PSY304 Junior Psychology Seminar
Instructor: Dr. Edward Sturman
Office: 640 Bay Road, RHEC
Phone: 518-792-5425
E-mail: edward.sturman@plattsburgh.edu
Office Hours: MW 10:00 – 11:30
This course will examine leading theories in the area of evolutionary models of depression and anxiety. Additionally, the measurement of these evolutionary variables and the empirical evidence linking them to depression will be critically evaluated.
Goals: The goals of the course are to improve written and oral communication skills and to develop and to improve ability to function in, contribute to, and to benefit from a small group, intellectual experience.
OBJECTIVES:
1. Development of writing skills. This course fulfills the advanced writing requirement.
2. Development of analytic and problem solving skills.
3. Foster a critical point of view.
4. Improve abilities of integration and synthesis of conceptual and empirical materials.
5. Develop library and reading skills.
Evaluation:
Thought Papers: 30%
Essay: 30% (May 9)
Presentation: 20%
Participation and Discussion: 20%
Structure:
The course will be divided into 5 modules:
Module 1 – Social rank theory
Module 2 – Allan and Gilbert’s work on operationalizing social rank variables.
Module 3 – Empirical evidence for the social rank theory
Module 4 – More empirical evidence for the social rank theory
Module 5 – The Involuntary Winning Strategy; social rank and attachment systems

You will be able to download the papers for each module from the course website. On
Wednesday of each week you will be assigned two articles which you will be expected to read for the following week. On the next Monday we will discuss one of the articles and the other on Wednesday. Every two weeks (on a Wednesday) a thought paper is due (see below).
Thought Papers: The thought paper will be no more than 2 pages (double-spaced) in which you will share your opinion on a set of readings. There will be five thought papers throughout the term. The thought papers will be graded on the following basis:
1) Were the readings properly understood and critically evaluated?
2) Is the thesis clearly stated and logical?
3) Is the thesis creative?
4) Are the supporting arguments logical and do they follow from the readings?
Try to avoid personal references, likes/dislikes, and assumptions in the thought papers.
Also, avoid using catch-all but meaningless statements like “I found it very interesting that….”
Essay: A list of selected topics will be given to you. The essay should be 8-10 doublespaced pages, including references.
Presentations: You will be presenting on the same topic as the essay and can use overheads, Power Point, and the board for visual displays. Presentations should not exceed 35 minutes in duration.
Participation: The participation grade will be based on attendance in class and the level of involvement in class discussion. For each class, students should bring one practical question relating to the paper and one question to generate class discussion.
Attendance: Students are expected to attend all classes.
Services to Students with Disabilities: Students who have a disabling condition (i.e., physically challenged or learning disabled), or need special accommodations and help in order to be successful in their academic program, need to register with the Director of
Special Programs, Michele Carpentier (by phone at 518-564-2263, or by email at michele.carpentier@plattsburgh.edu
), so that their need can be evaluated and appropriate services provided.
Missed Tests or Late Assignments: Students may request that tests be rescheduled or deadlines extended for legitimate medical or compassionate reasons as well as religious observances. In all cases, these occurrences should be accompanied by appropriate documentation. If, for any of the above reasons, students are not able to fulfill their obligations according to schedule, they should notify the instructor in advance, or by the due date, so that the necessary accommodations can be arranged.

Policy on Plagiarism/Academic Dishonesty: Cheating is the wilful misrepresentation of any part or all of another’s work as one’s own. Copying another’s answers, or giving or receiving unpermitted aid during classroom or take-home examinations, assignments, papers, research reports and projects is cheating. Plagiarism in all of its forms is cheating.
Please refer to the campus academic policy at: http://www.plattsburgh.edu/offices/academic/provost/academichonesty.php
. Possible penalties for students found to be cheating on tests or assignments include failure on the test, assignment or course. In regards to plagiarism, you may not represent another person’s words or ideas as your own. When using the words of other authors, you must place quotation marks around the text you have borrowed. Similarly, when discussing the ideas of other authors in your proposal, you must acknowledge the source. The APA
Publication Manual (5 th
edition) has specific guidelines for citing the works of others. If you are unsure as to whether you are plagiarizing another person’s work, please contact me for clarification.
College Honour Code: It is expected that all students enrolled in this class support the letter and the spirit of the Academic Honesty Policy as stated in the college catalog.