PSY
4652: Senior Seminar
Spring
2008
Instructor: Dr. David
Dietrich Dr.
Cheryl Bowers
Office: 207E Varnell-Jones Hall 207A Varnell-Jones Hall
Phone: 425-3445 425-3215
e-mail: dietrich@lambuth.edu bowers@lambuth.edu
Text: Marcus, G.
(Ed.). (2006). The Norton Psychology Reader.
Course Description:
Senior
Seminar is meant to be the capstone experience for psychology majors, bringing
together the concepts discussed in the preceding courses and summarizing the
current state of the profession of psychology.
Most of the broad categories of topics covered in general psychology
will be revisited in this course, though in a slightly different format.
Through this inquiry it is hoped that you strengthen your appreciation and
knowledge of the basic concepts of the profession of psychology.
As a
seminar, the course will be reading intensive and discussion based. You will be expected to enter class each week
having already read the assignments and prepared to actively discuss their
contents. This course will be taught
more like a graduate level course than an undergraduate course (meaning you are
responsible for learning the details of what you read, not all of these details
will be discussed in class, class discussions will
often be student-led rather than instructor-led). The class periods themselves
will be less formal, no lecture, and used as a means of clarifying and
questioning the material read. As senior
psychology majors, it is expected that you are capable of handling this
increased responsibility for your own learning.
In addition to your text, reading assignments may be made
available to you throughout the semester.
Course Requirements:
Your grade in this course will be
determined by the completion of the following requirements.
1. Discussion Leader. You will be assigned one class period to be
the primary leader of a discussion on a psychological topic of your
choice. The topic will come from our
book of readings. You will also be
expected to refer to your General Psychology textbook when discussing your
topic. (If you no longer own your text,
a General Psych text will be available for you to check out of the Psychology
Lab).
As
the leader of the discussion, you must devise, and turn in, a set of ten
questions that you plan to bring up during the class. The questions you turn in should be typed,
double-spaced, in a 12 point font. This is not a presentation, requiring you
to dominate the session. Ideally, you would spend ten to fifteen minutes
presenting your material, then facilitate a discussion
during the remaining forty to thirty-five minutes. Remember, the purpose of your questions
should be to spark discussion among your classmates. The more original your
thoughts, the better the discussion, and, consequently, the better your grade
on this assignment. The
facilitating professor will be there to help clarify concepts and provide
further examples for the class, if necessary.
These
are the topics from which you can choose and the dates of the presentations:
Chapter 3: Evolution and Genes 3/19 and 3/24
Chapter 6: Language 3/26
and 3/31
Chapter 8: Cognitive Development 4/2 and 4/7
Chapter 10: Intelligence 4/9
and 4/14
Chapter 11: Motivation and Stress 4/16 and 4/21
Chapter 15: Culture 4/23
and 4/28
2. Class Participation. You are expected to not only attend all
classes, but also to be an active member
of all
classes. Arriving late for class will
deduct from your class participation grade. As this class involves discussion,
and, possibly debate, you will be expected to maturely respond to your fellow
students when disagreements occur. Part
of your preparation for life after Lambuth is learning to deal with those who
disagree with you. This class will help
you show your ability to engage in academic debate.
Each
class you will earn up to ten points toward your grade.
Assignments and your final grade:
The following percentages
will determine your final grade:
90 - 100 = A 80 - 89 = B 70 - 79 = C 60 - 69 = D below 60
Discussion leader: 60%
Class participation: 50%
Academic Honesty:
Cheating
and plagiarism are not tolerated in this course. If you cheat on an exam or assignment, you
will be given a "0" for that assignment. If you cheat on a second exam or assignment,
you will fail the course and your name will be given to the Academic Dean. Cheating and plagiarism are defined in the
student handbook. These definitions will
be followed in this course.
Special accommodations:
If
you have a documented learning disability or other handicapping condition which
will affect your performance in this course, notify me by the end of the first
week of the semester so that appropriate accommodations can be made.
Cell Phones:
Turn off your cell phone when you enter the classroom. Do not answer or attempt to text message
someone while in class. It is rude and
disruptive.