Let A General Psychology Course Introduce You To This Fascinating Field

Many students enjoy the idea of learning about how their fellow humans act and why people do the behaviors they do. After all, this is the reason that many of them choose to major in the field of psychology. Psychology is the study of the workings of the human mind. There are many different fields within this arena, as well as many different theorists who have left their mark on the study of the human mind. Introduction to Psychology is a course designed to teach students all the basics of this fascinating field.

There are many different theories within the realm of the study of behavior and thought. Many of these theories will be covered in the Intro to Psychology class as students will learn the basics of all that is covered. Quite a few of these theories govern the development of the mind, and in this case there are many psychologists doing work on an area called nature versus nurture. Another area of great interest to budding psychologists in the psychology introductory course is abnormal psychology.

The great debate on nature versus nurture centers on the question, "Are we who we are because we are born that way or because we are raised that way?" There are no true answers to this question as both sides have found ways to debunk the other side. Chiefly, nature proponents say who we are is encoded into our DNA, while nurture advocates say that a child's home life is what will create a functional or dysfunctional individual.

There are many different forms of psychological dysfunction. This area of psychological study is called abnormal psychology. Many of the disorders profiled such as schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder, autism and dissociative disorder will be talked about with Intro students. Many leave the class quite interested in this area of the field.

There are many people who have greatly shaped the study of psychology. This survey course introduces students to a whole host of people who are responsible for the development and advancement of the study of psychology. None of these individuals will receive a complete biography, but there are many who are worth noting. Two of the most famous individuals within the Introduction to Psychology curriculum are Philip Zimbardo and Sigmund Freud.

Besides being credited with writing many of the textbooks used in psychology classes, Philip Zimbardo is the author of one of the most famous psychological studies conducted on American soil, the Stanford Prison study. In this study, students will learn about what happened when Zimbardo had some students act as prison guards while others acted as prisoners and the psychology department of Stanford was turned into a prison block.

Sigmund Freud is considered the "Father of Modern Psychology" due to his numerous contributions in the field. Freud is credited with pioneering ideas in dream analysis. He is also most famous for his ideas concerning the Id, the Ego and the Superego, as well as the Oedipal Complex.

What this general psychology course does is allow students to experience some of the wonder and fascination the field as a whole provides. One way students can undertake this study is via an online college for free class offering. Intro to Psych is a required course and taking it online and at no cost may just give students the impetus they need to pursue a full program.

Classes Through Criminal Justice Colleges Introduce Students To Law And Order

Introduction to Criminal Justice is a course that is a pre-requisite course for any student who has the dream of being a part of the criminal justice system in the United States. Many students have different aspirations about what they would like to do if given the opportunity to serve their communities in the wide field of crime and law enforcement. Like most college programs, criminal justice majors are required to take introductory courses in order to proceed to the higher level courses.

Taking students on a journey throughout the justice system, this introductory course covers a wide spectrum. Students will learn the different motivations for crimes, as well as the processes by which a crime is dealt with in the court systems. In this pre-requisite course students are also given background knowledge on the functions of the police and corrections department. They will also examine the many different controversial issues that affect how law enforcement executes their mission in the 21st century.

The first part of the program is the introduction to what the students will be studying within the class. The first thing students must do is learn the definition of exactly what criminal behavior is. Students will then learn about the different types of criminal offenses, along with the duties of the many different personnel who are responsible for helping enforce law and order within the many jurisdictions of the different states.

The first set of personnel that students will learn about is police officers. Police officers are the front line of defense against crime. They will learn about the history of the police force as well as the many laws and policies which govern policing. In addition, they will explore what the role of the police officer is within the community.

After learning about the police, students are next exposed to the court system. There are many personnel within the court house and those in this class are responsible for learning the duties of the district attorney, the judge, the jury and the defense attorney. Students will also learn about the way a case progresses through the court system and how each party has different responsibilities depending on where the case is at the time.

The court system may be intriguing, but another area of fascination is the corrections department. When learning about corrections, students are learning about the punishment phase of law enforcement. They will learn about the lives inmates lead behind bars as well as the different levels of punishment and how they correspond to the varying levels of criminal acts.

The last part of the Introduction to Criminal Justice class is the discussion of the controversial issues that plague law enforcement. These issues can be simple ones, such as how drug abuse affects motivation to commit crime or tough issues such as what is the proper level of punishment for violent juvenile offenders.

Most students have an idea of how they would like to serve the community and classes through criminal justice colleges offered on-campus and online can answer this need. Scholarships and grants can often allow students to attend college for free and in this field these monies from the government and the community are a great investment.