First-Year Seminar: It’s Not Easy Being Green: The Psychology of Sustainable Behavior

Course Description

The changing environment is one of the most critical challenges of the 21st century. Heat waves are becoming more frequent, stronger storms are damaging coastal areas, sea levels are rising, and there are more floods and droughts. The message from scientists and climate activists is that we must act quickly and aggressively to avoid devastating consequences for human and animal life. Meanwhile, we see little decisive action and little change in terms of government policy or individual behavior. How can we understand this disconnect between the urgency of the situation and public inaction, and what can we do to counteract it? Psychological science offers important insights. In this course, we will examine how human behavior contributes to environmental problems and explore the personal, social, and cultural factors that explain why people engage in sustainable or unsustainable behaviors. We will also consider how insights from research in psychology can be applied to motivate sustainable choices. We will address several relevant questions. What can we learn from psychological science about why some people ignore or deny the reality of climate change? What are the psychological barriers that prevent even those individuals who understand the urgency of the situation from taking action? How can we apply psychological knowledge about persuasion and behavior change to change attitudes and encourage action? We will cover relevant psychological theories, methods, and research findings and apply this knowledge in class projects including a self-change project and a community-based group project.

Health Psychology

Course overview

This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the interdisciplinary field of health psychology, which uses scientific research methods to study the bi-directional relationship between psychology and health. We will discuss psychological states such as stress and how they affect the body, and mental processes such as finding meaning that are associated with effective coping and positive health outcomes. We will also study health behaviors such as exercise, sleep, eating, and substance use. Finally, we will explore how psychological concepts and research can be applied to health promotion and illness prevention. Course content will be especially relevant to students considering careers in health care or public health.

Research Methods in Health Psychology

Health psychology is the study of psychological issues in health, illness, and health care. In this course, you will learn about research methods used in health psychology and, more broadly, the scientific method. Health psychologists use many different methodologies including experimental methods in lab and field, quasi-experimental methods, and observational methods. We will discuss the application of these methods to health psychology research, as well as related topics of validity, measurement, and research ethics. This course will culminate in the design and implementation of a community-based research project in the area of health psychology. You will learn how to develop a survey, use the Qualtrics program, and strengthen your skills in SPSS and data analysis.

Seminar in Health Psychology: Psychology of Women’s Health

This seminar will examine theoretical and empirical advances in the psychology of women’s health. Using a biopsychosocial perspective, we will explore the influences of the health care system, the workplace, and relationships on women’s health; stress, depression and health in women; women’s reproductive health across the lifespan; gender differences and similarities in health; and women’s health-related behaviors. Through readings and class discussions, students will be exposed to psychological theories and research methodologies used in studying women’s health from a biopsychosocial perspective. We will also explore how psychological science can enrich biomedical approaches to understanding and improving women’s health.

Introduction to Health Studies

Introduction to Health Studies is a multidisciplinary course that explores various theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of health. In addition to providing the overall framework for the materials covered, the faculty-convener of the course will draw on speakers from Dickinson faculty and beyond who will present health studies materials relevant to their respective areas of special expertise. Faculty speakers will be drawn from a range of disciplines at the college and will also include experts from the local community and other institutions.

The major goal of this course is to provide opportunities for you to think about human health from multiple perspectives. The concept, health, is not owned by any single discipline, field or viewpoint but instead is a pervasive human concern. Health studies is an umbrella for many courses in different academic departments, and this introductory course samples from that variety. Therefore, a key learning objective in meeting the "multiple perspectives" goal is for you to show you can apply more than one disciplinary perspective to a human health issue.