Behavioral Science and Community Studies
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The Behavioral Sciences & Community Studies Major is an interdisciplinary program (we draw from anthropology, psychology, sociology, natural sciences, arts, and humanities) through which you can explore human community and learn how to understand, manage, and promote change - change in your life, change in your society, global change.
In addition to traditional coursework, our majors immerse themselves in their education through field work and internships rooted in Downeast Maine. Our 2005 graduates found work in such roles as: Direct Care Counselor, Family Support Worker, and Community Care Manager.
Behavioral Sciences & Community Studies students graduate not only with the knowledge and skills they need to compete in the job market or go on to graduate school, but also with a set of tools that they can use to meet and greet many of life's opportunities and challenges.
The Behavioral Sciences & Community Studies Major offers two academic concentrations:
Applied Anthropology
If you're interested in human culture and society, how we got here, where we may be going, and what you can do about it, this concentration is right for you. You'll study cultural and biological anthropology, archeology, and other social sciences. You'll develop marketable skills in research methods, team-based problem solving, and Geographic Information Systems. You will have a chance to apply your knowledge and skills through cross-cultural opportunities from "Soliya" (an online, facilitated interaction with students from the Middle East) and our Yucatan International Program to internships in Downeast Maine and beyond.
Applied Psychology
If you're interested in the human mind - how it works, why we think, feel, and behave in the ways we do - then you'll want to focus on Applied Psychology. Applied psychologists do such diverse things as mental health counseling, consulting with engineers about the safer design of equipment and architects about the design of buildings, helping athletes and actors perform as well as they can, telling managers how to motivate employees, working with police to apprehend criminals, and assisting communities to solve problems like substance abuse and poverty.
Full-Time Faculty
- Michael J. Kimball, Associate Professor of Anthropology
- Lois-Ann Kuntz, Associate Professor of Psychology
- James Moreira, Assistant Professor of Anthropology & Community Studies
- Meghan Wilson Duff, Assistant Professor of Psychology
Part-Time Regular, & Adjunct Faculty
- Lisa Athearn, Ph.D., Communications
- Pamela Feeney, M.Ed., Psychology
- Robert Hauhart,Ph.D., Sociology
- Tora Johnson, M.S., Human Ecology
- Frank Lane, Ph.D., Psychosocial Rehabilitation
- Ann Leaver, M.A., Counseling
- Jordan Litman, Ph.D., Psychology
- Vernon Patterson, Ph.D., Psychology
- Karen Straight, Ph.D., Sociology
Behavioral Science
Students Say:
"I think the internships are very beneficial because they provide hands-on experience."
"I like the applied aspect of the curriculum because employers want relevant, hands-on experience."
"The diversity of classes is very cool. At most schools, you're stuck with psych only, or [sociology] or anthro, but at UMM you get a little of each."