Psychology and Education Department Records

Records restricted to use by office/department of origin for 25 years from date of record creation.

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Historical Note

Psychology was taught in the early days of the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. When Mount Holyoke made the transition from Seminary to College, psychology was taught within the Philosophy Department. As the course of study in psychology grew, a psychological laboratory was opened in 1901 and the Philosophy Department was renamed the Philosophy and Psychology Department in 1905. Until the 1938/1939 academic year, psychology was taught within the Department of Philosophy and Psychology. During these years, the scope of courses in psychology offered included general psychology, experimental psychology, genetic psychology, individual psychology, social psychology, and educational psychology. After years of discussion about the separation of philosophy and psychology, in 1939/1940 a separate Psychology Department was established. This department lasted as a separate entity only one year. The study of education at Mount Holyoke was formally organized into the Department of Pedagogy in the 1899/1900 academic year. The scope of course offered in the Pedagogy Department covered the history of education, philosophy of education, educational psychology, child study, school systems, school management, and methodology. The Pedagogy Department was renamed the Education Department in the 1903/1904 academic year. In the 1940/1941 academic year, the Psychology Department and Education Department merged to form the Department of Psychology and Education. In recent years, the department has offered various major and minor programs, including a major in psychology, a major in psychology and education, a minor in psychology, and a minor in education. The study of psychology at the College now consists of five areas of study, including social psychology, personality and abnormal psychology, developmental psychology, perception, cognition, and language, and the biological bases of behavior. The program in education provides an opportunity for students to obtain their teaching certification for elementary and secondary education.

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Scope and Contents of the Collection

The Mount Holyoke College Psychology and Education Department Records contain articles; outlines; tests; newspaper clippings; announcements; reports; flyers; press releases; applications; speeches; handbooks; notices; brochures; and photographs. Information regarding the department's Master's of Arts program, the nursery school program, and Gorse Child Study Center can be found in the records. Additionally, an article written by Ellen Reese about the department and an outline of opportunities in the fields of psychology and education are held in the records. The records contain the annual reports of the department to the President of the College. These include information about student and faculty activities, personnel changes, needs of the department, and department activities. The records also contain information about changes in courses and in curriculum, academic programs, department resources, opportunities for students, internships, and the teacher education program. Faculty and staff profiles are included in the records. Advertising materials contained in the records pertain to the department itself and to special events, including lectures, film series, special projects, and conferences. The photographs portray students, faculty, and staff in laboratories, with equipment, in the field, and in classrooms.

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