Social Sci Course Reviews
Psychology + Criminology Course Guide...
To Professors, Courses, and more!
To Professors, Courses, and more!
Psych 2080 A/B- Intro to Test and Measurement 3 hrs lecture
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶
Difficulty: ¶¶
Prof: Patrick Brown
*This prof takes the FULL 3 HOURS and drags it out until the end. He posts slides and reads directly from them, and rambles on about it for a long time. Nice man, but his lectures aren’t the most exciting to sit through (many people stop coming)
*If the class gets out of control, he will put questions on the exam about names + dates (which he wouldn’t do otherwise)
What It’s All About: In this course, you will learn about different measures used in different areas of
psychology and why we use them. On top of it all, you will learn different techniques used to
create tests and other things that are used to score them.
Why Take It?: If you are interested in continuing with psych, I recommend taking this course. It also
overlaps with some material in Clinical Psychology and Research Methods (less to learn). If you’re
looking for a high mark to boost your average, this is the class you want to take.
Exams: 3 multiple choice exams worth: 25%, 35%, 40%
-non cumulative
-straight forward exams (no tricks), pretty broad (not detailed)
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶
Difficulty: ¶¶
Prof: Patrick Brown
*This prof takes the FULL 3 HOURS and drags it out until the end. He posts slides and reads directly from them, and rambles on about it for a long time. Nice man, but his lectures aren’t the most exciting to sit through (many people stop coming)
*If the class gets out of control, he will put questions on the exam about names + dates (which he wouldn’t do otherwise)
What It’s All About: In this course, you will learn about different measures used in different areas of
psychology and why we use them. On top of it all, you will learn different techniques used to
create tests and other things that are used to score them.
Why Take It?: If you are interested in continuing with psych, I recommend taking this course. It also
overlaps with some material in Clinical Psychology and Research Methods (less to learn). If you’re
looking for a high mark to boost your average, this is the class you want to take.
Exams: 3 multiple choice exams worth: 25%, 35%, 40%
-non cumulative
-straight forward exams (no tricks), pretty broad (not detailed)
Psych 2990 A/B- Applications of Psychology 2 hrs lecture
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Doug Hazlewood
*Very interesting lecturer, gives many examples—LISTEN TO THEM CLOSELY
*He doesn’t post lecture notes so come to class
*Don’t talk during his class OR he WILL center you out
What It’s All About: You will learn about how psychology can be applied to almost every area. You will
learn about the Law (eye witness testimony), Police Interrogations, Sports Psych, Military Psych,
Environmental and Workplace Psych, Health and Psych, etc.
Why Take It?: If you’re unsure what you want to do with psych, I recommend taking this course. It will
allow you to explore a broad range of interests! Very interesting course. If you know how to
study for the exams, it will be easy to get a good mark
Exams: 3 multiple choice exams, non-cumulative
-PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL! Any examples he gives and any studies in the book WILL be on the
exam
-if you study the book in detail, you will do very well in this course—the material itself isn’t hard
-no questions allowed during his exams
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Doug Hazlewood
*Very interesting lecturer, gives many examples—LISTEN TO THEM CLOSELY
*He doesn’t post lecture notes so come to class
*Don’t talk during his class OR he WILL center you out
What It’s All About: You will learn about how psychology can be applied to almost every area. You will
learn about the Law (eye witness testimony), Police Interrogations, Sports Psych, Military Psych,
Environmental and Workplace Psych, Health and Psych, etc.
Why Take It?: If you’re unsure what you want to do with psych, I recommend taking this course. It will
allow you to explore a broad range of interests! Very interesting course. If you know how to
study for the exams, it will be easy to get a good mark
Exams: 3 multiple choice exams, non-cumulative
-PAY ATTENTION TO DETAIL! Any examples he gives and any studies in the book WILL be on the
exam
-if you study the book in detail, you will do very well in this course—the material itself isn’t hard
-no questions allowed during his exams
Psych 2135 A/B- Intro to Cognition 2 hrs lecture, 2x weekly
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶¶
Difficulty: ¶¶¶ ½
Prof: Albert Katz
-very friendly professor, at times will go on tangents
-average in this class is usually lower than prof Minda (hear he’s a good lecturer)
-posts lecture notes after class
What It’s All About: You will learn about the cognitive processes of the brain and how they work to perform different functions. Chapters 1-2 are review from intro to psych (parts of the brain), other chapters cover include memory, language, imagery, etc. It’s not very sciency (personally I’m not a huge science person) and I find this course extremely interesting and easy to follow—they don’t go into detail, it’s all basic knowledge of the processes
Why Take It?: For a major/honours in psych, you must choose between this course and a few others (i.e. sensation and perception). This course will teach you so much—and think about what interested you in intro to psych. Was it: What happens to the brain when it’s damaged? How to we remember some things and forget others? How do we learn how to speak? –If these questions interest you, take this course
Exams: 3 exams, multiple choice—all worth 33.3%
-some of the questions may be a bit weirdly worded BUT he will help you if you don’t understand
-not too detailed—pay attention to major studies and their results
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶¶
Difficulty: ¶¶¶ ½
Prof: Albert Katz
-very friendly professor, at times will go on tangents
-average in this class is usually lower than prof Minda (hear he’s a good lecturer)
-posts lecture notes after class
What It’s All About: You will learn about the cognitive processes of the brain and how they work to perform different functions. Chapters 1-2 are review from intro to psych (parts of the brain), other chapters cover include memory, language, imagery, etc. It’s not very sciency (personally I’m not a huge science person) and I find this course extremely interesting and easy to follow—they don’t go into detail, it’s all basic knowledge of the processes
Why Take It?: For a major/honours in psych, you must choose between this course and a few others (i.e. sensation and perception). This course will teach you so much—and think about what interested you in intro to psych. Was it: What happens to the brain when it’s damaged? How to we remember some things and forget others? How do we learn how to speak? –If these questions interest you, take this course
Exams: 3 exams, multiple choice—all worth 33.3%
-some of the questions may be a bit weirdly worded BUT he will help you if you don’t understand
-not too detailed—pay attention to major studies and their results
Psych 2800E- Research Methods 2 hrs lecture
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Doug Hazlewood
What It’s All About: In this class, you will be learning how to create and conduct studies, which you will be doing in your fourth year for your honours thesis. It provides valuable information about the different types of studies, problems in studies + how to fix them. I can truly say I learned a lot in this course and it’s actually applicable to real life!
Why Take It?: If you are taking honours specialization psychology you NEED to take this course. If you do not HAVE to take this course, I strongly advise you not to. Even professor Hazlewood says on the first class, if you don’t have to be here, I would drop out. But this is not to discourage anyone who really wants to take this course! It’s just a very heavy workload.
Exams: There’s 2 parts to this course—lab and course (this is why it is recommended not to take this unless you have to). Lab: 1st term you do a correlational research study, 1 part of the paper due once every couple weeks (it’s hectic). 2nd term you design and conduct your own study which is awesome. On top of this, you have 4 exams—2 are fully multiple choice and 2 have mixed identification/short answers + multiple choice. Remember to memorize DETAILS in studies and such in order to do good in this course!
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Doug Hazlewood
What It’s All About: In this class, you will be learning how to create and conduct studies, which you will be doing in your fourth year for your honours thesis. It provides valuable information about the different types of studies, problems in studies + how to fix them. I can truly say I learned a lot in this course and it’s actually applicable to real life!
Why Take It?: If you are taking honours specialization psychology you NEED to take this course. If you do not HAVE to take this course, I strongly advise you not to. Even professor Hazlewood says on the first class, if you don’t have to be here, I would drop out. But this is not to discourage anyone who really wants to take this course! It’s just a very heavy workload.
Exams: There’s 2 parts to this course—lab and course (this is why it is recommended not to take this unless you have to). Lab: 1st term you do a correlational research study, 1 part of the paper due once every couple weeks (it’s hectic). 2nd term you design and conduct your own study which is awesome. On top of this, you have 4 exams—2 are fully multiple choice and 2 have mixed identification/short answers + multiple choice. Remember to memorize DETAILS in studies and such in order to do good in this course!
Psych 2810- Statistics for Psychology 2 hrs lecture
Enjoyment: ¶
Difficulty: ¶¶¶
Prof: Tony Vernon
-best professor I have had at university—most caring, helpful and personable to students
-don’t get the textbook for the course (we don’t use it so don’t waste your money)
-no assignment questions—just weekly assignments that get you ready for exams
What It’s All About: What you learn in this class is just an add on from last year, but it’s more applicable to what you are learning in your other classes. If you thought first year was hard (I did), you will understand everything a lot better this year. If you don’t get it, he will explain it clearly for you to understand.
Why Take It?: Well other than that it’s required, the professor is great and exams are fair. This course really sets you up to do well. I didn’t do well on stats first year, but this year I am in the 80’s and 90’s. Ask for help when you need it and there’s no reason how you won’t get an 80 in this course.
Exams: The exams are very fair and only a few questions—the best part is that there’s no multiple choice, which means you can get part marks even if you make up numbers! 4 exams, 10% quizzes and 10% assignments. Even if you don’t do so well on the exams the quiz and assignment marks are there to boost you back up.
Enjoyment: ¶
Difficulty: ¶¶¶
Prof: Tony Vernon
-best professor I have had at university—most caring, helpful and personable to students
-don’t get the textbook for the course (we don’t use it so don’t waste your money)
-no assignment questions—just weekly assignments that get you ready for exams
What It’s All About: What you learn in this class is just an add on from last year, but it’s more applicable to what you are learning in your other classes. If you thought first year was hard (I did), you will understand everything a lot better this year. If you don’t get it, he will explain it clearly for you to understand.
Why Take It?: Well other than that it’s required, the professor is great and exams are fair. This course really sets you up to do well. I didn’t do well on stats first year, but this year I am in the 80’s and 90’s. Ask for help when you need it and there’s no reason how you won’t get an 80 in this course.
Exams: The exams are very fair and only a few questions—the best part is that there’s no multiple choice, which means you can get part marks even if you make up numbers! 4 exams, 10% quizzes and 10% assignments. Even if you don’t do so well on the exams the quiz and assignment marks are there to boost you back up.
Psych 2301- Intro to Clinical Psychology 3 hrs lecture
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶ ½
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Paul Frewen
-posts slides before class
-he goes through slides extremely quick, or sometimes doesn’t even finish it before switching
(learn to type fast or only type what he’s saying extra)
-soft voice and talks about a point/table/graph for a long time, makes you zone out. But things like
these will be on the exams so you learn to pay attention
What It’s All About: This course covers diagnosis, prevention, intervention, classification of disorders. The downside is that the chapters are extremely boring and long (50 pgs give or take) and he does not discuss different mental disorders (if you want this, take adult/child psychopathology). It also goes into detail about different measures and what they are used for—there are about 25-30 (I counted) and you will have to know all of them. It’s not as bad as you would think though, overall interesting course.
Why Take It?: If you are looking to further your studies in clinical psych, I strongly recommend this course. You will get a taste of what clinical psychology is, without going into the super exciting stuff. It’s a lot of information to learn but I actually feel smarter for taking this course. I have learned so much and it’s helped me in my other classes, especially Research Methods when we need to figure out measures to use for the experiment that we design.
Exams: There are 3 multiple choice exams worth about 33%, along with a 5% bonus to complete a few studies (2 questionnaires, 1 in class, 1 outside of class). Personally, I found I did better on the exams as I went along but many people found the opposite. I found it moderately difficult but some people found it extremely difficult. In order to do good, you must go to class and pay close attention—percentages and figures are also game for the exam.
Enjoyment: ¶¶¶ ½
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Paul Frewen
-posts slides before class
-he goes through slides extremely quick, or sometimes doesn’t even finish it before switching
(learn to type fast or only type what he’s saying extra)
-soft voice and talks about a point/table/graph for a long time, makes you zone out. But things like
these will be on the exams so you learn to pay attention
What It’s All About: This course covers diagnosis, prevention, intervention, classification of disorders. The downside is that the chapters are extremely boring and long (50 pgs give or take) and he does not discuss different mental disorders (if you want this, take adult/child psychopathology). It also goes into detail about different measures and what they are used for—there are about 25-30 (I counted) and you will have to know all of them. It’s not as bad as you would think though, overall interesting course.
Why Take It?: If you are looking to further your studies in clinical psych, I strongly recommend this course. You will get a taste of what clinical psychology is, without going into the super exciting stuff. It’s a lot of information to learn but I actually feel smarter for taking this course. I have learned so much and it’s helped me in my other classes, especially Research Methods when we need to figure out measures to use for the experiment that we design.
Exams: There are 3 multiple choice exams worth about 33%, along with a 5% bonus to complete a few studies (2 questionnaires, 1 in class, 1 outside of class). Personally, I found I did better on the exams as I went along but many people found the opposite. I found it moderately difficult but some people found it extremely difficult. In order to do good, you must go to class and pay close attention—percentages and figures are also game for the exam.
Soc 2266 A/B- Intro to Criminology 3 hrs lecture
Enjoyable: ¶¶¶¶ ½
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Paul-Phillipe Pare
-awesome professor, extremely funny—will make jokes in class
-he is addicted to energy drinks so he may stutter a bit, you will get used to his accent
-goes at a slow pace to write everything down but make sure you listen when he builds off points
-posts the lecture on web ct with half the points missing so you HAVE to go to class
What It’s All About: You will learn about the different types of criminology as well as different theories as to why people commit crime (sociological and biological). The lecture on psychopathy is the most interesting—he covers personality disorders and a psychopathy checklist. On top of it all, one of the books called “In Their Own Words” has real life accounts of criminals in different areas of crime and share their story, which makes this course unique.
Why Take It?: This course is extremely interesting. If you are looking to pick up a spare course in sociology, this is the course to take. The readings aren’t bad, they’re small chapters and the read is fairly interesting.
Exams: There are 2 exams worth about 40% and 50%, as well as a 10% in class assignment on recognizing a psychopath. The assignment is easy, you watch a movie and fill a checklist out. The exams are a hit or miss—all of the questions have none of the above and all of the above which make it hard to be confident in any of your answers! Study hard in this course!
Enjoyable: ¶¶¶¶ ½
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Paul-Phillipe Pare
-awesome professor, extremely funny—will make jokes in class
-he is addicted to energy drinks so he may stutter a bit, you will get used to his accent
-goes at a slow pace to write everything down but make sure you listen when he builds off points
-posts the lecture on web ct with half the points missing so you HAVE to go to class
What It’s All About: You will learn about the different types of criminology as well as different theories as to why people commit crime (sociological and biological). The lecture on psychopathy is the most interesting—he covers personality disorders and a psychopathy checklist. On top of it all, one of the books called “In Their Own Words” has real life accounts of criminals in different areas of crime and share their story, which makes this course unique.
Why Take It?: This course is extremely interesting. If you are looking to pick up a spare course in sociology, this is the course to take. The readings aren’t bad, they’re small chapters and the read is fairly interesting.
Exams: There are 2 exams worth about 40% and 50%, as well as a 10% in class assignment on recognizing a psychopath. The assignment is easy, you watch a movie and fill a checklist out. The exams are a hit or miss—all of the questions have none of the above and all of the above which make it hard to be confident in any of your answers! Study hard in this course!
Soc 2990 A/B- Sociology of Law 3 hrs lecture
Enjoyable: ¶¶ ½
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Daphne Heywood
-the prof makes this course worthwhile—she’s quite funny
What It’s All About: In this course, you will learn about the Canadian legal system, as well as the different types of law and sociological theories that can be applied to law. The prof throws in a mix of real world examples and articles that relate to the course material.
Why Take It?: If you are interested in law, I recommend taking this course. I personally do not understand the law lingo so the readings are very challenging. However, throughout the course it gets progressively easier to understand. The prof also explains things in such a way to make them seem simple.
Exams: There are 2 multiple choice exams, 5% participation and 10% writing assignment. The exams are worth a lot—and there are a lot of chapters, articles, and lecture in each of them BUT they are not too detailed. You must show up to class and sign an attendance sheet, as well as write on the web ct discussion board to get participation marks.
Enjoyable: ¶¶ ½
Difficulty: ¶¶¶¶
Prof: Daphne Heywood
-the prof makes this course worthwhile—she’s quite funny
What It’s All About: In this course, you will learn about the Canadian legal system, as well as the different types of law and sociological theories that can be applied to law. The prof throws in a mix of real world examples and articles that relate to the course material.
Why Take It?: If you are interested in law, I recommend taking this course. I personally do not understand the law lingo so the readings are very challenging. However, throughout the course it gets progressively easier to understand. The prof also explains things in such a way to make them seem simple.
Exams: There are 2 multiple choice exams, 5% participation and 10% writing assignment. The exams are worth a lot—and there are a lot of chapters, articles, and lecture in each of them BUT they are not too detailed. You must show up to class and sign an attendance sheet, as well as write on the web ct discussion board to get participation marks.
LAMP ITR: By Nikki Bryk
Course: Intro to Law
· This course covers all the basic areas of Canadian law (criminal, family, human rights, charter of rights and freedoms etc.). This course is a great survey class that really provides students with a chance to learn more about the way our law system works. Best part? It’s taught by exceptional staff from the Western Law School who teach their area of expertise. Oh, and also no essays! Worst part? The exams are challenging (multiple choice). BUT, there are weekly quizzes that are given with the intention of help balancing out the exam marks. Why are the exams challenging? They are challenging because there are only two (December and April) and there is a lot of course material. This being said, I did manage to get an A+ in the class so don’t let the exams scare you. If you go to class (this is key) and are genuinely interested in law (no, this is not a bird course) you can do really well and learn a lot. I highly recommend this course for those who think they might be even remotely interested in the area of law. Note: I took this in the 2009-2010 school year so the evaluation system may have changed since then.
Course: Industrial Organizational Psychology (BMOS) Psych 2060.
Professors: I no longer have this course on WebCT. I remember one was Tom M. But cannot remember the other professor’s name. Sorry!
· This course is one of the options for the social psychology credit in BMOS. I enjoyed this class even though some of the material (and the readings) were quite dry. This being said, if you attend class, keep up with the readings and are very good at memorizing small details you will do well in this course. Best Part? It was taught by two young PhD candidates who really seemed to care about our progress and not wasting our time in class (eg// it was taught on a Thursday night and rarely did we have to go until the actual end of class). I also felt the exams were extremely fair. Worst part? Like mentioned before, the material can be quite dry. Personally, I like social psychology and found it to be quite interesting but many of my peers did not share this feeling. Overall: I did not take the other options for the social psychology credit but I did feel that the exams were fair with respect to the content and enjoyed the professors. I would recommend this to anyone who has the ability to memorize material and absorb it quite well. Marking scheme: during the 2009-2010 year the course consisted of 4 multiple choice exams.
Social Science Student Council (SSSC)
Hey Social Sci, have you checked out your Student Council's website yet? It's pretty nifty and is packed with information about your home faculty. If you're looking to be part of the gang, why not get involved?
The SSSC is always looking for enthusiastic people like yourself! You can be involved with: promotions, writing for the newsletter, helping charities, joining a committee, becoming a member-at-large, or something else. Fill out the form, it'll take less than five minutes and you'll find yourself making the most out of your first year.
Economics Students Association (ESA)
About: The Economics Students' Association (ESA) is student-run organization
designed to provide academic support for economics students, and advance the
non-curricular knowledge and interests of the community. Throughout the year,
ESA hosts exam study sessions, social events, guests speakers, vocational
introductions, recruitment sessions, commerce tutorials, and general meetings.
Committees: positions are created as needed, check website regularly or ask at
Clubs Week booth!
Contact: contact@westernesa.com
