I have interrupted my study session for the psychology midterm I have on Monday to write a post declaring how much I love learning about psychology. Maybe I’m procrastinating, but part of me really was so excited about what I was reading in my textbook that I just had to tell someone about how great my classes are. There’s one class in particular that I can’t get enough of: Psych 100B.
Have you ever wondered why certain music evokes fear? I learned the answer in Psych 100B. Have you ever tried to convince your parents that punishment is bad, and that they should reward you for good behavior instead? You’d have more fodder for your argument if you were to take Psych 100B. There’s a reason psychology is one of the more popular majors in universities: the subject matter is just plain awesome!
Not only is the subject fascinating, but I also have great professors. Introduction to Psychology is taught in three units, with a different professor in charge of each unit. Professor Sommers taught Unit 1, which was about:
-the science and history of psychology
-research methodology
-biology and behavior
-sensation and perception
Professor Duchek is in charge of Unit 2, which encompasses:
-learning
-attention and memory
-thinking and intelligence
-human development
-emotion and motivation
Each of these professors has his or her own traits and teaching style that makes class enjoyable. Since this is one of the bigger classes (each lecture session has about 200-250 students), the professor won’t notice if you don’t show up to class. But I can tell you, this is one class you won’t want to skip.
Our next unit will be taught by Professor Carpenter. The material will cover:
-health and well-being
-social psychology
-personality
-psychological disorders
-treatment of psychological disorders.
Chances are that at least one, but probably more, of the sub-units I mentioned above interests you. But it’s not just the lectures-even the textbook, Psychological Science, 4th edition, is interesting. It’s so up-to-date that I often find myself reading about things that directly apply to me, like Facebook and Justin Bieber concerts (JB doesn’t directly apply to me, but it’s still a modern reference that you don’t expect to see in a textbook). This is the passage I came upon, for example, as I read about reinforcement of good behavior:
Suppose that if you work out at the gym three times this week, you treat yourself by watching the new Episode of Glee. If you’re a Gleek, it might be hard to resist streaming the newest episode (perhaps as you lounge on the couch instead of heading to the gym).
Examples like this keep the reading assignments from being stale and boring. When information is interesting, it is easier to retain.
I definitely recommend this class to anyone who is wondering what classes to take at WashU. While there is probably more that I could say about Intro to Psych, I should probably get back to studying. In the meantime, go and do some push-ups. Then reward yourself with an episode of Glee.
Have any questions about Psych 100B? Ask me below in the comments!
