Advanced Placement Psychology

This course provides a rigorous introduction to the fundamental concepts in psychology and prepares students for the May 2020 AP examination in psychology. Topics include the neurological processes that lead to thought and behavior, the processes that allow people to sense and perceive information from the environment, sleep and dreams, behavior, sources of the motivation to act, emotional experiences, language, memory, human development across the lifespan, personality, psychological disorders, friendship, altruism, bias and discrimination, research methods, and statistics. The course uses a college textbook and requires that students do a significant amount of independent reading. Students come to class prepared to engage in interactive work, such as the analysis of case studies and current or historical events. Students also design and carry out an independent research project. In order to fully prepare students for the AP examination, students get ample practice answering AP-style questions.

Grade requirement: For students completing Grade 9 and up; completion of Grade 10 recommended.

Homework per class meetging: 3-7 hours