History | Psychology

History

Psychology has been taught at Agnes Scott since the beginning of the college, back when the field was new and growing. Dr. Frank Gaines (the first President of the College) and Dr. John Armstrong both taught psychology courses at Agnes Scott in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Dr. Samuel Stukes (1914-1957) was a professor of philosophy and education. He later became part of the newly developed psychology department in 1925, which included philosophy and education.

The first two faculty (Dr. Emily Dexter and Dr. Katharine Omwake) hired to teach just psychology were women and that was back when most of the psychologists were men. They liked to conduct experiments, hand calculate statistics, and publish their work in top journals. They developed the psychology department and it has consistently been one of the most popular majors for decades.