Bachelor of Philosophy Sample Plan of Studies
Majors: Psychology and Economics
I first matriculated at the University of Pittsburgh not having an idea of what my major would be, but having several possibilities in mind. Now I am close to graduating, and neither of my majors are those I considered four years ago. I found the perfect mix to be psychology and economics, with certificates in Western European Studies and Latin American Studies. Psychology satisfies my interest in people and their behaviors, and economics allows me to use that knowledge in applicable scenarios. Because of my interest in foreign languages and near fluency in Spanish, I can study the effects of language variation, culture, and processes of language learning in both my global studies and those in psychology. Economics also allows me to quantitatively analyze many of the behaviors and actions that I learn about in psychology courses. This mix combines my interests in language, culture, and science.
Finding this combination of courses was at first not so easy. I always harbored a wide range of interests, and I did not know which one major would allow me to study all of them. When I first began my college career, I thought I would be a physics and astronomy major. I had always liked science and math, and physics had been my favorite class in high school. Astronomy had always fascinated me with its vastness and its openness to other possibilities. For this reason, in my first year of college I took the introductory physics and astronomy classes for the major. Although fascinating, this major did not leave me enough room in my class schedule e to purse other interests, such as Spanish. I realized I could continue to read about astronomy, physics, and the universe on my own, to satisfy my personal curiosity without having to take additional physicals classes that are less interesting. At that same time, I learned of a summer study abroad program through the Spanish department, and I immediately applied.
For the first time in my life, I traveled outside of the country. I spent six weeks in Spain studying the Spanish language and Hispanic civilization. I did extra traveling on the weekends, met strange and interesting locals, and did the best I could to adapt to the culture. This experience brought another learning aspect into my college career that classroom teaching cannot match. My first taste of international travel strengthened my interests in foreign languages, cultures, and global issues.
I returned to Pitt having to decide between a Spanish class and a physics class which were both only offered at the same time. Thinking I would complete the Spanish major, I chose that path. I still wanted to take science classes that interested me, so I returned to the field of psychology. I had taken the introductory psychology class my first semester at Pitt out of sheer curiosity, and found it quite enjoyable. It also showed me that psychology can lead in many more directions than people realize. Also, I wanted to continue taking some form of mathematics without being forced to take calculus for the physics major. My advisor pointed out that statistics and research methods classes are required for the psychology major, so I added that to my schedule along with my Spanish literature courses.
After that semester I abandoned the Spanish major for several reasons. Mainly, my goal in becoming a Spanish major was to conquer the language and be able to speak reasonably fluently. However, after accomplishing that feat, the major requires many more classes in literature, some of which are taught in English. I basically wanted to speak and use Spanish, and I could already do that. Filling my schedule with Hispanic literature classes taught in English would be like compromising my true interests. That same semester, I realized I loved statistics and research (ironically, these are the two classes that the majority of psychology majors dislike the most). Psychology to me had seemed like the perfect mix of social science and natural science that I had been looking for. I had a seriousnewfound interest in psychological research. For me, it was the way to find substantial scientific answers to all the abstract questions we have about the world. In that sense, it was like a social and behavioral version of the physics and astronomy I was interested in.
I began conducting research at the LRDC with Natasha Tokowicz. Finding Natasha was almost too perfect to be true. Not only could I do scientific research, but I couldutilize my Spanish as well! Natasha’s work focuses on the cognitive processes of language learning and multilingualism. Because Natasha also speaks Spanish, it is a commonly used language in her research. My two seemingly unrelated interests could be combined into something I found I loved.
I had also discovered another aspect of psychology that captured my interest, which was industrial-organizational psychology. To me, this seemed like a practical field with many real-world applications. Fortunately, Pitt around this same time was offering its first industrial-organizational psychology class.
Also in this period, I took my first introductory economics class. A lot of the topics related somewhat to organizational psychology, and the combination made me extremely interested in business and related areas. Like psychology, economics gave me a chance to study human behavior at a more practical level, and use math to analyze and understand it. I decided I would pursue a minor in economics.
I took Introduction to Microeconomics and Social Psychology in the same semester. Although psychology and economics are seemingly unrelated fields, these two classes shared many topics in common. Even I was surprised at the overlap in information. For example, I learned of the “Prisoner’s Dilemma” in both classes. The economics class focused on Prisoner’s Dilemma as a fundamental aspect of game theory, and social psychology delved more into the rationality and reasoning behind the decision-making. I decided that economics would be a great accessory to add to my psychology major.
In the summer between my sophomore and junior years, I was fortunate enough to gain another international experience, this one non-academic. I traveled to Russia for tow months to visit a Russian girl who had been an exchange student at my high school. Although I had never formally studied the language, I attempted to teach myself basic Russian vocabulary and grammar. I also quickly learned much of it during my stay. While this trip was not for the purpose of studying, I found it to be extremely educational. I learned much of Russian history, economics, culture, and of course the language. This has helped me in my research by allowing me to gain new insights into the process of language learning. I began to develop new ideas about the values of culture on language structure and usage. Also, I had taken the Russian Fairy Tales course during my freshman year, and visiting the country made me realize the importance of many topics covered in the class. I had seen pictures of artwork and religious icons in my previous coursework, but by going to Russia I could see theactual structures themselves. I also experienced some of the cultural values first-hand. I learned to tie in information from other sources to form a larger body of knowledge and understanding that does not end after the final exam in a classroom.
I opted to study abroad once again in my junior year. I chose a different part of the world and traveled to Argentina for five months. I took a Latin American and Argentine history class, a Latin American and Argentine economics class, and two classes in the Argentine cultural art of tango. This study broad had the biggest impact on me of all my international travels. Not only was it the longest, but I also had previously gained study abroad experience, so I knew what to do to make the most of my time. During the five months abroad I felt as though I completely adapted to Argentine culture and gained an understanding of the Spanish language unmatched by any other learning environment. This experience enriched my studies in all areas. It gave me new insights and ideas with regards to language processing and it opened my mind to the works of international trade and business. The tumultuous Argentine economy demonstrated some of the correct predictions and failures of the classical economic models. And, most obviously, this experience truly fed my desire for understanding of foreign cultures and people. I believe that this experience was as enriching as it possibly could have been.
Now I am back at Pitt and almost ready to graduate. I could have graduated a semester early with a major in psychology and a minor in economics, but I made an important decision to stay. When I was a research assistant for Natasha a year ago, we had discussed the possibility of my conducting honors research in her lab. All research (for the Bachelor of Philosophy degree of the honors in psychology) is at least a two-term commitment. For this reason, I decided to stay at Pitt until April to pursue this research, and the time also allows me to complete the economics major in the process (as opposed to only the minor).
The economics classes I have chosen thus far show a clear interest in global affairs and international trade. While psychology allows me to understand the decision-making and reasons for undertaking certain behaviors, economics allows me to view these behaviors with regards to national and international markets and quantify them. There are so many fields and jobs which mix these two subjects: marketing and marketing research, human resources, organizational studies and business, and others. Also, my Spanish and cultural knowledge can apply directly to this combination: it is very important to be culturally aware when dealing with international markets and economics. While behavior is influenced by social situations and biological mechanisms, a large influence arises from cultural values as well. Language is another important factor, as not all languages are equal, nor do they always translate directly from one to another (hence, my motivation for this particular research).
During my senior year, I am completing the psychology and economics courses that connect all of my interests. I am currently enrolled in Intermediate International Finance and Game Theory in the economics department. This particular international finance course specifically uses several South American countries as examples, so it is further building on much of the knowledge I gained during my study abroad courses. I have also used much of the knowledge I leaned about decision-making from my psychology courses to excel in my game theory class. In economics courses, numerical values to quantify consumer behavior are often given as exogenous. From psychology, I can understand theunderlying processes of those behaviors and what variables affect them. Next semester, I will be taking an econometrics course to statistically determine where those variables come from and to quantitatively analyze how those variables change when the psychological processes are at work.
Next semester I will also be taking two other economics courses with international concentrations. The first is the writing-intensive course for the major in developmental economics. The second is the economics honors seminar in international economics and trade. I hope to tie together my previously gained knowledge in these topics and international studies and to build on that as much as I can. I feel that now I have a strong, solid base of knowledge in many different areas, but so many topics overlap and reinforce one another.
My academic track at Pitt has definitely been interesting, rigorous, and demanding. By undertaking two academic majors and two certificates, I have shown that I am willing to take on more than only what is necessary to get by. I have experimented with different academic disciplines to find exactly what I want to learn. My particular mix of classes and academic experiences has allowed me to tailor my majors to compliment each other significantly. My certificates further compliment my coursework by strengthening my understanding of international cultures, language, and people. I have found ways to study different subjects that interest me while focusing on the issues that connect them.