If you have wondered what makes a sociopath tick, "The Dark Side: Negative Behaviors in Humans," may be the class for you.
The psychology class, taught by Daniel J. Svyantek, explores why humans act negatively toward one another.
With a list of topics ranging from bullying on the playground to war and genocide, Dark Side explores the consequences of these behaviors.
The class is designed as a lecture; however, Svyantek fosters discussion and encourages students to express beliefs using theory and research.
For Svyantek, it is important these ideas be grounded in copious evidence instead of merely observation, or personal opinion.
"(Svyantek) is really easy going; he feels like just part of the class," said Chris Tarnowski, senior in psychology.
The class is not without its share of challenges.
Rudy Namikis, senior in chemical engineering, said he thinks the tests are going to be "pretty rough," as they are comprised of not only an in-class short answer section, but a take-home test with an essay.
The syllabus boasts an impressive array of high standards, including an unforgiving attendance and tardiness policy, high academic standards and a large work load.
"You want to come," said Ashley Hollon, senior in psychology. "You want to learn."
While the course content is one reason students stay interested, Svyantek makes the course relatable and digestible.
"He takes factual information and really dumbs it down," Tarnowski said.
With sociopaths the current topic of the class, students look to their own experiences to see if they have interacted with a group that reportedly makes up 4 percent of the population.
"I kind of impose stuff from the book onto myself," Tarnowski said. "I realize now I've interacted with sociopaths."
Sociopaths are described as people who do not have the "affective" component of conscience, meaning they do not feel what is right and wrong.
Svyantek often reinforces his points with anecdotes about World War II, movies, popular culture or his own experiences.
"He told us about how he purposefully hit an opponent in a football game and said he didn't feel bad about it at the time and still doesn't to this day," Hollon said, "I don't know many teachers willing to be that brutally honest."
The syllabus warns students that some topics may be uncomfortable to discuss and controversial in nature.
Students learned about the Milgram experiment, which revealed that most people are willing to act against their conscience, specifically by inflicting pain on others, if they feel like the orders come from a legitimate source.
Svyantek described how in World War II, German and Japanese soldiers were labeled "it" or "them" because it creates moral exclusion and a sense of dehumanization.
"It allows almost any action to be done with a clear conscience," Svyantek said.
Namikis said the most interesting moments in Dark Side were how to protect yourself from a sociopath.
In addition to learning the darker sides of human behavior, students discover a bit about themselves through a personality test given at the beginning of the semester.
"It gives you a number for the Big 5 personality elements: extroversion, agreeableness, contentiousness, neuroticism and intellect, or imagination," Hollon said. "That was really interesting."
With the course texts including "Evil," "The Sociopath Next Door," "The Psychology of Genocide" and "The Lucifer Effect," Dark Side promises intense discussion for students willing to see the bleaker aspects of human nature.
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