PSYC 4900: Senior Overview

(Fall 2015)

Professor: Dr. Linda M. Woolf Office Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 12:00 - 1:00 or by appointment. 301 WH, Psychology Department. Phone 246-6970 or 246-7062 Email: woolflm@webster.edu Woolf Web Page: http://faculty.webster.edu/woolflm/

Text:

Myers, D. G. (2010). Psychology in modules (10th ed.). New York: Worth. (You may use any Introduction to Psychology text that is recent).

Catalog Description:

Provides a culminating experience for psychology majors, allowing students to synthesize and apply psychological knowledge in preparation for a career. Students will use their psychology skills and knowledge to become familiar with the research, theories, and methods associated with an area of personal interest.

Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Outcome: Describe the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.

2. Outcomes: Understand and apply basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation.

3. Outcome: Understand and apply psychological principles to the major core areas in psychology.

4. Outcome: Communicate effectively in a variety of formats.

5. Outcome: Discuss the complexity of sociocultural and international diversity.

6. Outcome: Examine their own and others' behavior and mental processes and be able to apply effective strategies for self-management and self-improvement.

Incoming Competencies/Prerequisites:

PSYC 1100, PSYC 2825, and 9 credit hours of psychology; or permission of the instructor. If you do not have the prerequisites for the class you need to see me ASAP.

Class Meetings:

The class will meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays from 1:00 - 1:50. Attendance is strongly recommended as material will be presented that is not in the book and missing class can adversely impact your grade.

Course Requirements:

Five exams, the Major Field Test, presentation, paper, portfolio, and and class participation/discussion.

All grades will be assigned on a scale of 0 - 10 with:

90 - 100	A-, A	Superior Work
80 - 89	B-, B, B+	Good Work
70 - 79	C-, C, C+	Satisfactory Work
60 - 69	D, D+	Passing, but less than Satisfactory (not passing if a requirement for the major or general education)
Less than 60	F	Failing

Percent of Grade:

Exams	35%
Major Field Test	20%
PowerPoint Topical Presentation	15%
Area of Interest Paper	15%
Professional Portfolio	10%
Particpation	5%

Examinations: Five exams will be given and the examination format will include multiple choice, short answer, matching, and essay. They will cover material presented in lecture, readings, and discussion. POLICY STATEMENTS: All exams must be taken on the date scheduled. Tentative exam dates are listed on this syllabus. Should any changes in these exam dates become necessary, I will inform the class in advance. Make-up exams will only be administered in emergency cases (e.g., medical). The instructor must be notified in advance of the situations that exist. No make up exam will be given if the student does not notify and discuss the situation with the instructor before the exam. If an exam is missed and no make-up is taken, a zero will be given for the grade. It is in your best interest to take the exams as scheduled.

Major Field Test: On the last day of class you will be taking the online major field test. The ETS Major Field Test is a cumulative exam which covers all the major subfields in psychology. The consists of 140 multiple-choice questions, some of which are grouped in sets and based on materials such as a description of an experiment or graphs of psychological functions. The range for the total score is between 60-100. An example of the test can be examined at http://www.ets.org/Media/Tests/MFT/pdf/psyques.pdf

PowerPoint Topical Presentation: As a student you have experienced great lectures and not so great lectures. Now it is your turn. You will select a topic typically covered in an introduction to psychology class and present it to the class. You will need to select a topic that can be covered in sufficient depth within a 50 minute period. All topics will need to be cleared with me beforehand. Keep in mind you want to select a topic that is not too broad (e.g., social psychology) or too narrow (e.g., the id). I expect that you will be using lecture, multimedia, and exercises designed to involve the class. General presentation topics will be assigned during the second week of class and the specific topic within that general area of psychology must be approved by the professor via email woolflm@webster.edu.

Within each lecture, you must include an application component which takes a current issue society faces and addresses it using your area of discussion. For example, when discussing group polarization you could discuss the current partisan nature of politics in Washington. When discussing memory you could discuss the pitfalls of eyewitness testimony. For this element of the lecture, you must provide students with relevant reading materials and a set of discussion questions prior to your presentation.

You will be graded on breadth, depth, content & presentation. You will not be able to get an extension if you miss your presentation date.

Area of Interest Paper: By this point in your academic career, you have begun to narrow your field of interest. This is your opportunity to crystalize that focus. You will need to generate a 10-15 page paper which introduces the specific area within psychology in which you would like to explore following graduation. Your paper should include:

1. Brief introduction
2. Review of the major theories in this field organized using the core areas in psychology (biological, developmental, clinical, social, and cognitive/learning)
3. Discussion of how you would like to explore this sub-area within psychology.

Deadline for final acceptance of papers is November 29. NOTE: This deadline is not a suggestion. Papers accepted following the deadline will experience a drop of one letter grade for every two days late except in cases of emergency discussed in advance with the instructor. It is up to the instructor's discretion whether to accept or not accept a paper following the November 29 deadline.

Paper topics must be approved by the instructor. NOTE: All paper proposals must be submitted via e-mail to the instructor. Paper topics that have not been approved will not be accepted. Paper topics proposals must be submitted via email (woolflm@webster.edu) for approval by October 3.

Paper topic proposals must include the following:

Topic

Rationale for selection of topic

List of potential references from journals in APA format

At least eight references for your paper must come from refereed journals (not Psychology Today or Newsweek, for example). NOTE: Do not rely heavily on popular literature, for example, a book you happen to see on Amazon.com. Often times these books are not empirically based. Also, do not take the bulk of your paper from one source or from secondary sources. I want an integration, analysis, and critique of all of your readings. Moreover, to do an excellent job on the paper, you will most likely need more than the minimum of eight journal references.

All papers must be typed, double-spaced, 1 inch margins, and in APA style format.

The paper should be submitted electronically in Word format to woolflm@webster.edu. Hard copies of the paper will not be accepted.

Professional Portfolio: Portfolios provide you with an opportunity to organize and effectively display evidence of your learning and professional growth. In addition, the portfolio may be thought of as a "living document" that you can modify and add to throughout your career. This portfolio is intended to be a collection of documents that will serve as a resource for you to use for obtaining future employment as well as for graduate school applications. Materials should be indexed and organized logically. A main or title page should be included as well as a table of contents. Portfolio components should be clearly identified by labeling each component with an appropriate title. Components should include:

• Personal/Professional Statement: The student should compose a 2-3 page autobiographical statement that focuses on his or her education path, both up to graduation and beyond.
• Curriculum Vita (CV): Students are to prepare this section along the lines of a professional vita
• Resume: The resume presents some of the information found in the Curriculum Vita but it is focused on obtaining a job.

Note that your professional portfolio for jobs/graduate school will also include your senior thesis (if applicable) and major papers you have written (it is okay to go back and revise/improve these papers as well as get feedback/editing).

It is recommended that you write your statement and have others (e.g., your professor) read it to provide feedback before making it part of your final portfolio.

Participation: Your active participation is required. Participation will be evaluated not on the amount of talking you do in class, but rather the quality of what you bring to the class discussion.

Policy Statements:

Readings: Due to the conversational nature of the class, it is imperative that you complete the readings before coming to class. Preparation of this sort will: a) facilitate recall and understanding by enabling the development of a schema for the material, b) enable you to contribute to class discussions in a thoughtful manner, and c) prepare you to learn!

Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom: Please respect others in the class by turning off all cell phones and pagers before entering the room. Text messaging during class is not acceptable. Laptops may be used in class but are only to be utilized for class related activities (e.g., taking notes). If it becomes apparent you are using the computer for non-class activities (e.g., checking your email, playing games) then you may be asked to turn off your computer and refrain from bringing it into class in the future. Laptop use is restricted to the back or sides of the classroom so that other students are not distracted during lecture.

Plagiarism (attempting to pass off the work of another as one's own) is not acceptable. Plagiarism includes copying all or part of another's writings (even a single sentence), inappropriate paraphrasing, using another student's paper as your own, submitting a paper for more than one class. All papers will be submitted to the university's plagiarism database for review. Plagiarism, either intentional or unintentional, will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment but also may be turned over to the appropriate university source for disciplinary action and a grade of F for the course. In addition, cheating on exams will also result in the same fate.

Here are some Web sites that will help you avoid the problem of plagiarism particularly plagiarism resulting from paraphrasing too closely to the original source. -

• Webster University's Plagiarism Info site

• Establishing Authorship by Paul C. Smith, Alverno College

• How to Avoid Plagiarism Tutorial

• The University of Indiana's Online Plagiarism Tutorial - You can print out a certificate of completion!

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact me or the Director of the Academic Resource Center, as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations can be implemented in a timely fashion.

Late withdraws from this class will not be approved by the instructor except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor. No late withdraws will be approved on the basis of poor class performance.

This syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes concerning course requirements will be provided in writing. Changes concerning exam dates may be made at the instructor's discretion and communicated verbally to the class.

It is understood that remaining in this course (not dropping or withdrawing from this course) constitutes an agreement to abide by the terms outlined in this syllabus and an acceptance of the requirements outlined in this document. No grade of Incomplete will be issued for this course.

COURSE OUTLINE
Week Ending	Topic and Readings
August 28	Introduction to the Class Readings: Chapter 1
September 4	Research Methods Readings: Chapters 2-3
September 11 September 18	Biology/Drugs/Consciousness Exam One - September 18 Readings: Chapters 4-10
September 25	Genetics & Development Readings: Chapters 11-16
October 2	Learning Exam Two - October 2 Readings: Chapters 20-22
October 9 October 16	Memory, Cognition, Intelligence Exam Three - October 16 Readings: Chapters 23-31 Professional Portfolio Draft Due: October 10
October 30	Sensation & Perception Readings: Chapters 17-19 Professional Portfolio Due: October 30
November 6	Personality Readings: Chapters 40-42
November 13 November 20	Disorders/Therapy Exam Four - November 20 Readings: Chapters 47-54
November 27 December 4	Stress/Emotion/Social Readings: Chapters 35-39; 43-46 Area if Interest paper Due: November 29
December 11	Exam Five - December 7 Final Review
TBA See Final Exam Schedule	Major Field Test

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