PSY 3360 / CGS 3325 Historical Perspectives on Psychology – Spring 2012

Course Requirements

·         Quiz (10%). Selected classes will include a brief, unannounced quiz covering material from preceding classes. Their purpose is to help prepare for the exams. No makeup quizzes are provided.

·         Midterm exam (30%). Mixture of short-answer, medium-length, multiple choice, and essay questions covering material from the lectures and assigned reading. There will be a choice of questions to answer, and study questions will be provided. Makeup exams will be provided only in case of medical and family emergencies or related circumstances. In such cases you must notify the professor in advance of the scheduled time of the exam to avoid a grade of F.

·         Final exam (40%). Same format and rules as the midterm exam.

·         Term paper (20%). There will be a term paper of 7-8 (typed, double-spaced) pages. The paper should grow out of your reading of one of the recommended books below, and should relate some aspect of the book to something outside of the book, either in the course or in your more general experience. Choose one of the books from the list, read it early in the semester, and begin to think about an aspect of the book that will serve as the focus for your paper. We will be happy to discuss ideas with you as you begin working on your paper. (Note: the paper should not be a "book report". It should focus on a single aspect, relating it to something outside the book. Do not summarize the whole book). The paper must be submitted to turnitin.com (a plagiarism detection service) by April 18. Details for online submission of the term paper will be provided in class and posted on the class web page. Late papers will result in lowering the paper grade by one letter grade (e.g. from A to B) per class period.

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Required textbook:

R.E. Fancher & A. Rutherford 2012. Pioneers of Psychology. 4th edition. © 2012 W. W. Norton & Co., Inc.

 

·         Term paper texts (choose one):

·        (1)   S. Pinker (2011). The better angels of our nature. Viking Press.

·        (2)   D. Kahneman (2011). Thinking: Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

·         (3)   R.F. Baumeister & J. Tierney (2011). Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength. Penguin Press.

·        (4)  P. Miller (2010). Smart Swarm: How Understanding Flocks, Schools, and Colonies Can Make Us Better at Communicating, Decision Making, and Getting Things Done. Avery.

·          Grading policy. Grading is based on the following criteria:                    

A+

96

B+

84

C+

70

D+

55

A

93

B

80

C

65

D

50

A-

89

B-

75

C-

60

F

<50

·         Attendance. Class attendance is mandatory and will count toward the course grade (through quiz grades). If there are circumstances that lead to missed classes please see us to discuss the situation.

·         Research credits. All core courses in Psychology and Cognitive Science include a research participation requirement. This requirement is described in the accompanying flier. The research credit sign-up system is online: https://utdallas.sona-systems.com. Use your UTD NetID to login and sign up for experiments. New experiments appear every few days throughout the semester; keep checking the schedule if you cannot find a suitable time slot. 

Student Learning Objectives:

After completing this course, students should be able to:

1.1 Describe and explain the nature of psychology as a scientific discipline.

1.2 Describe and analyze major theoretical perspectives and overarching themes of psychology and their historical development.

1.3 Understand, apply, and analyze five selected content areas within psychology.

2.1 Identify and explain different research methods used by psychologists.

4.1 Demonstrate effective writing skills in various formats (technical reports) and for various purposes (e.g., informing, persuading, evaluating).

 

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