The Psychology Department serves students at Monroe Community College by offering courses that meet their program requirements, prepare them to seek higher degrees in Psychology, and satisfy their general interest in people. Psychology courses are taught by talented professors using a variety of challenging and engaging techniques.

Psychology has been defined as the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Psychologists study how people think, how emotions work, what goes on in the brain when we dream, how we learn, why we forget, how children are different from adults, how people interact in couples and groups, and many other aspects of the human existence.

Students can begin their study of Psychology at MCC by taking any one of four courses that have no prerequisites:

• PSY 100: The Psychology of Interpersonal Relationships. This course explores such issues as trust, conflict management, negotiation, and group processes. Grading is based both on knowledge of information, as demonstrated by test scores, and on class participation and activities.
  
  
• PSY 101: Introductory Psychology. This is a survey course designed to accomplish two goals: to expose interested students to the full range of inquiry in Psychology, and to serve as a basis for future study in Psychology. This course is required as a pre-requisite for all other courses in Psychology except the three listed here.
  
  
• PSY 110: Understanding Psychological Disorder. This course provides information about what psychological disorder is, how it is diagnosed, and the causes, treatments, and theories of disorder. It is not specifically for students who are planning careers as therapists, but for people with a general interest or those in careers that may bring them into contact with psychological disorder, such as teachers and police officers.
  
  
• PSY 120: Interpersonal Effectiveness in the Work Context. This course covers the same basic material as PSY 100 (described above) but focuses on the workplace. Among the topics addressed by this course are: managing workplace conflict; improving worker morale and productivity; management and communication styles; and negotiation techniques.

After taking Introductory Psychology, students can take any other course in the department. There are no fixed sequences that must be taken in order. You should select courses based on your personal interest, career plans, and transfer requirements.

If you are considering going on for further training and a career in the field of psychology, you should look into the advisement sequence in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (LA13). Talk this over with any psychology professor or the Counseling Center.