Professor Kent D. Elwood , Chair
Associate Professor Elizabeth A. Rellinger
Assistant Professor Jeremy Turner
Instructor Shannon Folker

Psychology Course Listings

What is distinctive about a psychology major at Illinois College?

The goals of the psychology department are to provide courses that give students a broad background, a wide variety of concepts, self-awareness, and self-understanding. Students majoring in psychology at Illinois College will gain a solid foundation in rigorous course work, useful and practical field experiences, and exposure to research and its processes. Using these assets and experiences, students develop their knowledge skills for the understanding of behavior, especially human behavior.

What opportunities are available for students?

Membership in the Psychology Club allows students of all majors to learn about this fascinating field of study. Members share ideas about prospective jobs, careers, and field studies in psychology. They also sponsor campus events and notify students of various conferences and seminars.

Psi Chi is the psychology national honors society with the goal of stimulating, maintaining, and encouraging excellence within the field of psychology. To be considered for membership a student must:

• Be a declared major or minor in the department of psychology
• Have a 3.0 grade point average in psychology classes
• Rank in the top 1/3 of his or her class

The distinctive Illinois College BreakAway program finds opportunities for students to experience different cultures, environments, and ideas through short-term, experiential learning trips. Participation in a BreakAway will deepen students’ experiences in class, lab, and textbooks while taking them on an unforgettable journey. Faculty members in the psychology department have led trips to Vienna, Austria and New Orleans, Louisiana.

Field study and internship opportunities exist throughout a psychology major’s college career. Recent placements have included those with Big Brothers/ Big Sisters, Pathway Services, Community Counseling, the Youth Attention Center, the Wells Center, Rape Intervention Crisis Services, and numerous other local, county, and state organizations. A student’s faculty advisor and the Career Center, located in Baxter Hall, are Illinois College’s main resources for matching a student’s interest with their field study or internship.

Over the past few years, students have conducted research in the following areas:

• Eating disorders
• Relationship attachment
• Rape
• Self-monitoring
• Depression

Jamie Huber (2004) was one of four students nationwide to win a 2004 American Psychology Society award for her research paper, “Gender and the Interactions Among Stress, Coping Style, and Cardiovascular Health.” She presented the paper “Gender, Self-Esteem, and Hypochondriasis” at the Annual Convention of the American Psychological Association in Hawaii.

What opportunities are available after graduation?

Illinois College psychology majors are currently employed as college professors, clinical psychologists, social workers, occupational and physical therapists, counselors, directors of counseling services, and human resource managers. Many majors choose to pursue graduate studies at universities such as Illinois State University, Ball State University, DePaul University, Boston University, University of Missouri at Saint Louis, Western Illinois University, and Webster University. They have taken master’s degree programs in counseling, education, school, and experimental psychology, social work, law, and occupational and physical therapy.

Faculty Members in the Psychology Department

Kent D. Elwood
Professor of Psychology
B.A., Ph.D. Northwestern University

Elizabeth Rellinger-Zettler

Professor of Psychology
B.S. Loyola University-Chicago; M.A., Ph.D. University of Notre Dame

Jeremy Turner
Assistant Professor of Psychology
B.A. Illinois College; M.A., Ph.D. Northern Illinois University

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1101 West College Avenue
Jacksonville, IL 62650
217.245.3030

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