The Teaching of Ethics to Undergraduate Psychology Students (TEUPS) is a resource guide for faculty to facilitate teaching ethics to undergraduate psychology students. This resource is a centralized location for faculty looking for ideas to incorporate ethics into the undergraduate psychology curriculum. This guide is an invaluable resource for those interested in following American Psychological Association (APA) recommendations regarding the teaching of ethics as presented in the Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major Version 2 (2013) and Principles for Quality Undergraduate Education in Psychology (2011).

Teaching of ethics has always been recommended by the APA since it introduced the Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major in 2002 and updated them in 2007. In August 2013, the APA Council of Representatives approved a revision of the APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major Version 2.0. The new guidelines recommend five goals for the psychology program.  Ethical and
Social Responsibility in a Diverse World is goal 3:

Students completing Foundation courses should become familiar with the formal regulations that govern professional ethics in psychology and begin to embrace the values that will contribute to positive outcomes in work settings and in building a society responsive to multicultural and global concerns.  Students completing a baccalaureate degree should have more direct opportunities to demonstrate adherence to professional values that will help them optimize their contributions and work effectively, even with those who don’t share their heritage and traditions. (APA, 2013, p.15)

The APA Principles for Quality Undergraduate Education in Psychology (2011) refers to ethics in the undergraduate curriculum specifically in:

Principle 1 Recommendation 5. Students strive to become psychologically literate citizens. … Psychological literacy includes having a basic knowledge of the subject matter of psychology, valuing scientific thinking, acting ethically, recognizing and fostering respect for diversity, and being insightful about one’s own and others’ behavior and mental processes. …

Principle 2 Recommendation 1. Faculty provide instruction in the ethical standards that undergird the discipline of psychology and model this behavior across professional settings.

Principle 3 Recommendation 2. Ethics and issues related to diversity are incorporated throughout the curriculum.

Principle 5 Recommendation 1. To affect change in the perceptions of the general public and policymakers, all psychologists develop and espouse the concept of psychologically literate citizens. They then convey this message so that policymakers and the general public will understand that being psychologically literate is similar to being able to read or use numbers in thinking. … They act ethically.

References

American Psychological Association. (2013). The APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major Version 2.0.  Retrieved from http://apa.org/ed/precollege/about/psymajor-guidelines.pdf

American Psychological Association. (2011). Principles for quality undergraduate education in psychology. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/education/undergrad/principles.aspx

American Psychological Association. (2007). APA guidelines for the undergraduate psychology major. Washington, DC: Author. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ed/precollege/about/psymajor-guidelines.pdf