COURSES

Course: PSYC 305: Topics in Psychology | Behavioural Genetics
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS01
Instructor: Michele Moscicki

Have you ever wondered … Which has a greater influence on your traits and behaviour, your DNA or your environment? Are genes related to violent behaviour? Should behavioural genetic evidence be considered in criminal cases? How model organisms can be used to discover impressive findings relevant to humans? If so, this is the class for you! This course provides an introduction to the field of behavioural genetics, including an examination of the influence of genetic variation on human and animal behaviour, and an overview of basic principles of heredity, population and quantitative genetics with respect to behaviour. We will cover research methods used in the field of behavioural genetics and how these methods help us examine the influence of genes and the environment on outcomes related to behaviour, mental health and psychopathology.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in PSYC 104 and PSYC 105 and at least one 200-level PSYC course.

Permission Required: No

Course: PSYC 305: Topics in Psychology | Cross Cultural Psychology: Human Culture and the Secret of our Success
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS02
Instructor: Scott Semenyna

Humans exist (and thrive) in more ecologies than any other species. Understanding why and how humans accomplish this amazing feat requires us to look beyond WEIRD populations (those that are Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic). This class will introduce students to cultural psychology, the methodological approaches used by cross-cultural psychologists, and why human culture has led to our unique success. We will explore the way culture influences psychology and behaviour, affords opportunities for population change and innovation and even creates environmental conditions that influence our biology. With these tools, students will understand why cross-cultural perspectives are vital to psychological science and help explain numerous aspects of human personality, emotion, health, thinking, perception, attraction, relationships, morality and many other features of our species.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and PSYC 241.

Permission Required: No

Course: PSYC 305: Topics in Psychology | Laboratory in Social Psychology
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS03
Instructor: Dr. Craig Blatz

The focus of this course will be on correlational and experimental research designs, hypothesis generation, data analysis and interpretation, scientific report writing and scholarly communication. Students will gain hands-on experience in each of these areas through the in-depth study of select topics in social psychology.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C+ in PSYC 212 and PSYC 241 and department consent.

Permission Required: Yes. Please look for an email from artsandscience@macewan.ca with instructions on how to get a permission number.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Testosterone, Sex, and Society: Fiction, Fact, and Finding Truth
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS01
Instructor: Scott Semenyna

This course is intended as a broad introduction to the influence of biology and culture on sex differences in behavior, personality, cognition and sexual orientation. This seminar-style class will present opportunities to discuss contentious scientific findings regarding the impact of testosterone (T) on behaviour and the broader social context in which this science occurs. Emphasis will be placed on systematic research examining these questions, which may conflict with people’s everyday views and interpretations. The primary goal of this course is to enhance critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning in a seminar format. All students will be expected to participate in class discussions, take on the responsibility of presenting at least one of the assigned chapters or readings, and contribute positively to collegial discussion of the course material.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in PSYC 212 and at least six credits of 300- or 400- level PSYC courses.

Permission Required: Yes. Please look for an email from artsandscience@macewan.ca with instructions on how to get a permission number.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Psychology of Mortality
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS02
Instructor: Nicholas Jacobs

Death is an ungraspable phenomenon that will reach us all, and as such, this course is intended to explore the existential mystery that is our end. While we may go to great lengths to avoid confrontations with death, it remains a fundamental aspect of existence warranting thoughtful and careful consideration. Engaging at the intersection of psychology and philosophy, this course examines how mortality—the awareness of our death—impacts and informs our experience of life. Mortality is explored through a variety of perspectives, including philosophy, social psychology, depth psychology, and transpersonal and spiritual perspectives.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212, PSYC 233 and PSYC 241 and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Please look for an email from artsandscience@macewan.ca with instructions on how to get a permission number.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Introduction to Paraphilias: The Psychology of Atypical Attractions
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS04
Instructor: Carissa Augustyn

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of various atypical sexual attractions known as “paraphilias.” Examples of paraphilias include sexual attractions to children (pedophilia/hebephilia), animals (zoophilia) and inanimate objects or non-sexual body parts (fetishism). This senior-level seminar will invite students to think critically about various theoretical and applied issues related to paraphilias including distinguishing between sexuality that is “atypical” versus “disordered,” ethical considerations for labelling someone as having a paraphilic disorder, and the intersection between paraphilias and the law (i.e., sexual offending). Students will be expected to read assigned readings (journal articles and other relevant readings) and actively participate in class activities. Students will be evaluated on class presentations, written assignments and participation in discussions. (Please note: this course may include discussion of potentially upsetting topics such as sexual assault and child sexual abuse).

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and PSYC 339 and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Please look for an email from artsandscience@macewan.ca with instructions on how to get a permission number.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Anxiety Disorder Mechanisms
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS05
Instructor: Alex Penney

This course is an in-depth exploration of selected dysfunctional beliefs that are proposed to cause and maintain anxiety-related disorders. These mechanisms of change will include beliefs such as intolerance of uncertainty, metacognitive beliefs, anxiety sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, inflated sense of responsibility, and so on. Students will also be introduced to how these mechanisms are measured and cognitive-behavioural treatment techniques used to decrease each belief. Students will be expected to attend all classes and read relevant research articles as assigned. Students will also work in groups to teach their classmates about a selected mechanism, acquire the questionnaire(s) used to measure the mechanism and demonstrate the application of therapeutic techniques for the belief. Additional topics to be covered include transdiagnostic treatment models and transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural treatment techniques.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C in PSYC 339 and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Introduction to Counselling
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS06
Instructor: Kirsten Klingle

Are you interested in learning more about the practice of counselling psychology and how to promote positive mental health and well-being among others, including individuals, families and groups? Do you dream of one day working with people in a helping capacity? If you answered "yes" to the above, this course was designed for you! Introduction to Counselling Psychology will teach you about the history, theory, practice, research, as well as areas of specialization within the field of counselling psychology. This senior-level seminar will offer didactic learning experiences and will invite you to think critically about the material, all the while enhancing personal reflexivity. Students will be asked to actively participate in discussions of the course text and other materials and will be assessed on several assignments, all of which are aimed at deepening your understanding and igniting your passion for psychology (warning: enthusiasm for psychology may increase as a result of taking this course).

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and at least six credits of 300- or 400-level PSYC courses and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Depth Psychology
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS07
Instructor: Sean Rogers

Are you interested in learning more about approaches to counselling that focus on unconscious psychological processes and developing personal insight? This senior seminar course will examine theories of personality development and change through the lenses of insight and depth psychology. Students will develop an understanding of and greater appreciation for the modern insight-based approaches to therapy from the psychoanalytic, psychodynamic and humanistic approaches. Concepts will include personality development, unconscious processes, insight, depth in therapy, and the applications of these concepts in psychological growth and change. Students will explore these topics through lectures, journal articles and other relevant readings. They will be evaluated on class presentations, papers and participation in discussions.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and PSYC 233 and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes

Course: PSYC 437: Topics in Forensic Psychology | Wrongful Convictions in Canada: Psycholegal Perspectives
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS01
Instructor: Kristine Peace

This seminar course will focus on examining the causal factors associated with wrongful convictions with an emphasis on psycholegal analysis of Canadian cases. We will review the impact of factors such as eyewitness identification errors, false confessions and guilty pleas, Mr. Big stings and jailhouse informants, tunnel vision, discrimination, forensic science errors, prosecutorial bias and professional misconduct, and cognitive biases. These will be applied to representative Canadian cases such as Steven Truscott, Donald Marshall Jr., Thomas Sophonow, and Guy Paul Morin. The format of the class is a senior seminar. Research readings will be assigned throughout the term. Students will be expected to actively participate in class activities such as group work and discussions, social annotation, reflections, presentations, feedback and/or an empirically based project.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and PSYC 337.

Permission Required: No

Course: PSYC 449: Topics in Social Psychology | Scientific Skepticism: Separating Sense from Nonsense
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS01
Instructor: Rodney Schmaltz

This course is designed to provide students with the skills needed to scientifically evaluate fringe science, the paranormal and otherwise unorthodox claims about human behaviour. Examples of pseudoscience and questionable science will be drawn from traditional areas of psychology as well as popular culture and the media.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and PSYC 241.

Permission Required: No

Course: PSYC 467: Special Topics in Perception | The Cognitive Neuroscience of Eye Gaze Perception
Term: Winter 2025
Section: AS01
Instructor: Michelle Jarick

Eye gaze is one of the richest forms of human communication. This course examines our perception of eye gaze and its effects on various aspects of social behaviours, cognitive processing and brain activity. This topic will be discussed using a combination of experimental methods, including behavioural/perceptual approaches and neuroimaging techniques. To facilitate this, students will be assigned readings that focus on eye gaze perception from a cognitive neuroscience perspective, conduct oral presentations on a topic of interest and have the opportunity to participate in eye gaze experiments that will be covered in class. Students will gain an in-depth understanding of the significance of the eye gaze perception and learn to critically think about the research area plus have some hands-on experience with how experimental research is conducted in this field. At the end of this course, students will have a renewed vision of eye gaze from a scientific perspective.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and in either PSYC 267 or PSYC 275.

Permission Required: No

Course: PSYC 305: Topics in Psychology | Cultural Psychology
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Scott Semenyna

Humans exist (and thrive) in more ecologies than any other species. Understanding why and how humans accomplish this amazing feat requires us to look beyond WEIRD populations (those that are Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic). This class will introduce students to cultural psychology, the methodological approaches used by cross-cultural psychologists and why human culture has led to our unique success. We will explore the way culture influences psychology and behaviour, affords opportunities for population change and innovation, and even creates environmental conditions that influence our biology. With these tools, students will understand why cross-cultural perspectives are vital to psychological science and help explain numerous aspects of human personality, emotion, health, thinking, perception, attraction, relationships, morality and many other features of our species.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 104 and PSYC 105 and at least two 200-level PSYC courses.

Permission Required: No

Course: PSYC 305: Topics in Psychology | Applications of Health Coaching
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS03
Instructor: Adam Henley

This course provides a broad overview of health coaching theory, principles and practices. The main emphasis is on applying psychological theories to resolve barriers to health change. As a result, behaviour change techniques are discussed with a view to motivating lifestyle changes among adults living independently. Active learning strategies will build confidence to facilitate everyday changes through motivational interviewing, brief interventions, and action planning.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 104 and PSYC 105 and at least one 200-level PSYC.

Permission Required: No

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Insight and Change in Counselling Psychology
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Sean Rogers

Are you interested in learning more about how insight is defined and applied in a variety of approaches to counselling? This senior seminar course will examine theories of counselling, personality and change through the lenses of insight and client self disclosure. Students will develop an understanding of and greater appreciation for the modern insight-based approaches to therapy from the psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioural and humanistic approaches. Concepts will include insight, self disclosure, depth in therapy, unconscious processes and the applications of these concepts in psychological growth and change. Students will explore these topics through lectures, journal articles and other relevant readings. They will be evaluated on class presentations, papers and participation in discussions.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212, PSYC 233 and at least six credits of 300- or 400-level PSYC courses and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Please enrol in mêskanâs to receive permission.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Mental Health in 2SLGBTQ+ Populations
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS02
Instructor: Dr. Laura Offrey

In this seminar course, students will explore the field of 2SLGBTQ+ psychology and learn about emerging issues regarding mental health among 2SLGBTQ+ populations. Topics covered include: (1) the relationship between the queer community and the field of psychology (2) the evolution of developmental theory related to 2SLGBTQ+ populations (3) efforts to make the field of psychology more trans-inclusive and affirmative (4) the impact of the concept of intersectionality in better understanding 2SLGBTQ+ individuals who have multiple stigmatized identities and (5) advances in research and resultant recommendations for clinical practice. Students are expected to complete assigned readings prior to class and come prepared to participate in course activities including group discussions, class presentations and the completion of a multicultural identity paper.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and at least one other 200-level PSYC course and permission of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Please enrol in mêskanâs to receive permission.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Psychology of Sexual Consent
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS03
Instructor: Dr. Aimee Skye

This senior seminar course will examine attitudes, behaviours and beliefs about sexual consent through cognitive and social psychological lenses. Students will develop an appreciation for the complexity of sexual consent as a concept and explore how our perception of consent and exchanges about it are shaped by factors such as contextual information and sociodemographic variables, schemas and scripts, communication practices, biases and myths, social roles and norms, prejudice, training, and education. Readings will be assigned throughout the course, and assessments could include in-class discussions, group work, presentations, papers and other assignments.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and in at least two 300-level courses.

Permission Required: Yes. Please enrol in mêskanâs to receive permission.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Introduction to Paraphilias: The Psychology of Atypical Attractions
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS04
Instructor: Dr. Carissa Augustyn

This course is designed to provide students with an overview of various atypical sexual attractions known as “paraphilias.” Examples of paraphilias include sexual attractions to children (pedophilia/hebephilia), animals (zoophilia) and inanimate objects or non-sexual body parts (fetishism). This senior-level seminar will invite students to think critically about various theoretical and applied issues related to paraphilias including distinguishing between sexuality that is “atypical” versus “disordered,” ethical considerations for labelling someone as having a paraphilic disorder and the intersection between paraphilias and the law (i.e., sexual offending). Students will be expected to read assigned readings (journal articles and other relevant readings) and actively participate in class activities. Students will be evaluated on class presentations, written assignments and participation in discussions. (Please note: this course may include discussion of potentially upsetting topics such as sexual assault and child sexual abuse).

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and PSYC 339 and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Please enrol in mêskanâs to receive permission.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Anxiety Disorder Mechanisms
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS05
Instructor: Dr. Alex Penney

This course is an in-depth exploration of selected dysfunctional beliefs that cause and maintain anxiety-related disorders. These mechanisms of change will include beliefs such as intolerance of uncertainty, metacognitive beliefs, anxiety sensitivity, fear of negative evaluation, perfectionism and so on. Students will learn how these mechanisms are measured, the foundational and contemporary research regarding these mechanisms and cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques used to decrease each belief. Students will be expected to attend all classes and read relevant research articles as assigned. Students will also work in groups to teach their classmates about the research behind a specific mechanism, acquire and describe the questionnaire(s) used to measure the mechanism and demonstrate the application of therapeutic techniques for the belief. Additional topics to be covered include psychometrics and data analysis, transdiagnostic therapy models and transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural therapy techniques.

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C+ in PSYC 339 and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Please enrol in mêskanâs to receive permission.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Animal Communication
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS06
Instructor: Dr. Shannon Digweed

The topic focuses on the various systems of animal communication. We will survey the diversity of communication systems found in animals and how they are tailored to a variety of social and ecological challenges that they face. This seminar course will explore how communication systems function, how they evolve and how they are organized mechanistically including the psychological and cognitive mechanisms that cause communication. The goal is for students to appreciate the importance of integrating contributions from peer reviewed research sources across visual, acoustic and olfactory communication within foraging, predator, mating and social contexts. This seminar course will emphasize class discussions stemming from a mix of classic papers, recent empirical studies, and popular articles that address core conceptual issues and provide detailed examples of phenomena in animal communication.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and one of PSYC 358, PSYC 373, or BIOL 371 and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Please enrol in mêskanâs to receive permission.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Introduction to Counselling
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS07
Instructor: Dr. Kirsten Klingle

Are you interested in learning more about the practice of counselling psychology and how to promote positive mental health and well-being among others, including individuals, families and groups? Do you dream of one day working with people in a helping capacity? If you answered "yes" to the above, this course was designed for you. Introduction to Counselling Psychology will teach you about the history, theory, practice, research as well as areas of specialization within the field of counselling psychology. This senior-level seminar will offer practical learning experiences and will invite you to think critically about the material, all the while enhancing personal reflexivity. Students will be asked to actively participate in discussions of the course text and other materials and will be assessed on several assignments, all of which are aimed at deepening your understanding and igniting your passion for psychology (warning: enthusiasm for psychology may increase as a result of taking this course).

Prerequisites: Minimum grade of C- in PSYC 212 and at least six credits of 300- or 400-level PSYC courses and consent of the department.

Permission Required: Yes. Please enrol in mêskanâs to receive permission.

Course: PSYC 405: Special Topics in Psychology | Psychology of Mortality
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS08
Instructor: Dr. Nicholas Jacobs

Death is an ungraspable phenomenon that will reach us all, and as such, this course is intended to explore the existential mystery that is our end. While we may go to great lengths to avoid confrontations with death, it remains a fundamental aspect of existence warranting thoughtful and careful consideration. Engaging at the intersection of psychology and philosophy, this course examines how mortality—the awareness of our death—impacts and informs our experience of life. Mortality is explored through a variety of perspectives, including philosophy, social psychology, depth psychology, and transpersonal and spiritual perspectives.

Prerequisites: A minimum grade of C- in PSYC 212 and department consent.

Permission Required: Yes. Please enrol in mêskanâs to receive permission.

Course: PSYC 437: Topics in Forensic Psychology| Stalking and Criminal Harassment
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS01
Instructor: Dr. Kristine Peace

This seminar course will focus on examining the broad spectrum of definitions and behaviours associated with criminal harassment (stalking) including prevalence, forms, stalking myths, stalker typologies, risk factors associated with victimization and perpetration as well as anti-stalking campaigns and reduction. Statistical, empirical and legal case data will be integrated into the discussion of topics. The format of the class is a senior seminar. Research readings will be assigned throughout the term. Students will be expected to actively participate through activities such as in-class discussion and/or group work, guided reflections or social annotations, topic presentations, feedback and an empirically based application assignment.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and PSYC 337.

Permission Required: No

Course: PSYC 467: Special Topics in Perception | Attention, Perception and Action
Term: Winter 2026
Section: AS01
Instructor: Chris Striemer

This course will examine how the brain controls various aspects of visual perception, visual attention and visually guided actions. These topics will be examined using a variety of experimental approaches including human neuropsychology, functional brain imaging and neural disruption techniques. Students will be introduced to these topics through reading primary research articles and presenting them for discussion in class. In addition to exploring these topics in depth in class, students will also participate in experiments that relate closely to topics covered in class. Through completing these experiments, students will have the opportunity to collect and statistically analyze data and present the results of these experiments through writing research reports that compare the classes’ performance in these experiments to those of a neurological patient(s) who have completed the same tasks. Through completing the experiments and preparing the associated research reports, students will obtain hands-on experience with the research process, as well as an in-depth understanding of how brain damage influences performance in each of the areas covered.

Prerequisites: Minimum grades of C- in PSYC 212 and PSYC 267. PSYC 275 or PSYC 377 are encouraged but not required.

Permission Required: No