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Senior Capstone:
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Senior Capstone:
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Office Hours:
- 318 Interdisciplinary Science Building
- Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. or email through Canvas for an appointment.
- Phone 314-246-7062
- woolflm@webster.edu
- Woolf Web Page: http://faculty.webster.edu/woolflm/
Text:
- Goodwin, C. J. (2022). A history of modern psychology (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. ISBN-13: 978-1119779261
Additional articles to be placed on Canvas--to be determined by the class.
Catalog Description
Examines the contributions of philosophy, physics, physiology, and other disciplines and intellectual traditions to the development of the subject matter, problems, and methodology of contemporary psychology.Expanded Course Description:
A perusal of the various journals in psychology or an examination of any psychology conference schedule seems to suggest that psychology is a highly disjointed discipline. However, psychology is unified through its historical traditions and systems of thought. In this course, we will explore the roots of modern psychological thought and methodology. We will trace these roots from their origins in philosophy and the natural sciences through the early schools of psychology and on into its current form. In addition to learning about the major schools and systems of psychology (e. g., Functionalism, Structuralism, Gestalt, etc.), we will explore how cultural and political forces shaped the development of various psychological theories. We will also examine the lives and works of the men and women whose work created psychology's foundation. Through these explorations, we will discover the common threads and patterns interwoven into the broad tapestry of psychology.
Course Objectives:
- Objective: To develop a basic understanding of the various processes of scientific development and change (e.g. paradigmatic theory, world hypotheses, Zeitgeist)
- Objective: To become familiar with the chronological history of ideas which has contributed to the field of psychology.
- Objective: To examine the historical context including political and cultural contexts within which the development of psychology as a discipline has taken place.
- Objective: To be able to place current psychological thought within that historical development and context.
- Objective: To recognize the role of women and people of color in the history of psychology, both as researchers and as subjects of research.
- Objective: To learn about the major figures and schools of thought in psychology's history.
- Objective: To be aware of the current changes occurring within psychology as a discipline and the history of some of the more recent subdisciplines within psychology.
- Objective: To critically evaluate and examine an individual or concept related to the history of psychology in more depth.
Course Outcomes:
- Outcome: Students will be able to discuss and contrast the various theories related to the manner in which changes occurs in the history of science (e.g. paradigmatic theory, world hypotheses, Zeitgeist)
- Outcome: Students will be able to outline and classify the history of major schools of psychology.
- Outcome: Students will be able to discuss and assess the historical context including political and cultural contexts within which the development of psychology as a discipline has taken place.
- Outcome: Students will be able identify and explain the place of current psychological thought within historical development and context.
- Outcome: Students will be able to discuss and interpret the role of women and people of color in the history of psychology, both as researchers and as subjects of research.
- Outcome: Students will be able to identify and compare the the major figures in psychology's history.
- Outcome: Students will become aware of the current changes occurring within psychology as a discipline and the history of some of the more recent subdisciplines within psychology. Students will be able to discuss and evaluate in depth the history of a single subdiscipline within the field of psychology.
- Outcome: Students will be able to present, in written format, and critically evaluate/examine an individual or concept related to the history of psychology in more depth.
Class Meetings:
The class will meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:00 - 11:50. Attendance is expected as material will be presented that is not in the book.
Attendance Policy: Attendance is strongly recommended as material will be presented that is not in the book and class discussion will enhance your understanding of the material. Due to the importance of not only class attendance but also class participation, class participation constitutes a significant percentage of your final grade.Incoming Competency:
Prerequisites: PSYC 1100, PSYC 2825, and 18 credit hours of psychology; or permission of the instructor. As this is a Capstone course, ideally you should be taking this course after completing the majority of your psychology coursework.
Course Requirements:
Six quizzes, a capstone term paper, archives assignment, a No Longer Lost to History infographic, a Then & Now poster project, and class participation/discussion.All grades will be assigned on a scale of 0 - 100 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 for the major) Less than 60 F Failing
Percent of Grade:
Quizzes 50% Capstone Term Paper 20% No Longer Lost to History 5% Article Exploration! 5% Archives exploration! 5% Then & Now Poster 10% Class Participation/Discussion 5% Quizzes: Quiz format will include multiple choice, short answer, and essay. They will cover material presented in lecture, readings, and discussion. Six quizzes will be given but only the five highest grades will be used towards your final course grade. Quizzes will constitute 60% of your final grade.
POLICY STATEMENTS: All quizzes must be taken on by the date listed on the syllabus. Exams will be in class--you will be able to bring in a page or two of notes for use when taking the quiz. Dates are listed below.Archive Exploration!: How to researchers explore the history of psychology? Rarely is it via a PsycInfo search and a reading of journals. Rather, historians rely on not just publications but a study of archival materials. For psychologists, archives extend from small collections housed at universities, hospitals, and other sites to the major archives located at APA and the Cummings Center Archives of the History of Psychology (https://www.uakron.edu/chp/archives/). For this assignment, you will select three items/materials from the archives to present to the class (you may work in pairs). You should explore at least two different collections and then do additional research about what you found in the archives. For example, it is not enough to simply present a photograph but you need to discuss what is in the photo and why it is important. You will submit one or two PPT slides to me, which I will compile into a single presentation. When your slide comes up, you will share what you learned with the class. Let see how many interesting things we can find in the archives!
Oh My! Look who traveled to the 2023 APA Convention. He normally lives at the Cumming Center.
No Longer Lost to History: Each student will be responsible for creating a one page infographic highlighting the works of an early psychologist who has been lost to history due to their status within a historically marginalized group. Let us bring their accomplishments into the light! You will post your infographics in a Discussion to share with your colleagues in class. We can then also share these infographics with the department! Note that you should use several references in creating your Infograph -- you will submit a separate page to me with the references. Make sure that what your write is in your own words about the person.
Article Exploration!: Each student will be responsible for finding an article about a previously unknown psychologist who also has been historically lost or marginalized due to their gender, race, ethnicity, international status, LGBTQ+ status, etc, or an article which addresses the legacy of a historically marginalized group. You will provide me a copy of the article your find, we will share the article via Canvas, and you will lead a short discussion of the article.
Then & Now Poster: Posters are a common presentation format at scientific conferences. For this poster, you will focus on a specific topic and highlight at least two scientific studies from the early days of psychology (prior to 1930s) from a specific area of psychology (e.g., early sports psychology related to running) and then a comparison to two current studies on the exact same topic! You will present each and then have a section that compares and contrasts the research from then and now. Picture and graphics can be included, as appropriate. Each student will have an opportunity to present their poster to the class and discuss. A PPT template for your poster will be available on Canvas.
Capstone Term Paper: Students will be required to write a capstone term paper of 8-12 pages (approximately 2600 to 3600 words, excluding cover page, abstract, and references). The purpose of the paper is to provide you, the student, with an opportunity to explore an another area within the history and systems of psychology, in depth. You may, for example, you might want to explore a particular concept in the history of psychology or review the works of a key figure on a particular topic. You must include at least 5 older references (3 if primarily books) and 5 contemporary references. Your references must be from PRIMARY SOURCES and NOT others' works on the topic or individual. Secondary sources are not appropriate as references for this assignment. A half page abstract (description of your paper with references) is due by September 18 via Canvas. The final paper is due December 2.
- Too learn more about individuals or ideas that are important within the history of psychology but are less familiar to you. Demonstrating the ability to use databases and read and synthesize primary source material.
- To connect those ideas to research in the area today. Demonstrating the ability to draw connections between the history of psychology to modern psychological science.
- To write effectively and demonstrate use of APA format.
All papers must be submitted electronically in Word (.doc or .docx) format to Canvas
All papers must be typed, double-spaced, have 1 inch margins and in APA format. If you are in doubt as to what this means, see me for details.
- Purchase or go to the library to view a copy of the APA 7th Edition Publication Manual
- Go to OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab
Extra Credit Opportunity! For 10 quiz points each (10 is the maximum points possible for a single report but may be lower depending on the quality of the report), you may listen to a History of Psychology podcast and write a report about the podcast (3 podcast maximum - although if you do not like the points received on a podcast report, you may complete an additional podcast to replace the report with the lower grade). You need to include:
- Discuss the major ideas presented in the podcast
- Discuss any differences of similarities between the material in the podcast and the book
- Discuss what you found to be the most interesting or new points you learned from the podcast
Podcasts can be found at http://www.yorku.ca/christo/podcasts/. These can also be downloaded through iTunes - just search podcasts for the This Week in the History of Psychology (Christopher Green).
Podcast reports may be submitted at any point in the semester until December 9. Absolutely NO reports will be accepted following that deadline. Keep this deadline in mind and don't wait until the last minute. Absolutely no extensions will be granted regardless of the legitimacy of the problem that may arise (e.g., computer crashes, power outages, illness, etc.). All papers must be submitted electronically in Word format to Canvas
Policy Statements:
Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom: It is important that we build space in class to create a respectful and inclusive environment. One way we can do that is by turning off all cell phones before entering the room. That way we can be fully present and engage with one another during the semester. If we spend our time text messaging, watching Tiktok videos, etc., we are being dismissive of those around us. The phone becomes more important than they are. So let us work to spend time learning together. Certainly, laptops/tablets may be used in class but should only be utilized for class related activities (e.g., taking notes). Please be aware that according to research published in Psychological Science has demonstrated that taking hand-written notes leads to better processing of information and higher exam scores! 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.
AI Use Restricted
All work submitted in this course must be your own. Contributions from non-academic sources (such as AI tools) are prohibited. Contributions from approved sources must be fully acknowledged and properly quoted or paraphrased by you every time they are used. Failure to follow this policy constitutes a violation of academic integrity and may result in disciplinary action.
See the Canvas Course writing page for more information about plagiarism, including the dangers of paraphrasing too closely and inappropriate quoting.
Additional Policies
It should be noted that, as is common in many university courses, little time will be spent lecturing on topics adequately addressed by the text. If we are to have thoughtful and productive conversations, it is helpful if everyone has read the material prior to class and prepared to ask questions, challenge ideas, and engage in active learning. While every attempt will be made to explain or expand upon particularly difficult areas, the primary purpose of classroom lecture is to enhance, rather than to duplicate, the textbook material.
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. This is a matter of creating an equitable space for you to learn.
Rarely will I approve a late withdrawal from the class. However, if you are experiencing an emergency or serious challenges, please let me know to see what accommodations may be possible.
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. Note that such changes are unlikely but have been know to happen due to weather or a pandemic!
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. Make sure you endeavor to keep up with assignments and deadlines. Only under rare emergencies will an Incomplete be issued for this class.
Additional Web Resources!
- History of Psychology Podcasts! http://www.yorku.ca/christo/podcasts/
- History & philosophy of psychology Web resources (Division 26 of APA: History of Psychology Links site)
- Classics in the History of Psychology webpage
To Linda M. Woolf's Web page
