PSY 482 - Seminar in Psychological Theory Spring 2018

Key Information

Time: TuTh 10:00-11:50

Location: AI 442

Instructor: Todd Haskell

Office: AI 486

Office hours: M 12-1, W 10-11, Th 1-2

Phone: 650-2720

E-mail: Todd.Haskell@wwu.edu

Class web page: http://wwu.instructure.com (Canvas)

Readings

There is no textbook for this class. Instead, we will be reading several journal articles, book chapters, or other

sources related to each topic. Most of the readings are available electronically through the Western Libraries

web page. These readings are indicated by the symbol in the class schedule below. Some of the readings are

posted on Canvas instead. These readings are indicated by the symbol in the class schedule below.

Class Schedule

Note: Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments should be submitted on Canvas, and are due by the beginning

of class time on the date shown below.

Week 1 Tu 4/3 Overview of the Course

Th 4/5 Johnson, A. (2001). Privilege, power, difference, and us. In A. Johnson,

Privilege, Power, and Difference (pp. 83-95). San Francisco:

McGraw-Hill.

DISCUSS SKILL 1

PREFERENCES FOR PRESENTING A READING DUE

Week 2 Tu 4/10 Hayes, J., Schimel, J., & Williams, T. J. (2008). Fighting death with

death: The buffering effects of learning that worldview violators

have died. Psychological Science, 19, 501-507. doi:10.1111/j.1467-

9280.2008.02115.x

TOPIC 1: WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY, AND IS IT A SCIENCE?

Th 4/12 Lilienfeld, S. O. (2012). Public skepticism of psychology: Why many

people perceive the study of human behavior as unscientific.

American Psychologist, 67, 111-129. doi:10.1037/a0023963

Bauer, H. H. (1992). The so-called scientific method. In Scientific

Literacy and the Myth of the Scientific Method (pp. 19-41).

Chicago: University of Illinois Press.

Holmes, J. D., & Beins, B. C. (2009). Psychology is a science: At least

some students think so. Teaching of Psychology, 36, 5-11.

doi:10.1080/00986280802529350

Gergen, K. J. (2001). Psychological science in a postmodern context.

American Psychologist, 56, 803-813. doi:10.1037/0003-

066X.56.10.803

REACTION PAPER 1 DUE

Week 3 Tu 4/17 DISCUSS SKILL 2

REFLECTION PART 1 DUE

Th 4/19 DISCUSS SKILL 3

TOPIC 2: PSYCHOLOGY AND RELIGION

Week 4 Tu 4/24 Derry, G. N. (1999). Ultimate questions: Science and religion. In What

Science Is And How It Works (pp. 125-132). Princeton, NJ:

Princeton University Press.

Jones, S. L. (1994). A constructive relationship for religion with the

science and profession of psychology: Perhaps the boldest model

yet. American Psychologist, 49, 184-199. doi:10.1037/0003-

066X.49.3.184

Cheong, R. K., & DiBlasio, F. A. (2007). Christ-like love and

forgiveness: A biblical foundation for counseling practice. Journal

of Psychology and Christianity, 26, 14-25.

Monteiro, L. M., Musten, R. F., & Compson, J. (2015). Traditional and

contemporary mindfulness: Finding the middle path in the tangle of

concerns. Mindfulness, 6, 1–13. doi:10.1007/s12671-014-0301-7

REACTION PAPER 2 DUE

Th 4/26 PROJECT PROPOSAL DUE

Week 5 Tu 5/1

TOPIC 3: PSYCHOLOGY AND CULTURE

Th 5/3 Fish, J. M. (2000). What anthropology can do for psychology: Facing

physics envy, ethnocentrism, and a belief in “race.” American

Anthropologist, 102, 552-563. doi:10.1525/aa.2000.102.3.552

Fowers, B. J., & Richardson, F. C. (1996). Why is multiculturalism

good? American Psychologist, 51, 609-621. doi:10.1037/0003-

066X.51.6.609

Henrich, J., Heine, S. J., & Norenzayan, A. (2010). The weirdest people

in the world? Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 33, 61-135.

doi:10.1017/S0140525X0999152X NOTE: You only need to read

the target article (up through page 83); reading the commentaries &

response is optional.

Cheung, F. M. (2012). Mainstreaming culture in psychology. American

Psychologist, 67, 721-730. doi:10.1037/a0029876

REACTION PAPER 3 DUE

Week 6 Tu 5/8 DISCUSS SKILL 4

Th 5/10 PROJECT OUTLINE DUE

TOPIC 4: PSYCHOLOGY, IDEOLOGY, AND IDENTITY

Week 7 Tu 5/15 Avishai, O., Gerber, L., & Randles, J. (2013). The feminist

ethnographer’s dilemma: Reconciling progressive research agendas

with fieldwork realities. Journal of Contemporary Ethnography,

42(4), 394-426. doi:10.1177/0891241612458955

Mutegi, J. W. (2011). The inadequacies of ‘‘Science for All’’ and the

necessity and nature of a socially transformative curriculum

approach for African American science education. Journal of

Research in Science Teaching, 248(3), 301–316.

doi:10.1002/tea.20410

Duarte, J. L., Crawford, J. T., Stern, C., Haidt, J., Jussim, L., & Tetlock,

P. E. (2015). Political diversity will improve social psychological

science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 38, e130.

doi:10.1017/S0140525X14000430 NOTE: You only need to read

the target article (up through page 13); reading the commentaries &

response is optional.

Lilienfeld, S. O. (2017). Microaggressions: Strong claims, inadequate

evidence. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(1), 138-169.

doi:10.1177/1745691616659391

REACTION PAPER 4 DUE

Th 5/17 DISCUSS SKILL 5

Week 8 Tu 5/22

Th 5/24 PROJECT DRAFT DUE

TOPIC 5: PSYCHOLOGY IN POLICY AND PRACTICE

Week 9 Tu 5/29 Moore, K. A. (2006). How can basic research on children and families

be useful for the policy process? Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 52,

365-375. doi:10.1353/mpq.2006.0015

Lilienfeld, S. O. (2002). When worlds collide: Social science, politics,

and the Rind et al. (1998) child sexual abuse meta-analysis.

American Psychologist, 57, 176-188. doi:10.1037/0003-

066X.57.3.176

Baker, T. B., McFall, R. M., & Shoham, V. (2008). Current status and

future prospects of clinical psychology: Toward a scientifically

principled approach to mental and behavioral health care.

Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 9, 67-103.

doi:10.1111/j.1539-6053.2009.01036.x

Epstein, R. (2006). Giving psychology away: A personal journey.

Perspectives on Psychological Science, 1(4), 389-400.

doi:10.1111/j.1745-6916.2006.00023.x

REACTION PAPER 5 DUE

Th 5/31

Week 10 Tu 6/5

Th 6/7 REFLECTION PART 2 DUE

Finals

Week

Tu 6/12 PROJECT FINAL PAPER DUE AT 5PM

PSY 482 - Seminar in Psychological Theory

communicate effectively

P s y c h o l o g y M a j o r L e a r n i n g O b j e c t i v e s

design and implement theoretically based and methodologically sound

research projects

recognize that you are a product of and participant in a dynamic sociocultural

system that includes similarities and

differences with others

demonstrate knowledge of psychological theory across a broad range of

content areas

demonstrate critical thinking

evaluate data and draw appropriate conclusions

recognize applicability of psychological theories and

principles in real world settings

view their education in psychology as relevant to

their lives post-graduation

1. Understand and evaluate information

from a variety of sources

2. Ask questions and critically examine

arguments

4. Recognize different worldviews and

approach an issue from multiple perspectives

C o u r s e G o a l s

3. Communicate effectively in written

and oral forms

A s s e s s m e n t M e t h o d s

• Reaction papers

• Final project

• Participation

• Reaction papers

• Presenting a reading

• Final project

• Participation

• Reaction papers

• Final project

• Participation

• Reflection papers

• Reaction papers

• Final project

Calculation of Course Grade

For purposes of calculating a course grade,

assessments will be weighted as follows:

Reflections 6%

Reaction papers 35%

Presenting a reading 6%

Participation in activities and

discussion

20%

Final project 33%

Points will be translated into letter grades as follows:

Points Letter

93.0-100.0 A

90.0-92.9 A-

86.0-89.9 B+

83.0-85.9 B

80.0-82.9 B-

76.0-79.9 C+

73.0-75.9 C

70.0-72.9 C-

66.0-69.9 D+

63.0-65.9 D

60.0-62.9 D-

<60.0 F

PSY 482 - Seminar in Psychological Theory

Policy on Missed Class Meetings

1) An absence from class is considered an excused absence if either of the following applies:

a) You know you are going to miss a class meeting and notify the instructor in advance

b) You miss a class due to an unforeseeable emergency, and you are able to document this emergency

and explain why you couldn’t contact the instructor in advance.

2) You do not automatically receive participation credit for an excused absence. However, you may do a

make-up assignment to earn that credit. The make-up assignment consists of finding a source other than

the assigned readings that is relevant to the topic currently being discussed in class, and preparing a

write-up on that source with the following information:

a) APA-style citation

b) Brief summary of the source (3-4 sentences)

c) 2-3 new things you learned from that source

This write-up must be submitted within one week from when you return to class after the absence.

3) You may not make up participation points for unexcused absences

Policy on Late Assignments

1) Unless otherwise specified, all assignments are due by the beginning of class on the date indicated on

the syllabus.

2) Assignments submitted late will receive a late penalty of 10% as soon as the assignment is late, with an

additional 10% penalty for every 24 hour period that passes until it is submitted.

3) A late assignment is considered excused if either of the following applies:

a) You know you will be unable to submit an assignment on time and notify the instructor in

advance

b) You are unable to submit an assignment on time due to an unforeseeable emergency, and you

are able to document this emergency and explain why you couldn’t contact the instructor in

advance

For an excused late assignment, you will typically receive an extension. Provided you are able to submit

the work by the end of that extension, no late penalty will be applied. However, the instructor reserves

the right to determine the appropriate duration of the extension, based on the nature of the assignment

and the circumstances. Extensions can be as short as an hour and as long as several days. If an in-class

activity depends on having an assignment completed by class time, the instructor may decide not to

grant an extension.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is about what kind of people we are – our character and our respect for both others and

ourselves. And in this class, it is also about respect for the process of science. Cheating on an exam is like

making up data, and plagiarism is like claiming someone else’s discovery as your own.

Because science relies on a free exchange of ideas, students are encouraged to discuss material and assignments

with anyone they wish. However, unless otherwise indicated, the actual assignments must be the student's own

work. Furthermore, student work should clearly distinguish between the student's own words and/or ideas, and

words and/or ideas taken from someone else, using quotation marks and citations as appropriate. When in

doubt, consult the instructor. More information about academic integrity can be found at

http://www.wwu.edu/integrity/.

Students with Disabilities

Students requesting academic accommodations in this class based on a disability should make a request through

disAbility Resources for Students (DRS) no later than the first week of classes. DRS can be contacted via e-

mail at drs@wwu.edu or by phone at (360) 650-3083 and is on the web at http://www.wwu.edu/drs/.

Dealing with Serious Illnesses, Emergencies, and other Crises

From time to time students experience a serious illness, emergency, or other crisis during the quarter. Western

provides several resources to support students during difficult times, and you are encouraged to seek out support

and assistance as early as possible.

• In the case of a medical concern or question, please contact the Health Center: 650-3400 or

http://www.wwu.edu/chw/student_health

• In the case of an emotional or psychological concern or question, please contact the Counseling Center: 650-

3164 or http://www.wwu.edu/counseling/

• In the case of a non-emergency health and safety concern, please contact the University Police: 650-3555 or

http://www.wwu.edu/ps/police/

• In the case of a family or personal crisis or emergency, please contact the Office of Student Life:

650-3706 or https://wp.wwu.edu/officeofstudentlife/student-assistance-2/

• To seek confidential support related to sexual violence, please contact CASAS (650-3700 or

https://pws.wwu.edu/consultation-and-sexual-assault-support-casas), the Student Health Center, and/or the

Counseling Center. To report sexual violence, please contact University Police, Bellingham Police, and/or the

Title IX Coordinator in Western’s Equal Opportunity Office (650-3307 or http://www.wwu.edu/eoo/). Faculty

are responsible employees who are required to report sex discrimination, including sexual violence that they

learn about, to the Title IX Coordinator.

Contact information checked and updated 3/27/18