Goals and Objectives of the Department of Psychology

Although most would agree that psychology is the study of behavior, both animal and human, the particulars of that study range from viewing psychology as a science, to the suggestion that psychology is an applied discipline, to an emphasis on psychology as a paradigm or way of looking at the world.  It is our view that psychology is all of these things.

Further, it is important to keep in mind that psychology shares its goals with many neighboring fields, chief among them biology, neuroscience, women’s studies, political science, and communication arts.  Hence the broadest view of psychology would emphasize not only its unique methods, findings, and concepts, but also its similarities and indebtedness to a wide range of human efforts.

Through the study of this discipline, we hope that students will be better able to understand both themselves and others.  We hope that students will be active participants in the study of psychology and that this participation will lead to the acquisition of both the skills and the content of the discipline noted below.

The Psychology Major

Our discussion of the goals and objectives for the psychology major begins with a list of the skills and abilities that we view as being particular to students of this discipline.  This list of skills and abilities is followed by a description of the particular content areas that we see as being essential to those who graduate from our program.

Skills and Abilities Particular to a Psychology Major

• The ability to evaluate and use current theoretical and research trends in psychology;
• The ability to design and implement a research study including the development of hypotheses that are testable within the context of acceptable research strategies;
• The ability to recognize the ethical aspects and implications of psychological research and practice; 
• The ability to synthesize information arising from different sub-areas of psychology; 
• The ability to understand the application of psychology to personal and social issues; and
• The ability to recognize and understand the complexity of sociocultural diversity. 

It should be recognized that skills and content are inseparable.  The skills mentioned above must be taught within the context of some content.  Nevertheless, it is possible to distinguish between the material that is learned (content) and the processes used to learn and apply the material (skills).

• An understanding of the various models of behavior (e.g., psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive, biological, etc.);
• Knowledge of the sub-areas of psychology;
• Knowledge of various strategies for developing knowledge in psychology;
• Knowledge of recent trends in psychology and
• Knowledge of theory in at least one sub-area of psychology

Students who minor in psychology are obviously exposed to the skills and the content noted above in less depth than is required for a major.

However, the goals for our minors are the same as those for our majors: to help students encompass and appreciate the knowledge, skills, values, and practices that go to make up the complex discipline of psychology.  To achieve this end, minors are required to take:

• Two courses from the core areas to provide exposure to knowledge in several sub-areas of psychology;
• One course in statistics and research methods to enhance the ability to evaluate psychological research and to recognize the ethical aspects of research; and
• One advanced course to ensure exposure to recent trends in the field as well as contemporary strategies for developing knowledge in psychology.

Psychology attracts a great many students who take just one or two courses in the discipline.  Their motives are varied but are often expressed as the need to understand and explain their own behavior or the behavior of people they know.  The Psychology Department sees all of its courses in the framework of the goals and objectives noted above.  Although each course may emphasize one or two of the skills, abilities, or content, we see all of our classes as trying to accomplish the same end: to help students encompass and appreciate the knowledge, skills, values, and practices that go to make up the complex discipline of psychology.