Introduction

The primary mission of the Psychology Department is to engage students in the study of the many aspects of psychological life—individual, bodily, interpersonal, ethical, social, and cultural – using reflective and empirical methods.

The faculty is committed to fulfilling this mission through effective teaching and by providing hands-on experience both in the classroom and in the community.  The faculty brings a broad range of perspectives and practical experience to their teaching.   They are grounded in the theory and practice of clinical work as well as in quantitative and qualitative research. They bring a range of perspectives to their teaching, including humanistic and phenomenological (systematic study of experienced meaning), depth psychology (interpreting the “hidden” aspects of personal life and their origin in childhood), social (emphasis on interpersonal life), behavioral (scientific observation of human behavior) and cognitive (learning and memory).  The faculty also draws upon perspectives and material from other disciplines such as literature, philosophy, history, and other social sciences in their teaching.
 
Offerings include courses that are standard in any department (e.g., developmental, abnormal, social, and research methods) as well as courses that focus on important but often-neglected areas (e.g., forgiveness, gender, political and ecological issues, health, existential-phenomenology, multicultural counseling, and creativity).

Announcements

Congratulations go out to this year's Hickey Award winner, our very own Amy Kangas!

Each year one or two outstanding graduating students of the College of Arts and Sciences are chosen to receive the Hickey Award. These students are presented with a medal at the Arts and Sciences Undergraduate Awards Ceremony and also have the privilege of leading their class in the processional at graduation. Selection is based upon the student(s)' total contribution to academic life and is made by the department chairs and program directors of the College. The award honors the memory of Dr. Richard P. Hickey, professor of English, a beloved and respected teacher at Seattle University from 1947 until his death in 1968.

Congratulations also go out to Anh Tran & Molly Virgin, this year's Gaffney Award winners!

The Psychology Department’s Gaffney Award is named in honor of the late Fr. Louis Gaffney, S.J., distinguished professor of psychology and former president of Seattle University. This award is presented to the graduating student with the highest GPA in the major.

Our final congratulations go out to the 2011-2012 Honors Cohort led by Dr. Le Xuan Hy - Trevor Brown, Amy Kangas, Michelle Miller and Laura Wert for their excellent works!