Philosophy and Psychology Department records

In the early days of the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, work in philosophy was a requirement for graduation. Until 1882, work in mental and moral science was given by the principal of the Seminary. In 1883, however, a permanent instructor was hired to teach the subject. In 1901, the Philosophy Department expanded to include two instructors. At this time the psychological laboratory opened. Another instructor and a laboratory assistant joined the department in 1904, and in 1905, the department name was changed to the Philosophy and Psychology department, the first time psychology appeared in the name of a course of study at Mount Holyoke. The study of philosophy in 1918 was divided into seven different areas: the history of philosophy, logic, ethics, aesthetics, metaphysics, the philosophy of religion, and psychology. Psychology was further divided into general psychology, experimental psychology, genetic psychology, individual psychology, social psychology, and educational psychology. The aim of the department at this time was to cultivate the habit of clear and independent thinking and to give the student an acquaintance with philosophical problems in order to enable her to understand better the aims of science, the spirit of literature and other forms of art, the meaning of larger social and political movements, and the significance of the moral and religious life. After years of discussion about the separation of philosophy and psychology, the department divided in the 1939/1940 academic year to form the Philosophy Department and the Psychology Department.