3-5 page Psychology essay (for guranteedgrades)

Read the instructions carefully so that you can properly write the second assigned essay of the second unit. The text should be handed in, printed and stapled, following a Microsoft Word format, a letter size twelve (12) and a spacing of one and a half (1.5) between sentences (or line spacing in the paragraph options). The extension of the work should not be less than three (3) pages or greater than five (5) pages of content (not title page or cover of any kind is required).

At the end of your essay you will list the References used (for more information see the text I sent regarding the instructions for writing an essay for this class). Plagiarism will not be tolerated. The written essay should be a product that reflects your understanding and interpretation (substantiated with arguments, evidence and reasoning, expressed in a clear, consistent, and accurate matter) of the assigned readings and discussions in class. Do not use

Internet sources and limit yourself to the assigned texts, the discussion in class and your own argumentative capabilities.

The test/essay has a total value of twenty-five (25) points.

Instructions:

In this second unit we have discussed some of the main qualitative methods of research in Psychology, focusing on how these methods open new and critical possibilities regarding a more in-depth inquiry that pays attention to constructivist, anthropological, phenomenological, discursive and other "alternative" elements (different from mainstream psychology and strict quantitative methods) in specific situations of daily life. Bearing this in mind:

Discuss the importance of these qualitative approaches of inquiry in building and sustaining a "critical psychology" that is interested in understanding how:

1) knowledge is produced, used and appropriated

2) experience is framed and signified (depending on the social, cultural and particular context of the group or individual)

3) the underlying ideologies, discourses and relations of power oppress, stigmatize or alienate certain sections of society.

Take into account the following when elaborating the essay:

1. You will notice that there are three (3) interests in these approaches of inquiry. I am interested in that you at least elaborate one of them . In essence, the three of them are inter-related, so elaborating any of them in-depth will be enough for the purposes of this essay.

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2. There’s several theoretical frameworks (from constructivist and feminist theories to colonial and ethnological theories) and methods (ranging from ground theory to analysis of discourse and narrative analysis) that you can choose from in your elaboration of qualitative approaches of inquiry. Although it would be recommendable that you mention them, I am more interested in that you pick only one (a theoretical framework, paradigm or method). Pick the one that fits more with your interests or the way you make your approach to answer this essay.

3. Remember that the logic here is to discuss how this approaches of inquiry and particular interests are related to a more "critical" psychology (at least as Ian Parker defines it). Use at least two (2) of the assigned texts of the conference portion of the class. You are also welcomed to use the texts assigned to the laboratory sections, as long as they apply to your discussion.

Assigned texts (in the order they were assigned):

Parker, I & Burman, E. (2008). Critical Psychology: Four Theses and Seven Misconceptions.

Hellenic Journal of Psychology 5, 99-115.

Featherson, J. (2008). Qualitative Research. In Stephen F. David & William Buskist (Eds.), 21st Century Psychology. A Reference Handbook I (93-102). Los Angeles: Sage Publications.

Creswell, J. W. (2007). Five Qualitative Approaches to Inquiry. In John W. Creswell, Qualitative, Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among Five Approaches (53-84). London: Sage Publications.

Van Dijk, T.A. (1995). Aims of Critical Discourse Analysis. Japanese Discourse I, 17-27. Langridge, D. (2007). Hermeneutic turn. In Darren Langdridge, Phenomenological Psychology

Theory, Research and Method (41-53). New York: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Macleod, C. & Bhatia, S. (2008). Postcolonialism and Psychology. In Carla Willig & Wendy Stainton-Rogers (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology (576-589). Los Angeles: Sage.

Swartz, L. & Rohledger, P. (2008). Cultural Psychology. In Carla Willig & Wendy Stainton- Rogers (Eds.), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology (541-553). Los Angeles: Sage.