Hello everyone, I have received an email which wanted to "dissuade" me from teaching a Psychobiology course at a Community College Level. I wanted to explain the purpose behind this course. Psychobiology courses are routinely offered at Community Colleges in California. It is considered a lower division General Education course, in the category of a non-lab science, and transfers as such. It is comparable in this way to Biology, Geography, Astronomy and so on.. It will not replace an upper division Psychobiology course nor is it intended to. It is intended to acquaint and prepare students for upper-division work in this area. Being able to transfer as a lower division G.E. science course also enhances the perception of psychology in the category of "hard science." The course also transfers as an lower-division elective in the major along with Intro, Stats, and Research Methods. This course is accepted at the California State University, and the University of California systems. I feel that a Psychobiology course fits in well with the purpose of a Community College and will aid students in their attempts to successfully complete an upper-division PsychoBiology course. I have taken Psychobiology courses at a C.C., as an upper-division course at the university and in Grad. school. I love the biological aspects relating to psychology and realize that each course built upon the other. All were definitely worthwhile, with the most difficult being the one at the Community College level. I feel uncomfortable having to defend this course but wanted to explain the reasoning behind it. Don't discount the Community College student, some are returning students (like I was), and others are limited by economics. Many, if not most, are as intellectually competent as the student entering a four-year institution. Stereotyping a Community College student as inferior to a four-year student is as unacceptable as any other stereotype. Donette Steele M.A. Instructor/ Psychology
