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HDSR links:
Curriculum Guide Links:
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HDSR FAQs
If you're a first-year or transfer student,
or a second-year student who needs to declare a major, and you have
interest in Psychology, Sociology, Social Work, or human services
in general, the Human Development and Social Relations (HDSR) Program
may be just what you're looking for! Here some FAQ's (also known
as Frequently Asked Questions) about HDSR.
Students can find materials
on career and Field Study opportunities in the Career Development
Center on the first floor of the Landrum Bolling Center.
Q: Why should I consider
majoring in HDSR?
A: HDSR brings together several disciplines -- Psychology, Philosophy,
Sociology, and Anthropology -- and considers the relationship between
theory and practice. The program fosters an integrative way of thinking,
a "synthesis" of the disciplines involved. HDSR helps students to
develop a set of intellectual skills that will enable them to use
the perspectives of the various academic disciplines to address
individual and/or societal (institutional) problems in a more holistic
way. The program facilitates a cognitive understanding through its
interdisciplinary approach, helps students clarify and deepen their
values systems, and enhances growth in the area of interpersonal
competence. HDSR offers what we like to call "a focused liberal
education." HDSR graduates excel in the areas of human services
and social justice, thanks to their deep understanding of persons,
systems, the interaction of persons and systems, and how to use
themselves as instruments of change.
Q:
What can I do with a major in HDSR?
A: It may be easier to ask, "What CAN'T I do with a major in HDSR?"
Although a main focus of HDSR is the preparation for service in
the general area of "human services" and the "helping professions,"
HDSR makes a broad range of career options accessible. The interpersonal
skills as well as critical thinking and analysis skills lead graduates
to community relations, education, medicine and allied health professions,
business management, law, the ministry, social work/social services,
and individual entrepreneurship. HDSR can be applied to virtually
any career or graduate program that involves dealing with individual
human beings, social systems, and the relationship between the two.
HDSR also focuses on deepening the student's understanding of self,
and how the use of self can be a means of empowerment to help others.
One way we've responded to the recent graduate survey results is
a closer integration with Career Services. Career Services' staff
meet regularly in class with HDSR majors to help the students learn
how to "market" the HDSR degree. Students' response is very positive.
The link with Career Services also helps students integrate their
formal study with the "real world" of careers and employment.
Q:
What are HSDR graduates actually doing today?
A: We're glad you asked that question! We surveyed all our HDSR
graduates during the fall of 2003. We learned the following about
the graduates who responded to the survey:
- 28 work in social services,
most with children, but some with elderly and homeless populations;
- 27 work in education, from
pre-school teachers to college professors;
- 17 work in the mental health
field, as clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, or
psychotherapists;
- 15 work in the health field,
as physicians, PA's, nurses, nurse midwives, occupational therapists,
acupuncturists, or physical therapists;
- 11 work in for-profit businesses
or own their own for-profit business;
- 8 are Wilderness Instructors
or Program Directors;
- 5 are in the ministry;
- 5 work in research and research
application;
- others work as journalists,
graphic artists/Web page designers, and in law, government service,
and computer science.
Of these graduates, 89% report that they are satisfied
to entirely satisfied with their current employment; 84% say that
their HDSR background is relevant to extremely relevant to their
current positions. 77% have attended or are currently in graduate
school. Asked if they could do it all over again, would they still
major in HDSR, 80% indicated they would!
Q:
I have other interests, too, like theater arts. If I major in HDSR,
will I be able to take courses outside the major and still graduate
on time?
A: Yes! HDSR has specific requirements for graduation, in addition
to Earlham College's General Education requirements. It's important
to take the introductory HDSR course, Persons and Systems, as early
as possible, preferably in the spring of the student's first year.
However, there is enough flexibility in the schedule that students
can take elective courses in non-major areas that interest them. Many
HDSR majors are able to minor in another area. It is very difficult
to do a double major with HDSR, due to the workload of a double major
and the lack of choice in electives that a double major demands, not
to mention taking a double set of Senior Comprehensive Exams! We do
not recommend a double major with HDSR for these reasons.
Q: What is
the HDSR Field Study? When should I complete the Field Study?
A: The Field Study is not the same as an internship, although some
internships may qualify as a Field Study. The Field Study provides
a first-hand opportunity for the student to integrate theory learned
in the classroom with experience gained in the field setting. It
comprises a total of 200 hours' on-site service in a setting agreed
on by the student and the HDSR Field Study Director, with the approval
of the HDSR Program Director. The Field Study provides an opportunity
to observe person-systems interactions, and to develop interpersonal
skills
The primary aim of the Field Study is to extend
the student's growing cognitive understanding of theories, data, and
ideas through practical experience in the field -- in other words,
to complement classroom learning. Field Study can be completed any
time after the student completes "Persons and Systems" and "Self,
Society, and Social Thought." Students can complete Field Studies
during the regular academic year, while on leave of absence, while
on an off-campus college program, or during the summer. The Field
Study must be completed no later than the fall semester of the senior
year, as the Field Study Seminar is required the semester immediately
following the Field Study. HDSR graduates frequently tell us that
their Field Studies have been one of the most significant experiences
in their lives. It's an opportunity to "try out" a career possibility,
to work with a population in need, and to challenge yourself in ways
you may not have considered.
Q: What about off-campus study? How
can I go off-campus for a semester, do a Field Study, and still get
in all the courses I need to graduate in four years?
A: There are several options for students who want to go off-campus
for a semester. Four of the GLCA programs provide built-in field study
opportunities: the Philadelphia Center Program, the Border Studies
Program, the Northern Ireland Program, and the SICE Japan Program.
Field Study can be completed during other off-campus programs, as
well as during the academic year or in the summer. Most off-campus
programs offer upper-level social science courses that satisfy both
Earlham and HDSR graduation requirements. Students work with their
academic advisors and the Field Study Director to plan a four-year
schedule that fulfills graduation requirements, yet provides students
with the off-campus experience.
Q: I'm thinking about going to graduate
school at some point in the future. Will HDSR prepare me for that?
A: Definitely! HDSR graduates have been very successful in gaining
admission to the graduate program of their choice, and very successful
in completing the work of graduate school. Many of our graduates find
that the preparation they received as HDSR majors made graduate school
seem easier. From our 2003 Graduate Survey, we learned that 61% have
attended graduate school; 14% are attending now; and 17% plan to attend
at some time. Here are a few comments they made about graduate school:
- "My Earlham classes helped me in my graduate
classes with writing papers and analyzing texts."
- "I think my past HDSR experience really
helped me craft what I wanted."
- "HDSR gave a broad view for identifying
and tackling issues relating to social justice."
- "Previous experience from HDSR courses
in handling group projects also came in handy."
- "The research papers I wrote for
HDSR and other Earlham classes gave me a huge advantage over
people from other schools who were not used to writing research
papers."
Q: What have HDSR
graduates said about the HDSR program?
A: Here are some of the comments from the 2003 Graduate Survey:
- "HDSR is a wonderful major and you'll always
find that the skills you develop will always be helpful no matter
what career path you take. It is relevant on the job as well
as in other situations such as volunteer work, community service
etc. "
- "It is a great background if you are interested
in working with people. "
- "My experience at Earlham and in HDSR shaped
who I am today. Interdisciplinary majors are what undergrad
should be about!"
- "HDSR is a great practical major. It does
a great job preparing you for the work world. It helps develop
in a person a critical mind and a wholistic perspective on the
world and its issues."
- "HDSR lets you learn to look at things
from more than one side, so you develop multidimensional skills
and experiences."
- "I believe employers want thinkers, self-learners,
rounded educated employees - HDSR teaches these things."
- "HDSR is a fine foundation for both personal
development and understanding, as well as a profession in the
human services field. And it's broad enough for those of us
who don't know what we want to do when we're 18!"
- "The skills learned in HDSR are valuable
in so many fields. The ability to look at a problem from many
perspectives before considering solutions is highly valued."
- "...great, unique program."
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