Internship and attendance at conferences for new course proposal, The Birth of Psychology
Internship and attendance at conferences for new course proposal, The Birth of Psychology
Academic Year:
2013 - 2014 (June 1, 2013 through May 31, 2014)
Funding Requested:
$2,000.00
Project Dates:
-
Applicant(s):
Overview of the Project:
I am proposing a new course for the German Department called The Birth of Psychology. It will explore some of the origins of the discipline of psychology in German philosophies. It will expose German students to some classic texts and discuss topics related to some of psychology's major questions, including perspectives on "the unconscious" and how it contributes to neuroses and to therapeutic processes, as well as to modern developments in the interplay between philosophy, medicine and various psychological methods. To develop curriculum for this course next summer, I would like to observe treatment sessions at a clinic to expose myself to a variety of relevant practices used today in the German-speaking world. Afterward, I would like to attend the 26th International Congress of Individual Psychology in Paris: "Precarity, Conflicts, Violence, a challenge to the Healing and Training processes". I will also attend the 2nd Conference of the International Society for Psychology as the Discipline of Interiority in Berlin: "The Psychological Difference", where I will learn about some of the latest discussions on psychology in a philosophical context. After these experiences, I will be better able to tie together historical and modern trends of thought in my course, working to define what psychology has become. This will raise important questions for students in their self-identity and in their education. It will also be valuable for the maintenance of my professional German skills to spend quality time in Germany, soaking up the language and culture.