Seekins, Tom

English

University of Montana

University of Montana ScholarWorks at University of Montana Syllabi Course Syllabi 1-2015 PSYX 400.01: History and Systems in Psychology Tom Seekins University of Montana - Missoula, tom.seekins@umontana.edu Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi Let us know how access to this document benefits you. Recommended Citation Seekins, Tom, "PSYX 400.01: History and Systems in Psychology" (2015). Syllabi. 2825. https://scholarworks.umt.edu/syllabi/2825 This Syllabus is brought to you for free and open access by the Course Syllabi at ScholarWorks at University of Montana. It has been accepted for inclusion in Syllabi by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at University of Montana. For more information, please contact scholarworks@mso.umt.edu. Psychology 400 – History and Systems of Psychology (Upper Division Writing Course) Spring 2015 Course Information Class:  Tuesday and Thursday 2:10 – 3:30 Classroom:  Liberal Arts 338 Instructor Information Instructor:  Dr. Tom Seekins E-mail:  tom.seekins@umontana.edu  Office hours:  Tuesday, Thursday 12:00 – 2pm Phone:  Department—243-6418; Institute—243-2654  Office(s):  Skaggs 238; Corbin 241  Teaching Assistant:  Miriam Rose Baker E-mail:  miriam.rosebaker@umontana.edu  Office: Office hours: Phone:   Pre-Requisites Students have a class level of senior and are psychology majors. Required Text Schultz, D.P. & Schultz, S.E. (2012).  A history of modern psychology.  Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.   Suggested Additional Resources of Significance American Psychological Association (2001).  Publication manual, 5th Edition.  Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.   Bolles, R. C. (1993).  The story of psychology: A thematic history.  Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Co.  Deutsch, D. E. (2011).  The beginning of infinity: Explanations that transform the world.  New York: Viking Press.   Goodwin, C.J. (2012).  A history of modern psychology.  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, In.  Kuhn, T.S. (1970).  The structure of scientific revolutions.  Chicago: University of Chicago Press.   Skinner, B.F. (1953).   Science and human behavior.  New York: The Free Press.   University Policies Dates and Deadlines Please see the UM Events page for a list of all official dates and deadlines for withdrawals and applications.  You should familiarize yourself with these dates. Disability Modifications The University of Montana assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students with disabilities, instructors, and Disability Services for Students.  If you think you may have a disability adversely affecting your academic performance, and you have not already registered with Disability Services, please contact Disability Services in Lommasson Center 154 or call 406.243.2243.  I will work with you and Disability Services to provide an appropriate modification. Academic Misconduct & Academic Integrity All students must practice academic honesty.  You are expected to be familiar and adhere to the university’s Student Conduct Code with regard to academic integrity. Academic misconduct is subject to academic penalty by the course instructor and/or disciplinary action by the university. Course Objectives and Expectations Psychology 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 psychological phenomenon, and influences in the field’s 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 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 and 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 400-level 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 Tests Your 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, and a final.  These tests will present fill-in-the blanks, true and false, and multiple choice questions.  They may also include brief answer essays.  Each may 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 Assignments Since 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.   Reaction Papers Students will submit two (2) short papers.  Each paper should address a major figure (i.e., person) in the history of psychology.  A list of figures from which you may choose is posted on Moodle.  You may propose to write a paper on a figure that is not listed or on a sub-field of interest to you (e.g., history of sports psychology; community psychology; etc.), or another option.  You must, however, secure approval from me to do so.  This approval is meant to insure that any alternative topic you might propose is both relevant to the class and manageable.  The following materials are provided as one source for selecting and learning about such figures. You may find other sources, as well.   American Psychologist, February 1992, Vol. 47 (2), Special Editions on the History of American Psychology.  Benjamin, L.T. (1997).  A history of psychology: Original sources and contemporary research.  New York: McGraw Hill Inc.  Blum, D. (2002).  Love at Goon Park: Harry Harlow and the science of affection.  Cambridge, MA: Perseus Publishing.  Dixon, W. (2003).  Twenty studies that revolutionized child psychology.  Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.  Guthrie, R. (1976).  Even the rat was white: A historical view of psychology.  New York: Harper & Row.  Kimble, G.A., Wertheimer, M., & White, C.L. (1991).  Portraits of pioneers in psychology. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.  Parke, R.D., Ornstein, P.A., Rieser, J.J., & Zahn-Waxler, C. (1994).  A century of developmental psychology.  Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.   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 include a cover page, 3-4 double-spaced pages of text, and a reference section.  The first section of text should summarize the text you have read.  You should then use the second half to express your own reaction 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.   Semester Paper Each student will also submit an original APA-style paper that compares and contrasts two figures from the history of psychology.  (As with the brief reaction papers, you may propose an alternative but the Professor must be approve it.)  The paper should be 6-8 typewritten, double-spaced pages; title page and reference should be on additional pages that are not included in the page count).  The paper should integrate information from a minimum of six (6) references. 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 must submit You will first select two scholars of interest to you from our survey of the history of psychology.  You will be expected to find readings to supplement class material.  These materials should provide you with additional information about each person’s research, theoretical approach, or specific contribution to the field.  You might choose two scholars with apparently 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 you might find 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.  For example, what is each scholar’s position on key issues relevant to their area of study?  What accounts for these positions?  Where do the scholars agree?  Where do they disagree?  What accounts for the similarities and differences?  In general, 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.   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? Paper Content, Submission, and Grading Your grade for your papers will be based on strength of analysis, 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.  Grading forms for both Brief Reaction papers and Semester papers will be posted on Moodle.   Appropriate source material and the use of the Internet:   You must use “original source materials” as the basis of all your papers.  You may use the internet to locate original articles but you may not use the content of web pages such as Wikipedia.   Print and paper format:  You must submit your papers on 8.5 by 11 inch standard white paper.  You must use 12 point font with one inch margins.  Papers must be stapled in the upper, left-hand corner.   Submission:  All papers must be submitted in hard copy.  Each paper must be submitted in class and must be placed in the paper submission folder.  This procedure is intended to protect students and instructors from misplaced papers or confusing delivery systems.  Producing professional papers:   An important feature of professional writing involves planning and feedback.  These writing assignments are scheduled so that you have sufficient time to prepare high quality products.  To achieve that end, you should begin in a timely manner, work on the paper regularly, and secure feedback from colleagues.  Along those lines, a draft of each Brief Reaction paper must be submitted in class for review and feedback from your classmates.  This helps insure that you are progressing in the assignment.  It also improves the quality of each paper.   Similarly, you are required to submit a brief outline of your semester paper, as well as a complete draft of the paper.  The Professor will review each outline to insure that the topic, approach, and source material area appropriate.  (NOTE: Each semester, many students neglect to submit this outline.  It is worth 25 points or 5% of you total grade.  If you do not submit an outline, you lose 25 points.)   You will also submit a complete draft of your semester paper for feedback from the TA.   Complete means that the draft includes an appropriate cover page, at least six pages of text, and a reference section that has at least six references. The TA will provide feedback on style and content.  You should incorporate the feedback into you final paper for submission.  The draft with feedback should be submitted along with your final paper.  Late papers:  Occasionally, you may forget your paper at home, encounter printing problems on campus, or be unable to submit a paper in class for some other legitimate reason.  If you submit the paper by the end of the day, no points will be deducted.  But such papers must be submitted to the Professor or the Teaching Assistant personally, or be submitted at the Psychology office in Skaggs for delivery to the TA.  In this latter case, the paper must be stamped with a receipt time and date to verify it submission.  In any other cases in which a paper is not submitted in class, points may be deducted.   IMPORTANT NOTE:  Points may be deducted for sentences that contain an unsupported statement offering a personal judgment of a reading’s aesthetics such as, “I really liked …,” “I thought it was cool that …” “I didn’t like the way …” 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.   Grading  Assignment Points 2 Reaction Papers 100 (50 each) 2 (out of three) Quizzes 50 (25 each) Mid-term Examination 100 Semester Paper             Paper proposal 25            First draft 25            Final paper 100 Final Examination 100 Total Points 500 (Writing components = 250 points)  451 - 500 A 401 - 450 B 351 - 400 C 301 - 350 D  <300 F  Extra credit:  Extra credit points will be offered on some quizzes and tests.  Extra credit points will be awarded for submitting selected writing assignments early. Final Notes 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.   

PSYX 400.01: History and Systems in Psychology

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3831&amp;context=syllabi

PSYX 400.01: History and Systems in Psychology

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

University of Montana