Course selection can be a daunting time, from scouring through the extensive course list available to getting up at 7 in the middle of summer a spot in your desired courses. I usually spend months beforehand looking through reviews on RateMyProf for virtually every single psych course to find the best courses possible. I base this decision on a number of factors, such as the number of course hours a week, assessment types(exams? papers?), reading intensity, and of course the content itself. The department of psychology actually uploads the latest syllabi for each course on their website, which makes this process much easier(find a full list of syllabi here). Additionally, the WPA conducted a survey last year to create a comprehensive review sheet of all the psychology classes offered at Western, which you can find here. I used these reviews to find the five courses that were rated highly across all categories.
So here you have it, a top 5 list(in no particular order) of psychology courses here at Western!
PSYCH 2032: PSYCHOLOGY OF CRIME AND CORRECTIONS (for the true crime junkies)
What: This course aims to give an introduction to forensic psychology, and covers topics such as deception, investigative interviewing, correctional psychology and more. Offered online and in-person this year, this course typically consists of three lecture hours a week and weekly textbook readings.
Assessments: two midterms(30% each) and a final exam(40%) including multiple choice questions, fill in the blanks and some short answer questions.
Taught by: The course was taught by Dr. John Campbell this year.
Reviews: Student reviews from our survey say that the course can be a little reading heavy, but the content is super interesting and the exams are pretty fair.
PSYCH 2061: PSYCHOLOGY AT WORK (if you’re looking for something new)
What: Psychology at work is an introductory course to the world of industrial/organizational psychology. I/O psychology can be thought of as being social psychology applied to the workplace, and this course covers topics such as motivation, job attitudes, and the processes underlying leadership and teamwork. This would be a great addition if you wanted a lighter course and looking to dabble in the world of I/O psychology.
Assessments: two midterms and a final(75% total) and five out of twelve weekly discussion posts(25%).
Taught by: This year the course is offered in person as a weekly three hour lecture taught by Dr. Corey Isaacs.
Reviews: Students who have taken this course in the past found the concepts to be easy to understand, and there aren’t many readings, so as long as you show up to lecture you’ll do just fine.
PSYCH 2990: APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY (sleeper pick!)
What: Applied psychology is exactly what it sounds like - a course that explores the real world applications of psychology. This course covers a wide variety of topics, ranging from psychology and health to psychology and law to psychology and engineering. Most psychology courses are rooted in theory, so this is a welcome change as it focuses on applying the theories that you may have learnt across various classes.
Assessment: Two midterms(20% each), a final exam(40%), 5 quizzes where the lowest grade is dropped(13%), discussion posts - one prompt(2%), five replies(5%)
Taught by: This course is almost always taught by Dr. Blair Evans, as a weekly three hour lecture
Reviews: Students liked this course because the content was interesting and didn’t require extensive studying. The highlight is the professor, who organizes the course well and is passionate about teaching, going out of his way to ensure students understand the course content.
PSYCH 2135: COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY (Author’s top rated)
What: My favourite course! Cognitive psychology offers an insight into a wide variety of cognitive processes such as memory, language, perception, reasoning, and intelligence. A great foundational course for almost all other psychology classes, and no matter what field of psychology you’re interested in, you’ll find something in this course that piques your interest.
Assessments: a midterm (30%), a final exam(40%) and five quizzes out of which the lowest grade is dropped(30%)
Taught by: usually Dr. John Paul Minda, but Dr. Ken McRae is teaching it this year. There are four total lecture hours per week.
Reviews: This class is a widely taken course here, as it covers a large range of topics so there’s something for everyone. Content is interesting and engaging, including many real world examples and results of major psychological studies.
My experience: I absolutely loved this course! Dr. Minda would start every lecture with a relevant research finding, and I still think about those to this day. He uses a lot of relevant examples which makes the content easy to understand, and I’ve used the knowledge I gained from this course in pretty much every single other course I’ve taken.
PSYCH 2310: PSYCHOPATHOLOGY (a classic)
What: Another course that is popular amongst students, psychopathology gives you an overview of various psychological disorders, from etiology(causes) to symptoms to treatment. The course is split into three units: the first unit introduces the concept of psychological disorders, the process of diagnoses, and conceptual models of psychopathology. The second unit covers internalizing disorders (OCD, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and eating disorders) and the third unit covers externalizing disorders (psychosis, personality disorders, and substance use disorders). This course is a must-take for anyone interested in pursuing clinical psychology, but is generally an interesting course as it also covers cognitive and social aspects of psychological illness.
Assessments: two midterms and a final exam(26% each, non-cumulative), weekly tutorial attendance and participation (8.5%), three reaction papers where you critically evaluate depictions of mental illness in media (4.5% each)
Taught by: Various professors have taken turns at teaching this course, it was taught by Dr. Lindsay Bodell this year
Reviews: This course has mixed reviews as various professors have taught the course, but overall students have found the content interesting, and as long as you come to class you’ll do just fine.
My experience: I took this course earlier this year and I found it to be pretty interesting. There was a sufficient amount of overlap with what we learnt about psychological disorders from PSYCH 1002/1003, but I appreciated learning about the nuances of the causes and treatments of each disorder. I did not find the textbook to be necessary. Dr. Bodell is a wonderful lecturer and tells you exactly what you need to know. The weekly tutorials typically include watching a short documentary/video and a short discussion after. The tutorials and use of real world examples really made for an engaging course!
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