Spring
2009 Psychology
491
1.5
credits Dr.
John Norcross
History & Literature of Psychology II
Catalog Description: (Prerequisites: Senior standing; a grade
of C or higher in Psych. 490) This seminar, designed for students with a major
or minor in Psychology, will entail critical reading, analysis, and discussion
of selections from the seminal literature in psychology, including selected
works of William James, Sigmund Freud, and B. F. Skinner. Individual professors
will choose additional readings on the basis of their interests and student
preferences. Spring only. (The course is designated writing intensive.)
Faculty
Information:
Instructor: John C. Norcross, PhD, Professor
of Psychology
Office
hours: Monday 10:30 - 12:30, Tuesday
9:15 - 10:30, and by appointment
Office
location: 224 Alumni Memorial Hall
Contact
numbers: 941-7638 (office);
norcross@scranton.edu (e-mail)
Web page: http://academic.scranton.edu/faculty/norcross/
Textbooks:
James, W. (1890). Principles of psychology. http://psychclassics.yorku.ca/James/Principles/index.htm
Freud, S. (1966; originally published in
1917). Introductory lectures on
psycho-analysis.
Rogers, C. R. (1961). On becoming a person.
Skinner, B. F. (1976; originally
published in 1948). Walden
two.
Gilligan, C. (1993; originally published
in 1982). In a different voice:
Psychological theory and women's development.
Wilson, E. O. (1978). On human nature.
Performance
and Evaluation: Your
performance in this capstone course will be assessed through your class
participation, your written assignments, your quiz performance, and your class
co-facilitation.
Regular attendance and participation are
essential for understanding the subject matter and for attaining a passable
grade. Indeed, approximately 33% of your final grade will be determined by the
quality and quantity of your in-class participation, as jointly assessed by
yourself, your peers, and your professor.
The criteria by which you will be evaluated are demonstration of:
faithful attendance; familiarity with text assignments; content mastery
(understanding of facts, concepts, and theories); communication skills (clear
and persuasive communication); ability to disagree constructively;
synthesis/integration (connection among course material and other bodies of
knowledge); creativity (beyond the obvious to produce your own insights);
application (relating the material to other psychological contexts and
pursuits); and valuing (identifying the values inherent in the material).
Your written work will consist of five brief
papers. The papers are to be typed (double-spaced) with 1” margins and are due
at the beginning of class. Record the word count at the end of your papers. Please
place your name on the back of the last page. The minimum length of the
reaction papers is 750 words; the maximum length is 1,000 words. Guidelines for
their preparation are attached. The papers will be evaluated on a four-point
scale: 4 (an A) is outstanding and/or excellent work; 3 (a B) is good work; 2
(a C) is satisfactory work; and 1 (a D) is below standards.
The final written assignment (paper #7) is required as one of your five papers
and consists of "A Letter to Incoming Psychology Students." The
letter will summarize your own experiences, offer some advice, and perhaps
share some regrets about your years as a
Alternatives to the written assignments
are encouraged and are to be approved by the professor. Some possibilities
include meeting of the minds dialogues between people holding disparate views,
imagined interviews with an author, and classroom debates with another student.
In addition to the reaction papers, you
will be expected to co-facilitate one class with the professor. A schedule for
the co-facilitation will be constructed on the first day of class. You do not prepare a formal paper for the class
that you co-facilitate; instead, you will prepare three discussion questions
that will assist you in cofacilitating the class. Guidelines for cofacilitating
the class are attached.
Five multiple-choice quizzes, each worth a maximum of four points, will be administered at the beginning of a class period. These quizzes are designed to reward your reading and to evaluate your comprehension of the assigned material on weeks when no written work is due.
Thus, best
five papers (20 possible points)
one class co-facilitation (4 possible
points)
best four quizzes (16 possible points)
class participation (20 possible points)
Course Policies: This course is intended as a capstone
experience or senior seminar for psychology majors, and your behavior should
reflect the maturity and commitment of a senior psychology major. You are
responsible for all announcements made and material covered in class. Make-up
quizzes are permitted only in extreme circumstances. Late papers are not accepted. You must personally attend
class to submit written assignments; they may not be turned in by a fellow
student or slipped under my office door.
Please refer to the University’s Academic
Code of Honesty. Plagiarism or dishonest quiz behavior on your part will
result in the assignment of a grade of F for the course.
You are encouraged to participate fully and civilly in class. At the same time, we will not tolerate disruptive or offensive behavior that is antithetical to our university ideals or that is contrary to a conducive learning environment. Any student who, because of a disability, may require some special arrangements in order to meet the course requirements, should contact me privately as soon as possible so that I may consider and then make appropriate accommodations.
Kindly turn off your
cell phone or pager while in class.
Violation of this policy will demand punishment – though one that does not
infringe on your eighth amendment rights – that will enhance our learning.
Course
Outline and Assignments:
Date Required Reading Assignment
Feb. 2 Capstone Experience; Great Books none
Feb. 9 Freud,
4-9, Lectures I through III Paper
#1
Feb. 16 Freud, Lectures V through VII Quiz #1
Feb. 23 Freud, Lectures IX through XII Paper
#2 (dream analysis)
March 2 James (online pages TBD) Quiz
#2
March 9 Rogers, Intro, Preface, Chapters
1, 8, 9, 13, 14 Paper
#3
March 16 Spring
Break; no class
March 23 Skinner, pages v-xvi, Chapters 1
through 19 Quiz
#3
March 30 Skinner,
Chapters 20 through 36 Paper
#4
April 6 Gilligan, pages ix to 63 Quiz
#4
April 13 Easter
Monday; no class
April 20
Gilligan, pages 128 to 174 Paper
#5
April 27 Wilson,
Preface, Chapters 1, 2, and 4 Quiz
#5
May 4 Wilson,
Chapters 6, 7, 8, and 9 Paper
#6
May 11 Evaluation, Closure, and Celebration Paper #7
(letter to freshmen)
Guidelines for Cofacilitating
Ψ Each student is asked to cofacilitate one
class meeting with the professor. You do not
prepare a paper for the class that you co-facilitate, but you do complete the quiz if one is scheduled
for that day.
Ψ Meet with the professor the week before
you are scheduled to cofacilitate in order to receive a copy of the professor’s notes. Please use these as
resource materials. After the class, return the notes to the professor.
Ψ Read the assignment and prepare 3
discussion questions before reading
the professor’s notes. After the class, hand the professor your questions.
Ψ The professor will begin the class with announcements
and an introduction, and he will end the class as well. In between, you are primarily responsible for
facilitating the class discussion.
Ψ You typically have time to ask five to
eight discussion questions during the class period. Please plan accordingly.
Select several questions from the professor’s notes and add two of the discussion questions you have
prepared.
Ψ Your task is to facilitate discussion,
not to lecture. Accordingly, engage your peers in addressing the questions, as
opposed to answering the questions yourself. When cofaciliating, learn to hold back on your
own thoughts.
Ψ When posing a discussion question, please
provide some context and introduction for it. Instead of simply asking the
question, give a few sentences explaining it or placing it in the context of
the assigned readings.
Ψ Many of the interesting points in the
reading will generate multiple questions. However, when
posing questions in class, please ask one at a time. Avoid asking
multiple-part questions.
Ψ We seek informed discussion and
respectful debate among graduating psychology majors. If your peers respond
with a simple “I agree” or “I don’t see it that way,” gently prompt and
encourage them to elaborate on their responses. “What makes you say so?” “Could
you elaborate on your reasons?”
Ψ Try to involve all students in the class discussions; learn to draw out
contributions. Do not let a single student dominate. Instead, call on different
students; ask quiet students for their opinions; and perhaps go around the
seminar table and ask everyone for a focused response.
Ψ Thought-provoking questions require time
to answer. Pause before expecting or requesting responses; we all need time to
formulate answers to questions of any complexity. Offer encouragement, maintain eye contact, and
let the question stand for 20-30 seconds.
Ψ Reward and praise students for
contributing. A simple “thank you”
typically suffices. The reward is contingent on a genuine effort to contribute,
not on providing a “correct” or super answer.
Ψ Your cofacilitation will be graded on the
same scale as your papers: 4 (an A) is outstanding/excellent work; 3 (a B) is
good work; 2 (a C) is satisfactory work; and 1 (a D) is below standards.
Ψ The grading rubric for evaluating the
cofaciliation follows (adapted from Lathrop, 2006). Think of these as your
performance goals.
Facilitation: Asks questions and uses strategies that
draw out peers’ knowledge of the assigned reading; relates the readings to
experience and psychology.
Preparation: Masters the material under discussion
and has
plenty of questions at hand.
Organization: Structures the questions and the class
in a clear and logical sequence.
Interest: Tries to make the questions and ensuing
discussion interesting, practical, and innovative.
Engagement: Encourages respectful and inclusive
participation; asks all students to participate.
Initiative: Asks own questions and discussion points;
goes beyond repeating professor’s questions.
Guidelines for Written Assignments
The reaction papers afford you a rich
opportunity to grapple with the readings, to reflect on their implications, and
to integrate this information with previous psychology courses, research and
clinical practica, and personal experiences. Your written work should be
concise, lively, and thoughtful. Stimulating will assume equal precedence
with scholarly.
The purpose of these written assignments
is not to abstract or summarize the
article. We shall assume that you, your classmates, and I have read the
material. Instead, you are asked to react and respond to the material. Some helpful hints:
(1) Let
Us Know You Read It
This can be accomplished through many
means. Some of the more common ones are thoughtful analyses, inclusion of
occasional quotes, and reference to specific or unusual details. Select points
throughout the assigned pages, in contrast to a single chapter, to demonstrate
that you absorbed the entire assignment.
(2) Let
Us Know You Thought About It
General impressions of the material,
amplification of central points, agreement or disagreement with the author,
questions you would like answered -‑ all are ways of expressing your
analytical reasoning. Avoid the pedestrian summary; stretch your mind and
wrestle with the material.
(3) Let
Us Know You Related It to Something
The "something" is varied and
of your choosing. Examples include previous courses, research studies,
controversial issues in psychology, current events, and life experiences. We
want the written assignments to reflect operative knowledge in addition to
declarative knowledge.
(4) Let
Us Know You Are Engaged in Active Questioning
Knowledge acquires its vitality through
active questioning, not through passive knowing. Try to broach provocative
issues by raising questions, try to be creative in penetrating the core of
disciplined thought, try to become caught up in constructive inquiry. In other
words, catch the fever! (Refer to the attached page for hints on wording your
questions to enhance our critical thinking.)