Directed Studies courses (Psych 480-486)

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Overview

Directed Studies courses (PSYCH 480 through PSYCH 486) provide opportunities for students to work one-on-one with faculty members in an area of interest to the student. Enrolment is possible Fall, Winter, or Spring term.

PSYCH 480, 481, 482, 485, 486 (.5 academic units each) provide opportunities to study material that is not available in an existing PSYCH courses.

PSYCH 483 and PSYCH 484 (.5 academic units each) provide opportunities to gain additional research experience.  

You must use your University of Waterloo email address and have access to the Internet and a suitable library for the duration of the course.

Course descriptions

The course title signifies for the Psychology Major the degree requirement that could be satisfied by the course.

PSYCH 480: Directed Studies - Elective

Conduct an extensive literature review and write a major essay/critique of a topic in any area of psychology.

Note: Students may also propose to conduct an empirical research project in an area of psychology and write a report of the research carried out.

Prerequisite for enrolment: Psychology majors only; level at least 3A; cumulative Psychology average at least 75%

PSYCH 481: Directed Studies - Natural Science Advanced Psych

Conduct an extensive literature review and write a major essay/critique of a topic in a natural science area of psychology.

Prerequisite for enrolment: Psychology majors only; level at least 3A; cumulative Psychology average at least 75%

PSYCH 482: Directed Studies - Social Science Advanced Psych

Conduct an extensive literature review and write a major essay/critique of a topic in a social science area of psychology.

Prerequisite for enrolment: Psychology majors only; level at least 3A; cumulative Psychology average at least 75%

PSYCH 483: Directed Studies - Natural Science Research

Conduct an empirical research project in a natural science area of psychology and write a report of the research carried out.

Requirements for enrolment:

  • Prerequisites: Level at least 3A Honours Psychology students; cumulative psychology average at least 75%.
  • Corequisite: PSYCH 391
  • Ethics clearance

PSYCH 484: Directed Studies - Social Science Research

Conduct an empirical research project in a social science area of psychology and write a report of the research carried out.

Requirements for enrolment:

  • Prerequisites: Level at least 3A Honours Psychology students; cumulative psychology average at least 75%.
  • Corequisite: PSYCH 391
  • Ethics clearance

PSYCH 485: Directed Studies - Honours Seminar

Conduct an extensive literature review in any area of psychology, write of a major essay/critique of the literature, and do an oral presentation (e.g., the course supervisor only; his/her lab group; his/her undergraduate or graduate class in a related area).

Requirements for enrolment:

  • Prerequisites: Level at least 3A Honours Psychology students; cumulative psychology average at least 75%.
  • Corequisite: PSYCH 391

PSYCH 486: Directed Studies - Advanced Statistics

Conduct an extensive study of advanced statistical techniques under the supervision of a faculty member. Course requirements will normally include assessment of competency through examination.

Prerequisites for enrolment: 391; Honours Psychology students; cumulative psychology average at least 75%.

Examples of natural science and social science areas of psychology

Examples of topics that fall in the 'natural science' area of Psychology include: cognitive development; social cognition; neural, physical, and chemical basis of behaviour; workings of memory and attention; cognitive factors that influence language acquisition, reading disabilities, or depression, etc.

Examples of topics that fall in the 'social science' area of Psychology include: interpersonal and intergroup relations; evaluation of behaviour and leadership on productivity; attitudes and attitude change; stereotyping; prejudice and discrimination; conceptual development, semantic development, and vocabulary acquisition; etc.

Enrolment restrictions for PSYCH 480-486

Cannot enrol in:

  1. more than 3 of PSYCH 480 through PSYCH 486,
  2. more than one of PSYCH 480 through PSYCH 486 with the same faculty member,
  3. both PSYCH 481 and 482,
  4. both PSYCH 481 and 483,
  5. both PSYCH 482 and 484,
  6. both PSYCH 483 and 484 unless you take at least one of PSYCH 389 or 390 from the University of Waterloo,
  7. any one of PSYCH 480 through PSYCH 486 a second time.

You cannot satisfy more than two psychology course requirements (1.0 units) in a Psychology Program with directed studies courses. If you want to take a third directed studies course, the third one counts towards the unspecified electives for the degree. In either case (Psychology course requirement versus unspecified elective), the final grade counts towards the cumulative psychology average.

Find a course supervisor

It is your responsibility to find a course supervisor for the Directed Studies course.

Who can be a course supervisor?

  1. All full-time faculty members in the Department of Psychology.
  2. Faculty members in the Psychology Department at St. Jeromes University: Chris Burris, Maureen Drysdale, John Rempel, B.J. Rye.
  3. Other University of Waterloo faculty members may also serve as course supervisors pending approval from the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the Department of Psychology

Grading basis and academic credit

PSYCH 480, 481, 482, 483, 484, 485, 486 are worth .5 academic units each.

A numerical grade will be given.

Application/proposal for enrolment

You and the course supervisor must agree on the course number for the directed studies course (one of PSYCH 480-486) and complete the PSYCH 480-486 application/proposal form.

If your cumulative psychology average is less than 75%, please attach a note to your application explaining why you are interested in taking the course.

Submit the course application/proposal form by email to your Supervisor to complete, and your Supervisor must send the completed application to the HRM Program Coordinator and Academic Advisor for approval as soon as possible but no later than the eighth day of classes for the appropriate term. 

Ethics clearance and training

See the ethics clearance and training requirements for PSYCH 483 and PSYCH 484 enrolment.

Course approval and enrolment

The request for enrolment in a directed studies course will be reviewed by the Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies in the University of Waterloo Department of Psychology. This step must be completed by the tenth day of classes.

The Psychology Undergraduate Advisor will do the following if the course application/proposal is approved:

  • The Registrar's Office will be notified to add the directed studies course to your schedule. You and the course supervisor will receive a copy of that message.
     
  • A copy of the approved directed studies course proposal will be sent to you and your course supervisor by email attachment. A copy will also be sent to the Departmental Ethics Review Committee Officer (Daev McLean) if you are enrolling in PSYCH 483 or 484. Please retain this document, which represents the course outline/contract, for future reference.

If the course application is denied, you and the proposed course supervisor will be notified.