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.
Program Dates
Choose the course length that works for you: 1-week intensives, 2-week sessions, 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.
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.
Apply now for the next available course
March 5 - April 2
Psychology: How the Brain Influences Behavior
Length: 4 weeks
Cost: $1495
Application Deadline: Sunday, February 26, 2023
March 19 - April 2
Psychology: How the Brain Influences Behavior
Length: 2 weeks
Cost: $1495
Application Deadline: Sunday, March 12, 2023
April 2 - April 16
Psychology: How the Brain Influences Behavior
Length: 2 weeks
Cost: $1495
Application Deadline: Sunday, March 26, 2023
All course options have the same educational content, learning materials, and number of assignments. We are offering a condensed version of the course in order to accommodate students’ individual schedules.
Course designed by Georgetown University Faculty
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.
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 HereScholarships
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:
- Haven’t applied to the program, complete your application now. The scholarship application is included.
- Applied to the program and didn’t fill out a scholarship request, reach out to us at support@precollegeonline.georgetown.edu for assistance.
- Are unsure about whether or not you applied for a scholarship, reach out to us at support@precollegeonline.georgetown.edu for assistance.
The University reserves the right to modify the course as may become necessary.