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Home » PSC Department

About Us

Mission Statement

The Department of Psychology, Sociology, and Counseling seeks to provide excellence in education through teaching, research, and community involvement. Our primary goal is to provide a balanced approach emphasizing theory, research, and application so that our students are prepared for a diversity of opportunities.

Through coursework, research experience, and internship opportunities, the Department provides a curriculum that is intended to:

1. provide students with an overview of the disciplines of Psychology, Sociology, and Anthropology and to broaden the understanding of individual and group behavior for students in all academic majors;
2. prepare students for a wide range of careers in fields that value a liberal arts education with an emphasis on the behavioral and/or social sciences;
3. prepare students for professional or graduate study

KQIs for the Psychology Major

KQI 1: Critical thinking competencies

[critical success factors are taken from Ennis and Norris, (1989)]

• Students will develop the ability to critically analyze theories and research for application in professional settings. Students should be able to…
• • identify a problem and focus on the relevant issues.
  • recognize and defend against common thinking fallacies.
  • ask and answer questions that clarify and challenge existing theories, methodologies, and applications of primary areas in psychology.
  • assess the credibility of a source.
  • ask and answer questions that clarify and challenge personal values and belief systems.
  • identify and analyze key assumptions about behavioral science.
• Students will transfer the aforementioned critical thinking skills to personal, social, and ethical domains. Students should
• • have solid reasoning skills.
  • recognize the value of psychology in understanding and suggesting solutions for real-world problems.
  • develop an appreciation the value of psychological science in society.

KQI 2: Communications competencies

• Students should demonstrate competency in written and oral communication abilities. Students must demonstrate
• • competency in their ability to independently produce written work following guidelines mandated by the American Psychological Association.
  • competency in their ability to make an effective oral presentation.
  • an understanding of themselves and others in a cultural context and develop interpersonal skills for diverse settings.

KQI 3: Competency in the scientific study of behavior

• Students must demonstrate the ability to apply principles of the scientific method to the study of behavior. Students will
• • demonstrate competency in designing research.
  • participate in all phases of research projects.
  • present their research in a variety of formats.
• Students must demonstrate competency in using and interpreting quantitative methods. Students will demonstrate
• • declarative knowledge of statistical concepts.
  • an ability to complete statistical procedures.
  • conditional knowledge of quantitative methods.

KQI 4: Professional technological competencies

• Students should show competency in using current technology relevant to the study of psychology. Students should
• • be able to use computers to analyze data.
  • be able to use computers to locate and obtain information.
  • be able to use electronically-enhanced learning aids.

KQI 5: Demonstrate ethical and professional behavior

• Students will be introduced to the ethical principles of the American Psychological Association and the American Counseling Association. Students must demonstrate ethical behavior in
• • professional relationships.
  • scholarly work.
  • research and independent studies.
  • internships and field placements.

KQI 6: Demonstrate sensitivity to individual differences

• Students will be introduced to information that will broaden their definition of diversity. Students must demonstrate
• • an appreciation of their broadened definition of diversity into their coursework, into their classroom behavior, and into their interpretation of psychological theories and principles.
  • an understanding of how diversity issues affect and/or are related to psychological functioning.
  • an understanding of how diversity issues affect and/or are related to social issues and/or problems.