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Swift Thinking: Spring 2014

Registration Information

Fall 2014 Courses

Our Fall course table includes meeting days and times, shows which requirements each course fulfills, and provides other useful information. Check this table and the Registrar's website for updates. A table showing our full 2014-2015 course plan is also available.

Preregistration

Psychology and cognitive science majors and minors can preregister for psychology courses through CAESAR. The only Fall courses not available for preregistration are our PSYCH 397/398/399 research courses.

Wait Lists

For most courses, we will use the "electronic wait list" function on CAESAR. If you try to add a course that is full, CAESAR will ask if you would like to be on the wait list. As students drop, we will check the wait list and send permission numbers to students who can enroll.

Registering for PSYCH 205-Research Methods

PSYCH 201-Statistical Methods in Psychology or an approved substitute is a prerequisite for all sections of PSYCH 205. Students who lack the prerequisite will be required to drop the course.

PSYCH 397 and 399

A great way to learn more about psychology research is to become actively involved through PSYCH 399-Independent Study or the two-quarter PSYCH 397-Advanced Supervised Research. To enroll, fill out an application, and have it signed by the professor with whom you will be working. Then, take it to the Swift Hall 102 no later than Friday, September 26th; permission to enroll will be available beginning Tuesday, September 23rd. PSYCH 205-Research Methods in Psychology is a prerequisite for PSYCH 397. For more information on 397 and 399--including differences between them, how they count towards requirements, and tips on finding a research adviser--see our webpage on doing research for course credit.

Graduation Reception!

The psychology department will honor all graduating psychology majors at a reception on June 20th. The reception will be held from 1:30pm – 3:00pm in Swift Hall room 107. All our graduating seniors and their families are invited to attend and to celebrate with us!

Psychology Honors Students and the Undergraduate Research and Arts Exposition

The psychology department has a stellar group of honors students this year! Please consider attending the 2014 Undergraduate Research and Arts Exposition to see many of these students present the results of their senior thesis research. Other psychology students will be participating as well. The symposium will be held in Norris University Center on Monday, June 2nd. In addition to learning more about the impressive research efforts of these students—and maybe getting ideas for research of your own—you can vote on your favorite posters. Students receiving the most votes receive “People’s Choice” awards.

Seniors Pursing Honors in Psychology:

Bryan Benitez Hinasahar Muneeruddin
Emily Burklow Alison Murray
Christine Daly Ani Poladian
Michael Ferguson     Samantha Reznik
Rachel Galvin Holly Romaniak
Leah Grodinsky Jennifer Siedjak
Iseli Hernandez Margaret Smith
Sandeep Jain Lauren Tindal
Jin Hak Kim Zara Wright
Mesum Mathison Elina Zaonegina

There will also be an Honors Reception on Wednesday, May 28th from 4:00 – 6:00pm. Meet with the Honors candidates to discuss their work and get their advice and insight into the research process. The reception will be held on the 2nd floor landing of Swift Hall.

Juniors: Time for Graduation Petitions

If you expect to graduate next June, then this is the time to do your Graduation Petition. Find the appropriate form through the “Graduation” section of the Registrar's website. Completing your petition is important for making sure you haven't overlooked or misunderstood any graduation requirements--and that you and degree auditors in the Registrar's Office agree on how your courses fit department, college, and university rules. It's also a good opportunity to think about how to spend your last year as an undergraduate.

Your petition must be signed by an adviser in each major and minor you expect to complete. To set up an appointment with a psychology adviser, email or contact Maria Candelario in the department office (Swift 102, phone 847-491-5190).

Summer Study in Psychology

Several psychology courses will be offered at Northwestern this summer—some taught during the regular academic year and some summer-only options. To learn more, see the summer session website. If you want to take courses elsewhere and count them toward psych requirements, download the transfer credit form from the Registrar's website, read the policy statement there, and see Dr. Linsenmeier or Dr. Broaders about department approval. (See previous article for how to make an appointment).

News from the Undergraduate Psychology Association (UPA)

By Linzy Wagner, UPA President

With Spring Quarter in full swing, we are excited to announce that the Undergraduate Psychology Association has transitioned to a new executive board:

President- Linzy Wagner
Vice President- Narmeen Khan
Treasurer- Ayla Goktan
Secretary- Susan Zha
Special Events Coordinator- Minjoo Son

The new board is already buzzing with new ideas to foster community among UPA members and increase our interactions with other groups on campus. So be on the lookout for more opportunities to get to know other students within the Psychology major as well as other students on campus who have a general interest in mental health!

Upcoming programming includes Lunch with Professor Wendi Gardner on Wednesday May 7th at 12pm in Norris. Lunch with a Professor is a quarterly event that UPA puts on where we provide students with free lunch and the chance to spend time with professors in the department in a non-academic setting in order to facilitate student-teacher relationships.

In an effort to include a service-learning component in the Psychology experience we have begun supporting initiatives like the Destin Lab’s visits to Nichols Middle School to facilitate small group workshops with sixth graders. If you are interested in this opportunity contact Professor Mesmin Destin, and be sure to let us know if there are any similar initiatives you would like us to share with UPA members.

Finally, we are hosting a panel about research opportunities as well as a movie night. We also may be putting out a UPA t-shirt so keep an eye out for that!

We are very excited to start a new amazing term of UPA but we are going to need your help to make UPA the best it can be. To be included on our listserv or if you have any suggestions for how we can improve the experience of Psychology majors on campus, please email us at upa.northwestern@gmail.com. We really value your input and want to direct programming towards your interests! Also be sure to check out our Facebook page “UPA Undergraduate Psychology Association” for updates on our efforts and events.

Awards and Accolades

Congratulations to the many psychology majors and minors who have won awards, presented papers at conferences, or been involved in other special activities this year. Listed below are some of the students in our department who have received recognition for their achievements this year.


The following psychology undergraduates received summer grants from the University's Undergraduate Research Grants (URG) Committee:

Two psychology majors have received the special Benton J. Underwood Summer Research Fellowship from the Psychology Department to support their research this summer:

*These students received combined URG/Underwood awards.

All of the students listed below won Psychology Department Undergraduate Travel Awards to support travel to conferences for the presentation of their research:

Rebecca Dale Zoe Palmer
Olivia Foster-Gimbel     Zabin Patel
Clara Grayhack Holly Romaniak
Iseli Hernandez  Katherine Scott
Jinhak Kim Margaret Shavlik
Alison Murray Jasmine Stephens 

Congratulations to all our award-winning undergrads!

See the .PDF version of Swift Thinking here
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