Professional Seminar: Worth the Work?
Many students looking to major in psychology choose Morningside because of how good the psychology department is. Unlike other colleges, Morningside College has specific majors for people interested in psychology. These majors include Counseling, General, Biopsychology, and Industrial Organizational Psychology. In order to graduate with a major in psychology at Morningside, students have to take required classes. Some classes they are required to take can be very valuable, but the opinions of how much students enjoy them depend on the student.
One class that psychology majors are required to take before graduating is Professional Seminar. This class is supposed to teach students how to write properly, carry out ethical research, and how to be an overall professional. This is only a two-credit course and requires a lot of work. One of the reasons Professional Seminar is only a two-credit class is because the class only meets once a week. There are two different sections that meet on different days. The assignments for the class are posted on a site, called moodle. Each week the professor posts assignments that are to be completed for the next week. The course load for the class is huge. The class requires five books and a program that the students are to install on their computers.
Meleshia Jenson, a senior psychology majors shares a dislike for this class with many psychology majors. “I hate how much work is involved in this class. It’s only two credits and I’m working harder than in most of my other classes. I also hate how the class is taught. The professor often messes up the moodle site so it’s hard to understand what is due for the next class period. I feel like I’m doing poorly because of the professor. I understand why they want us to take the class, but I also think it depends on who teaches the class.”
The class is required because it is supposed to prepare psychology majors for graduate school or the career field. Morningside wouldn’t want to require students to take a class that is a “waste of time”. Rick Majeras, another senior psychology major thinks the class is a useful class. “Professional Seminar prepares students for their Senior Thesis. You have to prepare a mock outline for a proposal in the class just like you do for your thesis before you graduate.” Different professors teach Professional Seminar each semester, so it depends on what professor the students get for how the course work will be taught.
Samantha Brigham, a junior at Morningside is currently enrolled in Professional Seminar. Brigham says, “I hate it. He doesn’t explain anything enough and I hate the amount of work. I realize Professional Seminar is supposed to help you, but I think it adds more stress than help.” This is a feeling that many students have that are currently enrolled in the class. However, when talking to people that have already taken the class, they say that the things they learned in the class have proven somewhat useful in projects assigned in other classes. In the end, it doesn’t matter how much a student likes the class because they are required to take it in order to graduate from Morningside College.