Psychology Mission & Goals

It is the mission of the Department of Psychology, within the framework of the liberal arts, to provide for the college community those insights unique to psychology, both in content and methodology, which deal with all aspects of the person as an individual and with the interaction of human beings in groups. The Department supports the mission of the College to educate its students broadly in the social sciences, natural sciences, and humanities, and to develop in its students specific skills and intellectual abilities.

The psychology curriculum provides exposure to the traditional, core areas of psychology, with opportunities for students to explore more specialized issues as faculty time and expertise permit. Finally, it is committed to offering to students a structured program of courses and academic experiences to provide an intellectually stimulating and practical major for students interested in studying psychology beyond the introductory level.

Within the context of this mission, the Department has developed certain goals. 

• Goal 1:  To include a range of topics in the introductory-level courses and to offer a range of upper-division courses sufficient to provide students the opportunity to develop an appreciation of the breadth of topics and issues addressed by the field of psychology, and of the application of findings in psychology to solving real-world problems. 

• Goal 2:  To explore in depth specific topics and problems in psychology, giving the students an understanding of the variety of perspectives on an issue and the ways in which psychologists study and come to understand a particular problem. 

• Goal 3:  To have students develop an appreciation of and demonstrate the means by which findings of scientific psychology can be applied to solving individual and societal problems, and to be able to apply such findings in their own lives. 

• Goal 4:  To develop in students the ability to evaluate evidence and arguments using scientific means of thought. 

• Goal 5:  To develop skills in thinking and communication, consistent with the goals of the college. 

• Goal 6:  To prepare students for advanced study in psychology and related fields, or for employment after graduation.