DIVERSITY
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The Department of Psychology conceptualizes Diversity broadly. We support demographic diversity via the representation and advancement of those who are members of historically disenfranchised U.S. populations, including identities based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation identity, age, religious beliefs, socioeconomic status, physical and mental abilities, and gender identity. We also seek diversity of thought and worldview. We believe that ideas based on a variety of cultures, worldviews, and social identities enhance learning and scholarship. The committee seeks to foster a diverse educational environment based on both of these themes.
Achieving Equity within the Department of Psychology requires that all students, faculty, staff, and engaged community members (e.g. research participants, research partners, prospective students, etc.) have access to the resources they need to safely succeed and thrive throughout all of their interactions with the Department of Psychology.
Inclusion within the Department of Psychology requires that all students, faculty, staff, and community members feel welcome to participate within the department and secure in the knowledge that their presence and contributions are valued and supported. We seek to cultivate a sense of belonging among all members of the Department of Psychology by creating an environment that respects and engages the complex identity backgrounds of all constituents.
To protect and promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within our department and the greater university community, the members of the department will continue to work to provide a safe and welcoming environment that is free from abuses of power, harassment, and discrimination based on identification with any of the categories of diversity.
Commitment to Diversity and Social Justice Goals
- Achieve equitable representation of individuals with diverse identities within our student body, faculty, and staff by supporting recruitment and retention initiatives that prioritize a commitment to diversity.
- Promote teaching that includes the contributions of diverse scholars and incorporates scholarship detailing the ways that diversity influences our study and understanding of the similarities and differences observed in human behavior.
- Practice and respect methodological pluralism in research and scholarship so that the knowledge of the basic processes of human behavior may be advanced and applied towards the advancement of social justice.
- Facilitate awareness of the inherent power imbalances within and across relationships in our department and the communities we serve as well as with the research participants we engage with. We additionally commit to taking mindful action to ensure these imbalances do no harm.
Psychology Department Committee
The Psychology Department Diversity Committee is one of four standing committees within the department. It includes faculty members across all programs, appointed by the chair, a graduate student elected by the graduate student body, and an undergraduate student appointed by the Director of Undergraduate Studies.
Undergraduate
- Psyc 3520 – Introduction to African American Psychology
- Psyc 3570 – Multicultural Issues in Psychology
- Psyc 4030 – Cross-Cultural Psychology
- Psyc 4610 – Psychology of Aging
- Psyc 4620 – Psychology of Women
Graduate
- Psyc 8050 - Diversity Issues in Clinical Practice and Psychological Research
- Psyc 8060 - Issues of Human Diversity in Psychology
- Psyc 8220 - Community Interventions and Social Change
- PSYC 8510 – Social Psychology
- PSYC 8520 - Cognitive, Affective & Social Aspects of Behavior
- Psyc 8662 - Adolescence
- Psyc 9900 - Seminar on Stereotyping and Prejudice
- Psyc 9900 - Seminar on Families, Culture, and Community
Registered Student Organizations at Georgia State
Faculty
- Human Resources
- Advancement of Women at Georgia State University- run through the Office of Faculty Affairs
Graduate Students
- Diversity Spotlight
- Psychology Clinic Diversity Commitment
- Graduate Students for Queer Awareness
- Black Graduate Student Association
- Korean Graduate Student Association at Georgia State University
International Students
- Volunteer International Student Assistant (V.I.S.A.) Leader Program
- International Student Associations Council (ISAC)
- African Student Association
- Bangladesh Student Association
- Bermuda Delegate Association
- Caribbean Student Association
- Chinese Student Union
- Filipino Student Association
- Fulbright Student Association
- Hong Kong Student Association
- Indian Cultural Exchange
- Indian Student Association
- Korean Undergraduate Student Association
- Malaysian-Indonesian Student Association
- Nepali Student Association
- Pakistani Student Association
- Persian Student Association
- Sri Lanka Student Association
- Taiwan Student Association
- Vietnamese Student Association
Other Student Organizations
- STARS at Georgia State
- Her Campus GSU
- African American Male Initiative
- Black Sophomore Society
- Black Student Achievement
- Black Student Alliance
- Brothers Leading and Cultivating Knowledge
- Greatest MINDS Society
- Latin American Student Association
- Latinx Student Service and Outreach
- Middle East Socio-Political Association
- Peerless Perfexion
- Project Nur- Middle East Studies
- Salsa Club at GSU
- Spanish Club
Resources and Services
- The Multicultural Center
- Gender and Sexuality Resource Center
- Access and Accommodations Center (formerly Office of Disability Services)
- International Student & Scholar Services
- Title IX (Education Amendment on gender discrimination and sexual harassment)
- Diversity-related student organizations at GSU
- To join any of the campus organizations students can register at the Georgia State University Panther Involvement Network (PIN)
There are multiple funding opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students interested in diversity related research, including for theses and dissertations.
- McNair Scholars Program – for undergraduates
- APA Minority Fellowship Program
- NIMH – National Research Service Awards
- Wayne Placek Award
- NIH supplemental awards for existing grants to promote diversity via funding minority students
- NSF Minority Postdoctoral Fellowship
- AERA Minority Fellowship in Education Research
- Intensive Foreign Language and Immersion Training
- US Department of Education Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships
- SPSSI - Grants in aid Program
- SPSSI - The Clara Mayo Award
- Russell Sage Foundation – Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration
- Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation – for research on violence, aggression, and dominance
- APA – Information for Undergraduates
Faculty
The following faculty identify their research as diversity-related:
- Page Anderson: Accessibility and acceptability of digital mental health interventions
- Lisa Armistead: HIV in African and African-American families
- Lindsey Cohen: Cultural differences in parent-child interactions
- Heather Kleider-Offutt: Racial and gender biases in face recognition, memory for events, and decision-making
- Tricia King: Stigma/discrimination experienced by those with neurological conditions
- Gabriel Kuperminc: Culture/ethnicity in resilience development among adolescents
- Rose Sevcik: Interventions for developmental and learning disabilities
- Ciara Smalls-Glover: African American youth, racial socialization, racial identity
- Erin Tone: Social and intergroup anxiety in diverse populations
- Isha Metzger: Risk and resilience in Black youth
- Dominic Parrott: Minority stress, social-ecology, and intersectionality in relationships
- Sierra Carter: Health disparities and stressors in health for underrepresented populations
- Laura McKee: Child, adolescent, and young adult internalizing psychopathology (e.g., depression) in diverse populations
- Vonetta Dotson: Racial disparities in age-related cognitive and mood disorders
- Lee Branum-Martin: Methodological issues in group comparisons and special populations
Graduate Student Awards
Ciera Lewis 2021-2022 Bailey M. Wade Memorial Diversity Award
Donovan Ellis 2020-2021 Bailey M. Wade Memorial Diversity Award
Rewo Oshe 2021-2022 Diversity Scholar Award
Undergraduate Diversity Awards
The Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference (PURC) sponsors an award for best poster for diversity-related work. For more details about PURC, please click here.
Winners:
Diversity Award for the Psychology Undergraduate Research Conference:
2021
Sawyer Adams
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Ciara Smalls-Glover
- Racial Coping and Family Social Support in Black College Students
Maria Parilla (Honorable Mention)
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tricia King
- Sleep Quality and Executive Function in a Diverse Sample of Healthy College Students
2020
Keianna Moyer
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Tricia King
- Sleep Quality and Executive Function in a Diverse Sample of Healthy College Students
2019
Syrina Merilan
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Seyda Özçalışkan
- Are There Sex Differences in Parents' Spatial Language Input to Latino Preschoolers?
2018
Renita Moore
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Gabriel Kuperminc
Grace Packard
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Page L. Anderson
2017
Lopez
Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Heather Kleider-Offutt, Dr. Erin Tone
2016
Sonia A. Jamani
Faculty Sponsors: Dr. Barbara Church, Dr. J. David Smith
2015
Ashley Lauterbach
Faculty Sponsor: Joanne Deocampo, Dr. Christopher M. Conway
- Neurophysiological Correlates of Sequential Learning May Differ for Children with a Cochlear Implant
2014
Van L. Phan
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Wing Yi Chan
2013
Hadrian Mendoza
Faculty Sponsor: Dr. Akihido Masuda
1. Educational and Professional Development: Educate faculty and students on culture and worldview and their relation to philosophies of knowledge, research methodology, and practice.
2. Excellence in Scholarship: Promote scholarship that is cognizant of diversity within psychological theory, research, teaching, and practice.
3. Social Analysis and Ethics: Create opportunities for faculty and students to examine the sociocultural implications and impact of their work.
4. Organization Development: Facilitate the ongoing improvement of all aspects of departmental operations and policies, for the welfare of faculty, students, and staff.
5. Equal Access and Opportunity: Support affirmative action policies and other recruitment and retention initiatives that promote a demographically diverse faculty, staff, and student body.
- Dr. Laura McKee (Chair)
- Dr. Isha Metzger
- Dr. Min Lee
- Dr. Lee Branum-Martin
- Jhonatan Saldana, graduate student representative
- Lesly Henry, undergraduate student representative
Contact Us
Department of Psychology
Office Hours (Available Remotely):
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Office Hours (In Person):
By appointment