European Pioneers of Psychology 2007

This course was a study-abroad experience that explored some of the most prominent European figures in the history of contemporary psychology. We examined some of the major historical movements in the history of ideas in psychology, with an emphasis on the relevant philosophical, intellectual, and spiritual context. In this process, we compared various schools of thought and approaches to the study of psychology. We also looked at how psychology developed in the various countries we visited, and students had the opportunity to encounter local professional and academic psychologists.

Passau, Germany During our stay in Passau we visited the Institute of Psychology and met Professor Gundlach, who collects historical psychological instruments for the University.  Professor Gundlach shared some of his collection with us, looking at items from phrenology to psycholgical tests.
	Vienna The highlights of Vienna included visiting a Jewish synagogue and Jewish museums.  We also had the opportunity to visit Freud's house and discuss his ideas in the Landtmann Cafe, one of his favorite hangouts.  Professor Batthyany of the Victor Frankl Institute also shared his knowledge on Frankl and his works.
Zurich As part of our stay in Zurich we visited the University of Zurich to hear Professor Stoll talk about Piaget's works.  We also had the opportunity to visit the Jung Institute and the Marie-Louise von Franz Foundation.  Jung's grandson was even kind enough to allow us take a tour of his house and visit Jung's library.  The house is pictured to the right.
	Paris Our trip to Paris brought us to the University of Nancy where Professor Andrieu and two graduate students there shared the works of Binet.  We were also able to see the collection of Binet's books and pictures that the University has collected.
London On our last stop we visited the University College, London.  There we heard Dr. Furnham talk about the research he is conducting on the relationship between gender and intelligence.  We were also given the opportunity to visit the Galton Collection housed at the University.   The collection included items such as his various inventions as well as some personal items.

Note: This class can fulfill the PSY 315 (History of Psychology) course requirement for psychology majors and it can serve as an upper-level elective. This course also fulfills the Z-tag credit option for a cross-cultural learning experience.