Meet Your Departments: Get Psyched about the Psych Department

Department Head: Dr. Kathy Cain

Image via: Gettysburg College

Length of time in this position: 5 years

Majors and Minors Offered Through the Department: Psychology Major, Neuroscience Minor

Kind of Careers Psych Majors Can Pursue: 

A Psychology major can pursue just about any career. We have students from Gettysburg who have done almost everything. There are a lot of traditional careers in psychology like going into counseling, clinical work, or academic psychology, but there are a lot of other fields that draw on Psychology and this major can be great preparation for them as well. For example, Psychology majors can go on to become teachers, nurses, and medical professionals. They can also go to law school or enter the business world. Also, many of our students go on to do things that seem very different from Psychology, but they still find that the critical thinking skills they learned from their major helped them in their careers.

Would the Psychology department consider adding a minor? 

Right now, Psychology is too popular of a subject and we do not have enough staff to handle a minor as well as a major. We know that students really want a minor option, but it’s not on the table right now. We don’t want to do it unless we can do it well. 

How does the Psychology department here at Gettysburg differ from Psychology programs at other schools?

First off, we have wonderful students. We have also really worked hard to build this rigorous curriculum that gives you strong experience in research. We have a requirement that all students must take two advanced lab courses. This is different from many other schools. We do that because we believe that students learn a great deal in their first lab but a lot of things are still just coming together for them, so it is important to have the chance to use that new knowledge in a second lab. We also have dedicated faculty who are committed to teaching well in the classroom and they’re also very committed to the research process. We have lots of opportunities for students to become involved in faculty research. 

One thing you wish you could change about the field of psychology today:

 Traditionally, we’ve been very focused on the psychology of white middle class people, but we are starting to become more inclusive and diverse as a field. We’re just in the early stages of starting to think about culture more broadly and acknowledge people outside of North American and European contexts. I hope to be around to see how these new perspectives shape the field.  

Advice for students considering declaring a Psych major:

Every year in October and again in late February/early March, I run a series of info sessions about declaring a Psychology major, so if you are interested, come to one of those sessions. Psychology is a great major for students who like scientific and logical thinking but are also interested in human behavior. They can use scientific skills to study interesting questions about why people are the way they are and do the things they do. 

How did you become interested in studying Psychology?

When I was a senior in high school, I took a class on anatomy and physiology. We were each assigned on organ system to do a final project on and I was assigned the brain and central nervous system. I was so interested in that project and got so enthusiastic about it.  I had already picked my college since I thought I wanted to be a Biology major on a pre-med track.  I decided to take a Psychology elective since I had enjoyed that project so much and I fell in love with the field. In junior year, I took developmental psychology and I thought ‘this is it, that is what I want to do.’ I always had an interest in pediatric work since I am the oldest of five kids, but this class opened up a whole new world for me that I hadn’t known existed. 

What was your experience like as a Fulbright scholar in Cairo?

I knew I would have a sabbatical after my time working at the Provost’s office and my husband, who is an archeologist, would have a sabbatical at the same time. We wanted to find somewhere where we could both go with our family to do research in our fields. I decided to teach at an Egyptian university. Most of my students were med students going back to specialize in pediatric medicine or psychology and medicine. I was also able to do research with some Egyptian colleagues. It was interesting to learn about how they approached research problems. We were looking at the psychosocial adjustment of children with Type I diabetes which is probably the most medically and clinically oriented thing I’ve ever done. Unfortunately, 6 months after I left, the Arab Spring happened and created upheaval at the university where I worked so they were not able to complete our project.

Main research interests:

Because of that year in Cairo, I started an entirely new research program on cultural and religious identity in Muslim immigrant youth, specifically adolescents. Prior to that, I had done a lot of research on social cognitive development in preschool and elementary children, so I am continuing that work right now. I am planning a study about young children’s bias against Muslims.

You’re well known around campus for wearing some very stylish scarves, where do you buy them? Psychology students want to know. 

I’m obsessed with them. I kind of collect them and usually buy them when I travel, so they’re from all around the world. Some are from Copenhagen, some from Cairo, and others from Greece. People often give them to me as gifts since they know I like them. Former students and colleagues have even given me scarves from places like China and Mexico. 

Has this always been an element of your personal style or does it come with the Psychology Ph.D.?

When I was a junior in college, I studied in Germany and a lot of women wore scarves there,so that’s when I started wearing them. I always love them, partly because I’m cold and they keep me warm, partly because I often worry about what to wear in the morning and they help me complete an outfit. If you have a different scarf, anything you put on looks nicer. 

Closing thoughts:

I feel so privileged to be able to work with our wonderful students. They give me joy every day. 

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