Research Opportunities in Psychology
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There are 5 types of research opportunities in Psychology:
Read interviews with some of the undergraduates who have engaged in research and internships. |
Research Courses
The Department offers the following Research courses. These courses meet the laboratory/research requirement.
- 215 Research in Emotion (deRivera)
- 216 Research in Health Psychology (Bibace)
- 221 Research in Social Psychology (Laird)
- 222 Research in Cognitive Development (Wiser)
- 223 Research in Motivational and Emotional Development in Infants,
Children, and Adolescents (Grolnick) - 224 Research on Identity Development (Bamberg)
- 226 Research in Men's Mental Health (Addis)
- 229 Research in the Development of Language (Budwig)
- 230 Research in Cultural Psychology (Valsiner)
- 231 Couples Research (Cordova)
- 232 Research in Community (Cardemil)
- 233 Research on Thinking in Societal Context (Falmagne)
- 235 Research in Diverse Families (Goldberg)
- 292 Capstone Research
- 297 Honors
- 299 Directed Study in Psychology
Honors in Psychology
Honors work in psychology is available as a three-semester honors sequence, beginning in the spring semester junior year, to students who have demonstrated high scholastic achievement and the ability to work as scholars. Students apply, in conjunction with a faculty sponsor, in the fall semester of their junior year by petitioning the department and providing a description of a proposed research project. Materials should be submitted to Professor James Cordova (jcordova@clarku.edu), who will then notify students whether the department's faculty committee has accepted them for admission.
The honors sequence is a series of three capstone-style courses designed to provide honors students with more in- depth knowledge of the history of psychology, philosophy of science, psychological theory and psychological methods of inquiry. Students in the program carry out an independent research project under the sponsorship of one or more faculty members. This research provides the basis for a thesis that, upon completion, is presented and defended by the student before an examining committee and the student's project advisor. The project may also be presented at the University's Academic Spree Day in April. Level of honors (Highest Honors, High Honors or Honors in Psychology) is determined by the full department on the basis of recommendations from its examining committees. The honors major should be especially, but not uniquely, attractive to students interested in pursuing graduate study in psychology or another related discipline such as medicine, teaching and law.
This represents a change in the honors program. Other noteworthy points:
- Beginning in 2008-09, junior honors students will be required to participate in Senior Honors. This means that anyone who wants to do an honors project in the academic year 2008-09 will have to be registered for Junior Honors in the spring semester of 2008.
- In 2007-08, all honors students will be grandfathered in under the current system in which Senior Honors is independent of Junior Honors. In other words, 2007-08 will be the last year that it will still be possible to take senior honors without having taken junior honors.
- Students interested in Study Abroad will be encouraged to spend the fall semester of junior year abroad and then participate in Junior Honors in the spring semester of junior year.
View a list of honors thesis titles for 2007.
Directed Research and Capstone Research
Individual faculty members may offer directed study courses to individual students or small groups of students. The content and responsibilities for these courses is flexible and is arranged by mutual agreement between instructor and student. Since such courses demand individual attention from a faculty member, they are generally only offered to advanced students who have taken seminars or laboratories with the particular faculty person in previous semesters. Directed Study courses involving research and Capstone Research courses may be used to meet the lab/research and capstone requirements, respectively.
Take a look at the faculty members' research interests. Contact individual professors if you are interested in conducting research on a credit or non-credit basis.
Additional Opportunities
On a volunteer basis, there are opportunities for conducting research with various faculty members on a non-credit basis. (See individual faculty members for opportunities.)
Academic Spree Day and Fall Fest
There is opportunity for those students working on research with psychology professors to participate, upon the faculty member's recommendation, in Academic Spree Day and Fall Fest.