BA Psychology

Duquesne University's Psychology Faculty are well known for our expertise in human science psychology. Our approach can be contrasted to natural science psychology, which developed in the late 1800s, and was modeled after natural sciences such as physics and biology. Experimental and quantitative research methods drawn from the natural sciences yield much valuable knowledge, but there are many dimensions of the human experience that are best addressed with qualitative research methods developed specifically to study human beings. For example, a human science approach that addresses questions of meaning, values, experience, history, culture and power is well suited for studying love, dreams, spirituality, interpersonal relationships, gender roles, race issues, and so on. Our faculty believe that human science approaches provide an appropriate and illuminating path to grasp the full depth and subtlety of human experience.