Why Study Psychology?
For insight. Understanding. A clearer vision of who we are and why we do what we do. In pursuing this science of the mind, psychology, we discover how to decipher the world around us and, of course, our world within. In doing so, we gain a completely different idea of the things we know best, until every subject we study acquires a new dimension – as do we.
Trinity College’s Psychology Department is large enough to offer its students a wide range of courses – from neuroscience to clinical psychology – yet small enough to allow undergraduates to pursue their own research interests or work with our faculty on their research projects. The department’s outstanding faculty members take full advantage of Trinity’s location in a capital city by encouraging internships in the many businesses, health care institutions, government agencies or non-profit organizations in greater Hartford. Many psychology courses include opportunities to link academic material with experiential learning in the Hartford community. Moreover, the majority of psychology students study aboard, in a variety of places, enriching their intellectual and interpersonal perspectives and helping them become good global citizens. In 2015, Trinity’s Psychology Department was ranked number 7 out of 50 great small colleges for a bachelor’s in Psychology (http://onlinepsychologydegree.info/small-colleges-bachelors-psychology/)
It is just such experiences – in combination with a strong liberal arts education – that prepares Trinity psychology majors for a variety of future paths: counseling youths, teaching psychology at the college level, managing a research project on early childhood, or directing the patient relations department of a major teaching hospital or corporation.
Trinity’s Psychology Department emphasizes interdisciplinary study and collaborates with other departments, including anthropology, biology, educational studies, engineering, neuroscience, philosophy, and public policy to provide psychology majors with an integrated understanding of the complex issues that confront us in the world today. Each year the department offers more than 40 different courses ranging among Cognitive Psychology, Child Development, Social & Cognitive Neuroscience, Developmental Psychopathology and Community Psychology. Complementing such diversity is a coherent structure of core courses, advanced courses, and specialized courses. At every level, students gain critical experiences in research techniques and laboratory procedures. All students complete a senior capstone experience, with the option of pursing a research project and writing a senior thesis under the supervision of a faculty member in the Psychology Department.
Associate Professor of Psychology Laura Holt ’00 and her Trinity students study the psychology of vaping.
Zeynep Su Oguzer ’26 participated in the launch of the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Environmental Youth Advisory Council (NEYAC) in Washington, D.C. “Whether I want it to or not, climate change will always be part of my life. It’s something that I can’t close my eyes to,” she said.
A new study by researchers at Trinity College and Carnegie Mellon University found pet ownership was associated with better mental health during the pandemic, but only among people who had a romantic partner.
Analyzing data is something Michael A. Grubb, associate professor of psychology, is teaching the next generation of researchers. Three of his Trinity College students are disseminating that knowledge to an even larger audience.
