As interest in mental health and the concept of wellness continues to grow, Carleton’s Faculty of Art and Social Science (FASS) provides students with a variety of lenses through which to better understand Mental Health and the Mind.
With 38 different areas of study, FASS lets students explore a variety of topics that interest them and supports program flexibility that adapts to how those interests evolve throughout their degrees.
FYSM 1508 Stress, Coping and Well-beingHow do you cope with stress? We live in a stressful world, and how we cope has implications for our happiness and well-being. We will examine theory and research on how stress affects our lives, how people cope, and what it means to be well-adjusted.
FYSM 1400 Cognition: A Scientific Exploration of the MindTheories, research, and applications of Cognitive Psychology. Research projects will familiarize students with the scientific method used to study pattern recognition, attention, memory, language and thinking.
FYSM 1306 Diversity in Psychological World ViewsTheories, research and applications of psychology from the perspective of different cultures and sub-cultures. The validity of psychology across society; how it defines and changes people, and how it reflects and engineers particular social values and norms.
FYSM 1307 Psychology and Criminal JusticeTheories, research, and practical applications of psychology to the criminal justice system. Topics may include eyewitness testimony, prediction of violence, classification and rehabilitation of offenders, victim studies, and judicial decision making.
FYSM 1308 Motivating HumansThe psychology of human motivation. Everyday concepts such as laziness in relation to diverse theories and explanations of motivation such as drive-reduction, sociobiology, personal goals, self-actualization and spiritual awareness.
FYSM 1310 Selected Topics in PsychologyPsychology is the scientific study of our thoughts, feelings and behaviour. This course examines a selected topic in psychology which varies from year to year.
ENGL 1300Literature, Psychology, and the MindAn introductory course whose readings focus on the intersections between literature, psychology, and the mind. Topics will vary. Consult the English Department website for the current topic.
PSYC 2500Foundations of Developmental PsychologyIntroduction to developmental psychology, including a survey of theories, issues, methods, and findings. Topics may include biological underpinnings and genetics, as well as selected aspects of language, cognitive, moral, emotional, and social development.
PHIL 1301Mind, World, and KnowledgeIntroduction to a variety of philosophical works, including contemporary, on such topics as: the nature of being, the mental, the external, consciousness, perception, experience, meaning, truth, the nature of knowledge, scientific understanding, and how language and thought represent the world.
CGSC 1001Mysteries of the MindChallenges faced in understanding the mind, and some of the approaches cognitive science has brought to bear on them. Topics may include the nature of knowledge, how we learn, the extent to which human thinking is rational, biases in thinking, and evolutionary influences on cognition.
LING 1100The Mysteries of LanguageThis course explores some intriguing mysteries of language - whether it is unique to humans, how children master its complexities so easily, how the brain handles language, how languages are born and die. These questions lead us to interesting discoveries about the human mind.
PSYC 2301Introduction to Health PsychologyIntroduction to health psychology, including a survey of theories, issues, methods, and findings. Using a multidisciplinary approach, topics may include the reciprocal interactions among physical health and illness, and psychological factors, including emotional well-being, coping and appraisal processes.
PHIL 2501Introduction to Philosophy of MindAn introduction to major philosophical issues concerning human cognition. Topics may include: the relation of mind to body, knowledge of other minds, the relation of mental states to personhood and personal identity, mental illness, consciousness, intentionality, action, mental realism.
PHIL 2330Happiness, Well-being, and the Good LifeA philosophical exploration of what makes a good human life. Topics may include the role of happiness, well-being, and flourishing in a good life, the relations between these aspects, and the extent to which they depend on luck and social considerations.
HIST 3515Madness in Modern TimesHistory of insanity from the eighteenth to the twentieth century. Themes include changing public and medical understandings of madness, patients' experiences and artistic portrayals of mental hospital life, cultural representations of madness in various media, and the history of the asylum.
PHIL 2540Personal Identity and the SelfPhilosophical perspectives on personal identity, the self, and the underlying issue of the relationship of the mind to the body. Both philosophical and psychological concepts of identity are discussed, as are related issues such as memory, introspection, and self-knowledge.
HUMS 2000Reason and RevelationThe origins of philosophy in ancient Greece and its pursuit in the medieval West, with special attention to knowledge, happiness, and love. Readings include works by Plato, Aristotle, Plotinus, Augustine, Boethius, Aquinas, and Dante.
SOCI 2050Sociology of HealthCritical approaches to understanding health, illness and healthcare and how social, cultural, political and economic factors affect our health, our experiences with illness, and our encounters with healthcare systems.