Student Learning Outcomes

The Psychology Department curriculum is arranged to develop the following skills in each student by graduation. The courses are designed to enable each student to:

• Understand the major concepts, theories, and perspectives in psychology.
• Apply psychological theories, concepts, and principles to individual experience as well as to broader social issues and social systems.
• Reflect on personal experience in light of psychological knowledge.
• Recognize and understand the complexity of cultural diversity in light of psychological knowledge.
• Understand and apply basic research methods in psychology and the social sciences.
• Demonstrate skills that promote behavioral change at the individual, organizational, and community levels.

Diversity

The department strongly recommends that students take courses in psychology and other disciplines to gain competence in diverse areas of culture, race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, religion, and social class. Although all psychology faculty are committed to including diversity in their courses, specific courses focus on diversity issues and the development of students’ multicultural competence. These courses are identified in the course descriptions and the semester course schedule.