First-Year Courses in Psychology (Division 455)

Winter Term, 2000 (September 8 - December 22, 1999)

The Department of Psychology offers three introductory courses: Psychology 111, Psychology 114 and Psychology 115. Any of the three courses meets the prerequisite requirement for the concentration and serves as a prerequisite for the area introductory courses. Psychology 114 and Psychology 115 are honors introductory courses open to honors students and others with permission of the instructor.

Department of Psychology disenrollment policy for Psychology 111, 330, 340, 350, 360, 370, 380, and 390. Students must attend discussion section by January 15 or contact the GSI, or they may be disenrolled from the course.

Credits: (1-2).

Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($15) required.

Course Homepage: http://www.umich.edu/~psycours/211/

Project Outreach enables students to do field work in local community settings. The purpose is to gain an understanding of yourself, the agency in which you will work, the people whom you will serve, the psychological concepts observed in action, and to provide a genuine community service. Outreach includes approximately 45 agencies in which you can provide direct service to children in day care settings, adolescents in after-school programs, handicapped children and adults, women, physically ill adults and children, persons legally confined to criminal institutions, and others. All sections are two credits, requiring six hours of work per week including four hours of fieldwork; journal writing, readings, papers; one hour lecture and one hour discussion. Students need to check the Time Schedule for lecture/discussion times and meeting places per section. Students are invited to stop by the Undergraduate Office at 1044 East Hall beginning November 15, 1999 to pick up an Outreach Booklet and receive information regarding registration, field work, and general course information for the Winter Term 2000. Two separate sections of Outreach count as an experiential lab for the Psychology concentration; they do not count as a lab for the Biopsychology and Cognitive Sciences concentration.

Section 002 – Big Sibs: Community and Opportunity. (2 credits).

Credits: (1-2).

Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($15) required.

Course Homepage: http://www.umich.edu/~psycours/211/

Through the Big Sibs program you will become involved in a one-on-one friendship with a child in the community age four through fifteen years. You will develop a meaningful individual relationship with a child in need of a role model, mentor, and companion. The program enables you to become involved in the larger Ann Arbor community as you and your little sib participate in free or low cost, educational and fun activities. The corresponding lecture series addresses various issues that impact childhood, including poverty, racism, and divorce.

Section 003 – Juvenile Delinquency & Criminal Justice. (2 credits).

Credits: (1-2).

Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($15) required.

Course Homepage: http://www.umich.edu/~psycours/211/

The Juvenile Delinquency and Criminal Justice section of Project Outreach is designed to provide students with experience in and knowledge of the criminal justice system. The course consists of a field placement, a lecture series, and group discussions. The field placements match students with juveniles or adults in a number of placement settings in the criminal justice system. These include Maxey Boys Training School, Arbor Heights, Boysville, the Forensics Center, Adrian Training School, and COPE Alternative. The lecture series is intended to expose students to issues relevant to juvenile delinquency and criminality such as the influences of sexism and racism in the criminal justice system, the antecedents of delinquent and criminal behavior, the effects of child abuse, the intersection of substance abuse and mental illness with criminality, and the treatment programs available in institutions. It is our hope that you will not only learn about the system but have the opportunity to reach out to juveniles and adult criminals and have a positive impact on their lives.

Section 004 – Working With School-Age Children and Teens. (2 credits).

Credits: (1-2).

Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($15) required.

Course Homepage: http://www.umich.edu/~psycours/211/

Establish meaningful friendships with and serve as positive role models for teenagers or adults whose behavior is in conflict with the rules and laws of our society. Work in group settings at correctional facilities or individually where juvenile delinquents or adults live or go to school. Help plan and carry out activities that will foster individuals' self-esteem and permit them to recognize and develop their skills and strengths. Learn about juvenile delinquency, criminality, the criminal justice system, gang behavior, institutionalization, and rehabilitation.

Students will work at a placement with elementary, middle school, or high school students. The individuals with whom you work will come from a variety of backgrounds – are considered "at risk" due to such factors as living in single-parent or low-income households, or experiencing special educational or emotional needs. Lectures and discussion will address contemporary issues which impact children and their development in our culture. Students also learn about the wide range of career opportunities for working with youth.

Section 005 – Health, Illness and Society. (2 credits).

Credits: (1-2).

Lab Fee: Laboratory fee ($15) required.

Course Homepage: http://www.umich.edu/~psycours/211/

Help patients and families in medical and other health care settings by offering empathy, emotional and practical support in waiting rooms, at bedside, in community health clinics and in other settings. Provide supervised occupational, physical, rehabilitative, educational, and recreational therapy and support for people with special physical or health needs: senior citizens; children who are physically impaired; people who are HIV positive; and people with chemical dependency problems, or work with groups trying to prevent particular health problems, to promote health education, or those that are advocating for improved health services. Learn about health care, health promotion, and how people cope with stress.

This course will have two major components: classroom and fieldwork. These components will interface so that the student has an opportunity to do direct work with patients, family/friends, and staff in a medical setting or with groups working on issues in the health field and then consider the experience within the framework of a series of lectures which will be presented in class. Class time will be divided between a Presentation Series including lectures, films, guest presentations, and small discussion groups with students. Important Note: For this section, students are required to complete four hours weekly of volunteer placement for a total of 40 hours minimum during the academic term.

For those students intending to volunteer at University of Michigan Medical Center: Hospital placements can only be started when a student has been through all the orientation and processing steps required by the University Hospitals. Explanation of these requirements will be given on the first day of class. At this meeting the Coordinator of Volunteer Resources at the University of Michigan Hospitals will give you the information you need to begin the process of becoming a hospital volunteer. After this meeting you will be able to sign up for an interview at one of the placements. DO NOT MISS THE FIRST CLASS! Students interested in Adult Services may call 936-4327 to schedule an interview as soon as they have registered for the term and been accepted into the class. Check the on-line version of the Time Schedule to learn where this first meeting will be held. Also, be prepared to attend a mandatory general orientation meeting at the University Hospital the second or third week of classes. Details of these meetings will be given on the first night of class. The other placements provide their own orientation at times to be arranged. You are encouraged to contact these placements to arrange to find out more about them or to volunteer.