Psychology

Division: Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences

Division Chair: Martha Rottman, mrottman@sunyrockland.edu

Department Chair: Bruce Delfini, bdelfini@sunyrockland.edu

Department Support Staff: Joan Asch, jasch@sunyrockland.edu

Department Office: Academic II, Room 2231, Phone: 845-574-4331

Why Study Psychology?

Psychology provides students with an understanding of human emotion and motivation, as well as the biological foundation of behavior and mental processes. Students will explore how science is used to study various mental disorders, their symptoms and treatment.

Students interested in a degree in Psychology can begin their educational goals by pursuing the Liberal Arts and Science: Humanities and Social Science degree at Rockland Community College.

Degrees Offered:

Occupational Objectives:

Students who wish to pursue a career in psychology can continue their education by transferring to a four-year institution. Upon completion of their education, students can obtain positions in counseling, education, management, government, health services and other related areas.

5 Top Reasons

To Study Psychology at RCC:

  1. FACULTY: Learn from instructors with the rare combination of practical work experience in the field and advanced academic degrees.
  2. VALUE: Affordable tuition for a quality education. Scholarships, financial aid.
  3. CONVENIENT: Balance part-time study with work, family or other time commitments. On-campus childcare available.
  4. TRANSFER: Agreements with many four-year colleges for seamless transfer to pursue multiple bachelor’s degree options.
  5. SUPPORT: Small class sizes, individual attention, free tutoring.

Opportunities at Rockland Community College:

There are more than 40 student clubs with special interests and socializing opportunities. Activities include sports, student government and clubs like Robotics, Video Game & Animé, Chess, Computers, Art, Christian Fellowship, Environment, Haitian, Habitat for Humanity, Hillel, and Outlook, the award-winning student newspaper.

Discipline Goals:

The psychology discipline provides students with the ability to understand the historic background and concepts of the major theories and schools of psychology. Students will examine the major theories of human development across cultures and gender.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of courses psychology, students will be able to:

  • Define motivation, emotion, sensation and perception and their role in human behavior
  • Identify the basic assumptions behind the major theories of personality
  • Apply social psychological principles to such contemporary issues as racism, sexism, ageism, violence, and pro-social behavior
  • Understand the biological foundations of behavior and mental processes