Psychology is different form other disciplines. Unlike teachers in English literature, for example, psychologists don't usually argue about what to include in the canon. By "canon", of course, I am referring to what writings are sanctioned as great, essential, or otherwise defining of the subject area. Fundamentally, a canon is a list of great works in literature, and different views (not to mention contentious debate) on what's in or out abound.
Psychology doesn't really have a canon per se; there is no single list of canonical texts that every student should read. One reason we are canon-less is psychology's relative youth as a science. Another is the proliferation of interest areas within the discipline. By one count (that of the American Psychological Association [APA]), there are at least 54 of them, which means that each special interest area probably has its list of great works (or should). A third reason is the rapid advance of the discipline, coupled with technological changes. Theories, research methods, tools and techniques are changing so quickly that even some relatively recent results are often better understood in light of still more recent findings. In other words, the science of behavior advances so rapidly that no single reference is likely to stay canonical for long.
In place of a canon, however, psychology does have a curriculum or the set of course that define (or seek to define) the discipline. My focus here is on the undergraduate curriculum, that is, those courses that constitute the typical major in psychology. (Graduate education is another matter for another time.) Fortunately, psychologists have spent considerable time and energy developing a list of courses that might reasonably be offered within a typical college or university psychology department. The most recent list of recommended courses is to be found in a new book edited by Diane F. Halpern, former President of the APA. (I discussed this book's origins as well as its chapter on psychological literacy in a previous blog on September 18, 2009.) Halpern's book offers a blueprint for psychology's future where educating our next generation of students is concerned.
In the interests of full disclosure, I was the lead author on the curriculum chapter, so yes, I have a vested interest in what courses psychology students take and when they do so. That being said, my co-authors and I make clear in the chapter that our recommended curriculum is truly recommended, not required (i.e., not canonical). Given the myriad missions of colleges and universities in North America alone, not to mention their resources and constituencies, being prescriptive would be foolhardy. So, we were not-but we did and do have suggestions about the curricular structure. Here we go.
What courses should students take in the psychology major? We advocate nine courses (note that some represent categories within which various courses might satisfy the curricular goal). Students should begin by taking Introductory (sometimes called "General") Psychology, a course that provides a broad overview of the discipline. Next, they should complete research methods in psychology and statistics, two courses that provide the tools psychologists use to conduct experiments (or other forms of scientific inquiry) and analyze and interpret results. Ideally, methods and statistics courses should be completed before students take one intermediate courses in each of four content domains: biological bases of behavior, development, sociocultural issues, and learning/cognition. If possible students should also take an applied course, one using basic psychological knowledge to improve something (e.g., how worker well-being can be balanced against the need for profits). Finally, an undergraduate education in psychology should close with a capstone or integrative experience one that synthesizes what they learned in the previous eight courses. There-that wasn't so bad, was it?
But wait, there's more: All courses should emphasize the critical role that scientific methods play within psychology. Further, all courses within a psychology curriculum should also discuss diversity issues (i.e., the ways people differ from one another) as well as ethical issues.
So, there you have a brief review of what psychology curricula comprised of core courses can be like. To be sure, it might be fun to generate a canon for psychology. For now, though, energy is better placed on determining what courses will give undergraduates a firm foundation in psychology. Besides grounding them in the discipline, these courses should help to prepare them for careers in a variety of areas or help them to gain admission to graduate programs in psychology or a related discipline.
Canon concerns aside: How well did you undergraduate curriculum prepare you to think, to learn, to work, and to make your way in the world?
