***FOR KIM WOODS ONLY*** REFLECTION PAPER

HOMEWORK 4

Core Assessment - Reflection Paper

The Reflection Paper is a capstone/ synthesis paper that asks you to describe how you have addressed the five program competencies by the courses and experiences that you have had at Park University.

Also, included in this paper is a description of the work of two researchers/ theorists/ authors in the discipline.

The Reflection Paper consists of two major sections: Program Competencies statements and a description of at least two current researchers in the discipline that you regard as important or valuable.

Your paper should be formatted professionally in APA format and written as a narrative - with headings, complete sentences, and proper paragraphing (no bullets - no contractions).

Approach the Reflection Paper as your final artifact to leave with the department. By the way, the Reflection Paper may also serve as a type of self-assessment that may be helpful to send to letter of recommendation writers or professional references (to give them a better idea of your professional self).

The five BA-Psychology, BS-Social Psychology, and BA-Sociology Program Competencies are:

1.Goal 1: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking

2.Goal 2: Ethical and Social Responsibility

3.Goal 3: Communication

4.Goal 4: Professional Development

5.Goal 5: Knowledge Base in Psychology/ Sociology

(note: you may find these listed after the instructions)

Reflection Paper Instructions:

Imagine that in order to obtain your degree you had to write a letter of justification to the department chair that you have achieved the five program competencies. As you formulated your paper, you would want to bring in information and evidence from your core classes, elective courses, and from experiences as a student. This is how we want you to structure your paper.

More specifically, set up your paper in APA format (with a cover page, textbody, and references). Create six sections of your paper with appropriate headings (goals 1-5 and current researchers). With each of the Goal sections, create a description of how you have achieved each of the goals bringing in specific references to courses, assignments, and experiences. For example, for Goal 2: Ethical and Social Responsibility, I would expect that you would reference your NIH Certificate for the work with human participants. Beyond that, bring in relevant course work or assignments that supported that goal. While the details within each may vary, devote about a page length to each of the goals. Bring in external sources to support your justifications.

For the sixth section, you are asked to describe the work of two current researchers in the discipline. While it is important to know the historical figures and theorists, our disciplines are living ones and new scholarship is constantly being released as journal articles, scholarly books, or popular books.

We want you to be familiar with some of this research. You will have a quick response to those people you meet who ask you about what is going on in the discipline. You could approach this a way of describing to others your Psychology or Sociology "summer reads". Our disciplines have so many interesting publications. Being able to reference these and speak to these gives others an impression that you are engaged in the current projects in your discipline.

So...in the Reflection Paper, describe at least two current researchers/ theorists/ authors and their work. Be sure to add their citations in the reference section. Be sure to take a minimum of a page of description per researcher presented.

Wrap up your Reflection Paper with a conclusion statement and a reference section.

Please follow page lengths, you should create a paper that is minimally 8 pages long (text body with an introduction and conclusion - cover page and references do not count).

CORE COMPETENCIES LISTED BELOW

Psychology/ Sociology Core Competencies

Goal 1: Scientific Inquiry and Critical Thinking

1.1 Use scientific reasoning to interpret behavior

1.2 Demonstrate psychology information literacy

1.3 Engage in innovative and integrative thinking and problem-solving

1.4 Interpret, design, and conduct basic psychological research

1.5 Incorporate sociocultural factors in scientific inquiry

Goal 2: Ethical and Social Responsibility

2.1 Apply ethical standards to evaluate psychological/ sociological science and practice

2.2 Promote values that build trust and enhance interpersonal relationships

2.3 Adopt values that build community at local, national, and global levels

Goal 3: Communication

3.1 Demonstrate effective writing for different purposes

3.2 Exhibit effective presentation skills for different purposes

3.3 Interact effectively with others

Goal 4: Professional Development

4.1 Apply psychological content and skills to career goals

4.2 Exhibit self-efficacy and self-regulation

4.3 Refine project management skills

4.4 Enhance teamwork capacity

4.5 Develop meaningful professional direction for life after graduation

Goal 5: Knowledge Base in Psychology/ Sociology

5.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology/ sociology

5.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology/ sociology’s content domains

5.3 Describe applications of psychology/ sociology

Reflection Paper Grading Rubic below

Reflection Paper Rubric
Component	Total Pts	Comments
Core Competencies	25	Refer to Program Competencies/ Goals There should be 5 sections in your paper.  Set these sections apart with headings.
References	5	Need a minimum of 5 primary sources (journal articles or books - not textbooks) The 5 sources can support your core competency statements and also include citations and work for the current researchers/ writers that you present in the Current Researchers section.
Current Researchers	10	Need a minimum description of 2 current researchers/ theorists. Add a section heading for this.
APA format	5	use APA 6th edition
Mechanics/ grammar	5
Total =	50