COUN595: Multicultural Counseling and Development (3 hours lecture)

Exploration and development of the necessary personal awareness, knowledge and skills for culturally competent counseling practice. Emphasis on historical and current issues and trends associated with race/ethnicity, gender, age, socioeconomic status, religion, sexual orientation, and ability and how they affect counseling practice. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Matriculation in Graduate Counseling Program.

CURR523: Education in the Inner City (3 hours lecture)

The urban school through the eyes of city youngsters, teachers and other educational personnel. Influences of social and economic forces: poverty, family patterns, ghetto mores, urban unrest, emergent minority leadership, school funding patterns, community agencies and school traditions. Evaluation of federal and other projects, innovative teaching and local action. Student prepares a proposal for improvement of an urban school situation. 3 sh.

CURR537: The Study of Teaching and Curriculum (3 hours lecture)

The teaching process, the varieties of teaching models and metaphors, underlying philosophical considerations and the relationship between teaching and learning outcomes. 3 sh.

PSYC506: Professional Issues in Multicultural Psychology (3 hours lecture)

This course is designed to expose students in school psychology to multicultural issues which are central to theory, practice, and research. The course has an awareness, knowledge, and skills focus. Awareness is centered on understanding multiple value systems and world views and gaining insight into one's own cultural socialization and inherent biases. Knowledge focuses on acquiring accurate understanding of the various cultural groups with whom one will work. Skills relate to specific culturally appropriate and tailored interventions. The course incorporates multicultural modes of learning and performance evaluation. 3 sh.

PSYC510: Research Methods in Psychology (3 hours lecture)

This course provides the essentials needed to read, understand and critically evaluate research reports. Students will also learn how to carry out the entire research process, starting with identifying the research problem and ending with a thesis or research report. Factorial analysis of variance and the major multiple correlational designs are explained. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Undergraduate laboratory course in experimental psychology.

PSYC550: Quantitative and Statistical Methods (3 hours lecture)

This course presents the theory and use of simple and factorial anova, regression, and covariance to analyze representative psychological data. The use of computer packages for analysis is included. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: An undergraduate psychology statistics course or equivalent.

PSYC551: Mental Health Issues of Hispanics (3 hours lecture)

This course will familiarize the student with the personal, social, cultural and institutional forces that affect the mental health of Hispanics and Hispanic Americans and how these impact on treatment issues. The course will explore the heterogeneity of the Hispanic groups in the United States and how these groups respond in unique ways to the various services offered in community mental health settings. 3 sh.

PSYC561: Developmental Psychology (3 hours lecture)

Philosophical, conceptual, theoretical and research issues pertinent to human development from prenatal life to adulthood are presented. The core conceptual issues of development, such as the nature-nurture controversy, the continuity-discontinuity issue, and the issue of stability-instability, are discussed, and their relationships to the major theories in developmental psychology are examined. 3 sh.

PSYC565: Child and Adolescent Psychopathology (3 hours lecture)

This course emphasizes the diagnosis of psychological disorders usually first evident in infancy, childhood or adolescence. Topics to be covered include, but are not limited to, affective disorders, anxiety disorders, conduct disorders, substance abuse, sexuality/gender identity disorders, pervasive developmental disorder and behavioral aspects of developmental disabilities. Students will be expected to understand DSM-IV categories. Each student is expected to be familiar with developmental psychology and personality development. Issues associated with evaluation, classification and diagnosis will be discussed extensively. Guidelines for appropriate interventions will be provided. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Matriculation in the Child/Adolescent Clinical program or permission of the department.

PSYC573: Behavioral Neuroscience (3 hours lecture)

The physiological bases of normal and abnormal behavior with emphasis on the anatomy, physiology, and pathology of the human nervous system are discussed. Starting with the nerve cell, the course progresses through the receptors, spinal cord, cortical and subcortical structures, psychosurgery, biofeedback, and other topics. 3 sh.

PSYC574: Cognitive Assessment (3 hours lecture)

Students learn how to administer, score and interpret individual intelligence tests. Theories of intelligence and the appropriateness of the tests to specific populations are discussed. Students administer and report on the three Wechsler Intelligence Scales and the Stanford-Binet(4th Edition), Development Achievement Scales, Adaptive Behavior Scales, and other cognitive assessment techniques. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval and approved certification candidacy in the School Psychology program, the Bilingual Clinical concentration, or the Child/Adolescent Clinical programs.

PSYC575: Personality Assessment (3 hours lecture)

The basic instruments of projective testing, particularly the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test, DAP, HTP, TAT, TEMAS, and Sentence Completion Tests are studied. Students will also understand how cultural diversity impacts on assessment. Instruments are reviewed from the standpoints of basic research and the mechanics of administration and scoring. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval and approved certification candidacy in the School Psychology Program, the Bilingual Clinical concentration or the Child/Adolescent Clinical programs.

PSYC577: Practicum in Assessment I

This course represents the first in a series of two 1-credit semester practicum experiences at MSU's Assessment Center for School Psychology students. It is a supervised observation of the practicum work of advanced students from the School Psychology program and Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant program. Students in Practicum I will be paired with advanced students and are involved in planning administration of evaluation procedures and assessing clients; analyzing results; making decisions regarding eligibility for special education; and collaborating as members of the Child Study Team for clients referred to MSU's Psychoeducational Center. Students will conduct assessments and meet with the professor to discuss and process their practices. In this way students will directly perform the role and function of the School Psychologist, will come to appreciate the importance of collaboration by interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary teams, and will develop a sense of ethical practice in the profession. 1 sh.

PSYC578: Psychological Tests and Measurements (3 hours lecture)

This course surveys the theory, construction and application of psychological tests. Topics include the statistical concepts underlying measurement; reliability and validity; critical analyses of selected intelligence, ability and personality tests; evaluation and interpretation of test data in practical situations; and the role of testing in clinical, educational and remedial settings. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval, and an undergraduate Psychology statistics course or equivalent.

PSYC579: Practicum in Assessment II

This course is the second in a series of two 1-credit semester practicum experiences at MSU's Assessment Center for School Psychology students. During this course, students function as intern members of Child Study Teams conducting assessments of children, adolescents, and their families. Close supervision is provided by university faculty while these practicum students conduct intakes, assessments, observations, interviews, consultations with teachers and parents as well as writing reports. These assessments will yield a decision regarding the client's eligibility for special education. Students meet with their supervisors after each stage of the process and meet on a regular basis with their teammates from MSU's Learning Disabilities Teacher Consultant Program. Students will be required to interpret and communicate the results of their assessment in a culturally sensitive manner to families and school personnel who are clients at MSU's Psychoeducational Center. 1 sh.

PSYC594: Therapeutic Interventions in the Schools (3 hours lecture)

This course is designed to assist students in developing skills in planning and implementing school based psychotherapeutic interventions for children, adolescents and their families. The course will present theory and techniques to intervene effectively with children, adolescents and their families in the context of the overall school and classroom settings. The course will focus on interview techniques, treatment strategies for depression, anxiety, trauma (including abuse, exposure to violence, and bereavement), and anger/aggression. Various theoretical models and their treatments strategies will be discussed, including psychodynamic, cognitive and cognitive-behavioral therapy, family systems therapy, play therapy, and interpersonal therapy. Cultural factors involved in diagnosis and treatment will be addressed throughout the semester. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Permission of instructor required.

PSYC601: Behavioral Assessment (3 hour lecture)

This course prepares students in techniques of behavioral assessment including direct observation, interviews, checklists, and rating scales. Assessment is considered from an empirically-based, problem-solving model, in which students learn to select assessment tools appropriate to referral questions. Students complete a functional behavioral assessment and develop a behavior intervention plan through a supervised experience in a school setting. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: PSYC 661.

PSYC659: Special Topics Seminar in Psychology (3 hours seminar)

This course provides an in-depth view of important theoretical and methodological issues in various areas of psychology. It is designed to permit faculty with particular interests and expertise to provide students with a comprehensive analysis of a selected contemporary issue (or issues) in psychology. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval, and completion of 15 or more credits in one's program.

PSYC661: Practicum in School Psychology

The student receives supervised experience in assessment, counseling and consultation procedures. The course is designed to increase the student's competence in psychological skills required in school settings. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmenal approval, and approved certification candidacy in the School Psychology Program, and permission of graduate program coordinator.

PSYC662: School Psychology Externship

Students serve as apprentice psychologists in cooperating school districts. A certified school psychologist, employed in the cooperating district, serves as the student's on-site supervisor. Students meet weekly with the University supervisor who teaches the course. Full-year course. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Students must have completed all course work prior to entering externship. Students need permission of the graduate program coordinator to register for this course. Departmental approval and approved certification candicacy in the School Psychology Program is required.

PSYC667: Abnormal Psychology (3 hours lecture)

This course focuses on theoretical models and selected research in psychopathology. Topics include contemporary nosology, diagnostic problems, schizophrenia, anxiety and affective disorders, social deviance, somatoform and psychophysiological syndromes, and therapeutic intervention. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: PSYC 561.

PSYC668: Consultation Methods in Psychoeducational Settings (3 hours lecture, 1 hour other)

This course is designed to provide students with theory and practice about the consultation process. The course will identify a collaborative, problem-solving model of consultation in psychoeducational settings and define the intrapersonal, interpersonal and systemic factors associated with successful consultation. Students will locate consultation cases and function under direct supervision and monitoring. Cross listed with Curriculum and Teaching, SPED 668. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval.

PSYC679: Family Systems and Childhood Disorders: A Multicultural Approach (3 hours lecture)

This course will use a multicultural lens to examine the various family therapy approaches such as Structural, Bowenian, Behavioral, Strategic and Paradoxical approaches and their corresponding techniques. Special emphasis will be placed on applying these approaches to the prevailing childhood DSM diagnoses (e.g., Childhood Depression and Anxiety, Substance Abuse, Eating Disorders, ADHD, Developmental Disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Conduct Disorder). A segment of the course will focus on special topics and their relevance to family functioning (e.g., trauma, incest/sexual abuse, domestic violence, illness/death, poverty and parental psychopathology). 3 sh.

Prerequisites: PSYC 565 or PSYC 667.

PSYC680: Externship in Clinical Psychology

This course is a supervised, two semester, clinical experience designed to provide the skills necessary for professional practice in Mental Health Clinics or other settings where there is a significant Hispanic clientele. On-site supervision will take place under the direction of a fully licensed clinical psychologist (the field-based supervisor) in close cooperation with the Bilingual Clinical Program Director at Montclair State. The student will also meet with a Montclair State faculty supervisor on a weekly basis. At least one of the supervisors will be a bilingual/bicultural individual. A contract will be signed between the student intern, field-based supervisor and the Montclair faculty supervisor before the start of the internship. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Departmental approval, and matriculated status in the Clinical Psychology for Spanish/English Bilinguals Concentration, and permission of the program director.

READ500: The Nature of Reading. Starting Summer 2012: Literacy Foundations (3 hours lecture)

Examines the foundations of reading: the nature of the reading process, readiness, beginning instruction, current practices in the teaching of reading in early childhood and elementary education, a reappraisal of the role of reading in a technological society. Starting Summer 2012: Students examine the theoretical and pedagogical foundations of literacy and literacy teaching. This involves learning about reading development, early years and elementary literacy instruction, assessment processes and policies, and practical strategies for ensuring literacy success for all school students. 3 sh.

READ507: Understanding Reading Comprehension (3 hours lecture)

Pre-service and in-service teachers examine the concept of reading comprehension. Students make the link between influential theories of reading comprehension, specific elements of reading as a practice, and real-world reading and teaching situations. Over the course of the semester, students articulate and reflect upon their own concepts of reading comprehension, and identify useful approaches for working with a range of school students and types of readers. 3 sh.

READ508: Critical Thinking and Literacy (3 hours lecture)

In Critical Thinking and Literacy, students learn various epistemological approaches to critical thinking and literacy development and practice, including, for example, sociological, psychological, cultural, historical and sociolinguistic approaches. Students link approaches to classroom pedagogy, and use insights gained from this course to critique habituated ways of knowing, seeing, and acting with respect to literacy teaching, with a particular emphasis on how language and literacies condition reality and our belief in the possibility of transforming it. 3 sh.

SPED567: Instructional Planning for Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings I (3 hours lecture)

This course is designed to provide educators with the skills necessary to meet the needs of students with disabilities in K-5 inclusive classrooms. Educators will learn how to use developmentally appropriate practice and universal design curriculum to enhance the learning of students who display competencies across a wide range. The major focus will be on practical techniques and strategies that can be used to provide quality instruction in inclusive settings. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: SPED 579. Students must be enrolled in a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Instructional Teaching Certificate (CRI), Educational Services Certificate (CRE) or Master of Education (MED).

SPED568: Instructional Planning for Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings II (3 hours lecture)

This course will enhance the ability of future educators to provide effective planning and instruction for students with disabilities in 6-12 inclusive classrooms. Educators will learn how to apply developmentally appropriate practice and curriculum design to improve the learning of students who exhibit competencies across a wide range. The emphasis will be on practical techniques and strategies that can be utilized in an inclusive setting. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: SPED 579. Students must be enrolled in a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Instructional Teaching Certificate (CRI), Educational Services Certificate (CRE) or Master of Education (MED).

SPED579: Special Education for Students with Disabilities (3 hours lecture)

An overview of instruction for students with special needs; characteristics of special populations, federal and state legislation, educational implications of disabling conditions, principles for instruction and planning for inclusion are presented; community resources and special issues related to the education of students with disabilities are discussed. 3 sh.

SPED595: Medical and Physical Bases of Disabilities (3 hours lecture)

Critical dimensions of the neurological and biological growth in the context of developmental disabilities are discussed. The relevance of the pediatric and neurological examinations for understanding disabilities is provided. The medical treatment of disabilities is presented. 3 sh.

Prerequisites: Students must be enrolled in a Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT), Instructional Teaching Certificate (CRI), Educational Services Certificate (CRE) or Master of Education (MED).