Positive Psychology Syllabus
Class: PSYC 470: Positive Psychology (3)
Time: TR 12:10 – 1:25
Final: T - 12/8/15 – 10:30 – 12:30
Location: Heath 108
Fall 2015
Professor: Karen J. “KJ” Hummel, Ph.D.
Phone: 714-619-6441
Office: Psychology Department
Office Hrs: M: 11-2; T: 1:30-3:15;
Th: 10:30–11:45, and by appointment
Email: khummel@vanguard.edu
DESCRIPTION OF COURSE
Positive Psychology is the scientific study of the factors that make one’s life fulfilling. The
course explores such concepts as happiness, meaning, flow, values, strengths, and virtues as they
relate to an individual’s ability to thrive, in turn affecting the health and well-being of family and
society. Topics will be presented and evaluated in the context of Christian faith.
PREREQUISITES
General Psychology (PSYC 103C)
COURSE FULFILLMENT
This course meets upper division elective requirements for psychology majors and upper division
elective units for all other majors.
TEXTS
Compton, W. C., & Hoffman, E. (2013). Positive psychology; The science of happiness and
flourishing (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
DISABILITY SERVICES
The Office of Disability and Learning Services provides reasonable accommodations for
students who need assistance with learning, and for students with disabilities. Reasonable
accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your professor(s)
and Disability and Learning Services. If you have a temporary or permanent disability that
requires accommodations (this can include but not limited to; attention-related, learning, mental
health, vision, hearing, physical or other health conditions), please contact The Office of
Disability and Learning Services at 714-619-6550 or disabilityservices@vanguard.edu
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WRITING CENTER – HEATH 214
Writing Center Consultants work with students one-on-one at any stage of the writing process. They can
help organize notes, develop outlines, revise thesis statements, and work on various aspects of your
revision. Our Christ-centered, culturally responsive, collaborative learning environment offers
constructive feedback with the long-term goals of improved writing and critical thinking skills. The
Writing Center is located in Heath 214 and is available Monday - Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Fridays,
9a.m. to 1 p.m. Closed during Chapel Hour. Appointments are required.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Vanguard University Psychology Student Learning Outcomes may be found at the
following link:
http://www.vanguard.edu/psychology/psychology-student-learning-outcomes/
The specific outcomes for this course are:
v Students will use critical thinking to evaluate scholarly research and its popular
interpretations rationally, in light of valid evidence and the scientific approach (PSYC
SLO 3) through completion of the Annotated Bibliography.
v Students will apply psychological principles to practical issues (PSYC SLO 4) through
the Application Exercises and the Self Review.
v Students will demonstrate communication skills through writing in an established
scientific format (APA) (PSYC SLO 6) through the Annotated Bibliography and Book
Report and they will gain practice in oral communication through ongoing discussion
groups based on course topics and assignments.
v Students will practice cultural competency and citizenship (PSYC SLO 7) through
Application Exercises and discussion.
v Students will integrate a Christian worldview with knowledge of psychology (PSYC 8)
through the Mindfulness Journal and the Self Review.
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CLASSROOM DIVERSITY STATEMENT
As students and faculty at Vanguard University of Southern California, and foremost as Christian
believers, we endeavor to communicate with honesty and confidentiality, to speak with encouraging and
edifying words, and to create a safe environment where we shelter one another with love when
vulnerabilities arise. This classroom intends to foster a Christ-centered community that promotes
appreciation and respect for individuals, enhances the potential of its members, and values differences in
gender, ethnicity, race, abilities, and generation.
GENERAL CLASS POLICIES
1. Attendance – Attendance is very important and will affect participation points earned.
2. In order to maintain a “learner-friendly” classroom environment, students are asked and
expected to refrain from use of electronic devices of any type, including laptops, phones, etc.
Presence of these items will result in attendance point deductions. If special circumstances
necessitate use of laptop for note-taking only, please see instructor for permission.
3. Late Assignments – All late assignments will result in a loss of 5% for being handed in one
class session late and a 10% loss for being handed in one week late. Except for extreme
circumstances, papers will not be accepted after one week beyond the due date. A student
MUST contact the professor BEFORE class to arrange turning in a late assignment. If a
student does not complete an assignment on-time without first contacting the professor, then
the student will likely receive zero points for that assignment.
4. All assignments (other than journals) must be typed (unless otherwise specified).
5. If an assignment is being submitted through email, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure
that the email was received. If the student does not receive a reply from the instructor
indicating that the assignment was received, it is to be assumed that it was not received, and
the student must follow-up on turning in the work.
6. IMPORTANT: Work must be ORIGINAL; plagiarism is a very serious offense, will
likely lead to failure of assignment, and may even lead to failure of course or expulsion
from the university (please see current University Catalog). If students have any
questions about what is or is not plagiarism, they should be sure to consult instructor
BEFORE submitting assignment.
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DESCRIPTION OF ASSIGNMENTS
Application Exercises
Students will be given specific exercises to complete throughout the course in order to apply
class concepts directly to living. After completing the exercise, students will write a summary of
their experience and bring to class on selected dates, where write-ups will be collected and
potentially be relevant for the discussion of the day. There will be a total of 10 exercises, and
each write-up will be worth 25 points. (250 points total)
Mindfulness Journal
Students will maintain on ongoing journal during the semester reflecting on course topics and
observing how the material may be apparent in their lives. It may be helpful to focus on an
aspect of self (attitude, behavior, relationship) that you would like to modify or foster. Ten of the
entries will be checked for credit during various class meetings but will not be read. All entries
must be dated and may be handwritten in a notebook. As a guideline (not a requirement), entries
should be about a page and a half (standard size pages). Each of the ten entries will be worth 10
points. Please note: the journal will be instrumental in completing the Self-Review assignment.
(100 points total)
Book Report
Students will read a book and write a 4-6 page APA style report consistent with the following
specifications.
Students should choose a book that is related to Positive Psychology. If you are in doubt at all
that your book is appropriate, please check in with me to clear your book choice.
The following are examples of several potential choices:
Daring Greatly
Brené Brown
The Resilience Factor
Karen Reivich
Stumbling on Happiness
Daniel Gilbert
Flourish
Martin E P Seligman
Man's Search for
Meaning
Viktor E. Frankl
The Science of
Happiness
Stefan Klein
Eternal Echoes: Celtic
Reflections on Our
Yearning to Belong
John O’Donohue
Being Mortal: Medicine
and What Matters in the
End
Atul Gawande
The Discovery of Being
Rollo May
Conscious Love
Richard Smoley
Toward a Psychology of
Being
Abraham Maslow
Flow
Mihaly
Csikszentmihalyi
While reading your book and writing your paper, please focus on the following questions:
• What is (are) the main point(s) that the author is trying to communicate?
• What information from this book can you directly apply to your life?
• How can what you read be integrated with your faith?
• Did this work raise further questions or areas of interest for you? (Please elaborate.)
• To what populations would you or would you not recommend this book?
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The following will be considered in grading your book report:
• Content
◦ Accurate presentation of the information in the book
◦ Coherent organization of information
◦ Engagement of the material, potentially including questions, points of interest, critical
comments, application opportunities, faith alignment, and possible areas for future
research
•
Quality of writing
◦ Clarity of language use
◦ Correct grammar and spelling
◦ Proper flow of writing and transitions
•
APA style
◦ Proper citations (where necessary)
◦ Proper formatting
Additional sources - In writing your report, you are not required to use material in additional to
the book; however, you may choose to do so if you would like. If other sources are used, be sure
to include a reference page following APA guidelines and cite all references within the body of
your paper. (200 points)
Self-Review
Students will write a reflection paper (minimum 5 pages) focusing on how they are different
upon ending this course than they were upon beginning the course. You may include specific
information you learned in the course that was particularly relevant to you, but be sure to discuss
what you have learned about yourself, about how you have been, and about how you want to be.
How has your faith been affected and how has your view of life been affected? What are some
changes in you regarding your attitudes, behaviors, and relationships over the past semester that
may be related to this course? Which Application Exercises were most meaningful to you and
why? You may find it useful to refer to your Journal and the write-ups of your Application
Exercises (as well as other course components) in composing your review. (200 points)
Final Exam
Students will be given a take-home exam that will be due during the scheduled Final Exam time.
The exam will cover a cumulative range of course material, and will consist of 50 multiplechoice questions. This exam should be completed independently by each student. (100 points)
Attendance and Participation
Attendance will be taken, and points will be assigned according to presence in class and active
participation in group and class discussions. Ten points will automatically be deducted for
each class discussion session missed. (150 points)
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DESCRIPTION OF EVALUATION
Students in this course will be evaluated by the College’s 4.0 grading system. You should refer
to the Student Handbook for further details on the grading system.
The following criteria will be used in determining the student’s grade:
Assignment
Application Exercises
Points
250
Due Date
Various* – see below
Mindfulness Journal
100
Various* – see below
Book Report
200
11/5/15
Self Review
200
12/3/15
Final Exam
100
12/8/15
Attendance / Participation
150
Each class meeting
TOTAL POINTS:
1000
Application Exercises and Mindfulness Journal due: 9/3, 9/10, 9/17, 9/24,
10/1, 10/15, 10/22, 10/29, 11/12, and 11/24.
GRADE SCALE
Points
Letter Grade
Significance
Grade Point Average (GPA)
930—1000
900—929
870—899
830—869
800—829
770—799
730—769
700—729
670—699
630—669
600—629
0—599
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Exceptional
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.67
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.33
1.00
0.67
0.00
Above Average
Average
Below Average
Failure
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POSITIVE PSYCHOLOGY CLASS SCHEDULE – FALL, 2015
DATE
TOPIC
ASSIGNMENT DUE
8/25/15
Introduction to Class
None
8/27/15
Discussion Group
9/1/15
Introduction to Positive Psychology
Chapter 1
9/3/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
9/8/15
Characters, Strengths, & Virtues
9/10/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
9/15/15
Emotion, Motivation, and Well-Being
Chapter 2
9/17/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
9/22/15
Subjective and Optimal Well-Being
Chapters 3 and 9
9/24/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
9/29/15
Leisure, Flow, Mindfulness, Performance
Chapter 4
10/1/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
10/6/15
Happiness / Altruism -- Video
10/8/15
Discussion Group
10/13/15
Love and Well-Being and Belonging
Chapter 5
10/15/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
10/20/15
Relationship and Communication
10/22/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
10/27/15
Creativity
Chapter 7
10/29/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
11/3/15
Regrets, Resiliency, & Coping
Chapter 6
11/5/15
Discussion Group
Book Report DUE
11/10/15
Existentialism & Meaning
Chapter 9
11/12/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
11/17/15
Humanism / Identity
Chapter 9
11/19/15
Religion, Spirituality, & Well-Being
Chapter 10
11/24/15
Discussion Group
Exercise Due & Journal Due
11/26/15
THANKSGIVING
HOLIDAY – NO CLASS
12/1/15
Positive Psychology of Work
Chapter 11
12/3/15
Closing Discussion Group
Self-Review DUE
12/8/15
FINAL EXAM – 10:30 – 12:30
FINAL EXAM DUE
7
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