PS410

There will be 4 Multiple Choice Exams on the dates indicated. Each exam will consist of 40 multiple-choice questions taken from the reading, lecture and class handouts. The questions will be selected from the instructor’s manual, as well as written by the instructor. You have a copy of the name index from your text with certain names underlined. With reference to text material those names underlined will be the only ones for which you are responsible. You may, of course, also be responsible for names mentioned in class that are not in the text. You may find the textbook website helpful as well in studying and preparing for exams.

Two Essay Exams will be given on the dates indicated. The essay exams will be designed to require integration and synthesis of the class and reading material. They will not merely require you to tell me what we’ve already discussed, but will necessitate that you understand the material at a level sufficient to apply the information to new and novel settings. Each exam will be worth 40 points. Generally, there will be one essay that everyone answers.

Discussion Groups

In addition to the exams, there is a third component of mastery. You will sign-up for a small group on the first day of class. You will work with the other members of this group throughout the term on these assignments. The structure of this exercise is as follows:

1. There is an article(s) assigned for each session roughly corresponding to the material we will be discussing in class. The articles are all available online at my website for History and Systems www.augustana.edu/users/psmccallum ) . Each article is listed in the syllabus with an active link to the reading. I expect that you will have read the article prior to coming to class. Toward that end, I expect that you will read and react/ to the material. You need to turn in to me via email to ps410@augustana.edu a 1-page reaction to the reading prior to the discussion meeting. After the class begins the paper will not be counted, but must nevertheless be completed. The reaction should contain three components:

1. What is the most important thing you learned in reading the article?;

2. What additional question do you have?; and

3. What you believe to be the main point of the article as it relates to the course content.

Each of the individual papers will be worth 5 points.

2. At each meeting your group will be given a question based on the reading. The question may not be directly answered in that selected reading or in the text. Your job as a group will be to discuss the question in relation to your text, lecture or other reading you have done. The purpose of these questions is to get you to think as a small group about the bigger issues in the article. Toward that end I expect that each group member will contribute to the discussion. Each discussion will take 20 minutes of class time. Each group will be required to turn in a summary of their answer to the question. Each summary will be worth 10 points. The summary should be precise, to the point and answer just the question asked. It should take less than one hand-written page.

3. You will need to turn in an individual paper with your answer to the SECOND question for 3 of the 7 articles of your choice, as well as a “brief” response to the first article.

The brief response is due at class time and should be an answer to the reading question for the Kuhn article. This assignment is primarily to get you used to the type of writing I am requesting in this course and will count only 10 points.

The other individual papers should address the NEW question added after then in-class discussion. In each case (with the noted exceptions) the paper is due approximately one week from the in-class discussion. I expect that the papers will be in at class time. The papers should be referenced and cited in APA style. They do not require a running head and cover page. Since you will be discussing some issues that may be related to the question as a group, I would accept some similarity in your answers to other group members. However, it is expected that you will write the paper individually and not as partners or with the group. I would expect each paper to be no more than 2 to 3 pages in length. Please type the papers in 12 pt. font and double space. If you choose to email this paper it should be sent to larrymccallum@augustana.edu NOT the ps410 address.

The papers are written with the following goals and should be proofread in relationship to them:

1. Logical and precise expression of philosophical and psychological issues. This writing requires you to think carefully about what you mean and how you phrase it. Be careful to use the correct meaning of terms as they relate to specific issues. For example, in Aristotle’s case “remembering” and “recalling” are different in important ways so you would not want to use them interchangeably. On the first paper assignment I will read much of it very carefully and make notes so that you can understand what I mean in this context.

2. You will need to think and perhaps research outside of the box a bit. It is unlikely (though possible) that you will find the exact answer in your reading. You will need to apply what you know to extrapolate to the answer.

3. Referencing content. Please use APA style to cite and reference your paper. Since it will, at the very least be using the article assigned in class and your text in many cases, you will have at least one reference for all papers.

Grading

4 Reading Exams @ 40points= 160

2 Essay exams @ 40 points= 80

7 Individual papers @ 5 points = 35

7 group responses @ 10 points= 70

1 initial paper @ 10 points= 10

3 individual papers @ 20 points = 60

Total 415

A=90%=374-415

B=80%=332-373

C=70%=290-331

D=60%=249-289

F below 249

I will assign + and – grades at my discretion but usually encompassing a range of about +/- 2%.

Course Goals

In addition to the goals stated by the department it is my objective to use the content and organization of this course to facilitate your critical thinking, reasoning and communication skills. History of Psychology has a reputation (probably deserved) as one of the toughest courses in the department. And, this is common at other campuses around the country as well. The nature of the material is such that several things are required to do well in the course. First, there is a large volume of material to master—don’t let the size of the text fool you. The text that I have chosen, along with specification of a restricted number of the names you are required to know should help in this regard. Still, we will cover material from over 25 centuries in 10 weeks. Admittedly, the first 22 or 23 centuries will go fairly quickly. Second, merely having some command of the information does not insure that you really understand it. Specifically, you will be required to demonstrate understanding of the relationship between different ideas and people throughout the history of philosophy and psychology. Third, you will also be asked to demonstrate an appreciation for why all of this information matters. How does any of this relate to questions relevant at the time and to the issues of modern psychology?

The first, and to some degree the second requirement, demand mastery of a great deal of material and the ability to relate that information to me—primarily on exams. On multiple-choice exams some of the questions will require principally recognition memory, but others will require more recall and application. The third requirement will hopefully demand not only mastery of the material, but demonstration that you can think about the material and genuinely understand it. My argument is that a student who can accomplish the first task will earn a minimum grade of C in the course. Good performance on the second will generally earn a grade of B, but to earn an A the third requirement will also need to be met. If I am correct in my assumptions (and past evidence would bear me out) getting a C is not especially difficult, and a significant proportion of students earn a B. Successful demonstration of the third criteria is obviously more difficult and typically results in relatively fewer A’s being earned (10-15% of the class) though this varies as a function of the specific cohort.

Because I believe my goals are defensible, I also feel that my grade distribution while difficult by many standards is nevertheless fair. If you are experiencing difficulty in the course, please see me as soon as possible so that we can discuss strategies.

General Assumptions

I assume that throughout the course each student will complete his or her own work (in-class group assignments generally being the exception). All assignments will need to completed to pass the course. Please refer to Inside Augustana for a description of the consequences for failure to conform to this assumption. Please also refer to the college’s policy regarding academic integrity. All assigned work must be completed in order to pass the course. I understand that there are occasionally unavoidable circumstances that do not permit timely completion of work. Please notify me in advance if you aware of future issues, or as quickly as possible following a missed class obligation.

In order to pass the course all assignments must be completed regardless of date of completion or grade on assignment.