Psychology: Madness

Course Details

Preferred majors for this course: Psychology, Sociology, Pre-Med, Criminal Justice, History Madness has been conceptualized in many ways over the centuries. From the iconic statues of “Raving and Melancholy Madness” that stood outside of Bedlam in the 17th century to the fits and poses of the “hysterics” in Charcot’s La Salpėtrière, our course will walk the streets that gave birth to modern Psychology in our world. While we also delve deeply into the period of World War One, as we follow what early psychologists and neurologists understood about battlefield trauma and the mass diagnosis of "shell shock" caused by this war. We'll also use social psychological concepts to analyze the political propaganda, social movements and styles of leadership that gave tremendous international and imperial powers to both the British and the French states. Our goal will be to develop an analysis that informs not only how we make sense of psychology in the past, but also how we can see its interplay now with current political movements and styles of leadership. 3 or 4 credit hours. (All Catalyst courses meet for 54 hours of contact, so if your university runs its courses on a 4 hour format instead of a three hour one this course may be able to count for 4 hours. You should consult with your advisor.)

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