Located on the second floor of Johns Hall, the psychology laboratory is virtually unparalleled as an undergraduate teaching and research facility.
Classrooms are equipped with computers and visualizers for large-screen multimedia presentations. Separate laboratory suites, equipped with state-of-the-art technology, are available for faculty-student collaboration in such fields as child cognition, memory, clinical, social, comparative psychology, and behavioral neuroscience. Computers for word processing, data analysis, Internet access and e-mail are available in all of the labs. Many attractive study areas afford students the opportunity to work on assignments alone or in groups.
In addition, the Furman library contains impressive holdings in the behavioral sciences, including approximately 90 psychology journals.
A Balanced Program
Furman’s psychology curriculum is designed to ensure that all majors complete a balanced program of study.
Majors take 10 courses in psychology, including required courses in General Psychology and Experimental and Statistical Methods. Students complete their major requirement by choosing from survey courses such as Social Psychology, Human Development, Behavior Disorders, Theories of Personality, Behavioral Neuroscience, Psychopharmacology, Memory and Cognition, Learning, Theories of Psychotherapy, and Animal Behavior as well as small upper-level seminars in specialized areas. The department also recommends that majors take selected courses in biology, mathematics, English, computer science, speech and philosophy.
The department places great emphasis on the value of educational experiences beyond the classroom, and these are offered during the academic year or summer or both. As productive and visible scholars, the psychology faculty at Furman have developed an extraordinary record of involving students in interesting and exciting research. Students conduct novel research projects with professors on topics such as testing the comprehension of nine-month-old infants, examining cardiovascular reactions to stress, examining social support in friends and couples, testing basic learning capacities in insects, testing how aging affects memory, and examining the biochemical basis of alcohol addiction.
Recent grants from the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and NASA help support the students and the research. Psychology research students often present their results at professional meetings, and some co-author papers that are published in leading journals. Meaningful research prepares undergraduates to respond to the ever-changing demands they will face beyond college. Participation in these activities helps them develop their skills and confidence in communicating, working independently and solving problems.