PERSONALITY (ONLINE)
Psychology 350-115, Summer 2013
Instructor: Sam Fiala, Ph.D., L.P.
Class Meetings: Online
Email: Blackboard (preferred); sam.fiala@ct.tamus.edu
Course Web Page: http://tamuct.blackboard.com
Office hours: By appointment
Office phone: 254-519-5759
Course Overview
This course provides an introduction to personality: the unique and relatively stable patterns of behavior, thoughts, and feelings that
make individual human beings. Different theoretical approaches - psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioral, humanistic, and biological –
will be covered and will be related to personality and personality development. Prerequisites: PSY 101, 102, or approval of
department head.
Course Objectives Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Demonstrate their content-specific knowledge of multiple theories of personality and of the degree to which these theories
are supported by empirical research.
Critically analyze empirical studies which serve as the basis for claims made about personality.
Articulate how the behavior of a particular individual can be understood from the perspectives of theories of personality.
Gather and interpret information needed to begin the assessment of an individual’s personality type.
Articulate an understanding of what factors influence the expression of personality.
Mode of Instruction & Course Access
This is a fully online course; 100% of course instruction and student interaction will occur online. These online interactions will rely
on TAMUCT’s Blackboard system (http://tamuct.blackboard.com). See the Technological Requirements section of the syllabus for
more information on accessing/using Blackboard.
Required Reading
• Personality (8th ed.) Burger, J.M. (2011). ISBN: 9780495813965
The schedule for reading assignments is on the last page of this syllabus. It is essential that keep up with the required readings, and
when I record my lectures I will assume that you have read the relevant material in the text before viewing them.
**A student of this institution is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from a university-affiliated bookstore. As an online
student, you might want to consider purchasing an e-book from an online retailer (e.g., coursesmart $77…
http://www.coursesmart.com/IR/3438705/9780495813965?__hdv=6.8)**
Student-instructor Interactions
Learning is best fostered when open lines of communication are maintained among students and between students and the
instructor. The best way to ask me a question or make a comment about the course is via the email platform provided in Blackboard.
I will check this email account daily M-F and once on Sa-Su. I will strive to respond to you within 48 hours.
If you have a question about something presented in a video lecture or in the reading, it’s best to email me in Blackboard. I will also
create a space in the discussion boards for you to pose general class questions to your colleagues. This is often a good place for
students to help each other find the answers to course-relevant questions. You can also email me to schedule a face-to-face meeting
in my office, a teleconference, or a virtual meeting using the chat function of our BB site.
Participation
This is an online class, but it is not a self-paced online class. There are deadlines each week that are designed to ensure that you
progress through the material at an appropriate pace. There are also some activities that require peer interaction. For this reason,
you will need to be sure and dedicate time each week to working on this course. It’s not something that you can do in big chunks at
the end of the semester.
ASSIGNMENTS
Assessment Questions (12 pts): This assignment was designed to give you an opportunity to work collaboratively with
your classmates and to think critically about how personality is assessed/measured. For this assignment we will do some role play
work using the Discussion boards in Blackboard. I’ll be answering questions posed by you and your colleagues (from the perspective
of a character I make up). Your job is to ask good questions that will allow you to describe the character’s personality (from at least
one theoretical perspective) and comment on how the character’s personality was formed (also from one/more theoretical
perspectives). You should pose at least four (4) questions to this character during the semester (see calendar below for deadlines).
You can ask anything you’d like, but you want to be sure and ask good questions because you’ll be using the information you gather
(based on my responses as the character) to complete the Assessment Report assignment (see below). Each question will be worth 3
points. If you submit more than 4 questions, your assignment grade will be equal to 4 x (average score on each question).
To earn credit for a question:
1. it must be original (i.e., another person in the class hasn’t asked the same [or a very similar] question)
2. it must be submitted on time
3. you must also provide a brief rationale for why you are asking the question (e.g., I want to know if the character is a first
born because Adler thinks birth order affects personality development)
4. at least one of your four questions should be aimed at gathering information to describe the character’s personality and at
least one of the four should be aimed at gathering information to explain how the character’s personality was formed (50%
penalty for not complying with this instruction).
Learning Objective #4.
Assessment Report (12 pts): The questions and responses generated by the Assessment Questions assignment
described above will provide you with the data for your report. In your report you should provide a thorough description of the
character’s personality and identify the major influences on the personality development of the character using at least two distinct
theoretical perspectives (e.g., Neo-Freudian theories vs. cognitive theories). Be sure to always justify the conclusions you made by
citing relevant information from the character’s responses (e.g., “The client appears to be using repression to defend against the
anxiety created by his abandonment at the hands of his father. Although he knows that his father left the family when he was 6
years old, he reports having no memories whatsoever of his father.”). The report should be about 3 pages in length.
Due 11:59pm 7/23. See the rubric posted with the assignment for more details before getting started. Learning Objective #3.
Article Critiques (2 x 5 pts each = 10 pts): This assignment is designed to give you an opportunity to evaluate
the claims made by scientists who study personality. For each theory discussed in our text there is a chapter that addresses empirical
research relevant to that theory. I will present you with four (4) articles that are cited in your text to support contentions being
made by the author. You will choose two (2) of these articles to critique. For each article you choose, you will complete the Article
Critique Form that is posted online. This form will direct you to (a) summarize the essential features of the study’s method, (b)
identify the primary conclusions of the study’s authors, and (c) evaluate how strengths and weaknesses of the study’s methodology
impact the validity of the conclusions drawn by its authors.
Due 6/20 and 7/8. Learning Objective #2.
Character Study (8 pts): This assignment is designed to give you an opportunity to think creatively about personality and
apply your growing knowledge of personality theory. You will develop a personality profile for a fictional character of your own
choosing (from literature, t.v., movies, etc.). NOTE: this character should not be someone you make up from your own imagination;
it should be an identifiable character from publicly accessible media (e.g., Han Solo, Elizabeth Bennet, Marge Simpson…). You will
chose one (1) theoretical perspective to use in creating the personality profile. After identifying the character and theory you chose,
you should describe what the character is like (using terms consistent with your chosen theory) and address how your chosen theory
would explain how that character’s personality developed. It should be 2-3 double-spaced pages in length. You may consult
materials beyond our text to enhance your knowledge of personality theory, but you should not consult other sources for
information on what the personality profile of your character is. See the rubric posted with the assignment for more details before
getting started. Learning Objective #3 and #5.
Who Is It? (10 pts): This assignment compliments the Character Study assignment and gives you a chance to interact
with your classmates in thinking about personality theory. Each of you will create a discussion thread in the Who Is It? forum in the
Discussion section of our Blackboard page. The title of the thread will simply be your own name. Your classmates will pose “yes/no”
questions to you on this thread about the personality of your character (the one you chose for the Character Study assignment);
they will be trying to guess the identity of your chosen character. Please try to respond promptly to postings (you don’t need to
reply to questions that aren’t about the character’s personality or to open-ended questions). If you fall behind in responding by 1
week, you will be penalized 10% on this assignment. To earn full credit for the assignment you will need to:
1.
2.
3.
create a discussion thread for questions about your character and give your classmates one hint about the character’s
identity (this can be as vague/specific as you wish).
respond in a timely manner to questions posted on your thread
post at least one question to four (4) of your classmate’s threads (questions must be about their character’s personality)
a. Please make an effort to help make sure everyone gets a couple of questions posed to them; thanks.
b. See calendar below for deadlines regarding when questions must be posted.
If you think you’ve figured out who a character is, you may post your guess on the appropriate thread; however, you only get once
guess per thread. The reward for correctly guessing a character’s identity: the admiration and respect of your peers…and maybe it
will be an extra credit question on the final exam :-)
Learning Objective #4.
ASSESSMENTS
Quizzes (9 x 2 pts each = 18 pts)
To encourage you to stay current with your reading, there will be weekly open-book quizzes. Because these quizzes are meant as
reading checks, you should be able to easily earn full credit on them if you’ve done the reading. No make-ups for these quizzes will
be given. Quizzes must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on the day they are assigned (see calendar at end of syllabus). You will also take
a brief quiz over this long syllabus. Learning Objective #1.
Final Exam (30 pts)
There will one comprehensive exam at the end of the semester. It will consist of a mixture of multiple-choice and essay questions
that will require you to apply, integrate, and differentiate among information presented over the course of the semester.
Please note: students often find my exams difficult in part because they understand the material only superficially and in part
because they start studying too late (e.g., studying 2 days just won't cut it). The exam will be available by 12pm on Friday July 26th.
Once you begin you will have 3 hours to complete the exam. You must complete the exam by 11:59pm on July 26th.
Learning Objective #1.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Technological Requirements
This course will use the new TAMU-CT Blackboard Learn learning management system for class communications, content
distribution, and assessments.
Logon to http://tamuct.blackboard.com to access the course.
Username: Your Tarleton email address (the complete email address, e.g. john.doe@go.tarleton.edu)
Initial password: Your DuckTrax ID (UID)
For this course, you will need reliable and frequent access to a computer and to the Internet. When you are engaging in online
assessment activities (i.e., quizzes and exams), I strongly recommend that you use a computer that is hardwired to the internet
rather than a wireless device (e.g., laptop using a router, smartphone). Following this recommendation will decrease the likelihood
that you will be kicked off the system while in the midst of a quiz/exam. You will also need a headset or speakers to be able to listen
to online resources and conduct other activities in the course. If you do not have frequent and reliable access to a computer with
Internet connection, you might want to consider dropping this course.
Blackboard supports the most common operating systems:
PC: Windows 7, Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 2000,
Mac: Mac OS 10.6 “Snow Leopard®”, Mac OS 10.5 “Leopard®”, Mac OS 10.4 “Tiger®”
Check browser and computer compatibility by following the “Browser Check” link on the TAMU-CT Blackboard logon page.
(http://tamuct.blackboard.com) This is a CRITICAL step as these settings are important for when you take an exam or submit an
assignment.
Upon logging on to Blackboard Learn, you will see a link to Blackboard Student Orientation under My Courses tab. Click on that link
and study the materials in this orientation course. The new Blackboard is a brand-new interface and you will have to come up to
speed with it really quickly. This orientation course will help you get there. There is also a link to Blackboard Help from inside the
course on the left-hand menubar. Your ability to function within the Blackboard system will facilitate your success in this course.
Technology issues are not an excuse for missing a course requirement – make sure your computer is configured correctly and address
issues well in advance of deadlines.
Technology Support
For technological or computer issues, students should contact the TAMU-CT Blackboard Support Services 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week:
Support Portal: http://www.ct.tamus.edu/bbsupport
Online chat (through the support portal at: http://www.ct.tamus.edu/bbsupport)
Phone: (855)-661-7965
For issues related to course content, students should contact me.
Academic Integrity Policy
Texas A&M University - Central Texas expects all students to maintain high standards of personal and scholarly conduct. Students guilty of
academic dishonestly are subject to disciplinary action. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on an examination or
other academic work, plagiarism, collusion, and the abuse of resource materials. The faculty member is responsible for initiating action for
each case of academic dishonestly. More information can be found at www.tamuct.org/studentconduct.
My interactions with you are based on an expectation of mutual trust and honor. You are required to do your own work on exams
and assignments (unless I explicitly say otherwise). Violation of this trust will result in an F in this course in addition to whatever
consequences the University deems appropriate.
Disability Support
Texas A&M University – Central Texas complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990. TAMUCT promotes the use of the Principles of Universal Design to ensure that course design and activities
are accessible to the greatest extent possible. Students who require reasonable accommodations based on the impact of a disability
should contact Gail Johnson, Disability Support Coordinator at (254) 501-5831 in Student Affairs, Office 114E. The Disability Support
Coordinator is responsible for reviewing documentation provided by students requesting accommodations, determining eligibility
for accommodations, helping students request and use accommodations, and coordinating accommodations.
Library Services
Library distance education services aims to make available quality assistance to A&M-Central Texas students seeking information
sources remotely by providing digital reference, online information literacy tutorials, and digital research materials. Much of the
A&M-CT collection is available instantly from home. This includes over half of the library's book collection, as well as approximately
25,000 electronic journals and 200 online databases. Library Distance Education Services are outlined and accessed at:
http://www.ct.tamus.edu/departments/library/deservices.php
Information literacy focuses on research skills which prepare individuals to live and work in an information-centered society.
Librarians will work with students in the development of critical reasoning, ethical use of information, and the appropriate use of
secondary research techniques. Help may include, but is not limited to: the exploration of information resources such as library
collections, the identification of appropriate materials, and the execution of effective search strategies. Library Resources are
outlined and accessed at: http://www.ct.tamus.edu/departments/library/index.php
A video lecture will be posted offering advice on how to make use of library resources when conducting research.
UNILERT: Emergency Warning System for Texas A&M University – Central Texas
UNILERT is an emergency notification service that gives Texas A&M University-Central Texas the ability to communicate health and
safety emergency information quickly via email and text message. By enrolling in UNILERT, university officials can quickly pass on
safety-related information, regardless of your location. Please enroll today at http://TAMUCT.org/UNILERT
Tutoring
TAMUCT offers its students tutoring, both on-campus and online. Subjects tutored include: Accounting, Finance, Statistics,
Mathematics, and Writing (MLA and APA). For hours, or if you're interested in becoming a tutor, contact Academic Support
Programs at 254-519-5496 or by emailing gnichols@ct.tamus.edu.
Tutor.com is an online tutoring platform that enables TAMU-CT students to log-in and receive FREE online tutoring and writing
support. This tool provides tutoring in Mathematics, Writing, Career Writing, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, Spanish, Calculus, and
Statistics. Chat live with a tutor 24/7 for any subject on your computer at www.tutor.com/tamuct, or use the Tutor.com To Go App
on your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. Visit www.tutor.com/togo to download the app for free. If you
have any questions about Tutor.com, please contact Ryan Thompson at 254-519-5796, or by emailing rthomp8@ct.tamus.edu.
Drop Policy
If you discover that you need to drop this class, you must go to the Records Office and ask for the necessary paperwork. Professors
cannot drop students; this is always the responsibility of the student. The record’s office will give a deadline for which the form
must be returned, completed, and signed. Once you return the signed form to the records office and wait 24 hours, you must go
into Duck Trax and confirm that you are no longer enrolled. If you are still enrolled, FOLLOW UP with the records office
immediately. You are to attend class until the procedure is complete to avoid penalty for absence. Should you miss the deadline or
fail to follow the procedure, you will receive an F in the course.
Grading
Assessment Questions
Assessment Report
Article Critiques
Character Study
Who Is It?
Quizzes
Final Exam
TOTAL
Course grades will be assigned as follows:
A 90-100 pts
B 80-89.99 pts C 70-79.99 pts
12
12
10
8
10
18
30
100
D 60-69.99 pts
F <60 pts
NOTE: Don’t trust Blackboard to accurately add up your points. If a quiz/assignment isn’t appropriately weighted in the online grading
system it will render your “total points” a misleading number.
Late Work Policy
To promote time-management and organizational skills, individuals who fail to complete assignments on time will be penalized
with the following point deductions.
1-2 days late: -10%
3-7 days late: -20%
> 7 days late: -50%
I know that things come up and that on-line courses can be difficult to keep up with. For this reason, you will always be able to earn
some points for late work on assignments, provided it is completed prior to 11:59pm July 25th.
For quizzes, however, if you do not complete the quiz by the time it is due you will earn no points for that quiz.
Some Thoughts About Coursework Online
Making this course online allows for great flexibility in what we are able to do. I believe that this flexibility supports learning
(especially for students with significant obligations outside of school). However, the increased reliance on imperfect technology
comes at a price. Sometimes Blackboard won’t work the way it should or when it should. This can be frustrating and discouraging.
Rather than view these frustrations as negatives, I choose to view them as opportunities to increase one’s skills in overcoming
technology-related obstacles. This skill set will become increasingly valuable as our society’s reliance on technology continues to
grow at a seemingly exponential rate. The best advice I can give you is to “play around” with the technology and figure out if you
know how to use it before you need to use it. Good luck.
Some Thoughts About This Course
For those of you who are considering pursuing a career in mental health, this is an important foundational course. A solid
understanding of “normal” personality is a pre-requisite for clinical work – therapy or assessment. Those of you who are pursuing
other career paths will also hopefully find this a valuable learning experience. If whatever career you are considering involves
working with other people, then you will probably benefit from a course that examines why people act the way they do.
**Professor reserves the right to amend the syllabus during the semester. If this is done, you will be provided an amended syllabus**
Course CALENDAR
**Professor reserves the right to amend the syllabus at any time**
Date
Day
6-4 Tue
Video Lecture/Assigned Reading
Assignment/Assessment Due 11:59pm
Course Overview: Defining Personality
Ch. 1 & Syllabus
None
None
Syllabus Quiz
6-7 Fri
6-8 Sat
6-11 Tue
6-14 Fri
6-17 Mon
6-20 Thu
6-23 Sun
6-26 Wed
6-29 Sat
7-2 Tue
7-5 Fri
7-8 Mon
7-11 Thu
7-14 Sun
7-17 Wed
7-20 Sat
Studying Personality
Ch. 2
Freudian Approach: Theory, Application, &
Assessment
Ch. 3
Freudian Approach: Research
Ch. 4
Neo-Freudian Approach: TA&A
Ch. 5
Neo-Freudian Approach: Research
Ch. 6
Trait Approach: TA&A
Ch. 7
Trait Approach: Research
Ch. 8
Biological Approach: TA&A
Ch. 9
Biological Approach: Research
Ch. 10
Humanistic Approach: TA&A
Ch. 11
*Last day to drop with a “Q” or “W”
Humanistic Approach: Research
Ch. 12
Behavioral/Social Learning Approach:
TA&A
Ch. 13
Behavioral/Social Learning Approach:
Research—Ch. 14
Cognitive Approach: TA&A
Ch. 15
Cognitive Approach: Research
Ch. 16
None
7-23 Tue
7-25 Thu
7-26 Fri
Who Is It?—Start Thread
Quiz Ch. 1-2
Assessment Question #1
Quiz Ch. 3-4
Article Critique #1
Quiz Ch. 5-6
Assessment Question #2
Quiz Ch. 7-8
Who Is It?—Questions
Quiz Ch. 9-10
Assessment Question #3
Article Critique #2
Who Is It?—Responses
Quiz Ch. 11-12
Character study
Quiz Ch. 13-14
Assessment Question #4
Quiz Ch. 15-16
Assessment report
None
Comprehensive Final Exam
**large portions of this syllabus were blatantly pirated from materials provided by various other faculty members**