Last week of Semester 1

It was a pleasure to teach and get to know many of you this school year. Hopefully you were able to gain an appreciation for the ever fascinating world of Psychology. If you are interested in more Psychology classes, BNHS offers Psychology 2 and AP Psychology. What a great opportunity to learn more about this field!

Psychology 1: Prerequisite - Interest in Psychology

This course examines the influences that affect the formation of behavior patterns in humans. Units of instruction include: History of Psychology and Experimental Design, Human Growth and Development, Personality Development and Stress, Biological Basis of Behavior, Sensation and Perception, Learning and Psychological Disorders. Class activities include lecture, discussion, lab activities, extra reading and written assignments. Students electing to take this course thereby agree to participate in class experiments.


Psychology 2: Prerequisite: Psychology 1


This course is a continuation of Psychology 1, the instructor recommends a passing grade of C or better to continue to Psychology 2. Units of instruction include Psychological Therapies, States of Consciousness, Thinking and Language, Motivation and Emotion, Psychological Testing and Intelligence and Social Psychology. Students taking Psychology 2 should prepare to complete a large cumulative project at the completion of the semester.

AP Psychology: Prerequisite: Psychology 1 or 2
The goals of this course are threefold, to learn about the discipline of Psychology, prepare students to take the Advanced Placement Examination for Psychology, and to do college level work while in high school. Emphasis is placed on application of theories from the introductory psychology class as well as new topics. Units of study include the following: Advanced Personality Theory, Psychological Disorders and Psychological Therapies, Experimental Design and Intelligence, Cognition, Motivation and Emotion and Social Psychology. Critical Thinking is paramount to this course; students will be required to complete application projects, critical thinking exercises as written assignments. The semester concludes with a comprehensive book review on a psychological topic. The instructor STRONGLY recommends that students complete Psychology 1 or 2 with a B or higher to be successful in this course.

As you plan your future courses and career options keep Psychology in mind - it is truly an interdisciplinary subject, it connects with many other areas.