Psychology and Its Impact on Everyday Life

How can social media cause you stress? What impacts can society have on sexuality? Do you feel manipulated by popular culture? How do drugs affect the brain? This course addresses these and other topics like brain injuries, learning disabilities, the psychology of product and web design, and how we process our media environment.

Application Opens December 2022

Program Dates

Multiple 2- and 4-week sessions

Eligibility

For students ages 13 and up

Fees

$1495

Learn to Think Like a Psychologist

Apply the scientific method to situations in your own life.

Discover how psychologists investigate human behavior and test their methods by creating your own experiment.

Get a primer on neuroscience.

Learn the basics of the brain’s reward system, the effects of drugs on behavior, and the causes and treatments for disorders like anxiety and depression.

Gain insight into learning and memory.

Discover what happens as the brain ages, the science of learning disorders, the importance of sleep, and ways to improve thinking as you learn about the neurobiology of memory.

Investigate the neuroscience of design.

Delve into how perception is related to everything from road signs and products to web design and social media.

Your brain on social media.

Identify how your behavior is influenced on social media through praise and punishment. Discover how the information economy affects everything from family interactions to relationships.

Explore college majors and future careers related to psychology.

Topics covered in this course offer a good background for potential college majors and career paths related to psychology, such as social work, teaching, psychological testing, consumer research, and counseling.

How You Will Benefit

  • Learn how the brain works.
  • Apply psychological science to your everyday life. 
  • Identify how mood and behavior are influenced by social media.
  • Understand how drugs and learning disabilities affect the brain.
  • Find out how perception influences everything from product and web design to sexuality and mental disorders.
  • Practice creating hypotheses and testing your assumptions.
  • Create effective multimedia presentations to communicate your ideas.
  • Explore future college majors and careers related to psychology.
  • Complete a final capstone project to demonstrate what you’ve learned.
  • Earn a Certificate of Completion from Georgetown University.

Student completing Georgetown's psychology course

Three Learning Advantages Designed For You

Final Capstone Project

Assume the role of the U.S. President and make a decision about how to solve a global crisis. This will involve:

  • Writing a “Policy Paper” outlining your goals, recommended actions, and what success looks like.
  • Thinking through how you will modify your decision based on interactions with international organizations such as the Security Council.
  • Answering the question: will you use force, economic sanctions, or diplomacy?

Mentoring

You’ll receive guidance from a Georgetown University mentor who will support you and answer questions throughout your learning experience. You can expect:

  • Encouragement and direction on all assignments.
  • Inspiration and motivation to help you succeed.
  • Brainstorming to help you prepare for your capstone project.
  • Feedback on your final project.

Flexible Learning

  • 100% online learning that works with your schedule.
  • 20 to 30 hours of total instruction and coursework, including engaging multimedia simulations, and assignments through dynamic videos featuring Dr. Paul Merritt of Georgetown University. 
  • Interact with fellow students from around the world.

Course designed by Georgetown University Faculty

Dr. Paul Meritt | Psychology Instructor | Georgetown University

Dr. Paul Merritt, Ph.D.

Adjunct Professor of Psychology

Dr. Merritt earned a doctorate in Cognitive Psychology with a cognitive neuroscience specialization from Colorado State University. He has been teaching online psychology courses in psychopharmacology and cognitive psychology for 10 years. His areas of expertise include visual perception and visual attention, gender, hormones, and cognition, as well as applied cognitive psychology.

Want to Know More?

Sign up for more information and we’ll be in touch.

Admissions

Our application process is easy. You can expect a prompt decision.

Start Application

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you be graded? What are assignments like? How much time do you have to turn around a project? When do you find out if you’re admitted? Find answers to your questions here.

Answers to Your Questions Here

Scholarships

We offer need-based scholarships in each cohort to students exhibiting high potential and an inability to pay full tuition. If you would like to be considered for a scholarship but you:

The University reserves the right to modify the course as may become necessary.