Syllabus 8-20-12
Psychology 378: Junior Honors Seminar
Fall 2012: T, TR 3:30-4:45
Rm. 204, Gordon Palmer Hall
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Telephone:
Email:
Dr. Beverly Thorn
348 Gordon Palmer Hall
by appointment
348-5024
bthorn@ua.edu
Texts
Readings will be available on eLearning.
Course Goals
This course is the first part of a four semester sequence designed to give exceptional
undergraduate psychology majors supervised experience in conducting research. The four
semester sequence will culminate in the student completing an honors thesis and defending this
thesis before a committee comprised of the student’s faculty supervisor and the coordinator of
the Undergraduate Honors Program. In this first semester, the student is exposed to the diversity
of research being conducted in the University of Alabama Psychology Department through
faculty presentations. By the end of the semester, the student is required to have found a faculty
member who has agreed to serve as supervisor for the student’s thesis project. In addition,
readings and class discussions are designed to aid the student in selecting a research topic and to
cover basic ethical considerations in conducting psychological research. By the end of the
semester the student is required to provide a one paragraph summary of a proposed thesis project
which will then provide the basis for a more complete proposal completed during the second
semester of the four semester sequence.
Student Learning Outcomes
At the conclusion of this course the student should be very knowledgeable about the diversity of
career, graduate school, and research areas in psychology. In doing this, the student will have
gained many skills. These should include:
1) strong skills at reading, reviewing, and evaluating research studies,
2) the ability to think critically about past research and theories including the ability to analyze,
synthesize, and integrate theories and research studies,
3) skills at composing coherent, logical, and carefully edited prose.
4) strong knowledge about research, graduate studies, and careers in psychology that prepare the
student for selecting their future career path.
Basis For Final Grades
Students will be evaluated in three ways during this course. First, it is expected that
students will be active, enthusiastic participants in class. This is no cell-phone, no FB, no twitter
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Syllabus 8-20-12
zone. If you are checking texts during class, you aren’t being an active, enthusiastic participant.
Attendance and active participation at all class meetings is expected. This will be worth 30% of
your final grade.
Additionally, students will be required to complete five 2-page “reaction” papers
assigned during the semester. See the attached page for a description of what is mean by reaction
paper. Each reaction paper will be worth 10% of your final grade for a total of 50% of your final
grade. Reaction papers must be turned in by deadlines. For each day late, 10% of paper
score will be deducted.
Finally, a written essay exam on class discussions and assigned readings will be given on
Thursday, December 13 from 3:30 – 5 PM. This exam will be worth 20% of the final grade.
Grading Scale:
A+
97-100
C+
77-79
F <60
A
93-96
C
73-76
A90-92
C70-72
B+
87-89
D+
67-69
B
83-86
D
63-66
B80-82
D60-62
Please Note: You must complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI)
Program and send a copy of the certificate to Dr. Thorn by 5:00 p.m. Nov. 29, 2012. If you
do not, 10 points will be deducted from your final grade. Register at
http://www.citiprogram.org. Complete the following course: Social and Behavioral Responsible
Conduct of Research Course 1, Basic Course
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Date: Topic and Readings:
8/24
Getting to Know You and Your Interests
8/28
Careers in Psychology and Related Fields
8/30
Careers in Psychology and Related Fields
9/04
Reaction Paper #1 due 5 p.m.
Grad School in Psychology and Other Related Professions (Ed Merrill)
9/06
Grad School in Psychology and Other Related Professions (Ed Merrill)
9/11
Research in Psychology
9/13
Research in Psychology
9/18
Reaction Paper #2 due 5 p.m.; Literature Reviews
9/20
Evidence of completed Plagiarism Tutorial due 5 p.m.
http://www.lib.usm.edu/legacy/plag/plagiarismtutorial.php
Writing Literature Reviews
9/25
Refworks (Barbara Dahlbach – Gorgas Library)
9/27
Selecting a Mentor
10/02 Reaction Paper #3 due 5 p.m.; Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. Beverly Roskos
4:15
Dr. Tom Ward
10/04 No classes – fall break
10/09 class deferred because of late-day presentations on 10/11 and 10/16
10/11 Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. Ed Merrill
4:15
Dr. Kristina McDonald
5:00
Dr. Alexa Tullett
10/16 Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. Patricia Parmelee
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4:15
Dr. Jim Hamilton
5:00
Dr. Giyeon Kim
10/18 Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. Martin Sellbom
4:15
Dr. Will Hart
5:00
Dr. Matt Jarrett
10/23 Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. Randy Salekin
4:15
TBA
5:00
Dr. Stan Brodsky
10/25 Faculty presentations
3:30
TBA
4:15
TBA
10/30 Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. Sarah Ryan and Dr. Angie Barber
4:15
TBA
11/01 Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. John Lochman
4:15
Dr. Andrea Glenn
4:45
Dr. Ansley Gilpin
11/06 Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. Martha Crowther
4:15
Dr. Jeffrey Parker
11/08 Open Topic Day
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11/13 Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. Jason Scofield
4:15
TBA
11/15 Faculty presentations
3:30
Dr. Kelly Stanek
4:15
Dr. Joan Barth
11/20 class deferred because of late-day presentations on 10/23 and 11/1
11/22 – No Class - Thanksgiving
11/27 Institutional Review board- Protection of Human Subjects
11/29 CITI Training Certificates Due 5 p.m.
Putting it all together
12/04 Research discussion – what should you do over break?
12/06 tips from senior honors students
Thursday, 12/13 – final exam –3:30 – 5 p.m.
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What is a Reaction Paper?
A Reaction paper for this course is a short paper that presents the student’s summary and
impressions of the week’s discussion/article/or presentation. The general purpose of these
writing assignments is to provide an opportunity for students to think critically. This is perhaps
the most important skill one can gain during graduate school. T h e paper should succeed in
establishing that you've done the readings (if applicable), done the background
research, and thought about what t he y m ea n i n a pract i c al and concept ual sens e .
Instructions for Reaction Paper Assignments
I.
Length. The body of your paper should b e a p p r o x i m a t e l y 500 words, in
11-12 point font, which equates to between 1 1/2 and 2 pages in length
(double-spaced).
Format. Your papers must be typed and can be either single- or doublespaced. (Your instructor actually prefers single-spaced.) The first sheet (and
possibly only sheet if you use single-spacing) should start with the essay's title
and your name. I will be making comments in track changes format on the
electronic document, so please turn it in electronically, as an attached, rather than
embedded, document.
Style. Be careful with spelling, grammar, and form. Don't waste words.
Give your reaction papers an easily detectable organization. Since reaction
papers are short (500 words), they have to communicate thoughts concisely.
References. Follow the customary scholarly practice of citing the sources
of all significant non-original observations that are included in your
reaction papers. Cite the papers using APA style, and include a list of
references at the end of the paper (this should be pretty brief).
2.
3.
4.
General Grading Rubric Guidelines: Reaction Papers
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Turn the paper in through Blackboard (electronically), and on time.
Give a title that identifies which Reaction Paper it is (i.e., #1), and a title that
communicates something relevant about the paper. Be sure to include your name.
Include appropriate contextual reference to assigned reading, if appropriate.
Incorporate at least one other reading or reference, if appropriate.
Convey critical thinking about the topic
Watch for typos
Watch for grammatical errors
Keep length short – approximately 500 words
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