SYLLABUS
Psychology
490
Senior Review and Senior Thesis
Class
of 2009
INSTRUCTOR
John R.
Lakey, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology
122B Hyde
Hall: 488-2531 or 488-2520 (Home: 858-9378)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Considers
contemporary issues, developments, trends and leaders in psychology through
readings, discussion and independent study summarized in a major paper, the
Senior Thesis. Includes preparation for
Senior Comprehensive Examinations.
Prerequisite: Senior psychology majors and minors or psychobiology
majors in their last year. Fall.
REQUIRED TEXTS
Rosnow, R.L. & Rosnow,
M. (2006).
Writing papers in psychology (7th
ed.).
RECOMMENDED REFERENCES
American
Psychological Association (2001). Publication
manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.).
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Systematic
review of psychology with identification of specific topics supportive of
graduate studies and career goals.
Specific objectives include:
Establishing a solid knowledge base in your major field of study. Learning how to find and use information with
modern technology. Gaining a clearer
understanding of, and commitment to, your interests
and values. Developing
skill in expressing yourself orally and in substantive writing.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
(I) SENIOR REVIEW: Required attendance, participation, and
presentations. Presentations will use
overhead transparencies and projected PowerPoint files. [20% of Grade]
(II) SENIOR EXAMINATIONS: Review of general psychology for the Senior
Comprehensive Examinations including the ETS Major Field Test in Psychology
(similar to the ETS Graduate Record Examination in Psychology). [40% of Grade]
(III) SENIOR THESIS: The Senior Prospectus, Thesis and Literature
Portfolio. The Thesis must extensively review
a selected topic in contemporary psychology (original research may be presented
only in the context of that extensive review) related to your career goals.
[40% of Grade]
I. THE REVIEW
PARTICIPATION: The Review is a “large seminar” which means
that all participants share responsibility for making it a worthwhile
experience. You are expected to be
attentive to presentations, display interest, and positively participate in
discussions. As a simple rule, at least
three good questions should be asked of each presenter. Attendance is required for the entire class
period. [50 points]
Presentations:
PRESENTATION #1: SEARCH ARTICLE. You will present a brief, 5-8 minute, report
of a review article, preferably from a recent Annual Review of Psychology,
obtained from your literature search for a viable Thesis topic. You must use a
PowerPoint outline (three pages maximum).
These PowerPoint slides should include the article’s title, its
author(s), their institution(s), the abstract, and your outline of the points
you wish to emphasize. [25 points]
PRESENTATION #2: CHAPTER REVIEW. You will assume responsibility for one full
class to provide a thorough review of an assigned chapter in Weiten (latest edition), Psychology: Themes and Variations.
You will be provided with a basic PowerPoint slide set that is to be
significantly improved (new slide design, rewritten text, deleted weak slides,
added video clips, and new slides with material from other courses, recent
Annual Reviews, and www searches). A
final copy of your enhanced PowerPoint file must be submitted to the Instructor
to be placed on our website for later class review. Presentations will be graded with these criteria:
(1) effectiveness in preparing us for the MAJOR FIELD TEST IN PSYCHOLOGY, (2)
inclusion of supplemental material, (3) construction of an improved multimedia
slide set, (4) effective oral presentation (talk, explain things and “tell the
story” -- don’t just “flash slides”), and (5) worthwhile utilization of the entire class period. With multiple presenters, you may elect team
presentation (both receive the same grade) or divided presentation (presenters
receive separate grades). With divided
presentation, each person will present half the material using half the class
period (25 minutes). [150 points]
PRESENTATION #3: THESIS SUMMARY: You will present a concise, 10-15 minute,
summary of your Thesis. You must use a PowerPoint outline. A final copy of your PowerPoint file must be
submitted to the Instructor to be placed on our website for continuing class
review. Presentations will be graded
with these criteria: (1) construction of an effective PowerPoint slide set and
(2) an effective oral presentation. [75 points]
II. THE
EXAMINATIONS
(1) First Preliminary Senior Examination consists of
approximately 100 questions covering the first half of the textbook and APA format (Rosnow
& Rosnow). [100 points]
(2)
Second Preliminary Senior Examination consists of approximately 100 questions
covering the second half of the textbook and
composition rules (Strunk & White). [100 points]
(3)
Comprehensive Senior Examination, currently the Educational Testing Service’s Major Field Test in Psychology,
consists of 140 questions covering all psychology. This test is very similar to ETS’s GRE in
Psychology, and it requires a two-hour period scheduled outside of class during
the evening (see the Class Calendar to reserve that date: Everyone is required to sit as
one group for standardized administration). The Major Field Test is our final
examination, and we will not use the two-hour period normally scheduled during
finals week. [200 points]
III. THE
THESIS
All Senior
Theses are required to thoroughly review the literature concerning a topic
related to your career goals. All
literature relevant to that topic will be methodically searched, effectively
organized, and concisely presented. This
current state of knowledge of that topic is then to be evaluated for unique
insights, valid conclusions, and noteworthy perspectives. Any original research (your own study) will
be integrated into this review. Most
acceptable Theses will range from 30 to 60 pages and cite at least 25
references with copies in your accompanying Portfolio. In short, you are to become an expert in this
topic. Topics will be individually selected but must be approved by the Instructor (approved topics and readers
are posted on our class website).
(1) THESIS
PORTFOLIO: As part of your literature search, you will
collect PDF files, printouts, and photocopies of key journal articles and
sections of books. These will be organized in a quality expandable folder, and
this Portfolio will be used to prepare your Prospectus and Thesis. The Portfolio will be submitted to your
Thesis Supervisor and graded as part of your Thesis.
(2) THESIS
PROSPECTUS: The Thesis Prospectus is due about one month
before submission of the Thesis (see Class Calendar), and copies must be
submitted to both Dr. Lakey and your Thesis Supervisor and Reader. This Prospectus will provide both a proposed
outline and a starting draft of your Thesis.
You will also include a detailed statement explaining your career goals
and how the selected topic relates to those goals. The Prospectus file is the initial working
draft to be expanded into your Thesis file.
The Prospectus is graded by Dr. Lakey. [50 points]
Prospectus Format: Title Page
(page 1), Personal Relevance Preface (page 2), Table of Contents (page 3),
Preliminary Introduction (3-5 pages), Tentative Outline of Section Headings and
Subheadings each section with one or more text sentences (1-5 pages), References
(1-5 pages). The Prospectus must adhere
to APA format (APA Publication Manual, 5th
Edition).
(3) THESIS: As determined by your Thesis Supervisor and
Reader, evaluation of the Thesis will be generally based on (1) content: (a)
required review of the primary literature, (b) your appreciation and evaluation
of that literature, and (c) adequate documentation, and (2) construction: (a) organization, (b) effective writing, and
(c) adherence to APA format. The Thesis
is graded by your Supervisor and Reader. [400 points]
LITERATURE
SEARCH: The literature search is the
basis of scientific effort as well as the mark of advanced scholarship, and you
are required to master this important facet of intellectual endeavor. You will search on-line databases [Annual
Review, PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES,
MEDLINE, etc.]. These searches will
usually provide abstracts and full text that can be printed or downloaded as .pdf files to include in your Literature Portfolio. The abstract will suffice for many less important
reports, but for the more important ones, the full-text article should be
obtained. If full text is not available
online, the article should be photocopied from our Library’s holdings or a
photocopy obtained though our interlibrary loan service. You may also directly request a “reprint”
from the author by email (also ask for “preprints” of any more recent
work—these simple contacts can you help identify active graduate
programs). NOTE: Internet searches may supplement searches of
established databases, but too often “surfing” and “dedicated websites” produce
results of questionable validity [see Weiten,
Appendix D & E]. Do not include “junk web references” in you
Thesis.
THESIS
CONTENT: The majority of your review
must deal with primary literature --
journal articles that present the actual data and statistical analyses. Quotations may not exceed five percent (5%) of the total word count of the Thesis. Instead of quoting articles, paraphrase and
summarize in your own words. Avoid
inadvertent plagiarism with correct APA citations. Papers
that have been submitted in other courses are not acceptable as Senior Theses,
in whole or in part.
FORMAT: As generally specified by APA Publication Manuel (APA, 2001). Rosnow & Rosnow (latest edition), Writing Papers for Psychology, provides reliable examples;
otherwise, your Thesis should follow that format utilized by review articles in
recent issues of the Annual Review of
Psychology, American Psychologist,
or Psychological Science.
THESIS
ORGANIZATION: Title Page, Preface,
Abstract, Table of Contents, Text (list
section headings and subheadings), References (asterisk references with photocopies in the Portfolio),
Footnotes. Insert tables and figures
with captions in the text body as it would appear in print. Make
sure that every text citation has a Reference entry, and vice versa.
PRINT
SUBMISSION: The printed Thesis must be
stapled together -- without binder or cover -- and placed in the front section
of your Portfolio. The Thesis and
Portfolio are submitted only to your Reader.
FILE
SUBMISSION: The WORD file (or other
file) that printed your Thesis must be
uploaded to http://www.TurnItIn.com
(you will need the course ID# and password); otherwise, your Thesis grade is
zero.
RETURN OF
THESIS: Your Reader will return your
Thesis and Portfolio directly to you with an Assessment Report (a form may be
download form from Class Website), and they will go over their evaluation with
you in personal conference. If
permitted, you may elect to make suggested revisions. When the Reader forwards your grade to Dr.
Lakey and you upload a revised file copy
to http://www.TurnItIn.com,
your grade will be recorded and submitted to the Registrar.
GRADE
REPORTS: Dr. Lakey computes and reports
the course grade. He must receive your
thesis grade by the scheduled final examination date to avoid reporting an
Incomplete Grade. Again, the Thesis as
well as any revision must be submitted to TurnItIn.com to receive a
grade.
SUBMISSION
DATE: The Thesis will be submitted on or before the due date (see the Class
Calendar). Theses received after
that date will be penalized one percent per day late to a maximum of ten
percent or one letter grade. Theses are not accepted after the anniversary of the final
examination date as the course grade has automatically changed to F. You must formally repeat the course to remove
that F.
OUTSIDE READERS AND THESIS SUPERVISORS: You may ask any full-time faculty member in
any department to supervise and grade your Thesis. This person should have the special expertise
to provide sound guidance for your review of the topic. You should contract early, and your
Supervisor should forward a short email to Dr. Lakey stating that they have
agreed to supervise and read your Thesis.
You must supply your Thesis Supervisor and Reader with a copy of this
Syllabus and a copy of the Assessment Report (both hyperlinked at our class
website), but the specific grading requirements and criteria will be at the
discretion of you Reader (discuss their requirements and criteria beforehand).
This Supervisor will enforce published due dates (see our Class Calendar) and
assess any late penalties (no more than one letter grade reduction): Your Supervisor will report your Thesis grade
to Dr. Lakey. Your Supervisor will
return your graded Thesis and Portfolio directly to you. Again, remember to submit file copies of your
Thesis and any revision to TurnItIn.com (your grade is zero until you do
so).
ADMINISTRATIVE POLICIES:
>BLACKBOARD & FACULTY WEBSITE:
This
course will use Blackboard (http://acebb.evansville.edu/)
and the linked instructor’s faculty class website (http://faculty.evansville.edu/jl3/psych490/index.htm)
extensively. The class website will post
our current “official” syllabus and class calendar, and you will refer to these
“master copies” for schedule changes, new due-dates, and course
modifications. Changes in the syllabus will be alerted by Blackboard
email. “Study notes” will be posted as Blackboard assignments and alerted
by email. Generally, we will communicate with one another by email,
especially when a formal record is required. You must maintain your
university email account and check it often. If you have
problems accessing Blackboard, accessing the Faculty Website, or maintaining
your email account, please contact the OTS Help Desk (helpdesk@evansville.edu
or 488-2077) for assistance.
> AUTHORIZED AID: Acknowledge
all aid and outside assistance you obtain in preparing your thesis as a
title footnote. You may freely obtain help from the
>BEST THESIS AWARD: Theses that
receive the grade of A will be read by the entire psychology faculty to select
the Best Thesis of your class. This Best Thesis of your class will be bound,
indexed, and shelved by our Library. The
author usually receives a small cash prize.
Since TurnItIn.com copies are read by the faculty, if you receive
an A, please make any corrections and submit the best copy to Revisions at TurnItIn.com.
>CITATION SYSTEM:
Failure
to correctly cite and properly reference others’ work can be construed as
plagiarism. Guides for the
current APA system are found in Rosnow & Rosnow (latest edition), Hodges’ Harbrace
Handbook, and some online
websites (>RECOMMENDED HYPERLINK
REFERENCES). Other citation
systems are not appropriate for this course.
Make sure you’re using the new, APA
Publication Manual, 5th Edition, guidelines.
>DISABILITY
ACCOMMODATION: It is the policy of the
> DROPPING A COURSE: A course may be dropped without a
designated grade during the first two weeks of a term of the regular academic
year. From the third through the eleventh weeks, a grade of W is
assigned. After the eleventh week, a grade of F is assigned in this
course (a higher grade requires that you actually complete the course).
Discontinuance of attendance does not automatically constitute a withdrawal;
you must formally withdraw at the Registrar’s Office. Regardless the
reason, those who can not complete seventy percent of
the course (attendance, assignments, and tests) should drop the course.
>GRADE POSTING: The instructor's
grade book may be posted periodically. Grades are posted by unique
4-digit ID numbers that you provide the instructor (make sure you can remember
it—perhaps the last four digits of a familiar telephone number). This
ID number may not contain any part of your social security number.
>GUESTS: All members of the university community are
invited to attend your Chapter Review and Thesis Presentation.
>HONOR CODE: The University of Evansville requires your
support for the following statement: "I understand that any work I submit for course credit will imply that I
have adhered to the Academic Honor Code: I will neither give nor receive
unauthorized aid nor will I tolerate an environment which condones the use of
unauthorized aid." Please report any problem to the
Instructor.
>INCOMPLETE GRADE: The grade report of I (Incomplete Grade)
will be submitted only when justified by personal crisis or legitimate
sickness; otherwise, missing scores are entered as zeroes for computation of
the course grade. You should present your extenuating circumstances, your
request for an Incomplete, and, if possible, your time schedule for completion
of the course in writing. To be assured of the Incomplete
Grade report, you must receive the instructor's approval in writing
(make sure you keep a copy for future reference). All I grades become F on the anniversary of
the scheduled final exam date.
>LATE SUBMISSIONS:
All late theses will be penalized one percentage point per class late to a
maximum of one letter grade.
>MAKE-UP EXAMS:
Students must sit for the Major Field Test in Psychology. Should you miss a Preliminary Examination
without that absence being excused by the Instructor, the score is zero.
If excused, you will be allowed to take a substitute exam to replace the
zero. If this “makeup” is to be administered by the Department Assistant,
Mrs. Miller, and you must schedule it at her convenience (call
488-2520 to make arrangements).
>MISSING ASSIGNMENTS: Missing papers and test results are
always recorded as zeroes in computing the course grade. Theses are “missing” until submitted to the Reader and the file copy is submitted to turnitin.com.
>OFFICE HOURS: Walk-In
Hours will be posted on the Instructor’s door (call 488-2520 for available
times). I am also available at other times, and you need not make formal
appointments. If you are waiting to see me, make sure I know you’re
waiting for me (five professors are off the same small hallway).
>PLAGIARISM: Any
copied words
in your Thesis must be in quotation marks (or offset if 25
or more words) with citation of their specific source (author,
publication date, and page). Any paraphrased
ideas in your Thesis must be attributed to their author (at least by name
in the text or by name and date as a more specific citation). Plagiarism
is a violation of either of these two basic rules. Presenting
someone else’s work as your own is never “authorized,” and it is always
violates our Academic Honor Code.
>QUOTATION LIMITATIONS: Directly quoted material may not exceed five percent
(5%) of the word count of your thesis.
>TURNITIN: All Theses must be
submitted both to the Reader and to http://www.TurnItIn.com/: A paper printout
must be provided the Reader for comments and grading. The file used for
that printout must be provided to turnitin.com: you must go
to this website, register for the course, and upload the file (our course ID#
and password are available at BLACKBOARD).
>MS WORD: If you use Microsoft WORD, make sure spelling, grammar, and style correction options are
selected: Tools > Options > Spelling & Grammar tab,
Select Check spelling as you type, Select Check grammar as you type,
Select Check grammar with spelling, and Select Grammar & Style in
the Writing style: window.
YOUR
OBLIGATIONS:
(1) Attend class. (2) Work together for our collective welfare.
(3) Have and share positive
attitudes. (4) Look to the future.
SUGGESTED THESIS APPROACH
Step
1: Establish personal career goals and a
five-year plan. It’s time for
commitment. You may want to use our
Career Services and Counseling & Testing Services. Click http://www.psywww.com/careers/index.htm
and http://psychology.wadsworth.com/ (Careers
in Psychology) for some useful grad school and career information. If
considering graduate school, scan free excerpts from the three recommended
books at
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/1C85GFTZ4ZJO6/ref=cm_bg_dp_l_1/103-8107662-4389401: Peters
(1997) Getting What You Came For: The
Smart Student’s Guide to Earning a Master’s or a Ph.D., Bolker (1998) Writing Your
Dissertation in Fifteen Minutes a Day: A
Guide to Starting, Revising, and Finishing Your Doctoral Thesis, and Kobliner (2000) Get a Financial Life: Personal Finance in Your Twenties and Thirties.
Most application deadlines are in
January: you need to get started now.
Step
2: Select an area of interest and three
topics that support your career goals.
Investigate these topics to identify a meaningful concentration for your
Thesis review. Your textbook may be
helpful. Consultation with faculty and
career-goal professionals is strongly encouraged. You
must obtain formal approval of a Thesis topic from the Instructor (this topic
is still likely to be refined over the course of your literature search).
Step
3: Initiate the literature search as soon as possible. You need to find if your preferred topic
works. Plan to search starting with Annual
Review articles to other more specific reviews and research reports in
journals. Concentrate on recent material
published within the last 10 years.
Thesis topics usually evolve and change somewhat over the course of this
search.
(a) Find and
read recent Annual Review of Psychology articles that cover your topic (and
perhaps other Annual Review articles – there are Annual Reviews of Neuroscience, Public Health, Sociology, Medicine,
etc.). These reviews should help you
identify existent literature pertinent to your interests. Importantly, if you can
not find a review covering your preferred topic, you may need to select an alternative topic.
To
search for Annual Review articles on
your preferred topic, click http://psych.annualreviews.org/search.dtl or http://neuro.annualreviews.org/search.dtl. You can read the full text of psychology review articles on line at our Library website:
click http://www2.evansville.edu/libweb/,
under Find Books & Articles
click All Databases or Articles & More By
Subject, Psychology, and
then click Annual Review of
Psychology – you may also access the other Annual Reviews from this page.
Hardcopy Annual Reviews are available in our Library (and the
Instructor’s office has most of the Annual
Reviews of Psychology back to 1965).
(b) Conduct PsycINFO and MEDLINE searches to obtain the most
recent reviews and research reports.
To conduct these searches, click http://www2.evansville.edu/libweb/,
under Find Books & Articles
click All Databases, then click PsycINFO or Medline.
Enter the key search terms for your topic. Print out important abstracts (or save to a
floppy or hard disk). All full-text APA
journal articles are available through our Library and PsycARTICLES. If the other journals are not in our Library,
as likely, order photocopies of the articles through our Interlibrary Loan
service (http://www2.evansville.edu/libweb/,
click Request Forms, and then click
the appropriate Interlibrary Loan Form).
(c) Reprints
of articles can often be obtained by emailing
the author(s). Author addresses are a
part of the abstract, and e-mail addresses are usually available at the
author’s institutional website (find with http://www.google.com/). Ask for a ‘reprint’ of the article and also
ask for reprints or 'preprints' of any subsequent or related work. These minor direct contacts have helped
some select a graduate program. Often,
copies of key articles are also available at the author’s personal website.
Step
4: Build your Literature Portfolio. Collect
your printouts of online search abstracts, interlibrary loan photocopies, and
your own photocopies of key journal articles and book sections in a quality
folder. Burn a CD of your collection of
Adobe PDF full-text files. This
Portfolio will be used to prepare your Thesis Prospectus and Thesis, and it
must be submitted with and as part of your Thesis.
Step
5: Prepare your Thesis Prospectus by the
Class Calendar due-date in early October.
This Prospectus is due about one
month before submission of the Thesis. This Prospectus will present you refined topic
(the title page), an initial introduction to the topic, a proposed outline of
your Thesis, and the references obtained from your literature search. You will also include a detailed statement
explaining your career goals and how the selected topic relates to those
goals. Prospectus Format: Title
Page (1 page), Personal Relevance Preface (1 page), Table of Contents (1-2
pages), Preliminary Introduction (3-5 pages), Tentative Outline of Section
Headings and Subheadings each section with one or more text sentences (1-5 pages), References (1-5 pages). The Prospectus must strictly adhere to the new APA format (Publication Manual, 5th Edition). The
Prospectus file is the beginning of your Thesis file -- the zero working draft
-- and it will be expanded into the Thesis.
Step
6: The Senior Thesis is due on or before the Class Calendar due-date in
early November. Most
acceptable Theses range from 30 to 60 pages citing 25 or more references
contained in the accompanying Portfolio.
Papers that have been submitted in other courses are not acceptable as
Senior Theses—in whole or in part. Late
submissions are penalized with a lowered grade.
Theses are generally evaluated for good
content and good construction.
Good
Content: Senior Theses will thoroughly review the
literature--including primary journal reports that present data and statistical
analyses--not just the secondary literature (books and review articles) that
summarize those reports. Avoid overuse
of a few secondary references! All
literature relevant to the topic will be methodically searched, effectively organized,
and concisely presented. This review is then to be intelligently
evaluated for unique insights, valid conclusions, and noteworthy perspectives. Any original research on the topic (your own
study) should be integrated as a primary report following this review and
evaluation (good research begins with a good literature review—your results
should contribute to that literature and knowledge). As a goal for your Thesis effort, you are
to become an “expert”—knowing more about the topic than your faculty reader
(the best Theses are those that educate or update the Reader). This expertise can help achieve those stated
career goals.
Good
Construction: Senior Theses will be well written and
carefully edited. Effective writing
skills must be demonstrated to pass the course—regardless other performance. If needed, you are authorized to obtain
assistance writing and editing your Thesis from our Writing Center (you must acknowledge this and any other assistance
with a title footnote). See Rosnow & Rosnow (latest
edition) Writing Papers in Psychology for
good basic construction information. See
Struck & White (2000) Elements of
Style for good basic style information.
Avoid verbosity. Avoid awkward
and nonparallel constructions. Avoid
discursive and logical transition errors.
Avoid lexical and grammatical (semantic and syntactic) errors. Avoid APA citation and format errors. Direct quotations may not exceed 5% of the
total word count. To obtain your best
work, start early and put in the time to write, rewrite, edit, and rewrite some
more.