Timeline of Psychology - link & response for this week

As I was searching for resources for my paper on J.B. Watson, I came across this synopsis of psychology as a discipline. What is interesting is that it goes MUCH farther back than we were able to study this semester. I find it intriguing to think about psychology as simply a way of thinking rather than a science. When I think this way, I realize that some of the things I have learned in my undergrad career could be considered common sense. What I like about the field of psychology, however, is the way we scientific-ize (I made that word up) the topics that seem to be common sense. Like a study on conditioned emotional responses (you'll learn about that in my presentation!)...we had figured that it's a possibility; before studying psychology we thought that this is possible. But a psychologist made the effort to back up a claim with empirical research. This is what makes our discipline more than "common sense."

Finally, I'll end with another link. I really like this series of podcasts (if you can get past the Australian accents!) and though not many of the episodes related DIRECTLY to the history of psychology, they are all integrated with information from many fields and schools of study. Let me know if you find one in particular that you like!

Your Future and Our Future - link & response for last week

I also enjoyed reading Larry's book. It really put my own education into perspective. How wonderful that many of us will be making history as well! Maybe if Larry writes a sequel later on down the line, some of us (besides Megan Brown of course, who is already in the book) will be included.

Funny to think that all of the trends in the field we've been reading about for the entire semester also translated to our own tiny campus. I think that Beloit's psychology department, for the most part, has always reflected the ideals of the greater field. We may not be big on a map but we sure do know what's popular!

I was really interested in the discussion on the scientific aspect of psychology. I was wondering exactly what Sara was wondering: did Larry think that the move to the Science Center improved other fields' views of ours? Did it improve our own views of ourselves? Are we a more legitimate science because we were invited to be housed in our new state-of-the-art building? I've felt that way; I also feel lucky that as a senior, I was able to experience the psychology major in both ways.

Anyway, since a lot of us are seniors, I looked around for a few sites that could help us potentially make history. If you're still looking for something to do after May 17th (or after you graduate next year, juniors)...here are some helpful websites. I can't take credit for this, though, because I found them on the FACS site. :)

Careers for Psych Majors
Entry Level Jobs for Psych Majors
What to do with your psych degree

Post and Link for last week...my apologies

I so enjoyed reading Larry's book last week and I thought we were able to have some great conversations because of the enthusiasm from everyone in the class that day. (I'm also glad everyone survived the heated trivia game :) I mostly enjoyed learning about how the Psychology Department at Beloit College has survived through so much. I just showed some prospies around ysterday and was proud to say that we were the only social science department housed in the science center. We should be so very proud of this!

To read about the long line of impressive faculty members that have served our psychology department was a pleasure. I wonder how even way back then we attrachted such amazing professors. I was especially impressed with Professor Farris and The de Weerdts. All of these people were focused on their students and the legacy of this focus is so important. Megan mentioned how furtunate we are to be at a student-centered college and she couldn't be more right.

I have attached a '98 Psychobabble. Seems random, but I think it's good to look at just our recent successes. For those of us who are graduating I recommend looking down at "Alumni News" to see all the different jobs alums have pursued from the class of '32 through '97!

http://www.beloit.edu/psychology/archives/Babble/psychobabble98.html

Week 12: Reflection

I really enjoyed Larry's book on the history of psychology at Beloit, as well as the discussion he held in class on Thursday. I think that as students of the department we are really lucky to have something like this and that this will become more meaningful when we're older and are reflecting back on our time at Beloit. Not only have we witnessed the move of the department from South College/random buildings on campus, we're also psychology students during the time of publication of Professor Tawney's Chronoscope. I think both of these events are really important for the presence of psychology as a discipline and major here at Beloit. I agree with earlier posts and with Larry's question of whether we feel more connected to our department after having read this book. Is there any other department on campus whose first professor was a student of the nakesame of their field? One of my favorite parts of the book was Larry's disucssion of being a professor at a small, liberal arts college versus a large, research-1 institution. This seems especially important for me as I am considering being a professor in the long run, and would want to teach at a school like Beloit. It seems that studying psychology here is such a different experience than at a state university. Having professors whose focus is on teaching your class and hearing your ideas is strikingly opposite from those who are focused on their personal research. I definitely don't think I'd feel as confident about my impending graduation if I'd gone to a large university - especially with respect to the current economy. Being student-centered is one of my favorite things about Beloit, and one of my favorite things about being part of a department in which every professor knows my name. How do you guys feel? What are you planning to do with your psychology major when you graduate?

History of Psych at Beloit College Post and Reflection

Larry's book allowed me to feel more connected to Beloit College because I was able to learn about the school and the psychology and major and the historical contexts in which they developed. I was surprised to learn about the department's progressive start and close ties to the very roots of psychology, with Professor Tawney having earned his PhD with Wundt. However, despite the head start, it seems that the dept stalled or lagged behind the interest in psychology nation wide, being carried by only one professor for so many years. I wonder if there was anything that the administration of the school could have done to increase the attraction of the position and retain faculty for longer than a couple years. It's interesting to think about what the dept could have been had it been stronger from the beginning. The history of the dept reinforces what I've learned in several classes, especially social psychology. No individual or institution is an island; they are influenced by the social influences all around. This is evident in the dept's shift to behaviorism during that school's heyday, and eventual conversion to cognitive psych. It is regrettable that during these times one school of thought dominated in the dept to the exclusion of other valuable viewpoints. Presently, I think the dept is doing a wonderful job of including a broad sampling of perspective and I am confident that it will continue to do so. We even continue to do original research, which is difficult to do at a small liberal arts school, because professors' time is taken up by teaching several classes, spending more time with students, etc. Here is a link to the study Greg conducted with one of the founders or positive psychology, Martin Seligman:

http://ft.csa.com/ids70/resolver.php?sessid=4j409lb1lcn4lbddam19lamtk6&server=csaweb106v.csa.com&check=45085fb0d70009bcf60ae0c74fb5811b&db=psycarticles-set-c&key=PRE%2F2%2Fpre_2_1_10a&mode=pdf

Freud's grandson has died

He was successful in many fields. His obituary.

Beloit's Rich Psychological History

I really have enjoyed reading about our long history of psychology right here in Beloit!
It is strange to think that this place has gone through so many changes. I found it interesting that, from the comments made by students at the time (through the Round Table, etc.), it seems like the overall atmosphere of Beloit College hasn't changed much. The professors are still extremely knowledgeable and eccentric, the students still enjoy working closely with faculty members...

Plus, I am so impressed that we have had psychology professors that come from all over the US and some that grew up in distant countries. I think it is amazing that out of the handful of lucky US psychology students that were able to work under Wundt, that one of them came here to work! (if only for a shorter period of time)
I guess this just makes me think that we really should look harder at the old things we throw away!