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History, Philosophy and Systems of Psychology(Spring II, 2008)
Instructor:Dr. Linda M. Woolf |  |
Office Hours:
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Texts:
- Benjamin, L. T. (2000). A brief history of modern psychology. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
- Kunkel, J. H. (1989). Encounters with great psychologists: Twelve dramatic portraits. Toronto: Wall & Emerson.
Course Description:
A perusal of the various journals in psychology or an examination of any psychology conference schedule seems to suggest that psychology is a highly disjointed discipline. However, psychology is unified through its historical traditions and systems of thought. In this course, we will explore the roots of modern psychological thought and methodology. We will trace these roots from their origins in philosophy and the natural sciences through the early schools of psychology and on into its current form. In addition to learning about the major schools and systems of psychology (e. g., Functionalism, Structuralism, Gestalt, etc.), we will explore how cultural and political forces shaped the development of various psychological theories. We will also examine the lives and works of the men and women whose work created psychology's foundation. Through these explorations we will discover the common threads and patterns interwoven into the broad tapestry of psychology.
Course Objectives:
- Objective: To develop a basic understanding of the various processes of scientific development and change (e.g. paradigmatic theory, world hypotheses, Zeitgeist)
- Objective: To become familiar with the chronological history of ideas which has contributed to the field of psychology.
- Objective: To examine the historical context including political and cultural contexts within which the development of psychology as a discipline has taken place.
- Objective: To be able to place current psychological thought within that historical development and context.
- Objective: To recognize the role of women and people of color in the history of psychology, both as
researchers and as subjects of research.
- Objective: To learn about the major figures and schools of thought in psychology's history.
- Objective: To be aware of the current changes occurring within psychology as a discipline and the history of some of the more recent subdisciplines within psychology.
- Objective: To critically evaluate and examine an individual or concept related to the history of psychology in more depth.
Course Outcomes:
- Outcome: Students will be able to discuss the various theories related to the manner in which changes occurs in the history of science (e.g. paradigmatic theory, world hypotheses, Zeitgeist)
- Outcome: Students will be able to outline the history of major schools of psychology.
- Outcome: Students will be able to discuss the historical context including political and cultural contexts within which the development of psychology as a discipline has taken place.
- Outcome: Students will be able identify the place of current psychological thought within historical development and context.
- Outcome: Students will be able to discuss the role of women and people of color in the history of psychology, both as
researchers and as subjects of research.
- Outcome: Students will be able to identify the the major figures and schools of thought in psychology's history.
- Outcome: Students will become aware of the current changes occurring within psychology as a discipline and the history of some of the more recent subdisciplines within psychology. Students will be able to discuss in depth the history of a single subdiscipline within the field of psychology.
- Outcome: Students will be able to critically evaluate and examine an individual or concept related to the history of psychology in more depth.
Class Meetings:
The class will meet on Tuesdays from 5:30-9:30. Attendance is expected as material will be presented that is not in the book. See attendance policy below.
Incoming Competency:
All students should have completed 9 hours of psychology and should be capable of integrating and evaluating information, critical thinking, and writing at the 3000 level.
Course Requirements:
Three exams, a term paper, and group project.All grades will be assigned on a scale of 0 - 100 with:
90 - 100 A-,A Superior Work 80 - 89 B-,B,B+ Good Work 70 - 79 C-,C,C+ Satisfactory Work 60 - 69 D,D+ Passing, but less than Satisfactory Less than 60 F Failing
Percent of Grade:
Examinations 75% Term Paper 15% Group Project 10% Examinations: Examination format will include multiple choice, short answer, matching, and essay. They will cover material presented in lecture, readings, and discussion. Three examinations will be given. Each exam will constitute 25% of your final grade.
POLICY STATEMENTS: All exams must be taken on the date scheduled except in case of an emergency. In case of the above, the instructor must be notified in advance that a test is going to be missed. No make-up exams will be provided if you fail to notify and discuss your situation with the instructor. No extra credit work will be made available to make-up for a poor test grade.Term Paper: Students will be required to write a term paper of 7-10 pages (approximately 2300 to 3000 words). The purpose of the paper is to provide you, the student, with an opportunity to explore an another area within the history and systems of psychology, in depth. You may, for example, you might want to explore a particular concept in the history of psychology or review the works of a key figure. You must include at least 8 references. The majority of your references should be from PRIMARY SOURCES and NOT others' works on the topic or individual. A half page abstract (description of your paper) is due by March 25 via email - woolflm@webster.edu. The final paper is due May 2, 2008.
- APA 5th Edition Publication Manual Changes
- APA Style Guide prepared by Mark Plonsky - http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/apa4b.htm
- APA Publication format for electronic references
- Kevin Schoepp's Online APA Interactive Tutorial
Group Presentation: Individuals will be assigned to groups during the third week of class. Each group will be responsible for presenting the history of one of the subfields of psychology to the class on April 29 and May 6. Some of the subfields that individuals might want to consider include:
- Developmental Psychology
- Environmental Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Organizational Psychology
- Peace Psychology
- School Psychology
- Social Psychology
Students are not limited by these suggestions but all group topics must be approved by the instructor. Each member of the group must provide an outline and references (in APA format) to the class. Note that each member of the group will be graded individually.
Extra Credit Opportunity! For 10 points each (10 is the maximum points possible for a single report but may be lower depending on the quality of the report), you may listen to a History of Psychology podcast and write a report about the podcast (3 podcast maximum - although if you do not like the points received on a podcast report, you may complete an additional podcast to replace the report with the lower grade). You need to include:
- Discuss the major ideas presented in the podcast
- Discuss any differences of similarities between the material in the podcast and the book
- Discuss what you found to be the most interesting or new points you learned from the podcast
Podcast can be listed to at http://www.yorku.ca/christo/podcasts/. These can also be downloaded through iTunes - just search podcasts for the This Week in the History of Psychology (Christopher Green).
Podcast reports may be subimitted at any point in the semester until May 1st. Absolutely NO reports will be accepted following that deadline. Keep this deadline in mind and don't wait until the last minute. Absolutely no extensions will be granted regardless of the legitimacy of the problem that may arise (e.g., computer crashes, power outages, illness, etc.). All papers must be submitted electronically in Word format to woolflm@webster.edu
Policy Statements:
Plagiarism (attempting to pass off the work of another as one's own) is not acceptable. Plagiarism includes copying all or part of another's writings (even a single sentence), inappropriate paraphrasing, using another student's paper as your own, submitting a paper for more than one class. All papers will be submitted to the university's plagiarism database for review. Plagiarism, either intentional or unintentional, will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment and will be turned over to the appropriate university source for disciplinary action. In addition, cheating on exams will also result in the same fate.
Here are some Web sites that will help you avoid the problem of plagiarism particularly plagiarism resulting from paraphrasing too closely to the original source. -
- Establishing Authorship by Paul C. Smith, Alverno College
- How to Avoid Plagiarism Tutorial
- The University of Indiana's Online Plagiarism Tutorial - You can print out a certificate of completion!
It should be noted that, as is common in many university courses, little time will be spent lecturing on topics adequately addressed by the text. Students are expected to arrive at class meetings having already read the material assigned, and to ask questions to clarify any areas that remain unclear. While every attempt will be made to explain or expand upon particularly difficult areas, the primary purpose of classroom lecture is to enhance, rather than to duplicate, the textbook material.
Late withdraws from this class will not be approved by the instructor except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor. No late withdraws will be approved on the basis of poor class performance.
This syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes concerning course requirements will be provided in writing. Changes concerning exam dates may be made at the instructor's discretion and communicated verbally to the class.
It is understood that remaining in this course (not dropping or withdrawing from this course) constitutes an agreement to abide by the terms outlined in this syllabus and an acceptance of the requirements outlined in this document. No grade of Incomplete will be issued for this course.
Additional Web Resources!
- Publications by Robert H. Wozniak, Bryn Mawr College
- History & theory of psychology eprint archive
- History & philosophy of psychology Web resources (Division 26 of APA: History of Psychology Links site)
Course Outline