Final paper

Online Course Syllabus

Course Information

Course Title: Seminar Issues in Contemporary Psychology

Course Number: PSY 4940

Course Date: See Course Announcement

Course Meeting Time: Eastern Standard Time

Course Location: Online

Instructor: See Faculty Information

Course Description: Synthesis of students’ previous course work in psychology, with consideration of

significant current developments in theory, research and practice. Course content integrates the liberal arts foundation with the entirety of the students’ experience in the psychology major. Pre-requisite: Open only to senior psychology majors with a 2.5 GPA. Students cannot receive credit for

both PSY 4940 and PSY 4945 Students without prerequisite(s) must withdraw from the class.

Program Student Learning Outcomes:

PSLO 1: Apply appropriate psychological constructs measurement, research design and analysis to

course materials.

PSLO 2: Differentiate between basic concepts and principles of the major theories of psychology as they

apply to course content.

PSLO 3: Critique classic and contemporary issues, advances, and research in psychology.

PSLO 4: Apply knowledge of psychology as a profession including ethical guidelines, APA style of

reporting, and the diversity of roles within the discipline.

PSLO 5: Apply concepts relating to the global, cross-sectional, interdisciplinary, and multicultural nature

of psychology.

PSLO 6: Independently utilize technological tools in the field including conducting literature reviews,

designing web-based research projects, data collection, data analyses, and writing professional reports.

Course Student Learning Outcomes:

At the completion of the course students will demonstrate the ability to:

 Critically analyze literature in the major areas of psychology. (CSLO 1)  Discuss the implications of divergent views concerning controversial issues in psychology. (CSLO

2)

 Recognize the personal and societal implications of the study of psychology. (CSLO 3)  Integrate theory and become able to make applications to the practice of psychology. (CSLO 4)  Recognize assumptions and limitations in psychological research and practice. (CSLO 5)  Evaluate one’s own thinking and actions and preconceived ideas about the study and practice of

psychology. (CSLO 6)

 Demonstrate an understanding of the scientific methods of inquiry and analysis, both qualitative and quantitative in the field of psychology. (CSLO 7)

 Demonstrate an understanding of the scientific method of inquiry, including accuracy and meaning of reported results in the psychological literature. (CSLO 8)

 Discuss effectively following APA format. (CSLO 9)  Demonstrate familiarity with occupational opportunities in psychology. (CSLO 10)  Formulate a clear and integrated sense of one’s own personal identity and one’s place in the

field of psychology. (CSLO 11)

 Demonstrate flexibility in the application of theory and in the practice psychology. (CSLO 12)  Discuss the implications of the Ethical Principles of Psychologists, i.e., the code of ethics for

practice in the field of psychology. (CSLO 13)

 Describe the issues in view of their multicultural impact on the field of psychology. (CSLO 14)

Instructional Methods

Students who are enrolled in an online course will experience no in-person meeting requirements as all

course content, reading/resources, class discussions, assessments, assignments, feedback and

communications occur entirely online.

This online course is taught using in an eight-unit schedule and will use a standard of 1000 total points.

Students will find common graded and non-graded learning activities present throughout the course.

Each unit will include:

 Readings/Resources

 Lecture

 Discussions

 Assignments

 Content Assessments

Required Reading: Johnson, S., & Blanchard, K. (1998) Who Moved My Cheese? New York, NY: Penguin Putnam Inc.

ISBN-10: 0399144463; ISBN-13:9780399144462

Suggested Supplemental Information: Assorted YouTube videos, Ted Talk, pdf files as assigned per the instructor, scholarly journal articles through Kean library databases http://libguides.kea n.edu/ Library, American Psychological Association

http://www.apa.org/

American Psychological Association (2009). Publication Manual of the American Psychological

Association, (6th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. (ISBN: 1-44338-

0561-8)

Gantt, E. E., & Slife, B. D. (2016). Taking sides: clashing views on psychological issues. New York,

NY: McGraw-Hill Education. (ISBN 9781259431616 and ISBN 1259431614)

Unit Topics and Learning Activities

Unit 1 Unit 1: Personal Expectations Lecture: Who Am I?

Readings: pdf Careers In Psychology, pdf Stress Assessments, pdf Who Moved My Cheese Resources: pdf Assignment 1.1 Career Exploration, pdf Assignment 1.2 Grad School

Exploration. Discussions: Personal Readiness (30 points) Assignments: Personal Milestones (75 points)

Content Assessments: Personal Thoughts (20 points)

Unit 2 Unit 2: Professional Expectations I

Lecture: Transitioning Readings: pdf Resume action Verbs, pdf Resume and Cover Letter Career Development, pdf Graduate School Personal Statements

Resources: Purdue OWL Online Writing Lab: Personal Statement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFLibDGVTj8

Purdue OWL: Personal Statements – video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFLibDGVTj8 10 Tips for Writing an Effective Statement of Purpose

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE1HQYzk SGQ How to Write a Great Resume and Cover Letter- Harvard Extension School https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAthQKLhBTs

Cover Letter Tutorial Career Center U New Haven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YORk5t239E

Discussions: Professional Readiness (30 points) Assignments: Professional Milestones (75 points)

Content Assessments: Professional Thoughts (20 points)

Unit 3 Unit 3: Professional Expectations II

Lecture: Moving Into A Career Readings: pdf Careers With A Bachelor’s Degree In Psychology, pdf Interview Questions Resources: PPT Overview of Assessment Tools

O*NET Online www.onetonline.org College Central Network https://www.collegecentral.com/

How To Ace An Interview https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DHDrj0_bMQ0 Discussions: Career Readiness (30 points) Assignments: Career Milestones (75 points)

Content Assessments: Career Thoughts (20 points)

Unit 4 Unit 4: Contemporary Issues

Lecture: Mindfulness Readings: pdf Writing A Psychology Literature Review, pdf Annotated Bibliography Sample Resources: Scholarly Journal Articles Student selects through Kean library databases

http://libguides.kean.edu/ Library or American Psychological Association

http://www.apa.org/ ,Writing An Annotated Bibliography In APA format https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPhWhRlEWtI

Discussions: Let’s Debate (30 points) Assignments: Mindfulness Fact or Fiction? (75 points) Content Assessments: Mindfulness Thoughts (20 points)

Unit 5 Unit 5: Controversial Issues I

Lecture: Is Depression a Choice? Readings: Scholarly Journal Articles Student selects through Kean library databases http://libguides.kean.edu/ Library or American Psychological Association

http://www.apa.org/ Resources: Scholarly Journal Articles Student selects through Kean library databases

http://libguides.kean.edu/ Library or American Psychological Association http://www.apa.org/ , Anxiety and Depression Association of America https://adaa.org/living-with-anxiety/ask-and-learn/screenings

Discussions: Let’s Debate (30 points) Assignments: Research Topic Submission (75 points) Content Assessments: Depression Thoughts (20 points)

Unit 6 Unit 6: Controversial Issues II Lecture: Is Addiction A Brain Disease?

Readings: pdf Addiction Disease, pdf Addictive Personality Resources: The Neuroscience of Addiction

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOSD9rTVuWc , Addiction Is A Disease https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_R Gn75JcZ8 , University of Cambridge Big 5 Personality Test https://discovermyprofile.com/miniIPIP.html

Discussions: Let’s Debate (30 points) Assignments: Big 5 Personality Traits (75 points)

Content Assessments: Addiction Thoughts (20 points)

Unit 7 Unit 7: Professional Reflections Lecture: Professional Changes

Readings: Scholarly Journal Articles student selects through Kean library databases http://libguides.kean.edu/ Library or American Psychological Association

http://www.apa.org/ Resources: Scholarly Journal Articles student selects through Kean library databases http://libguides.kean.edu/ Library or American Psychological Association

http://www.apa.org/ Discussions: Professional Assistance (30 points)

Assignments: Research Annotations (75 points ) Content Assessments: Professional Changes (20 points)

Unit 8 Unit 8: Personal Reflections

Lecture: Personal Changes Readings: pdf Who Moved My Cheese?

Resources: Ted Talk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNTA9FlJVco Discussions: Graduation Expectations (30 points) Assignments: Graduation Is Here(75 points)

Content Assessments: Who Moved My Cheese (20 points)