ABOUT THE PROGRAM
Who we are:
As members of the Social/Personality (SP) Psychology subprogram, we are a unique and eclectic group of individuals who come to the program with different experiences, knowledges, interests, and backgrounds. We are students and faculty from all over the globe and also from right here in New York City. As students, we enter the program at varying points in our careers; some have only just finished our undergraduate work, others have some graduate experience, while still others have years and years of professional and community accomplishments. Many of us are connected to and continue to reach out to researchers and professionals outside of our immediate field and outside of the Graduate Center and CUNY system. We believe it is diversity which makes us better researchers and teachers as we are all able to share and learn from the experiences of one another.
What we do:
The students and faculty of the SP Psychology subprogram address a diverse range of critical social issues in our research, workgroups, and courses which broadly center on the themes of Self and Identity, Intergroup Relations and Social Policy, and Justice and Injustice. Among the many topics we study from an interdisciplinary perspective are marginalized identities, issues of gender, race, HIV status, ethnicity, class, disability, sexual identity, and immigration status. We address the intersections of these identities as well as research disparities in health and education, power dynamics, human rights, public policy, violence, and prejudice. Through exploring our faculty's work, our students are provided with models of many possible ways to carry out meaningful research, such as history and archival research, experimental designs, participatory action research, life narrative work, and community or applied surveys.
How we do the work:
The location of the Graduate Center (GC)is such that students in our program learn classical scientific methods while incorporating modern techniques as they work in the "laboratory" that is New York City. The SP Psychology subprogram encourages a wide array of methodologies to answer the questions important to our work; quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methodologies are all taught and encouraged at the Graduate Center. Quantitatively, students use traditional experimental designs and work with advanced analytical techniques such as structural equation modeling. Qualitatively, students are encouraged to use both classical interviewing methods, in addition to thinking outside of the box whether it be participatory action research, focus groups, video ethnographies, mapping techniques, or performance art. Importantly, our students are not limited by the walls of our institution and are encouraged to use these methods in the field with all the opportunities New York City provides.
Where our work goes:
In addition to publishing in academic and scholarly journals and books, SP Psychology faculty and students work in collaboration with communities and organizations to address issues of social justice – in education, health, criminal justice, dignity, social opportunities -- on the macro, meso and micro levels. With our work, we strive to transcend the normative boundaries of the "ivory tower." Our research is offered as a tool in campaigns for equitable education and health; toward policy and organizational change; as a resource in institutional decision making in health care, educational and community settings; advocacy in the judicial system, policy and legislative recommendations, and participation in conferences locally, nationally, and internationally. In the Lewinian tradition, we are invested in using psychological research as a vehicle for social change and take seriously the ways in which our work affects individuals and groups politically and socially.
What the atmosphere is like:
Sharing classrooms and space on the 6th floor with students and faculty from Environmental and Developmental Psychology subprograms, Sociology, Geography, Social Welfare, Public Education and Public Health students, our program constantly interacts with other fields within our discipline through courses and through numerous other interdisciplinary colloquia and events held during the year. The atmosphere of our program is one of collaboration, rather than competition. We share ideas with each other, involve each other in the processes of our research and teaching, and support one another as we are all growing as professionals in the field of psychology. As a student, you have the freedom to change or add advisors as your needs and interests expand and you are encouraged to involve multiple faculty members in the progress and facilitation of your own projects. Finally, while we are all hard-working and very motivated individuals, we also know when to come together for a bit of relaxation and celebration of our work.