Psychology

This course provides an in-depth understanding of the social psychological aspects of intergroup relations, particularly between majority and minority ethnic groups, although some time is reserved for studying the relationships between religious groups. The literature focuses on theories and empirical research that deal with factors determining mutual perceptions of ethnic groups and the consequences of these perceptions. Ethnic groups define themselves as different from others in terms of real and imagined cultural and historical factors. At the same time real as well as imagined factors play a role in the nature and dynamics of ethnic relations. The course covers general psychological processes but also uses concrete examples of intergroup conflicts to facilitate the understanding of the theories. Literature about self-categorization processes, group belonging and identification, ethnic threat, stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination are required. The course considers the main theoretical explanations of negative reactions between ethnic groups and evaluates the empirical evidence. Next to searching for causes of prejudice in the characteristics and perceptions of individuals, the course also examines the role of the wider social context and its implications for social cohesion. Students must have completed a Social Psychology course and a Statistics course as prerequisites for this course.

This version of the Positive Psychology course includes an Independent Study Project (ISP) done under the direction of the instructor. The ISP is 10-12 pages and counts for 1/3 of the overall grade for the course. Positive psychology was introduced by Martin Seligman around 2000 and can be viewed as a supplementary approach to clinical psychology. The positive psychological movement formulated three aims: (1) to focus on well-being and happiness instead of abnormal behavior and psychopathology, (2) to be concerned with building positive qualities and strengths instead of repairing damage, and (3) to prevent future problems instead of correcting past and present problems. This course starts with a general introduction to the field of positive psychology. The main concepts are introduced and clarified, and an overview of the results of happiness studies is presented. In subsequent meetings, various topics are discussed in lectures and group discussions including mindfulness, positive emotions, resilience, self-determination theory, self-compassion, and research in the field. There is ample room to gain hands-on experience with positive psychological techniques ranging from simple journaling exercises to mindfulness meditation. The course provides participants with the tools to be able to evaluate and design research in the area of positive psychology, but also with the skills to apply some important intervention techniques. Final assessment is by means of an individual paper on a topic of choice within the field of positive psychology. The course includes a field trip.

This course introduces the main theories of career development and consulting and its research (e.g. job matching theory, career development and construction theory, social cognitive theory, theory of career decision-making, etc.), and cultivates professional skills (e.g. professional psychological evaluation, professional information resources, etc.).

This course introduces fundamental ideas and principles in the study of cognitive development and its neural basis. The course delves into the innate developmental origins of domain-specific cognitive abilities and examines how they change over the course of brain maturation, experience, individual differences, and neurological dysfunction.

This course offers a study of the psychological foundations of learning, motivation, and emotions. Topics covered: provoked behavior, habituation, and sensitization; classical conditioning; instrumental conditioning; stimulus control of behavior; motivation; emotion.