1. Course: ___INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY



Course: Senior Seminar

PSY4990

Instructor: James E. Horton

Office: 131 Smiddy Hall

Phone: 328-0136

Email: jhorton@uvawise.edu

Web page:

Office Hours: Posted on Web Site

Textbooks: (Required) Mitchell, M. L., Jolley, J., & O’Shea, R. (2004). Writing for Psychology, Belmont, CA:

Wadsworth

(Required) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (6th ed.). Washington, D.C.:

American Psychological Association.

Prerequisites: All core courses

Course Objectives:

This course is the capstone course for all psychology majors and will consist of assigned readings and classroom discussions, activities and homework. The emphasis of the course will be a written paper and oral presentation demonstrating the students understanding of one or more areas of psychology. In addition to the classroom requirements all students will be required to take the senior exit exam as part of the senior seminar course. This course will require the student to demonstrate the following competencies:

1. Students will demonstrate a basic understanding of theory/ies in a chosen field of psychology.

2. Students will demonstrate written communication skills as they pertain to the field of psychology.

3. Students will be able to demonstrate oral communication skills as they pertain to the presenting of a formal psychology paper.

4. Students will demonstrate a basic knowledge of current research skills.

5. Students will provide evidence of a basic understanding of how use APA format in the writing of a formal paper.

6. Students will demonstrate an overall knowledge the subject matter from the core courses they have completed.

Class Attendance:

Classes will meet at scheduled times as required (the professor’s discretion). Each student is expected to attend all scheduled classes. Attendance will be taken at all scheduled classes. It is very important for you to attend every scheduled class. If extreme circumstances cause you to miss more than one class, you should contact me immediately.

Class Participation:

Each student is expected to read the assigned material prior to coming to class and be prepared to discuss the material in the textbook, ask questions to clarify understanding, and participate in discussions involving student assignments.

Exams:

Students will be required to take the senior exit exam at the end of the semester.

Homework Assignments:

There will be homework assignments, as determined by the instructor, designed to assist the student in preparing their written paper and oral presentation.

Honor Code:

The Honor Code of The University of Virginia’s College at Wise is fully supported and each student in this class will be treated as a responsible and honest adult. Violations of the Honor Code will result in an F in the class and be prosecuted by the Honor Court.

Grading:

Grades will be based on the graded assignments, written paper, oral presentation and the senior exit exam.

Homework assignments 15%

Written paper 40%

Oral presentation 20%

Senior exit exam 25%

100%

Special accommodations:

If you have any type of learning disability or problem that might require special accommodations, please inform me at the beginning of the term to enable appropriate arrangements to be made.

Writing assignments: Term Paper

1. Students may choose from the following types of papers:

a. Topic – an in depth treatment of the subject matter

b. Position – a presentation of both sides of the subject, choosing 1 side and defending the choice

c. Integrated – a compare and contrast of the subject that shows how the two approaches are used differently for the same issue

2. Areas from which the students may select:

Cognitive

Language

Attention

Memory

Sensation and Perception

Sensory systems – olfactory, gestation (preferred);

visual and auditory (with limitations)

Pathology

ADHD

Phobias

OCD

PTSD

Developmental

Attachment

Identity formation

Achievement motivation

Internal/external locus of control

Self-efficacy

Neopsychological theory (Adler, Erickson, or Horney only)

3. Students would edit/proofread one or two papers other than their own

Evaluation of your paper

a) Documentation

i) Referred journals (generally should be current)

ii) Scholarly books

iii) Directly applicable to your thesis

iv) Well integrated in your thesis and that enhance your point

v) Number of citation appropriate to the topic. Quality of references is more important than quantity. As a general guideline for a minimum number of references, an average of one per page.

b) Style

i) Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, (6th ed.) will be your guide and final authority

ii) You should follow the APA Manual for writing your paper including: title page, running headers, citations, reference list, heading/subheadings, etc.

c) Content

i) Clarity of expression

ii) Clear organization and structure

iii) Well-structured paragraphs

iv) Appropriate transitions

d) Language

i) Grammatically correct

ii) Correct spelling and punctuation

iii) Diction: appropriate choice of vocabulary

e) Thesis

i) Logically presented

ii) Clarity in the aim of the paper

iii) Appropriate topic

iv) Appropriate introduction and conclusion

1) Your paper must be typewritten, double-spaced and attached to an email to me by midnight of the day it is due. Your electronic document containing your paper should be titled as follows: “last name, first name and Paper” (i.e., Smith, Samuel, Paper). Your paper must be saved in one of the following formats, Microsoft Word or Rich Text File (not Word Perfect, Microsoft Works, or other word processing programs).

2) The first draft of your paper is due no later than Thursday September 20th. The first draft will not be graded but will be briefly reviewed for any major errors or omissions. Papers with major grammatical errors, typos, spelling or APA formatting errors will not be accepted and will be returned unread and ungraded. The final draft of your paper is due no later than Thursday October 4th. After your paper is graded you will be allowed to revise your paper. The revised grade will allow you to earn up to ½ of the remaining points available from the first grading. The revised paper is due no later than Thursday October 25th. If your paper is late at any of the due dates, you may lose up to one grade point for the first week it is late and two grade points if it is more than a week late. No papers or revisions of papers will be accepted after October 25th. If the final draft of the paper is unacceptable due to excessive grammatical errors, typos, spelling or APA formatting errors, you will receive an F for the paper without the possibility of a revision.

Presentations:

1. You will develop a PowerPoint presentation based on your paper.

2. You will be ready to present your topic to the class on October 23rd.

3. You will be graded on the following criteria:

a. Ability to present your main thesis in a clear manner and compelling manner. Your presentation needs to include an introduction, a synthesis of the major findings, and a conclusion.

b. Ability to support your ideas or thesis with research.

c. Use of appropriate language (syntax, grammar, vocabulary).

d. PowerPoint visual presentation

i. Professional appearance

ii. Interesting

iii. Informative

iv. Tables, charts or graphs (if appropriate)

e. Ability to respond to questions in a clear fashion.

f. Delivery (appropriate eye contact, voice quality, gestures, etc.)

g. Your dress should be appropriate for a formal presentation.

Senior Exit Exam:

1. This will be a comprehensive exam over courses that you have taken in Psychology.

2. The exam will be an objective test consisting of multiple choice questions.

Tentative Schedule and Reading Assignments:

Date Assignment

8/23 syllabus

8/28-30 Select topic

9/4-6 Refine topic selection, structure paper and begin literature research

9/11-13 Continue literature search

9/18-20 First draft of paper due &PPT workshop

9/25-27 PPT workshop

10/2 -10/4 Final draft of paper due & PPT workshop

10/9-11 SEMESTER BREAK

10/16-18 PPT workshop

10/23-25 Final Revision of Paper due & Presentations

10/30-11/1 Presentations

11/6-8 Presentations

11/13-15 Presentations

11/20 Presentations

11/22 THANKSGIVING

11/27-29 Presentations

12/4-6 Presentations

12/8 Reading Day

12/10-14 Exit Exam

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