Psychology

The Psychology Department engages 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 brings a broad range of perspectives and practical experience to their teaching. 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, depth psychology, social, behavioral, and cognitive. They also draw 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).

We encourage students to explore the field of psychology by job shadowing and/or volunteering. We also assist students in pursuing Practicum (internship) opportunities providing an excellent way to learn about different professions and different agencies efficiently.

• Within Methodological Competency: I can read, understand, and make preliminary evaluations of peer-reviewed articles in the professional literature (i.e., be an educated, critical consumer of psychological information). I am able to construct and successfully carry out a psychological study, and present my research in a formal experimental report, following APA guidelines (i.e., be a competent producer of psychological information).

• Within Disciplinary Competency: I am able to identify and adopt a disciplinary perspective when it comes to asking questions about human experience. This disciplinary perspective includes, but is not limited to, awareness of multiple perspectives, empathy, ethical awareness, and social justice.

• Within Theory-Practice Competency: I am able to use theoretical understanding in various practice-based experiences.