Undergraduate Education

Abstract

Abstract This chapter evaluates the history of undergraduate psychology in the United States. After reviewing the context of American higher education, the authors highlight two aspects of this history: (a) substantive content of the discipline, as reflected in courses and curricula, and (b) explicit learning outcomes expected of changing student populations. Three facets of academic psychology serve as organizing themes: teaching, scholarship, and service. In the section on teaching, the authors review results of catalog studies and surveys of courses in the undergraduate curriculum, and they discuss experts' recommendations concerning the purpose and structure of undergraduate programs. Concerning scholarship, the authors consider how the outcomes of undergraduate psychology programs have been defined and assessed. The section on service highlights the individual and organizational activities designed to enhance teaching and research in psychology at state, regional, and national levels. A final section considers the past as prologue for the future. Scholars and program developers interested in the history of undergraduate psychology in the United States will find a plethora of relevant information in this chapter.

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