I've been teaching this course since 2013. While it might seem odd for a behavioral neuroscientist to teach about the history and development of psychology since 1879, I find that it helps to put myself and my students into a larger context of how the study of human behavior has evolved and will change in the future. Where do we fit in? Who has been interested in this topic before me? What are the origins of the questions we are currently asking about the nature of the mind and behavior?
Currently, this course is designed as the capstone for psychology majors, so while we cover the history of the discipline, the students are also looking to the past, summarizing their own educational experience, including the experience of studying at a Christian institution of higher learning, and vision-casting ahead to their professional futures.
This course also includes a LiGHT component as part of Lipscomb's Gen Ed program. We are including discussions about diversity in the discipline, and acknowledging the contributions of people who come from a wide variety of social and cultural groups.
Useful links for this course can be found here:
Sign up for the Canvas "Major Field Test" course- required for all graduating seniors
Career Development Center at Lipscomb
Wilhelm Wundt Academic Tree entry
50 most influential living psychologists
Cummings Center for the History of Psychology
UWGB's "March Madness" bracket
Links for Diversity in Psychological Science:
Society of Indian Psychologists
Association of Black Psychologists
National Latinx Psychological Association
Inspiring Latinx Scientists in America