Seekins, Tom

English

University of Montana

University of MontanaScholarWorks at University of MontanaSyllabi Course Syllabi1-2014PSYX 400.01: History and Systems of PsychologyTom SeekinsUniversity of Montana - Missoula, tom.seekins@umontana.eduLet us know how access to this document benefits you.Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabiThis Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted forinclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contactscholarworks@mso.umt.edu.Recommended CitationSeekins, Tom, "PSYX 400.01: History and Systems of Psychology" (2014). Syllabi. 2409.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/2409Psychology 400 Spring 2014 History and Systems of Psychology (Upper Division Writing Course)Class: TT h 2:10-3:30  Classroom:Dr. Tom Seekinse-mail: mraldoc@mralinstitute.umt.edu Office Hours: T Th 12:00- 2:00 Phone: Department - 6418, Institute - 2654 Office: Skaggs - 238, Corbin - 241Graduate Teaching Assistant: Shindorf, Zachary E-mail: zachary.shindorf@umconnect.umt.edu Skaggs: 368 Phone:Office Hours:Prerequisites: Students have a class level of senior and are psychology majors.Required Text:Schultz, D.P. & Schultz, S.E.(2012). A history o f  modern psychology. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.Suggested Additional Resources (Mansfield Library):American Psychological Association (2001). Publication manual, 5th Edition. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Benjamin, L.T. (1997). A history of psychology: Original sources and contemporary research. New York: McGraw Hill Inc.Bolles, R. C. (1993). The story of psychology: A thematic history. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.Goodwin, C.J. (2012). A history of modern psychology. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, In.Kuhn, T.S. (1970). The stmcture of scientific revolutions. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.Kimble, G.A., Wertheimer, M., & White, C.L. (1991). Portraits of pioneers in psychology. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.Parke, R.D., Omstein, P. A., Rieser, J.J., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (1994). A century of developmental psychology. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.Skinner, B.F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: The Free Press.Important University Policies.1. The web page http://events.umt.edu/7calendar id=27&upcoming=upcoming& lists all official dates and deadlines for withdrawals and applications. You should familiarize yourself with these dates.2. Students who may need accommodations should indicate this to the instructor at the beginning of the course, and arrange for such accommodations with Disability Services for Students. *Course Objectives and ExpectationsPsychology 400 is a survey course of the origins and development of the basic concepts and methods of psychology. The course is designed to expose you to the changes that have taken place in the discipline of psychology over time. The thesis of the course is that for you to understand the current status of psychology - and for you to identify your place on the map of the field - you need to understand the trajectory of science, the emergence of psychology as a field, various perspectives taken on the phenomenon, and the various influences in its development.To that end, we will rely primarily on one text that provides a general overview of the philosophical origins of the field, the major contributors and how they have each emerged and influenced each other, changes in experimental and clinical approaches to psychology over time, and the influence of different cultures and historical trends. The primary text will be supplemented by reading about classic studies in the field, biographical accounts of significant individuals, and other writings. This course will be taught in a lecture format, with small group activities related to writing. Therefore, your attendance, participation, and involvement in the class, and the demonstrated ability to work cooperatively and productively in small groups will be very important to completing the course successfully.Graduate Student Presentations. Since this is a 4004evel UG course, graduate students are required to do some additional work beyond that required for undergraduates. Therefore, each graduate student will select a topic to research in preparation for presentation to the entire class. Please, see the instructor for suggested topics and procedures.Quizzes and TestsYour understanding of the course content will be evaluated by your performance on two of three quizzes (the lowest grade will be dropped), a mid-term, nd a final. Thses tests wll preent fill-in-the blanks, true and false, multiple choice questions. It will also include brief answer essays. Each will also offer extra credit questions (typically from the lecture or an additional reading). Before each quiz or test, I will review the content that will be covered by the evaluation.Writing AssignmentsSince Psychology 400 satisfies the Upper Division Writing requirement, there will be a great deal of emphasis on developing the technical, organizational, and expressive skills necessary to write effectively about topics in the field of psychology. These skills will generalize to other writing, as well. Several class periods will be devoted to mastering the details of writing as specified by the American Psychological Association (APA) style guidelines. Class time will be devoted to discussing issues related to plagiarism, the use of the Internet, and receiving feedback about the clarity and effectiveness of your own writing. The two short Reaction Papers and a longer Semester Paper outlined below will constitute a significant portion of your final grade. The University Writing Center provides tutorials and workshops on a variety of skills related to writing, and I urge you to take advantage of this service. You can learn more about their services from the web site at: http://www.umt.edu/writingcenter/.Reaction PapersStudents will submit two (2) short papers based on readings from one of the following sources, the list of posted historical figres, or another option you propose and I approve (history of sports psychology; community psychology; etc.):American Psychologist, February 1992, Vol. 47 (2), Special Editions on the History of American Psychology.Blum, D. (2002). Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the science of affection. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing.Guthrie, R. (1976). Even the rat was white: A historical view of psychology. New York: Harper & Row.Dixon, W. (2003). Twenty studies that revolutionized child psychology. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.Rilling, M. (2000). John Watson’s paradoxical struggle to explain Freud. American Psychologist, 55(3), 301-312.Skinner, B.F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: The Free Press.Skinner, B.F. (1981). Selection by consequences. Science, 213 (4507), 501-504.Strickland, B. (2000). Misassumptions, misadventures, and the misuse of psychology.American Psychologist, 55(3), 331-338.Reaction papers should be 3-4 double-spaced pages long. The first section should summarize the text you have read. You should then use the second half to express your ownreaction and assessment of the content. (NOTE: You might consider linking your reaction to discussion themes in class - noting the similarities and differences of the content in the reading and the class.) The full reference should be indicated at the end (APA style); no other sources are needed for these assignments.The meaning of reaction. Reaction means that you use the statements in the reading as evidence to support an analytic examination of the work of an historical figure, a specific study or series of studies, or of a field. When you use the writing of others in this way, you must cite the work so that anyone who wants to verify your claims can do so by reading the original text.Assessment means that you provide a reasoned evaluation of the content of the reading. This may be done by summarizing the key points you find in a reading, placing those within an historic context, linking the work to these in the class, or describing a linkage to the work of others (previous, contemporaneous, or recent). If you have space left, you may then offer your personal judgment about its value, ethics, or other implications for the future.IMPORTANT NOTE: Two points will be deducted for each sentence that contains an unsupported statement offering a personal judgment of a reading’s aesthetics such as, “I really liked ...,” “I thought it was cool th a t ...” “I didn’t like ...” You may offer an assessment of the technical merits of the writing and support your assessment. If you do so appropriately and correctly, you will be rewarded professionally.Semester PaperEach student will also submit an original APA-style paper (6-8 typewritten, double­spaced pages; point size 12; title page and reference should be on additional pages, not included in the page count). The paper should integrate information from a minimum of six (6) references should be used. You may use the internet to locate original articles but you may not use the content of web pages such as Wikipedia. Your grade for this paper will be based on clarity, effectiveness of writing style, accuracy (including correct use of APA style), development of a convincing and logical argument, and thoroughness of information presented. A summary of the main APA style details required for this paper will be provided in advance. Prior to preparing a first draft of your paper, you will submit a description of your topic (a few sentences only), a detailed outline or narrative explanation of how you plan to approach and develop the topic in writing, and a list of four (4) references that you have already reviewed. You will then receive feedback from the Graduate Teaching Assistant or me, to help fine-tune your approach to the topic and to provide suggestions for additional sources, if  needed. Further information about the paper will be provided in class. Points will be deducted for late outlines, drafts, and final papers unless prior arrangements have been made with me.Semester Paper Topics. You will first select two scholars of interest to you from our survey of the history of psychology. You will find readings to supplement class material and provide you with additional information about each person’s research, theoretical approach, or specific contribution to the field. You might choose two scholars with very different ideas (e.g., Freud and Skinner) and explanations of certain psychological phenomena. Alternatively, you might choose two who arrived at similar conclusions but who came from different backgrounds or traditions; or one who was an early contributor to the field and another who was more recent.After selecting the scholars you wish to study, you should compare and contrast their two approaches or contributions using the structural guidelines below.To structure your paper, you should decide on several key questions that you would pose hypothetically to each scholar, and then attempt to present their ideas by comparing the imagined answers for each person. You should attempt to explain the comparisons or contrasts you highlight in terms of such factors as theoretical orientations, cultural differences, the “Zeitgeist” of the time, or advances in science and technology that changed the level of understanding possible at a later time, etc. In some cases it may simply be that the two individuals have very different “world views,” such as a psychoanalyst compared to a behaviorist.Questions you might pose may be variations based on the following examples: (1) What advances in technology or science during the past 50 years may account for major differences between selected scholars? (2) What factors related to one scholar’s background (e.g., social context) might account for differences with another scholar from another social context? (3)What role did World War I play in the different findings shown in one scholar’s research with military recruits compared to another’s research with college students during the Cold War?Extra CreditExtra credit points will be offered on some quizzes and tests. Extra credit points will be awarded for submitting selected writing assignments early.DatesGrading2 Reaction Papers 2 (out of three) Quizzes100 (50 each) 50 (25 each)Mid-term examination 100Semester paper:Outline with four references 25First draft 25Final paper 100Final examination 100Total points 500451 - 500 A401 -450 B351 -400 C301-350 D<300 F (Writing components = 250 points)Please, note, since attendance and class participation are important aspects of this course, points may be deducted at the instructor’s discretion for excessive absenteeism (e.g., more than 5 un-excused absences). In addition, if  a student appears not to have completed the assigned readings (e.g., is unable to discuss them in class), or fails to participate in class exercises related to the wiring assignments, points may also be deducted from the final grand. Failure to complete any of the wiring assignments will be considered as failure to meet the requirements of the course, and may, therefore, result in an “F” for the course.Plagiarism or cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Presenting another person’s ideas, answers, or writings as your own is considered plagiarism, is unethical, and is a violation of the Student Conduct Code. Please, be aware that this also applies to materials accessed from the Internet. Evidence of plagiarism will result in an “F” for that assignment or text, and the subtraction of 50 points from your final grade. The instructor also reserves the right to assign an “F” for the course, if  either cheating or plagiarism occurs.* The U niversity o f Montana assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students w ith disabilities, instructors, and D isability Services for Students (DSS). If you th ink you may have a d isability adversely affecting your academ ic performance, and you have not already registered w ith DSS, please contact DSS in Lom m ason 154. I w ill w ork with you and DSS to provide an appropriate accom m odation.

PSYX 400.01: History and Systems of Psychology

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PSYX 400.01: History and Systems of Psychology

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