Looking for a fresh activity for your students? The Cummings Center for the History of Psychology is here to help with a variety of free online resources. Engage your students with the history of psychology through the artifacts, documents, and media that helped to build the field. Here are just a few ideas.
Integrate videos into your lectures
Visit the Cummings Center YouTube Channel to access original video series, archival films, lectures, and more. Our “Five Minute History Lesson” video series examines notable individuals and events in the history of psychology, from pioneering figures like Ruth Howard to the famous Robbers Cave Study. “Stories From the Stacks” features unique artifacts from our collections, exploring their function and historic significance. Each video makes for an engaging addition to your course lectures.
Assign an online exhibit
Did you know that we offer four free online exhibits on topics including research ethics, women of color in psychology, creativity research, and the eugenics movement? Give your students a break from the textbook by assigning one of these exhibits, featuring original documents, images, and videos from our archival collections.
Schedule a virtual tour
Can’t make an in-person trip to the Cummings Center’s National Museum of Psychology? Bring the museum to you with a remote visit. Our team will give your students a virtual tour of the museum, diving into psychology’s history as a science, a profession, and an agent of social change.
We also offer specialized tours. Explore psychology’s relationship with systems of racial injustice and the contributions of psychologists of color with our Race & Psychology Tour. Or examine mid-century depictions of sexuality, gender, and relationships through a virtual tour of our Sexology: Science & Sensationalism exhibit. Both tours are available in-person and online.
Contact us at ahap@uakron.edu to learn more and schedule your virtual tour.
Bring the archives into your classroom
Build digitized archival materials into your class with our online repository. You can digitally access over 500 fully searchable reports from historic asylums and mental health institutions to over 50 individual collections of historic photographs. There are endless ways to utilize these resources in your assignments, but if you need a little help, you can always contact us for suggestions.
Visit us in Akron, Ohio
We’re happy to welcome you and your students for an in-person field trip to the Cummings Center’s National Museum of Psychology. Here, students can engage directly with interactive displays and iconic artifacts like Albert Bandura’s Bobo doll and Stanley Milgram’s simulated shock generator. Try your hand at the World War I-era Army Alpha test or compare your memory and reaction time with baseball legend Babe Ruth. Enjoy a pre-made scavenger hunt through the museum, or book one of our specialized tours and workshops at no additional charge. Please contact us in advance to schedule a group visit.
Tony Pankuch (they/them) is the education and outreach coordinator at the 
