Psychology Department, Bard College Contemporary psychology encompasses such areas as cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, social psychology, developmental psychology, and clinical and personality psychology. The Psychology Program addresses these various disciplines with a broad spectrum of representative course offerings. The program is designed for students with various goals, including preparation for graduate work in psychology or other fields or for advanced training in the clinical or helping professions. It also may be a concentration for those who have no specific postcollege academic plans.
All courses are open to nonmajors, although some have specific prerequisites.
The Research Conference is an advanced junior seminar that focuses on particular topics within the field of psychology. It is an experience specifically geared toward helping the student prepare for the more intensive work that accompanies the Senior Project. A student's four-year course of study will obviously depend upon his or her interests and goals, but there is a general pattern to all study plans in psychology. Requirements also include a sophomore sequence consisting of Psychology 203 and 204, Introduction to Statistics and Research Design and Research Methods in Social Psychology. The introductory course is designed to give the student an overview of contemporary psychology, from any one of a variety of perspectives.