School Board Approves New AP Psychology Course
The Huntington School Board has approved a new full-year, one credit AP Psychology course for juniors and seniors. Officials estimate that as many as 30 students might register for the course when it debuts next tall.
The new course was earlier approved by the district’s Education Development Committee. The class is the equivalent of an introductory college course in psychology.
“The AP Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and other animals,” according to the course proposal submitted to trustees. “Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles and phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice.”
School officials said the course is needed so that “qualified students” have an opportunity to engage in studies on par with a one-semester college psychology course. Students will also be given a chance to secure college credit for their work.
Topics will include the history and approaches to psychology, research methods, biological bases if behavior, sensation and perception, states of consciousness, learned and unlearned behavior, cognition, motivation and emotion, developmental psychology and personality.
The course will be offered within the social studies department beginning in Sept. 2008. The prerequisites for the course include 10th grade AP World History or Honors Global History or Regents U.S. History with a minimum grade of 88.
While no additional staff is needed, the new course will carry a cost of about $1,500 for materials, according to Huntington Assistant Superintendent Michael O’Brien.
For more information about the course call Director of Humanities Joseph Leavy at 673-2079 or e-mail him at jleavy@hufsd.edu.
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