S.87-72
SMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
MEMORANDUM
TO: ?
Senate ?
FROM: ?
J.W.G. Ivany,
?
Chair, SCAP
SUBJECT: Graduate Curriculum
?
DATE: ?
Nov. 19 1987
Changes - Psychology
Reference: SCAP 87-42
SCAP 87-43
Action undertaken by the Senate Committee on Academic Planning/Senate
Graduate Studies Committee gives rise to the following motion:
MOTION:
?
?
"That Senate approve and recommend approval to the
?
Board of Governors, as set forth in S.87-72
1) the following changes to the graduate program in
experimental psychology:
a)
that experimental students working towards an
M.A. degree, be required to take PSYC 910, PSYC
•
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911, PSYC 925, PSYC 950, PSYC 960, and PSYC
980. If, according to the Supervisory
Committee, a student has a weak background in
an area covered by a core course, the student
would also be required to take the appropriate
core course. Following an M.A. degree,
experimental students would be required to take
two more in-depth courses in their area of
specialization
b) change of title for PSYC 980
C)
that the description of the graduate program be
changed to reflect (more directly than before)
the fact that the program is essentially a Ph.D.
program, and that the attainment of a M.A.
degree is a step toward the Ph.D., rather than
being an end in and of itself
2) the following changes to the program in clinical
psychology:
a)
the addition of PSYC 823 to Years Ill, IV and V
b)
'Successful completion of PSYC 880' be added as
a prerequisite to PSYC 822 and PSYC 823
c)
deletion of PSYC 822 and PSYC 823 as
prerequisites for PSYC 880"
PROPOSED GRADUATE PROGRAM CHANGES?
IN EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY
Sept. '87
Attached please find a proposal for
changes
in our MA and
Ph.D. Experimental graduate programs. There are threeaspects
to these changes, one substantive, the two other mostly cosmetic
in nature.
1. The substantive changes are as follows: In the current
program, the course requirements of Experimental Psychology
students include only two method courses (PSYC 910 - Research
Design I & PSYC 911 - Research Design II) and four core courses
(PSYC 600 - Biological Bases of Behavior, PSYC 601 - Cognitive &
Affective Bases of Behavior, PSYC 602 - Social & Developmental
Bases of Behavior,and PSYC 603 - Individual Differences).
These core courses were designed to provide students with a
background in certain fundamental areas of psychology. To a
large extent, the core courses were introduced to satisfy one of
the requirements that the American Psychological Association
required for clinical program accreditation. The core courses
met this requirement and have indeed proven invaluable in
providing our clinical students with a general background.
Over the past several years, however, it has become apparent
• that the core courses do not satisfy the needs of our
experimental students. First, the core courses give broad
surveys of certain areas of experimental psychology. Most of
our entering experimental students, however, arrive having
already acquired a significant background in most of the areas
covered by the core courses. For most of them, participation in
the core courses has meant going over material they had already
mastered. Core courses have therefore been of limited value to
these students. S
3
econd, our program, as currently structured,
does not re
q uire ex
p
erimental students to take an
y
other courses
besides PSYC 910. 911. and the four core courses. The consensus
among the experimental faculty in the Psychology Department is
that the present core courses are inadequate to provide our
experimental students with the kind of in-depth knowledge of
experimental areas they should have, and indeed deserve to
have. In discussions that have taken place during the past one
and one half years, the experimental faculty have reached the
conclusion that our experimental students must be offered and
required to take in-depth courses in the fundamental areas of
Psychology. This view was strongly shared by our current
experimental students, as shown by a survey conducted by them
(available on request). At its meeting of April 2, 1987 the
Department has given strong support to the proposed changes (11
In favors, 4 opposed, 3 abstentions).
C
In summary, the basic thrusts of the proposed changes are to
requird Experimental students to take in-depth courses (called
Subject courses in the proposed changes, and conceived as
900-level seminars), and to require them to take core courses
only when needed, i.e.,-in areas in which they do not have the
relevant background, as determined by their supervisory
committees.
In summary, according to the proposed changes, experimental
students working toward their M.A. would be required to take
PSYC 910 and 911 (Research Design I and Research Design II),
PSYC 925 (Seminar in Cognitive Processes), PSYC 950 (Seminar in
Developmental Psychology, PSYC 960 (Seminar in Social
Psychology, and PSYC 980 (Seminar in Biological Psychology).
If, according to the supervisory committee, a student had a weak
background in an area covered by a core course, the student
would also be required to take the appropriate core course.
Following their MA degree, experimental students would be
required to take two more in-depth courses in their area of
specialization. This is possible because seminars with 900
numbers, e.g., PSYC 960
1
may cover subject matters that vary
from year to year and reflect different aspects of a general
area of inquiry, e.g., Social Psychology. It should be noted
that this feature of the subject courses, i.e., the possibility
that topics may change from year to year is not new. It is
included in the current calendar description of 900-level
seminars, and we are maintaining it in the proposed changes.
2.
The title PSYC 980 be changed from Physiological PSYC to
Biological PSYC, so that subjects covered under this number may
include topics such as evolutionary psychology.
3.
The description of the graduate program would be changed to
reflect more directly than before) the fact that our program is
essentially a Ph.D.. program, and that the obainment of a MA
degree is a step toward the Ph.D., rather than being an end in
and of itself. The current calendar has separate descriptions
for the MA and Ph.D. programs, and may give the (false)
impression that they are related but separate programs.
Following similar changes in our clinical program, we wish to
emphasize the integrated nature of the graduate program in
Experimental Psychology, and the fact that the MA is a step
toward the Ph.D. (Changes of this type have been previously
approved by the Graduate Studies Committee for the clinical
program).
L.]
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SiMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
MEMORANDUM
Ronald Roesch
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87
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The Clinical Committee met on September 17th and has approved the following
Calendar Changes. (See Attached).
I. Table 1. PSYC 823 (Intervention) should be inserted in years
III, IV & V. This is a requirement that is already in place,
clinical students in their 3rd year and beyond are required
to register in PSYC 823 in at least two semesters/year.
2.
PSYC 823-4 Practicum in Intervention
Add Prerequisite of: PSYC 880, Registration in PSYC 822, etc. the same.
3.
PSYC 880-3
Remove PSYC 822, 823 as prerequisites. These have never been
prerequisites.
: Ronald Roesch, Ph.D.
Professor and
Director of Clinical Training
RR/bd
