Sharing Psychology: Toward Cross-Disciplinary Cooperation Sharing Psychology: Toward

Cross-Disciplinary Cooperation Lauren Smerglia Seifert, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

Malone College

Lauren Smerglia Seifert, Ph.D.

Professor of Psychology

Malone College

The Learners are The Learners are

• Undergraduate and master's-level students at a mid-sized, Midwestern college for the liberal arts, sciences, and professions.

• Note:Malone College is affiliated with the Friends (Quaker)-Eastern Region.

• Undergraduate and master's-level students at a mid-sized, Midwestern college for the liberal arts, sciences, and professions.

• Note:Malone College is affiliated with the Friends (Quaker)-Eastern Region.

Is Psychology Required? Is Psychology Required?

• YES

• The exception here: Fine ArtsBeyond Introductory Psychology, courses in psychology are not required, unless the student elects to take the psychology minor (18 semester hours).

• YES

• The exception here: Fine ArtsBeyond Introductory Psychology, courses in psychology are not required, unless the student elects to take the psychology minor (18 semester hours).

The Power of The Power of

Cross-Disciplinary Cooperation enables us to share psychology.

Cross-Disciplinary Cooperation enables us to share psychology.

Master's-level examples:Master's-level examples:

master's-level nursing (MSN) nurse-practitioner (MSN-NP) programs

master's-level nursing (MSN) nurse-practitioner (MSN-NP) programs

Nursing:Nursing:

• MSN & MSN-NP students must take CMC541.

• That course includes psychology and theology.

• MSN & MSN-NP students must take CMC541.

• That course includes psychology and theology.

Rationale: Rationale:

• Popular, contemporary models of nursing (Leininger & McFarland, 2006) emphasize the 'Culture of Care' and a whole-person approach.

• Psychology is recognized as an important part of care culture.

• Popular, contemporary models of nursing (Leininger & McFarland, 2006) emphasize the 'Culture of Care' and a whole-person approach.

• Psychology is recognized as an important part of care culture.

Undergraduate examples: Undergraduate examples:

• Zoo biology**

• Social work

• Liberal arts with a psychology cognate

• Fine arts with a psychology minor**

**Discussed further here

• Zoo biology**

• Social work

• Liberal arts with a psychology cognate

• Fine arts with a psychology minor**

**Discussed further here

Case in point: Case in point:

• zoo biology majors must take

1. research methods in psychology2. psychology of learning3. physiological psychology

• zoo biology majors must take

1. research methods in psychology2. psychology of learning3. physiological psychology

Rationale: Rationale:

Zoo biology is an applied field in which biologists must have extensive knowledge of principles of behavior across species.

Psychology courses fill the needs for knowledge and research skills.

Zoo biology is an applied field in which biologists must have extensive knowledge of principles of behavior across species.

Psychology courses fill the needs for knowledge and research skills.

Alternate case in point:Alternate case in point:

Undergraduate Fine ArtsUndergraduate Fine Arts

• They are NOT required to take psychology beyond the introductory course.

• They are NOT required to take psychology beyond the introductory course.

However, many of them ELECT to take additional psychology courses (e.g., psychology minor)…

However, many of them ELECT to take additional psychology courses (e.g., psychology minor)…

• Because of long-standing cooperation/collaboration between professors in the two departments.

• Because of long-standing cooperation/collaboration between professors in the two departments.

• Those faculty research collaborations demonstrate to students how expeditious an understanding of behavioral science can be in the arts (and vice versa).

• Those faculty research collaborations demonstrate to students how expeditious an understanding of behavioral science can be in the arts (and vice versa).

Special Issues & Challenges: Special Issues & Challenges:

• Logistics of sharing courses across disciplines, majors, academic departments, and schools can be scary.

• Stakeholders: administrators, faculty, outside licensure & accreditation agencies, and students!

• Logistics of sharing courses across disciplines, majors, academic departments, and schools can be scary.

• Stakeholders: administrators, faculty, outside licensure & accreditation agencies, and students!

Special Issues & Challenges:Special Issues & Challenges:

• faculty load hours

• departmental/school cross-listings in the course catalog

• decisions about transfer credit

• substitutions when cross-departmental schedules collide (who decides?)

• faculty load hours

• departmental/school cross-listings in the course catalog

• decisions about transfer credit

• substitutions when cross-departmental schedules collide (who decides?)

Overcoming Barriers:Overcoming Barriers:

• Student, faculty, and institutional resistance to change; resistance to different paradigms

• Student, faculty, and institutional resistance to change; resistance to different paradigms

Faculty/institutional concerns:Faculty/institutional concerns:

• When faculty come together to catalyze efforts toward cross-disciplinary education, their departmental/school colleagues might resist—seeing the cross-pollenation as a threat to their "turf".

• When faculty come together to catalyze efforts toward cross-disciplinary education, their departmental/school colleagues might resist—seeing the cross-pollenation as a threat to their "turf".

Further Opportunities:Further Opportunities:

• To Broaden Everyone's Learning TOWARD cooperative, more unified knowledge

• Toward Partnership models • Away from Domination models (Eisler,

2007; Richards, 2007)

• To Broaden Everyone's Learning TOWARD cooperative, more unified knowledge

• Toward Partnership models • Away from Domination models (Eisler,

2007; Richards, 2007)

• Further opportunities: To Challenge Learners to Think THROUGH new paradigms (Davis, 1992, 1996; Seifert & Drennan, 2000)

• Further opportunities: To Challenge Learners to Think THROUGH new paradigms (Davis, 1992, 1996; Seifert & Drennan, 2000)

Example: Comparing Epistemologies

Example: Comparing Epistemologies

• The "U-MEET" Approach and Exercises for Students (e.g., hand-out; Seifert, 2007a)

• The "U-MEET" Approach and Exercises for Students (e.g., hand-out; Seifert, 2007a)

Implications for Psychology Implications for Psychology

• The effort has to be ours to reach out, because educators in other disciplines might not be aware of what we have to offer.

• My own collaborations in Nursing, Zoo Biology, and Fine Arts started when faculty extended invitations to each other, across disciplines, to collaborate.

• The effort has to be ours to reach out, because educators in other disciplines might not be aware of what we have to offer.

• My own collaborations in Nursing, Zoo Biology, and Fine Arts started when faculty extended invitations to each other, across disciplines, to collaborate.

Preparing for the FuturePreparing for the Future

• Being "Open":

Openness to new paradigmsPartnerships across disciplinesEncouragement for cross-disciplinary learningNarratives of inclusion which are shared with students (Seifert, 2007b)

• Being "Open":

Openness to new paradigmsPartnerships across disciplinesEncouragement for cross-disciplinary learningNarratives of inclusion which are shared with students (Seifert, 2007b)

Foremost:Foremost:

• Administrators can provide empowerment with incentives for faculty who BUILD bridges to other disciplines.

• Administrators can provide empowerment with incentives for faculty who BUILD bridges to other disciplines.

Moreover:Moreover:

• Faculty can build those bridges by opening their minds to the possibilities. (If someone had asked me 15 years ago whether I'd play important roles in educating nurses, artists, or zoo biologists, I'd have thought they were teasing!)

• Faculty can build those bridges by opening their minds to the possibilities. (If someone had asked me 15 years ago whether I'd play important roles in educating nurses, artists, or zoo biologists, I'd have thought they were teasing!)

Roles for APARoles for APA

Encouraging cross-disciplinary training for all psychologists, EXAMPLE: encouraging doctoral minors (my own experience at Ohio State).

Promoting cross-disciplinary dialog by sponsoring workshops/mini-conferences WITH non-psychologists,EXAMPLE: School of Visual Arts annual conference.

Encouraging cross-disciplinary training for all psychologists, EXAMPLE: encouraging doctoral minors (my own experience at Ohio State).

Promoting cross-disciplinary dialog by sponsoring workshops/mini-conferences WITH non-psychologists,EXAMPLE: School of Visual Arts annual conference.

Thank you.Thank you.