Undergraduate Courses Taught
(Course numbers have varied across institutions. Minor changes to syllabi have been made for digital accessibility.)
Psychology Courses
Psychology
- PSY 101/105/1110 – Introduction to Psychology (2019 syllabus): This course is an introduction to the scientific study of human behavior and mental processes. It prepares students for pursuing more advanced coursework in psychology and provides a basic understanding of psychology for those entering other fields. The course introduces the problems, methods, and findings of modern psychology. Students are exposed to the breadth of topics studied by psychologists, with an emphasis on major research findings and applications to personal and professional situations.
- PSY 205 – Career Seminar (2018 syllabus): This required, 1-credit course for sophomore psychology majors explores the various sub-fields of psychology to help students identify career paths at the bachelor’s and graduate level. Course activities include informational interviews, resume creation, professional networking, and mock interviews with Career Services.
- PSY 475 – Field Study/Internship in Psychology (2019 syllabus): This course consists of students spending time in an applied psychological setting to get a sense of how psychological principles are used in a variety of ways to help individuals and society. Class sessions involve group processing of experiences and professional development exercises. The course is for variable credits, with time at site determining number of credits (40 hours per semester per credit).
Research
- PSY 201 – Research Methods (2016 syllabus): The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of research methods and presentation of results used in the field of psychology. Students gain first-hand experience conducting research by developing research questions, designing a study, securing IRB approval, collecting data, analyzing results, writing a research report, and presenting their results to their classmates. The course focuses on issues such as searching for empirical literature, critiquing published research, principals of measurement, ethical research, and improving academic writing skills. Students are taught APA Style guidelines and are often invited to submit their finished projects to regional psychology conferences.
- EPSY 3264 – Basic and Applied Statistics (2010 syllabus): This course is an introduction to statistical literacy designed for non-majors. The course emphasizes the rationale for conducting statistical analyses and how to interpret the results rather than the calculations themselves. Primary topics are sampling methods, experimental design, data exploration, data modeling and simulation, normal distributions, sampling distributions, methods of statistical inference, and correlation.
- PSY 370 – Research in Clinical Psychology (2018 syllabus): This upper-level seminar focuses on research rigor in clinical and counseling psychology. Students engage with the research process by both conducting and critiquing research studies. Students propose and execute a small scale research project related to a mental health project of their choosing. Students also facilitate discussions about the quality of evidence around controversial topics in mental health (e.g., dissociative identity disorder, herbal treatments for depression).
- PSY 485 – Advanced Psychological Research (2019 syllabus): In this course, students refine a research proposal completed for a previous class, get IRB approval for their study, gather and analyze their data, and prepare an APA-style manuscript. Students present their research in the form of a research talk, as well as a poster session open to the public. Over the course of the semester, students refine their data analysis skills with practice labs and gain exposure to advanced methods such as factor analysis and structural equation modeling.
Clinical/Counseling
- PSY 221/250/281/320 – Psychopathology (2019 syllabus): The focus of the class is learning diagnostic criteria for use in psychology and related helping fields. The course starts by considering the possible definitions of “abnormal” and tracing historical ways of thinking about mental illness, up to and including our present standards as defined in The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (also known as the DSM). The majority of the course focuses on covering the spectrum of diagnoses in the DSM, including criteria, prevalence, cultural and special population considerations, and how disorders are portrayed in the media. Students also apply their new skills to real case studies via diagnostic labs.
- PSY 250/282 – Psychotherapy & Assessment (2016 syllabus): This course guides students through the clinical responsibilities of mental health practitioners. The major focus of this course is the varied models (e.g., humanistic, psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral) and modalities (e.g., individual, group, couples) of psychotherapy. The secondary focus is the clinical assessment methods clinicians use to diagnose, treat, and track outcomes in their clients (e.g., MMPI, projective tests, Beck Depression Inventory). Students compose a treatment plan, critically assess the strengths and limitations of various therapies, and obtain valuable insight into the primary roles of applied work in mental health.
- PSY 350 – Foundations of Clinical Practice (2017 syllabus): This course provides an introduction to the foundational skills needed for a career as a mental health service provider. Familiarity with these skills will help you determine if this a career path for you, and be of service in a number of other human service professions (e.g., medicine, teaching, case management). The first segment of the course focuses on therapeutic microskills, the basic skills of interacting with clients. This section of the course includes skill development via simulated counseling session role plays. The second segment of the course focuses on specific skills used by mental health practitioners to promote stress and anxiety management, healthy relationships, and overall wellness. The final segment of the class focuses on broader issues such as ethical practice and counselor self-care.
- PSY 415 – Dynamics of the Counseling Relationship (2014 syllabus): This capstone seminar explores the delivery of mental health services with an emphasis on the relationship between therapists and their clients. Research on psychotherapy processes and outcomes has repeatedly shown the relationship between therapist and client to be the strongest predictor of therapeutic success. The courses focuses first on therapeutic microskills, then the professional development of therapists, followed by the therapeutic relationship itself, and finally controversial issues in the field.
- PSY 450/455 – Clinical Practicum (2019 syllabus): The course is a blend of practical experience in a clinical setting and rigorous evaluation of the state of empirical research in clinical psychology. Students spend 5 hours per week at a clinical site observing how professional mental health services are delivered, and one class session per week is dedicated to group supervision of those experiences. The other class session per week explores empirical evidence of effectiveness for clinical interventions and processes.
Genetics, Cell Biology and Development Courses
- GCD 3035 – Culture, Identity, & Precision Medicine (2025 syllabus): This course explores how healthcare providers can work effectively across areas of cultural difference with their patients. Precision medicine is the practice of using genomic information to predict risk, inform diagnosis, and plan treatment for medical issues ranging from diabetes to cancer to mental health conditions. Examples of the intersections of culture and precision medicine include assessing the research on which the recommendations are based for minority representation, incorporating religious beliefs and traditions into treatment or prevention recommendations, and identifying systemic barriers to access for underrepresented communities. Students will cultivate a better understanding of their own intersectional identity, build language to effectively address cultural differences in healthcare interactions, and identify key variables involved in the provision of culturally engaged care in precision medicine.
JanTerm Courses
- PSY 100A – Cinematic Depictions of Mental Health (2015 syllabus): Mental illness is a topic which has been shrouded with secrecy, stigma, and fear for much of human existence. This is changing slowly, as American culture is becoming more accepting of mental health issues and more people are willing to share their struggles openly. Hollywood has a long history of including prominent characters with mental illness, but with varying levels of accuracy. This course explores a broad range of examples of mental illness in movies while guiding students toward critical evaluation of the portrayal of affected characters and the impact of these portrayals on those with mental illness, those who treat mental illness, and society at large. The central question of this course is “Do movies promote awareness of mental health issues or propagate stereotypes?”
- PSY 100A – Eastern vs. Western Approaches to Mental Health (2017 syllabus): Japan is the setting for this exploration of the interplay between traditional Asian approaches to health and Westernized medicine. Japan poses an excellent case study for this investigation, as it has a rich history and has been rapidly Westernized. In terms of mental health care, Japan is in the process of reforming its systems and approach to treatment to face an overcrowded institutionalized population; a dilemma the US faced in the past. How did the US navigate this issue? What can Japan and other countries learn from American successes and failures? How does Japan balance traditional beliefs and healthcare practices with modern medical advances? We will seek to answer these questions during our 17-day travel course in Japan.
First Year Seminar
- CI 100F – Who or What is Normal, and Why Should I Care? (2015 syllabus): C/I is an unique course which serves to orient students to both academics and life at Austin College. The academic orientation is through the exploration of what it means to be “normal.” “Normal” is a deceptively complex term. It has a simple definition according to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary: “usual or ordinary; not strange” and most of us would say we can identify what’s normal fairly easily. It turns out, however, “normal” is incredibly difficult to understand when it comes to human behavior. Philosophers, statisticians, physicians, psychologists, and many others have struggled to determine just what is “normal” for our species. While this may seem a trivial issue, the definition of normality impacts who is prescribed medication, who gets accommodations in school, governmental regulation, public health programming, legal cases, social acceptance, and many other areas. Throughout this course we examine the many ways to approach the definition of “normal,” from empirical research to moral arguments to “knowing it when we see it,” using the controversy surrounding the release of the 5th edition of the Diagnostic & Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (or DSM-5) in 2013 as the backdrop. The orientation to life at Austin College is conducted through several series of activities and assignments which go on throughout the course. We visit a variety of important offices on campus through our Campus Resources series so students know what resources are available and how to make use of them. Students have campus participation assignments which help push them out of their comfort zone and explore the variety of opportunities Austin College has to offer. Another part of life at Austin College is adjusting to the academic expectations of the faculty. To this end, we have a series of classes on Monday nights called Toolkit for Success, where we cover research-based strategies for taking better notes, studying effectively for exams, and writing well-structured papers.
Graduate Courses Taught
- GCD 8916 – Research Seminar (most recent syllabus): This course is designed to develop student knowledge and skills needed for addressing researchable questions encountered in genetic counseling. Students will learn about the research process, how to critically analyze genetic counseling research, and how to communicate research findings to a variety of audiences through an in-class mock study and application of lessons to their own thesis work.
- GCD 8921 – Professional Development Seminar I: This seminar focuses on a variety of professional development topics. The same course number is used for each semester of the first year, but the content focus is scheduled to align with critical moments in the curriculum.
- Fall semester (2025 syllabus): Course content focuses on the impact of identity on the professional life of genetic counselors. After introducing the importance of metacognition and self-care to success in graduate school and the profession, the major topics of the course will be exploration of personal intersectional identity, understanding the lenses by which we view the world, tools for navigating cultural differences, and assessing systemic barriers to inclusion in healthcare.
- Spring semester (most recent syllabus): Course content focuses on preparation for clinical placements. Major topics will include interprofessional collaboration, variations to traditional operating procedures (e.g., telemedicine, working with interpreters, industry careers), utilizing clinical supervision, and cultivation of reflective practice. Students will also continue to explore cultural competence with an immersive project.
- GCD 8922 – Professional Development Seminar II: This seminar focuses on a variety of professional development topics. The same course number is used for each semester of the first year, but the content focus is scheduled to align with critical moments in the curriculum.
- Fall semester (most recent syllabus): Course content focuses on development of skills and materials to help secure initial job placement, including professional networking, job search strategies, preparing application materials (e.g., resume/CV, cover letters), interviewing, and financial planning. We will also explore individual leadership styles, professional leadership roles, innovation-thinking, and revisit self-care to incorporate the pressures of clinical practice and initial career decisions.
- Spring semester (2026 syllabus): Course content focuses on preparation for Board exams and thinking about professional longevity. Board exam preparation will include test-taking and studying strategies as well as a practice exam. Professional longevity content will explore sources of burnout and career satisfaction, ways to diversify job responsibilities (e.g., teaching, research, supervision, public outreach), and work-life balance.