing patterns. Finally, two clusters currently have PSYC 101 as an option for the ILS social science requirement, and one cluster has PSYC 102. The new course should substitute adequately within all clusters. Re-combining PSYC 101 and 102 will allow us to reduce staffing needs at the introductory level, thereby allowing faculty to teach upper-level courses more frequently and with greater variety. It will also greatly simplify the transfer equivalency and advising process.

Rationale:

The Psychology Department began teaching introductory PSYC in a two-course, full-year

format in 1994, with the goal of improving long-term retention of the subject matter for majors. To date we have little-to-no evidence that teaching the introductory course over two semesters accomplishes that goal.

2. Delete: On page 245, the entry under Major in Psychology:

I. Required courses in the major-- 34-35 hours, including PSYC 101, 102, 201, 202; two courses from PSYC 200, 216, 225; either PSYC 317 or 332; either PSYC 390 or 412; plus 9 additional hours in PSYC at the 300-400 level.

Add: On page 245, in place of deleted entry:

I. Required courses in the major-- 31-32 hours, including PSYC 100, 201, 202; two courses from PSYC 200, 216, 225; either PSYC 317 or 332; either PSYC 390 or 412; plus 9 additional hours in PSYC at the 300-400 level.

Impact:

Students will now take one less course. The major is reduced by 3 hours.

Rationale:

Editorial resulting from changes in the Psychology curriculum.