History
of Psychology
Psych 409 / 509
Spring, 2005
Instructor: Vinai Norasakkunkit,
Ph.D.
Time: MWF: 8:00am – 8:50am
Location: AH 39
Office hours: AH36, MW: 3:20pm-5:00pm, Fri: 9:00am-12:00pm, or by appointment.
Phone: X6317
E-mail: vinai.norasakkunkit@mnsu.edu
Syllabus located at http://krypton.mnsu.edu/~norasv/syllabus409.htm
Course overview and objectives:
This course is a survey of
the history of modern psychology including philosophical influences, schools of
thought, biographies of prominent psychologists, methodological techniques, and
important studies. The primary objective
is for you to understand the history of psychology and how it relates to the
field as it exists today. By the end of
the course, you should: 1) have a good appreciation that the diversity of
theoretical perspectives is the source of vitality for the discipline as a
whole; 2) be informed concerning the contextual forces in psychology and how
they have served to facilitate and complicate the development of modern
psychology; 3) be able to grasp the economic, social, and political influences
on the development of psychology as a discipline; 4) appreciate how
understanding history is a continuous constructive and reconstructive process
based on limited information that is continually improving in quantity and
quality, and 5) gain an appreciation for the impact of specific persons and
events on the growth of psychology as a science.
Structure of the course
Mastery of the material requires that you stay current on the reading assignments and attend class regularly. The lectures will assume that you have already done the reading for the week, so your understanding of each lecture will be best if you have done the reading first. Exams, team effort in gathering and disseminating information, individual presentations, and a written assignment will all be the basis for evaluation for this course. Although I will not take attendance on a regular basis, students are expected to show up for class, to have read assignments, and to participate in discussions. If you don’t show up, it will be difficult for you to perform well on exams, which will include questions that come out of the lectures and class discussions. There will also be in-class written assignments at between once and three times a week that will count towards attendance.
Exams
There will be three exams given throughout the semester. Exams will consist of multiple choice, short and essay questions. Questions will come out of the readings, lectures, class discussions, and in-class written assignments. The third exam will weigh 5% more than the first two exams due to a greater amount of content that will have to be reviewed to prepare yourself for that exam.
Debates
Because psychology does not have one widely accepted theoretical perspective but instead several competing perspectives or theoretical camps that exist simultaneously, you and others who will make up your debate team will be assigned to be an advocate for one of the theoretical perspectives that makes up one of two competing camps concerning a common controversial theme in the history of psychology. You are to collaboratively do research together with your teammates throughout the semester to gather information so that you can 1) present a brief history of your theoretical perspective, 2) come up with relevant questions and answers that would serve as arguments for the soundness of your theoretical perspective over the competing theoretical perspective, and 3) be prepared to engage in a rebuttal of arguments presented by the team advocating the competing theoretical perspective over yours. The questions and answers that your team comes up with will be graded for their quality and thoughtfulness in the middle of the semester, before the debates take place. On the day of the debate, your team will be evaluated for its performance and persuasiveness. Individual contribution to group efforts will also be evaluated.
There will be four controversial themes that will serve as topics of debate towards the end of the semester. Each theme will have two competing theoretical camps. A team of approximately four students will be assigned per theoretical camp to argue for that theoretical perspective and against the competing theoretical perspective.
Below are the four controversial themes, broken up into competing theoretical camps.
Mechanism verses
Vitalism
Mechanism: The belief that the behavior of organisms, including humans, can be explained entirely in terms of mechanical laws
Vitalism: The belief that life cannot be explained in terms of inanimate processes. For the vitalists, life requires a force that is more than the material objects or inanimate processes in which it manifests itself. For there to be life, there must be a vital force present.
Nativism versus
Empiricism
Nativism: A belief that important human attributes such as intelligence are largely inherited.
Empiricism: The belief that the basis of all knowledge is experience.
Rationalism versus
Irrationalism
Rationalism: The philosophical belief that knowledge can be attained only by engaging in some type of systematic mental activity – for example, explanations that emphasize the importance of cognitive abilities and conscious mechanisms.
Irrationalism: Any explanation of human behavior stressing determinants that are not under rational control – for example, explanations that emphasize the importance of emotions or unconscious mechanisms.
Universalism versus
Relativism
Universalism: The belief that there are universal truths about ourselves and about the physical world in general that can be discovered by anyone using the proper methods of inquiry. In psychology, the universalist principle usually refer to universal mechanisms in psychological processes, not moral universalism.
Relativism: The belief that because all experience must be filtered through individual and group perspectives, the search for universal truths that exist independently of human experience must be in vain. For the relativist, there is no Truth, only truths. In psychology, these truths are about divergent psychological mechanisms according to group and society rather than assuming that there is one fixed psychological mechanism for everyone everywhere.
Paper assignment
You will be required to write a 5-8 page paper on the biographical history and theoretical contribution of any famous psychologist/philosopher representing the theoretical perspective that you have been assigned to for the debate. The format should be 12-point Times-Roman font, double-spaced, and 1 inch margins. The references and citations must be in APA format. Papers will not be accepted after the due date. Also, all papers must be screened for academic dishonesty by the due date. This screening process will be explained in class. To learn more about the APA format, you can go to http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html.
Graduate students will have to write a minimum of 15 pages with at least 10 non-internet references.
Paper presentation
You will also be required to do a 10 min oral presentation in class of the famous psychologist that your paper is about.
An additional requirement
During the scheduled final exam period (day and time to be announced in class), all students in this class are required to take a two hours and ten minutes comprehensive standardized psychology test. The purpose of this test is to see how psychology majors in their final year at our university are doing compared to similar students throughout the nation. This process will also provide crucial feedback for the psychology department about how well we are training our psychology majors in all key areas of psychology compared to psychology majors nationwide. Your performance on this test is used for departmental evaluative purposes only and will not impact your final grade. However, if you do not take this test, I reserve the right to withhold your final grade.
Requirements
Total 100%
Note: Your final grade will not be released unless you take the comprehensive standardized psychology test scheduled during the final exams week (date and time to be announced in class).
Make-up exams
Make-up exams will only be considered in the event that a student misses an exam due to a medical, and sometimes, personal emergency. Students are expected to speak with me at one of my office hours before an exam day to discuss circumstances. I reserve the right to ask for documentation of the emergency should the need arise.
Extra credit
Students will be expected to concentrate on the course assignments at hand. However, extra credit assignments that will be considered are volunteering as a participant in psychological research at MSU and/or doing a one-page writing assignment. Students will have the option to improve their grade on one of the first two exams by half a grade (e.g., From a “B” to a “B+”, etc.) for each hour of research they participate in (or for each writing assignment) with a limit of three extra credit assignments (research hours and/or paper) in total. Students will be responsible for bringing the research credit slips in to me for each research study they participate in. Keep in mind that opportunities to participate in research studies are contingent on how many psychological research projects looking to recruit participants are taking place in any given semester. Therefore, opportunities to participate in research may vary from semester to semester. In any event, students should not count on research participation to work as a substitute for showing up in class, doing the readings, or studying for the exams but rather as an opportunity to slightly improve the grade they receive on an exam.
Disabilities
Every attempt will be made
to accommodate qualified students with disabilities. If you are a student with a documented
disability, please see me as early in the semester as possible to discuss the
necessary accommodations, and/or contact the Disabilities Services Office at
(507)389-2825 (V) or 1-800-627-3529 (MRS/TTY).
INCOMPLETES
Incompletes are meant to be used in cases of extreme medical or personal emergency. These are the only situations in which an incomplete will even be considered. If a situation of this type should arise, I would need to be contacted as soon as possible so that a contract could be negotiated to outline what work would need to be finished and in what time frame. I reserve the right to ask for documentation of the emergency should the need arise. University policy states that any consideration of an incompletes is contingent on the student having already done passing work for the semester.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
It is assumed that in this class each student and I will act in a professional and honest manner. Therefore, any student who engages in an act of Academic Dishonesty, such as cheating on an exam, plagiarism, etc., will receive a failing grade for that task and in most cases a failing grade for the course. Please review the sections on Academic Standards, Cheating, and Plagiarism in your student handbook. If you still have questions about Academic Honesty or expectations in this course see me as early as possible in the semester.
Text:
Shultz, D.P. & Shultz,
S.E. (2004). A history of modern
psychology, 8th ed.,
Tentative Calendar
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Date(s) |
Topic
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Reminders |
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Week
of Jan 17 |
Introduction
/ Library Assignment |
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No class Monday, Jan 17. Go
to the library instruction session (Room 110 in the library) on Fri Jan
21. Attendance will be taken. Pick a regular time to meet with your team
members to come up with debate questions and answers for your theoretical
perspective. |
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Week of Jan 24 |
Library
assignment due this Wed, Jan 26 Use Monday’s class time to meet with your
group, complete the library assignment, or begin the research process for
your paper by using your library skills and looking for books and articles on
the famous psychologist/philosopher of your choice who represents the
theoretical perspective of your debate team. |
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Week
of Jan 31 |
You should be meeting regularly with your team members to come up with debate questions and answers for your theoretical perspective. |
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Week of Feb 7 |
Exam 1 next week on Wed, Feb 16:
Covers Ch. 1-3 Questions and answers for debate due Wed,
March 9. |
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Week of Feb 14 |
Exam 1 this week on Wed, Feb
16: Covers Ch. 1-3 Continue
looking for books and articles on the famous psychologist/philosopher of your
choice who represents the theoretical perspective of your debate team. Write 1-2 page prospectus of your paper topic by next Wed |
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Week of Feb 21 |
Paper
prospectus due this Wed, Feb 21 You
should be meeting regularly with your team members to come up with debate questions
and answers for your theoretical perspective. |
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Week of Feb 28 |
Exam 2 next week on Mon, March 7 Covers Ch. 4-6 You should be meeting regularly with your
team members to come up with debate questions and answers for your
theoretical perspective. |
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Week of March 7 |
Functionalism |
Chapter
7 (William James only) Chapter
8 |
Exam
2 this week on Mon, March. 7. Questions
and answers for debate due this Wed, March 9 Spring break March 14-18 |
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Week of March 21 |
Behaviorism |
Chapter
9-11 Note:
John Watson only for ch. 10 |
Meet with your team mates periodically to
organize how your debate will be presented.
Also be prepared to engage in a rebuttal based on the questions and
answers your opponent team came up with. |
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Week of March 28 |
Meet with your team mates periodically to
organize how your debate will be presented.
Also be prepared to engage in a rebuttal based on the questions and
answers your opponent team came up with. |
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Week of April 4 |
Contemporary
Developments in Psychology |
Chapter
15 |
Meet with your team mates periodically to
organize how your debate will be presented.
Also be prepared to engage in a rebuttal based on the questions and
answers your opponent team came up with. |
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Week of April 11 |
Debates |
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Exam 3 next week on Mon, April 18:
Covers Ch. 9-15 + Nov 15 lecture |
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Week of April 18 |
Exam
3 + Paper presentations |
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Exam 3 this week on Mon., April 18. Covers Ch. 9-15 Paper presentations begin this week, Wed April 20 |
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Week of April 25 |
Paper
presentations |
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Paper
due Next Wed, May 4 |
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Week of May 2 |
Paper presentations |
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Paper due
this Wed, May 4 |
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Week of May 9 |
Exam week |
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Comprehensive
standardized psychology exam during finals on Monday, May 9 at 8:00am |