Brigham Young University
Counseling Psychology and Special Education
CPSE 606, Fall, 2012
Tuesdays 8:00 – 10:50
Instructor:
Lane Fischer, Ph.D., lane_fischer@byu.edu , 422-8293
Objective:
The objective of this course is to provide a foundation for subsequent courses in CPSE. Readings
and activities will support CPSE 646 and 702. This course will focus on a) the history of
Counseling Psychology, b) the psychometric foundations and requirements of measurement used
in decision making, c) the need to be sensitive to the dignity of all clients especially in
assessment. (We will illustrate the issue with one of history’s worst-case examples of science
used as a weapon against human beings.), and d) the fundamental counseling skills required to be
sensitive and accountable.
Required Texts:
American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, National
Council on Measurement in Education (2004). Standards for educational and psychological
testing.
American Psychological Association (2009). Publication manual of the American Psychological
Association, Sixth Edition
Barrett, P. (2000). The new psychometrics: A choice between enhanced test technology (doing
psychometrics) vs the greater understanding of what is being hypothesized as being measured
(doing science).
http://www.liv.ac.uk/~pbarrett/paulhome.htm
Barrett, P. (2002). Beyond Psychometrics: Measurement, non-quantitative structure, and applied
numerics. (Also appeared in the Journal of Managerial Psychology, Dec 2002.)
http://www.liv.ac.uk/~pbarrett/paulhome.htm
Barrett, P. (2002). Measurement can not occur in a theoretical
vacuum. http://www.liv.ac.uk/~pbarrett/paulhome.htm
Fischer, L., The nature of law: Universal but not uniform. In, A. Jackson, & L. Fischer, (Eds.),
Turning Freud Upside Down: Gospel Perspectives on Psychology’s Fundamental Problems,
BYU Press, (2005). (This text is also required for CPSE 702.)
Fischer, L. & Smith, G.S., (1999). Statistical adequacy of the Abel Assessment for Interest in
Paraphilias, Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, Vol. 11, No. 3, 195-206.
Gelso, C.J. & Fretz, B.R. (1992). Counseling Psychology: A growing profession, in Counseling
Psychology, Fort Worth, TX, Harcourt Brace.
Gelso, C.J. & Fretz, B.R. (1992). Development of the profession, in Counseling Psychology,
Fort Worth, TX, Harcourt Brace.
Howard, G.S. (1992). Behold our Creation!: What Counseling Psychology has become and
might yet become, Journal of Counseling Psychology, Vol 39, No.4, 419-442.
Jackson, A.P. & Fischer, L. Confronting the interface between the gospel and psychology. In, A.
Jackson, & L. Fischer, (Eds.), Turning Freud Upside Down: Gospel Perspectives on
Psychology’s Fundamental Problems, BYU Press, (2005)
Smith, G.S. & Fischer, L. (1999). Assessment of Juvenile Sexual Offenders: Reliability and
Validity of the Abel Assessment for Interest in Paraphilias, Sexual Abuse, A Journal of Research
and Treatment, Vol. 11, No. 3, 207-216.
Recommended Readings/Listenings/Viewings:
Bauman, Z., (1989) Modernity and the Holocaust
BBC Video (2005) Auschwitz
Bodanis, D. (2000) E=mc2: A Biography of the World’s Most Famous Equation
Bronowski, J., (1974 ) The Ascent of Man.
I recommend that you view or read all 13 essays in the library, but we will only cover essay #11
in class.
Camera Planet Films, HBO. (2002). Facing Arthur
Carmack, J. (1993). Tolerance: Principles, Practices, Obstacles, Limits
Carnes, J., (1995) Us and Them: A History of Intolerance in America
Cox, H. (2001). Common Prayers: Faith, Family, and a Christian’s Journey Through the Jewish
Year.
Doerry, M., (2004) My Wounded Heart : The Life of Lilli Jahn (The Story of a Jewish Mother
and Her Children in Hitler’s Germany)
Endo, S., (1994) Deep River
Fink, I., ( 1983) A Scrap of Time
Fink, I., (1997), Traces
First Run Features (2004). Hiding and Seeking
Frontline/PBS (2005) Memory of the Camps
Gorecki, H.K. (1992) Symphony No. 3., “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” Elektra Nonesuch
Halberstam, Y. & Leventhal, J. (2008) Small Miracles of the Holocaust.
Jacobson, M. (2010). The Lampshade: A Holocaust Detective Story From Buchenwald to New
Orleans.
Kaplan, E. (2006) Chances Are: Adventures In Probability
Kesey, K., (1962) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Koch Lorber Films (2004), Genocide
Koontz, C. (2003). The Nazi Conscience.
Kuhn, T.S., (1962) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions
Lanzmann, C. (2004). Shoah.
Levi, P., (1958) Survival in Auschwitz
Maguire, G., (1995) Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Matilda (A.K.A., Matt Bernstein Sycamore) (2006) Nobody Passes: Rejecting the Rules of
Gender and Conformity
Miller, A. (2009). Deciphering the Cosmic Number: The Strange Friendship of Wolfgang Pauli
and Carl Jung.
Moss, R., (1996) An Introduction to Whitehead’s Process Psychology: A Positive Postmodern
View.
Opdike, I.G., (2001) In My Hands: Memoirs of a Holocaust Rescuer.
Physicians for Human Rights (2010). Experiments in Torture: Evidence of Human Subject
Research and Experimentation in the “Enhanced” Interrogation Program
Pirsig, R., (1974) Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
Rees, L. (2005) Auschwitz: A New History
Rigg, B.M., (2004) Rescued From The Reich: How One of Hitler’s Soldiers Saved the
Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Reich, H. (2006). The First and Final Nightmare of Sonia Reich: A Son’s Memoir
Southern Poverty Law Center (2002). Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks.
Southern Poverty Law Center (1997). Starting Small: Teaching Children Tolerance.
Spiegelman, A., (1986) Maus I: My Father Bleeds History.
Spiegelman, A., (1991) Maus II: And Now My Troubles Began
Spitz, V. (2005) Doctors from Hell: The Horrific Account of Nazi Experiments on Humans
Taleb, N. N. (2007) The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable
Warner Brothers (2001) Into the Arms of Strangers
Wiesel, E., (1960) Night.
Wiesel, E., (2002) After the Darkness.
Widstoe, J., (1908) Joseph Smith as Scientist
Zusak, M. (2005) The Book Thief
Grading:
Your grade will be based on your performance on the midterm examination, introspection paper,
final paper, class presentation, and final exam.
The midterm examination will require you to demonstrate your competence with the concepts of
psychometric technical adequacy.
The introspection paper will require you to apply one (1, not more than 1!) theory that you will
learn in 646, or the shame matrix that you will learn in this course, to your own behavior. You
are to articulate the model, identify your own behavior, and apply the model to explain your
behavior. In order to protect your confidentiality, this paper will be read by a counselor that is
not part of the CPSE faculty and who will never have any evaluative function over you. Your
names will be hidden from the counselor. I will not know the content of your introspection paper.
The counselor will only report to me whether you have completed the assignment adequately.
The final paper will require you to use one or more of the recommended readings and any other
relevant readings that discuss diversity, tolerance, and the human condition. You should explore
some issue related to the concept of diversity and tolerance. Please discuss your topic with me as
you develop it. I will point you toward readings and experiences that will help you. The
recommended readings are a beginning point for your exploration. You will be required to
produce both a paper and a class presentation on your exploration of tolerance. The paper should
be an academic study of the question that you have chosen written in APA style. Your class
presentation can be in any other format that best expresses what you have learned (e.g., poster,
interpretive dance, personal essay, power-point, live demonstration, videotaped interviews,
critique of the literature, sculpture, painting, poetry, lyrics and music of your own composition,
analysis of another’s lyrics, collage of music and the spoken word, collage of photos, excerpts
from videos, dramatic reading…)
Depending on the weather, schedule, and funding, we will take a full-day field trip to the Stewart
Falls. This trip usually follows the lecture on fundamental counseling skills and involves some
degree of introspection and disclosure. It has been shown to be very useful in the development
of cohorts and counselors. There will be informed consent and you will have the option to not
attend but to fulfill the objectives in alternative ways. Other department faculty may attend this
excursion as well.
Schedule:
8/28
Introductions: How do people remember you?
9/4
Johari Windows / Matrix of Fundamental Counseling Skills / It’s in the Story
9/11
The Shadow of Hate.
Shame Matrix
9/18
Shame Matrix
9/25
Stewart Falls
10/2
Introspection Revisited
Begin drafting your final paper
10/9
Knowledge or Certainty: Science as a Weapon.
Some Major Assumptions of Modern Science: Empiricism, Determinism, Testability,
Parsimony
Hierarchy of Explanatory Power: Name, Describe, Predict, Control
Knowledge or Certainty, Jacob Bronowski
10/16 Psychometric Technical Adequacy:
10/23 Psychometric Technical Adequacy:
10/30 Psychometric Technical Adequacy:
Including: Data, Reliability, Validity, Norms, Correlation as the average cross product of
Z-Scores of 2 distributions from 1 sample, (How easy is that???), coefficient alpha, Post
Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc Error, (Beware the Jabberwock, my son”) Linear Transformations
and Standard Scores, Standard Error of Measure and Confidence Intervals. (And now
Bronowski is relevant. What is psychometric tolerance? What is human tolerance? And
what do we really know?)
11/6
Midterm Examination on Psychometric Technical Adequacy
11/13 Counseling Psychology: Roots and Branches
Micro-Theme:
To be read to class on 11/13: 1-2 pages only: “Why I Want To Be A Counseling
Psychologist”.
11/20 Friday Instruction / No Class Today
11/27 Final Papers/ Presentations
12/4
Final Papers/ Presentations
12/14 2:30 – 5:30 Final Examination
Honor Code Standards
In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all
of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you
present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this
principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the
university.
Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence
demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working
environment. It is the university’s expectation, and my own expectation in class, that each
student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847
if you have questions about those standards.
Preventing Sexual Discrimination or Harassment
Sexual discrimination or harassment (including student-to-student harassment) is prohibited both
by the law and by Brigham Young University policy. If you feel you are being subjected to
sexual discrimination or harassment, please bring your concerns to the professor. Alternatively,
you may lodge a complaint with the Equal Employment Office (D-240C ASB) or with the Honor
Code Office (4440).
Students with Disabilities
If you have a disability that may affect your performance in this course, you should get in touch
with the University Accessibility Center (1520 WSC). This office can evaluate your disability
and assist the professor in arranging for reasonable accommodations.