Area II: Human Development & Culture

Marie-Anne Suizzo, Area Chair
List of Area II Faculty

Human Development and Education is an academic area of specialization in Educational Psychology with the purpose of training graduate and undergraduate students in the theories of developmental, social, and personality psychology in order to prepare them for teaching and research in the fields of human development and education. Students are trained to be skilled consumers of research information and to be skilled creators of research information. It is expected that many of the doctoral graduates will teach in small colleges, teach and conduct research in universities, or work in human service delivery organizations. It is also expected that PhD students will be able to teach others how to conduct research, as well as to engage in the process of research.

Advanced course work in developmental, personality, and social psychology is available for students who plan to pursue teaching and research. Topics include child and adolescent development; social psychology and educational outcomes; family relationships; adulthood and aging; cognitive and personal-social development in children; academic achievement of minority students; culture, personality, and behavior; theory and assessment; and a variety of special topics covered in seminars reflecting student and faculty needs and interests. Opportunities for research are available through facilities on campus, as well as in connection with the research activities of individual faculty members. Course work, practica, and other experiences are planned to meet individual student needs as dictated by interests and career plans.

Faculty interests and specializations in developmental psychology cover the lifespan of development--from cognitive, social, and personality development in children and adolescents., to issues of adulthood and aging. Social psychology is represented by interests in attitudes and social cognition, interpersonal relations and group processes, social power, birth order effects, and the influence of family resources on educational success.

The faculty provides a diverse richness in the area of personality, with representatives of psychoanalytic theory, object relations theory, Adlerian psychology, and social psychological approaches.

In addition to Departmental domain course requirements, students in the Human Development and Education (Developmental, Personality, and Social Psychology) area are required to complete two semesters of research practicum courses. Thus, at minimum, each student's program of work includes three courses each in developmental, personality, and social psychology, plus practicum and three other required courses. With advice and consent, students may concentrate their electives in one sub-area of the specialization or spread the courses across the area from courses within the Department and throughout The University. Students typically include courses from departments such as Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology Human Ecology and Social Work.

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