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Psychology Associate Degree Curriculum

Our Psychology Associate Degree Curriculum provides a well-rounded education with introductory courses in psychology including human development, human relations, the psychology of personality, and the social impact of technology. From the relationship between environment and behavior to the factors that shape personality, you’ll gain an understanding of concepts that will serve you well as you continue your education and pursue a career in the field of psychology.

Semester 1

OR110 - Achieving Academic Excellence 

Achieve your true potential! This course will help you sharpen existing skills, build on your strengths, and discover the best ways to learn. You'll identify your learning styles, learn new behaviors to ensure college success, and maximize your learning as you complete your program of study.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify personal strengths and traits used to succeed in motivating and setting goals to complete higher education.
  • Describe the requirements for successful online learning.
  • Discuss the value of goal setting and time management.
  • Explain methods to achieve effective reading comprehension and note-taking.
  • Recognize effective academic writing and types of plagiarism.
  • Describe strategies for online testing.
  • Explain the role of critical thinking in problem solving.
  • Identify the necessary skills for successful online research.

Credit Hours: 3

C10 - Introduction to Computers  

Introduction to Computers provides you with foundational skills and knowledge needed for today's technology-based careers. You'll learn the components of systems—from the CPU and memory to input devices and peripherals—and how these components interact with an operating system to perform critical tasks. Keeping current with fast-changing computer technologies, this course will discuss the computer technologies today that are allowing the creation of a virtualized mobile workforce. It will explore how computers connect to the internet, what services can be found online, and what dangers exist in the form of viruses, Trojans, and other malware. The course will also familiarize you with the basics of today's office productivity applications and help to establish a foundation for working with these different types of applications, including spreadsheets and presentation-creation tools.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Identify all of the major types of computing devices and their internal and external components.
  • Compile a list of the various computer operating systems that are utilized today and identify characteristics about each one.
  • Relate the various cloud-based technologies to the virtual and remote abilities that are utilized in a professional environment.
  • Describe modern office productivity suite applications.
  • Illustrate basic office software tasks using Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
  • Characterize the role computer networking plays in society and identify current networking technologies.
  • List the hardware components, software applications, and IT protocols that make the internet possible today.
  • Apply basic maintenance tasks on your computer to combat viruses, malware, and computing inefficiencies.

Credit Hours: 3

EN120 - English Composition I  

This course offers an introduction to basic writing skills that are especially relevant to academic assignments. The course focuses on APA paragraph development and organization in conjunction with a review of basic grammar and mechanics. The course also covers basic techniques for critically editing and revising one's work.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Use appropriate style, grammar, and mechanics in writing assignments.
  • Compose a strong paragraph with attention to the following: topic sentences; and effective use of transitions.
  • Identify and use a variety of essay structures, including expository, descriptive, narrative, comparison and contrast, and persuasion/argumentative.
  • Organize, develop, and produce a fully developed five-paragraph essay.
  • Differentiate and apply correct techniques for prewriting, writing, and proofreading using a variety of styles.
  • Correctly apply the rules of APA for use in direct or indirect quotations and reference citations.

Credit Hours: 3

SO245 - Social Impact of Technology  

This course provides an overview of technological advances over the span of human history. Topics include the interrelationship of technology and culture; ethics and morals as they relate to technological progress; energy; ecology; demography; war and politics; and the unintended consequences of globalization, including social inequality, climate change, and global warming.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain how technology and culture are interrelated, and outline technological advances from ancient times to the present.
  • Discuss different perspectives on ethics and morals as they relate to technological applications.
  • Explain basic concepts related to energy, including the pros and cons of nonrenewable and renewable sources of energy.
  • Discuss basic concepts of ecology, including the environmental challenges of global warming and climate change.
  • Explain basic concepts of demography, especially as they apply to population growth.
  • Describe how war and politics have affected nations as they adapted to advances in technologies.
  • Explain the origins of global inequality, including colonialism and capitalism.
  • Discuss different approaches to measuring the evolution of technologies, the unintended consequences of globalization, and the prospects of a paradigm shift.

Credit Hours: 3

R04 - Human Relations  

In this course, you'll learn concepts and theories about communication. You'll begin by studying intrapersonal communication, or how you view and talk to yourself. You'll learn how personality and self-concept influence how you work with others. You'll also look at interpersonal communication, including concepts such as conflict and criticism, and learn how these concepts influence not only relationships but also productivity at work. Finally, you'll study leadership: what makes a "good" leader; how leadership is "good" under differing circumstances; and how a leader can create trust in group members. You'll learn about the value of networking and how to network. In addition, you'll learn about cultural differences and diversity in the workplace.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain strategies to improve intrapersonal and interpersonal skills
  • Describe how diversity and cultural differences impact the workplace
  • Explain the communication process as it relates to personal and digital interactions
  • Describe team interactions in terms of roles, communications, and problem-solving
  • Explain the skills, behaviors, and techniques used to lead and motivate others
  • Explain the role of political skills, customer satisfaction, and ethics in business organizations
  • Explain the contributing factors and methods for managing stress
  • Describe effective methods for finding a job and managing your career

Credit Hours: 3

Semester 2

EN130 - English Composition II  

The ability to communicate well is essential to success in any professional environment. English Composition II is organized to provide you with a broad understanding of multiple types of written communication. Far from being just academic exercises, formal writing skills allow you to relate to the world in ever-increasing ways. Simply put, good writing is good thinking. As you master various techniques of effective writing, you'll note a change in the way you process information, and those around you (including your employer) will also note the transformation.

English Composition II begins with the assumption that you've attained basic writing skills through completion of English Composition I. So, in fact, English Composition II is a continuation of English Composition I. In that light, you'll be expected to access and review basic concepts covered in English Composition I and, in particular, the sections on grammar and mechanics.

English Composition II begins by offering you tips on college writing, active reading, and study strategies at the college level. Next, you'll explore the framework for drafting a college essay, including elaborate explorations for finding a topic, assessing your audience, and determining the purpose of your essay as you identify its thesis and craft a thesis statement.

Next, because college essays often require research, you'll be introduced to strategies for finding and using sources. Based on this preparatory foundation, you'll be challenged to analyze essays in all of the various rhetorical modes, which, in turn, will prepare you to write college-level essays for these different patterns of development.

The balance of this online text is devoted to the specifics of reading, analyzing, and writing college-level essays, including description, narration, illustration, process analysis, comparison and Contrast, classification and Division, definition, cause and Effect, argument, and business applications.

By the end of EN130, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the nature of academic writing at the college level.
  • Understand and apply the principles of active reading.
  • Comprehend and apply the structure of a college essay.
  • Develop an essay thesis that's supported by facts, authorities, and examples.
  • Apply the principles of revision and editing.
  • Write an academic essay supported by relevant and credible sources.
  • Critically evaluate essays in all of these patterns of development:
    • Narrative, Descriptive, Illustration, Process, Comparison and contrast, Definition, Classification and division, Cause and effect, Argument.
  • Create effective, engaging, and informative essays in all of these patterns of discourse through the following:
    • A deep understanding of the writing process; Organizing an essay in terms of space order, time order, or order of importance; Creating attention-getting introductions and memorable conclusions; Using facts, logical reasoning, examples, and authorities to support your thesis; Identifying and avoiding logical fallacies; Effectively applying the techniques of persuasion; Blending two or more patterns of development in a single essay.

Credit Hours: 3

General Education Elective (Science 100-200 Level)   S01 - Introduction to Psychology I  

This course explores introductory concepts in psychology. This course helps students to think like psychologists and understand why scientific and critical thinking is so important to the decisions they make in their own lives. This course provides an overview of psychology that emphasizes critical thinking, gender, and culture.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Define the science of psychology.
  • Distinguish between a theory, a hypothesis, and an operational definition.
  • Explain the relationship among genes, chromosomes, DNA, and genomes, and describe their importance to psychology.
  • Identify and describe the major structures of the central nervous system and their primary functions.
  • Define circadian rhythms and explain how the body's "biological clock" works and what happens when this clock goes awry.
  • Distinguish between sensation and perception, explain how the doctrine of specific nerve energies applies to perception, and discuss how synesthesia contributes to our understanding of sensory modalities.
  • Describe the basic principles of classical conditioning, including the extinction and recovery of a classically conditioned response, how higher-order conditioning takes place, and the process of stimulus generalization and discrimination.
  • Compare social norms and social roles, and note how each contributes to the social rules that govern a culture.

Credit Hours: 3

S02 - Introduction to Psychology II  

This course builds on what you've learned in Introduction to Psychology I. That foundation included topics such as defining psychology, exploring the brain and nervous system, becoming familiar with sensation and perception, learning and conditioning, and the ways by which behavior is shaped by social and cultural influences. In this course, Introduction to Psychology II, we'll press onward to gain insights into an array of topics that include the basics of psychological research, genetics and evolution, sensation and perception, different types of consciousness, learning theories, thinking and intelligence, memory, motivation, theories of personality, emotions and stress management, development over the lifespan, an overview of psychological disorders and, finally, an exploration of treatments and therapies for addressing the various kinds of psychological disorders.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Explain the rational and irrational processes involved in thinking and describe approaches to the measurement of intelligence.
  • Discuss and explain the nature of memory, including the ways we reconstruct the past, the three-box model, and techniques for enhancing memory.
  • Describe the nature of emotions and the various influences of emotion on our health and well-being, including guidelines for managing stress.
  • Discuss and explain variables related to motivation, including weight management, love vs. infatuation, the biological root of sexuality, the cultural influences of gender bias, and our drive to achieve personal goals.
  • Outline and discuss human development over the lifespan, including infancy, early childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and old age, and an understanding of the stages of cognitive and moral development.
  • Discuss and explain theories of personality, including psychodynamic models originating with the work of Sigmund Freud and modern personality theories based on identifying personality traits, while appraising genetic, peer, family, and cultural influences on personality development.
  • Outline and discuss the various forms of mental disorders.
  • Outline and discuss the various approaches to treating or alleviating the different kinds of mental disorders.

Credit Hours: 3

S06 - Social Psychology 

In this course, you're introduced to concepts related to the behavior of individuals as members of the larger society as expressed in varying beliefs, norms, attitudes and attitude changes, along with basic ideas and concepts related to group influence and persuasion. Proceeding from this basic foundation, you'll explore the nature of group dynamics, cultural influences, conformity, attraction and intimacy, aggression and its sources, prejudice and its effects and sources, as well as the opposition of altruism and conflict in social life.

By the end of this course, you'll be able to do the following:

  • Describe the field of social psychology, including the methods that social psychologists typically use in research.
  • Explain how the self-concept is developed across time.
  • Discuss human behavior in terms of social cognition, social perception, and attitudes.
  • Describe how social roles affect conformity and compliance.
  • Illustrate how other individuals and groups influence an individual's behavior.
  • Express how stereotypes, prejudice, discrimination, and aggression are formed, and how they influence human behavior.
  • Describe the factors that influence attraction and the nature of relationships.
  • Discuss the concept of prosocial behavior.

Credit Hours: 3

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Psychology Program description

The Associate of Science in Psychology program is designed to provide students with a well-rounded education by combining a core set of general education courses with specialized courses in psychology. The program lays the foundation for a broad base of knowledge with general education courses in a variety of subject areas. In addition, courses within the program discipline — such as Social Psychology, Human Growth and Development, and Psychology of Personality — focus on preparing students for careers within the psychology field.

Program Objectives

After completing the Psychology program, students will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate an understanding of psychology, including psychological research, biology and behavior, and the relationships between the environment and behavior.
  2. Display an understanding of human growth and development, social psychology, abnormal psychology, and the psychology of personality.
  3. Present the four major issues in human relations: understanding and managing one's self, dealing effectively with others, fostering career success, and managing one's personal life.
  4. Discuss the factors that shape personality, including biological, intrapsychic, dispositional, cognitive and experiential, social and cultural, and adjustments to events in day-to-day life.
  5. Display the skills of time management, critical thinking, problem solving, decision making, written comprehension, communication, and research.
  6. Identify and apply the fundamental principles of public speaking, speech criticism, audience analysis, and effective delivery techniques.
  7. Demonstrate a basic understanding of computer applications, and the broad implications of technological innovation on social organization in terms of personal, political, economic, and environmental issues.
  8. Demonstrate proficiency with English composition, including the ability to develop essays, and revise and edit one's work.
  9. Demonstrate basic mathematical skill by describing mathematical reasoning and logic as the basis for data analysis, and by applying the major concepts of college-level algebra.
  10. Be prepared to enter Ashworth College’s bachelor’s degree programs without any additional academic preparation.

Advance from career dreams to opportunities

The Associate Degree in Psychology program can help you develop the knowledge and confidence you need to reach for your career goals. By integrating job search prep into your studies, Ashworth College gives you a hand along the way. Take a closer look at how we help you get there by visiting the Career Services page.

Advance your career in our online API Program Name program. Call 1-800-957-5412