Department of Psychology

PSYC 3120 Explorations in the History of Psychology

About the Course

Is a series of study abroad courses offered by the Psychology Department at Oklahoma State University. Throughout history many cultures developed theories regarding the nature of the mind dating back to ancient civilizations. How and when did psychology establish itself as a separate science? Who were the people that contributed to the emergence of psychology as a scientific discipline? Are some of the topics to be covered.

Every year during spring break, the instructors Dr. Charles Abramson and Silvia Daggy, MSC will be offering students an amazing educational experience in a foreign country!  The maximum number of students enrolled in the class is limited to no more then 15. The reduced number of students allows instructors to offer students a real learning experience while keeping the travel cost to a minimum. The purpose of this course will be to visit historical, cultural, and educational sites of significant importance in the foundation of modern psychology.  The sites include where Ivan Pavlov, Wilhelm Wundt, Sigmund Freud, Socrates, and others developed their theories. Students will be able to visit universities and mental health institutions in other countries while at the same time experiencing a different cultural. Class meets once a week through out the spring semester. Before traveling students will be briefed about what to expect when traveling abroad, they will learn about the country’s political, social and cultural background and learn about those that contributed to the field of psychology.

About the Instructors

Dr. Charles I. Abramson is a Regent’s Professor of Psychology at Oklahoma State University and founder of the Laboratory of Comparative Psychology and Behavioral Biology.  He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology at Boston University in 1986. He joined the faculty of Oklahoma State University in 1993 and holds adjunct appoints in the Departments of Zoology and Entomology.. He has been a visiting professor, and conducted research, in a number of countries including Brazil, Greece, Italy, Japan, Russia, Turkey, Slovenia, and Venezuela. Abramson serves on the editorial board of several journals including those in Brazil, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, and Turkey, and has been recognized for his teaching and research in this country and in Brazil. For the past 10 years he has taken a variety of students to Brazil, Venezuela, Greece and Turkey as part of an NSF sponsored program to provide research experience to undergraduates. Most recently, he co-sponsored the first international workshop on honey bee plasticity held at the EurBee meeting in Ankara, Turkey.  He is the author of several books including a Slovene Phrase book that has been translated into Italian and German, two animal behavior activity books that have been translated into Slovene, and a children’s book that has been translated into French.

You can reach Dr. Charles Abramson at charles.abramson@okstate.edu

Silvia Daggy, MSc received a BS degree in Biology from the Universidad Nacional de Asuncion in Asuncion, Paraguay.  Upon graduating she worked for the Paraguayan Government as a field specialist for CITES-Paraguay (Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species).  She received training in the care of exotic and threatened species at the Sao Pablo Brazil Zoo, and in museum curator techniques at the National History Museum of Paraguay and at the Museum of Natural History in Sweden as a SIDA scholar (Swedish International Development Agency).  Silvia was awarded a scholarship as part of the British Government’ s Technical Co-operation Training Program, completing a Masters program in Global Biodiversity at the University of Hull in England. Working with Paraguayan indigenous groups, her thesis topic served as a reference for conservation policies in Paraguay. Silvia was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to attend Oklahoma State University where she received a Masters degree in Zoology researching the population genetics of the nine banded armadillo. She then returned to Paraguay and worked as the Environmental Officer for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) directing USAID conservation efforts between Paraguay and neighboring countries.  In 2005 Silvia returned to Oklahoma State University working as an academic advisor for the Psychology department.

You can reach Sylvia Daggy at silvia.daggy@okstate.edu.