PSYCH 28N: The Cultural Shaping of Emotion (CSRE 28N)
This seminar examines how our cultural ideas and practices shape our conceptions, perceptions, and experiences of emotion. We will read and discuss empirical research and case studies from psychology, anthropology, sociology, and medicine. Course requirements include weekly reading and thought papers, weekly discussion, and a final research project and presentation.
Last offered: Winter 2025
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-EDP, WAY-SI
PSYCH 30: Introduction to Perception
Behavioral and neural aspects of perception focusing on visual and auditory perception. Topics include: scientific methods for studying perception, anatomy and physiology of the visual and auditiory systems, color vision, depth perception, motion perception, stereopsis, visual recognition, pitch and loudness perception, speech perception, and reorganization of the visual system in the blind.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER: DB-NatSci, WAY-SI, WAY-SMA
Instructors:
Grill-Spector, K. (PI)
;
Fang, K. (TA)
;
Feng, Q. (TA)
;
Im, E. (TA)
;
Nasvytis, L. (TA)
;
Wu, C. (TA)
;
Yao, J. (TA)
PSYCH 30N: The Science of Diverse Communities (CSRE 30N, EDUC 30N, SOC 179N)
This course is an exploration. Most generally, its aim is to identify distinguishing features of good diverse communities and articulate them well enough to offer principles or guidelines for how to design and manage such communities - all with a particular focus on educational communities like schools, universities, academic disciplines, etc., but with the hope that such principles might generalize to other kinds of organizations and the broader society. The readings range from those on the origins of human communities and social identities to those on intergroup trust building. They also aim to embed our discussions in the major diversity issues of the day, or example, what's in the news about campus life. Thus the course has a practical purpose: to develop testable ideas for improving the comfort level, fairness and goodness-for-all of identity diverse communities--especially in educational settings. The course also has a basic science purpose: to explore the psychological significa
more »
This course is an exploration. Most generally, its aim is to identify distinguishing features of good diverse communities and articulate them well enough to offer principles or guidelines for how to design and manage such communities - all with a particular focus on educational communities like schools, universities, academic disciplines, etc., but with the hope that such principles might generalize to other kinds of organizations and the broader society. The readings range from those on the origins of human communities and social identities to those on intergroup trust building. They also aim to embed our discussions in the major diversity issues of the day, or example, what's in the news about campus life. Thus the course has a practical purpose: to develop testable ideas for improving the comfort level, fairness and goodness-for-all of identity diverse communities--especially in educational settings. The course also has a basic science purpose: to explore the psychological significance of community. Is there a psychological need for community? Is there something about a need for community that can't be reduced to other needs, for example, for a gender, racial or sexual-orientation identity? How strong is the need for community against other needs? What kinds of human groupings can satisfy it? In meeting this need, can membership in one community substitute for membership in others? What do people need from communities in order to thrive in them? Do strong diverse communities dampen intergroup biases? Can strong community loyalty mitigate identity tensions within communities? Such questions, the hope is, will help us develop a more systematic understanding of the challenges and opportunities inherent in diverse human communities.
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
Instructors:
Steele, C. (PI)
PSYCH 31A: Democracy and Disagreement (COMM 3, CSRE 31, HISTORY 3C, PHIL 30, POLISCI 31, PUBLPOL 3, RELIGST 23X, SOC 13)
Deep disagreement pervades our democracy, from arguments over issues ranging from foreign policy, free speech, and reparations to college admissions policy and the professionalization of college athletics. Loud voices drown out discussion. Open-mindedness, humility, and critical thinking seem in short supply among politicians, citizens, and other residents alike. Yet constructive disagreement is an essential feature of a democratic society. This class explores and models respectful, civil disagreement. Each week features scholars who disagree - sometimes quite strongly - about major policy issues. Students will have the opportunity to probe those disagreements, understand why they persist, and improve their own understanding of the facts and values that underlie them. The course may be taken for one or two units. The basic, one-unit class is open to all Stanford students, with other members of the Stanford community welcome to audit individual classes. The requirements are to do readin
more »
Deep disagreement pervades our democracy, from arguments over issues ranging from foreign policy, free speech, and reparations to college admissions policy and the professionalization of college athletics. Loud voices drown out discussion. Open-mindedness, humility, and critical thinking seem in short supply among politicians, citizens, and other residents alike. Yet constructive disagreement is an essential feature of a democratic society. This class explores and models respectful, civil disagreement. Each week features scholars who disagree - sometimes quite strongly - about major policy issues. Students will have the opportunity to probe those disagreements, understand why they persist, and improve their own understanding of the facts and values that underlie them. The course may be taken for one or two units. The basic, one-unit class is open to all Stanford students, with other members of the Stanford community welcome to audit individual classes. The requirements are to do readings in advance of each class, attend, and listen attentively and critically. Because the topics are different, students who took the course in 2023-24 may enroll this year as well. A limited number of undergraduates may take a second unit of credit. Students enrolled in the two unit course will participate in weekly small group discussion seminars about the topics discussed by guest presenters in the course that week. The discussion seminars will be led by peer facilitators, with the goals of developing critical thinking skills and discourse skills, such as active listening and curiosity. The peer facilitators are undergraduate students who have completed training in dialogue facilitation. Each discussion seminar will have a maximum of 10 students. If interest in discussion seminars exceeds the number offered, students will be chosen by lottery.
Terms: Win
| Units: 1-2
| Repeatable
4 times
(up to 8 units total)
PSYCH 35: Minds and Machines (CS 24, LINGUIST 35, PHIL 99, SYMSYS 1, SYMSYS 200)
(Formerly
SYMSYS 100). An overview of the interdisciplinary study of cognition, information, communication, and language, with an emphasis on foundational issues: What are minds? What is computation? What are rationality and intelligence? Can we predict human behavior? Can computers be truly intelligent? How do people and technology interact, and how might they do so in the future? Lectures focus on how the methods of philosophy, mathematics, empirical research, and computational modeling are used to study minds and machines. Students must take this course before being approved to declare Symbolic Systems as a major. All students interested in studying Symbolic Systems are urged to take this course early in their student careers. The course material and presentation will be at an introductory level, without prerequisites.
Terms: Win, Spr
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-FR
Instructors:
Frank, M. (PI)
;
Goodman, N. (PI)
;
Krejci, B. (PI)
;
Wu, J. (PI)
;
Blue, M. (TA)
;
Boda, A. (TA)
;
Brophy, S. (TA)
;
Chan, J. (TA)
;
Chang, J. (TA)
;
Chen, E. (TA)
;
Chen, K. (TA)
;
Han, D. (TA)
;
Kalinggo, T. (TA)
;
Ma, K. (TA)
;
Malhotra, A. (TA)
;
Mao, H. (TA)
;
McDaniel, J. (TA)
;
Moore, H. (TA)
;
Obasi, K. (TA)
;
Semu, N. (TA)
;
Shen, E. (TA)
;
Shrestha, R. (TA)
;
Zou, C. (TA)
PSYCH 39SI: Psychology Beyond the Classroom
By its very nature psychology is interdisciplinary. This course will consist of student-led workshops for those who are interested in the role of psychology in today's society. Each week a different student will talk about an interest of theirs -- anything from Disney movies to memes -- and how it relates to psychology. Students are encouraged to be as creative as possible and take initiative! (Presented by the Stanford Undergraduate Psychology Association.)
Terms: Spr
| Units: 1
| Repeatable
for credit
(up to 99 units total)
Instructors:
Crum, A. (PI)
PSYCH 45: Introduction to Learning and Memory
The literature on learning and memory including cognitive and neural organization of memory, mechanisms of remembering and forgetting, and why people sometimes falsely remember events that never happened. Cognitive theory and behavioral evidence integrated with data from patient studies and functional brain imaging. Required prerequisite:
PSYCH 1.
Terms: Spr
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: WAY-SI
Instructors:
Wagner, A. (PI)
;
Anderson, S. (TA)
;
Ogunbamowo, D. (TA)
;
Whitman, K. (TA)
...
more »
Instructors:
Wagner, A. (PI)
;
Anderson, S. (TA)
;
Ogunbamowo, D. (TA)
;
Whitman, K. (TA)
;
Xue, A. (TA)
;
Yan, R. (TA)
PSYCH 50: Introduction to Cognitive Neuroscience
How does our brain give rise to our abilities to perceive, act and think? Survey of the basic facts, empirical evidence, theories and methods of study in cognitive neuroscience exploring how cognition is instantiated in neural activity. Representative topics include perceptual and motor processes, decision making, learning and memory, attention, reward processing, reinforcement learning, sensory inference and cognitive control.
Terms: Win
| Units: 4
| UG Reqs: GER: DB-NatSci, WAY-SI, WAY-SMA
Instructors:
Gardner, J. (PI)
;
Wolf-Gorneault, L. (PI)
;
Ergin, I. (TA)
;
Fang, K. (TA)
;
Feng, Q. (TA)
;
Gu, H. (TA)
PSYCH 50A: Practicum in Teaching: Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience
TA training for Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience: preparing for sections, grading assignments, reviewing and answering questions in Canvas online forums and supporting office hours and review sections. Enrollment limited to teaching assistants for
Psych 50: Intro to Cognitive Neuroscience. May be repeat for credit
Terms: Win
| Units: 1-4
| Repeatable
for credit
Instructors:
Gardner, J. (PI)
PSYCH 60: Introduction to Developmental Psychology
How does the human mind develop in the first few years of life? What do babies know, how do they learn, and what methods do scientists use to address these questions? This course will introduce theories of development and key empirical findings in developmental psychology, with a focus on intellectual development in infancy and early childhood. Recommended:
PSYCH 1
Terms: Aut
| Units: 3
| UG Reqs: GER:DB-SocSci, WAY-SI
