Psych Scoop, 1/11/21

January 11th, 2022

The Psych Scoop is sent to all Psychology Undergraduate students and alumni every Tuesday throughout the academic school year. 

Share your news with psyadvis@umn.edu!

Psychology Advising Announcements

Feedback for the department? Check out our suggestion box.

1. Spring 2022 Starts Next Week!

Winter break is coming to a close and the Spring semester is set to start on January 18th. As a reminder, PsyAdvis will be offering virtual appointments and drop-ins for the Spring semester. Drop-in hours are available on our website. We provide drop-ins for most of the day for the first two weeks of the semester. We are also available through email as always and you can email us at psyadvis@umn.edu!

Events

2. Personal Statement Consultations for International Undergraduates

happening now! through January 14, 2022

Cost: Free

Location: Online

Are you preparing an application for a graduate or professional school program? The Personal Statement is an important part of the application process, so we have arranged opportunities for undergraduates to get advice from experienced graduate students! Interested students can meet with a Personal Statement Consultant to have your statement reviewed in a consultation appointment. Appointments are 30 minutes, and they are available virtually. You can also request video recorded feedback and comments to review on your own time. The consultants are either current graduate students or staff who work in UMN Career Services. Personal Statement Consultations are available from December 13-January 14. You can visit a Personal Statement Consultant more than once. Reserve a time slot today!

Courses of Interest

3. PSY 4301: Psychology & Diversity Science - 3 credits

This is an advanced course for undergraduate students interested in research, theory, history, and practice related to psychological perspectives in Diversity Science. Diversity Science broadly pertains to understanding causes, consequences, and correlates of human group-based variations, in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and the like. Students will learn how to adopt a scientific, analytic perspective on current issues and debates related to diversity within both academic research and popular culture. The course consists of lectures, discussions, and a substantial amount of hands-on learning through the use and analysis of relevant research data. The prerequisite is PSY 3001W. In addition, completion of PSY 3301 is strongly recommended.

PSY 4301 will meet in Bruininks 131A, Mondays and Wednesdays from 9:45 am- 11:00 am CST

Instructor: Moin Syed

Note: This course counts as a Distribution Area B course for the majors or minors or a Psychology elective.

4. PSY 4960 - 003: Advanced Topics in Quantitative Methods: R Programming - 3 credits

Conducting psychological research involves collecting data, but what happens next? Completing research projects involves more than just analyzing data! In this course, we will learn about the research pipeline and how to incorporate Open Science practices to generate reproducible and transparent analyses. Specifically, students will learn both basic and advanced R programming to carry out data cleaning, analyses, and visualization. Finally, students will learn how to share their code and data via GitHub. A large component of this course will involve hands-on programming that will culminate in an independent final project. It is strongly suggested that students take PSY3801: Introduction to Psychological Measurement and Data Analysis prior to taking this course, but it is not required.

PSY 4960-001 will meet in Elliott Hall N423, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:45 am- 11:00 am CST

Instructor: Dr. Amanda Woodward

Note: this course counts as elective credit for the Psychology majors. If you are a minor, please email us at psyadvis@umn.edu about the course.

5. CSPH 3211: Living on Purpose: An Exploration of Self, Purpose & Community - Spring 2022 (2 credits)

Looking for an elective this spring? Consider CSPH 3211 Living on Purpose: An Exploration of Self, Purpose & Community (2 cr). Define what "living purposefully" means to you. Weekly topics include personal values, strengths, contemplative practices, inner-ways of knowing, self-compassion, sources of happiness, and mindfulness. This is a blended course with three in-person classes that provide time for community and support. For more information, check out our website.

CSPH 3211 will meet in the Mayo Building 3 times, otherwise virtual

Instructors: Carole Anne Broad and Lisa Clark

Note: this course does not count for Psychology majors or minors.

6. FSOS 4101: Sexuality and Gender in Families and Close Relationships - Spring 2022 (3 Credits)

This course focuses on issues related to sexuality from a systemic perspective and would be useful for any student interested in sexuality and sexuality studies. Students will evaluate their own rules and values about sexuality and relationships and will develop an increased understanding of the fields of sexual science and sex therapy. Contemporary issues explored during the class include body image and sexuality, non-binary gender identities, the orgasm gap between male and female sexual experiences, asexuality, and consensual non-monogamy.

FSOS 4101 meets Tuesdays and Thursdays, 11:45 am- 1:00 pm CST, 143 Ruttan Hall

Instructor: Cynthia Meyer (vanbo024@umn.edu)

Note: this course does not count for Psychology majors or minors.

Research

7. *Credit* Research Opportunity with Health Behavior Change Lab

The Health Behavior Change Lab, led by Dr. Alex Rothman, is seeking 1-2 student research assistants to work on a literature search about physical activity/exercise interventions. The goal of the project is to understand when and why interventions are successful (or not) at increasing physical activity. RAs will assist in developing a coding scheme and coding papers. This position will require a commitment of 9 hours per week (3 credits). If interested, please send a brief introduction to Rina Horii at horii004@umn.edu.

Grad School

8. UCI’s Post-Baccalaureate Program in Psychological Science

UCI’s Post-Baccalaureate Program in Psychological Science is a certificate program that combines psychology coursework with research and/or internship experience. It is designed for people who have a bachelor’s degree (in any discipline), are interested in a psychology-related graduate program, career development, or career change, and could benefit from additional coursework, research, and/or real-life work experience in psychology. Those interested in a Doctoral-level or Master’s degree program in a range of areas of psychology (including clinical/counseling psychology, social/personality psychology, developmental psychology, health psychology, psychology & the law, and school psychology) or health (e.g., public health, medical school) can strengthen their graduate school applications by completing our program, which offers an individualized course of study based on each person’s qualifications and goals. Apply and learn more. Applications are due on February 15, 2022, for Fall 2022 admission.

9. Special Education MEd/Teaching Licensure and Online ASD Certificate Info Sessions

Tuesday, January 25, 2022, 12:00 pm- 1:00 pm CST

Tuesday, February 1, 2022, 4:30 pm- 5:30 pm CST

Cost: Free

Location: Online

Considering graduate school or taking graduate-level classes for fall 2022? We hope you can join us for one of our info sessions on our MEd/teaching licensure programs, including academic behavior specialist (ABS), Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH), and early childhood special education (ECSE), to learn more about graduate and professional programs in special education at the University of Minnesota. At the sessions, we'll also discuss our fully online Autism Spectrum Disorder certificate—which undergraduate or graduate students can add to their coursework. RSVP online.

Resources

10. Thinking Ahead to Spring - Save Money on Textbooks with the Help of the Libraries!

The Libraries may have your spring textbooks and readings. In partnership with the University of Minnesota Bookstores, the University Libraries provides you with a list of free U of M required books. Check the list below to see if the library already has books and materials for your course online. All books are free for U of MN - Twin Cities students to read online and to checkout. Check out the list today!

Jobs/Internship Opportunities

IMPORTANT: Organizations listed below are not necessarily affiliated with or endorsed by the Department of Psychology or Psychology Undergraduate Advising. Please exercise the same discretion you would in viewing any other source.

11. Undergraduate Research Assistant Positions Available - Department of Family Medicine and Community Health

This undergraduate position will provide assistance to an ongoing clinical research project. The clinical research project is collecting data from marijuana users and control participants to better understand the role of marijuana use in stress and cognition. Specific duties include data entry, preparing study materials, conducting telephone interviews, and collecting data from participants at research visits. Experience with REDCap is preferred but not required. Students need to be able to work independently and meet deadlines, have some afternoon and/or early evening availability, and have good time management and organizational skills. This position will be interacting with a diverse community of research participants. Having the ability to build rapport and communicate clearly and effectively will be important. Some customer service or interview experience is preferred but not required. Hours are flexible but able to work up to 20 hours/week. The starting pay for this position is $18 an hour. Please contact Kat Harrison at 612-624-5377 or harr0644@umn.edu if you are interested.

12. UMN Reserach Professional 1

The purpose of this position is to collect research study data among participants of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. ARIC is a multi-site study of individuals, now aged 80-100 years, who have been followed for over 30 years to better understand risk factors for cardiovascular disease, dementia, and other chronic conditions. Data collection includes an ~45 min neurocognitive assessment according to study protocol. Starting salary range: $40,000-$50,000, UMN benefits. Internal candidates can apply here and external candidates can apply here.

13. MCTFR Office Assistant

The Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research (MCTFR) seeks to hire an undergraduate research assistant (UGRA) registered for study at the University of Minnesota for an office assistant position (2222 Student Admin/Support Services) responsible for mail and clerical duties, financial justification, and ordering supplies. Apply on the University job search page.

14. Psychology Subject Tutor - Lindahl Academic Center

Peer subject tutors meet in small groups (2-3) of students to review subject-specific material. Meetings are weekly and recurring, lasting the duration of the academic semester. Availability is flexible based on tutor submission. Requirements: Familiarity with chosen subject matter receiving at least a grade of "B" or equivalent in chosen areas. Tutors must remain in good academic standing with a GPA above 3.0 throughout the duration of their employment. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills. Ability to work well in groups and with a diverse population. More information and the application form can be found online.