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Major Brochure | Courses | Sample Plan of Study
Most people know that psychologists study and treat mental illness but there is much more to the field than that. Psychologists study almost every aspect of the human experience from prenatal development to late adulthood. Psychologists want to understand how children learn language and why adolescents alternate between rebellion and conformity. Psychologists study individual differences: Why some people are color blind, have photographic memories, or are natural leaders.
The psychology program at Defiance College is intended to give students a broad understanding of human behavior. In your classes you will learn how your brain and nervous system allows you to see colors, make memories, and have emotions. You will learn how social and cultural factors influence the way you think, feel, and behave. You will learn how mental disorders are diagnosed and treated. You will also learn how psychologists conduct research, analyze data, and test theories.
Small class size and frequent one-on-one faculty contact contribute to the academic quality of the psychology program and the students’ future success and enjoyment in the field.
Defiance College encourages students to participate in service learning. Advanced psychology students have the opportunity to volunteer or work at local mental health and human service agencies.
Courses in psychology are intended to:
Contribute toward better personal and social adjustment by enhancing students’ understanding of themselves and others
Prepare students for graduate study leading to careers in the field of psychology
Provide a basis for pre-professional study (as in pre-law, pre-medical, and related careers)
Provide an understanding of psychological principles, theories, and techniques that will result in more effective functioning in various vocational fields, such as business, education, criminal justice, and social work
Contribute to the students’ general cultural enrichment
Major Brochure | Courses | Sample Plan of Study
An exciting component of the psychology program is the opportunity to conduct a research study and present the results at the annual Honors Symposium. Our students have conducted research on depression in college students, how the number of siblings in a family influences family dynamics, and the effect of sleep deprivation of academic performance.
According to the American Psychological Association, persons with a bachelor’s degree in psychology have found employment in management, mental health casework, child care, health services, human resources, gerontology, and probation and parole.
Recent Defiance College graduates in psychology are graduate students, caseworkers, operation coordinators, and substance abuse counselors. The psychology major enables each student to proceed in any one of a broad variety of career directions at the bachelor’s degree level, while at the same time adequately preparing those who wish to attend law, medical, or graduate school in the helping professions.
Deborah Dalke, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology
419-783-2449 | ddalke@defiance.edu | Faculty Profile
Kristin L. Sorensen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psychology
419-783-2337 | ksorensen@defiance.edu
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