Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior, providing a rich body of knowledge, issues and questions for majors as well as students seeking to enhance their liberal arts education. Psychology at Williams is represented by 17 faculty members whose subfields include neuroscience, cognitive, clinical, developmental, educational, and social psychology. Psychology faculty are also involved with Interdisciplinary Programs at Williams, such as Cognitive Science, Neuroscience, and the Program in Teaching. Our goal as engaged professors, active researchers and mentors is to convey to students a sense of the excitement in psychology today. We seek to achieve this goal through coursework and by providing opportunities for students to become involved in research from the very first year through the senior year.
The requirements for the Major are 9 courses, starting with Introductory Psychology (PSYC 101), a team-taught survey of the field. Next in our curriculum are the 200 level survey courses in the core areas. Majors take at least three 200 courses. Majors are also required to take PSYC 201, Experimentation and Statistics. This course teaches the fundamentals of experimental design, data collection, analysis, and research report writing. We recommend majors take it in the sophomore year and require completion by the end of the junior year. At the 300-level, we offer courses in which students conduct original research, work in applied settings, and engage in small group discussions. More information can be found on the Psychology site.