Schedule: Introduction to Psychological Studies

   Class MWF 2:00-2:50 in CL-1320 | Psychology 202 | Dordt College  | Dr. Sherri Lantinga | Spring 2010

    IPS Syllabus  | http://homepages.dordt.edu/~lantinga/IPS/index.html

Note: this schedule is VERY TENTATIVE and likely to change (with notice)

 

DATE

 CLASS TOPIC

READING PREPARATION

ASSIGNMENT
W Jan 13 Welcome! introducing ourselves and the course    
F Jan 15 Who are we? what does the Bible say about people? How does that relate to what psychology says? Lantinga (pp. 250-259);
Miller & Delaney (pp. 3-5, 16-18)		 Reading Summary #1 due
M Jan 18 Exploring the self: thinking about the human self and doing some on-campus research    
W Jan 20 Data interpretation: what does our research suggest about the self? what conclusions can we draw? schedule coffee times   Professional Development paper due
F Jan 22 Finding psychology literature: what are the main types of literature? where do they live in a library?   PsycInfo quiz due; Service Learning vs. Journal Summaries choice due
M Jan 25 Big questions: what big questions do we have about people that psychology can help answer?    
W Jan 27 Major theories/schools of psychology: how do humanism, behaviorism, and other theories describe human psychology and compare to a biblical perspective? Vitz (http://ipsciences.edu/pages/why-ips/a-brief-history-of-psychology.php) Reading Summary #2 due
F Jan 29 Big questions and theories: how do the major theories answer the big questions?    
M Feb 1 Big question group presentations    
W Feb 3

Researching answers to the big questions

 Overview of Psychology Research Methods (http://my.fit.edu/~gabrenya/IntroMethods/eBook/methods.pdf) Reading Summary #3 due
F Feb 5 Writing about psychology: what is distinct about APA style? what belongs on a title page and references page? what does it mean to write with integrity in psychology? APA Manual section 1.04 (pp. 7-9); skim sections 1.06-1.13 (pp. 10-28) and Figure 5.1 (pp. 306-316)
Citing sources (see sections V and VI on Text Citations and Quotations)		  
M Feb 8 Reading a journal article: what are the main sections of an empirical paper?    
W Feb 10 Reading the literature: how can we synthesize what we read and pull out what's important?    
F Feb 12 Group Lit Review presentations   Group literature review due

~~~ CALLING, CAREERS, AND PSYCHOLOGY  ~~~
M Feb 15 Calling: how does calling relate to careers and majors? Where does psychology fit? Career planning; 
Major and career		  
W Feb 17

Your Dordt education: what is required for a degree in psych? what are Dordt's 4 curricular coordinates? What is the psych department mission and student learning objectives?

Psych Department Advising Handbook (hard copy or on-line)
Self-insight (personal interviews) assignment due
F Feb 19 Transcripts: what are the important data on a transcript? What inferences can we draw about a person?   bring your college transcript (hard copy)
M Feb 22 BA-level psych careers: what are your options as a psychology graduate? Entry-level psych jobs;
What can you do with a BA in psych?		  
W Feb 24 No class - Dr. Lantinga at a conference    
F Feb 26 Job skills: what skills, knowledge, experience, and relationships can you develop now to help you begin your career? how do covert curricular skills compare to desirable employment skills? Covert curriculum;
Valuable job skills		  
M Mar 1 Why consider graduate school? what are the advantages and disadvantages of going to grad school vs. pursuing a BA-level career? Should you go to grad school?
 
W Mar 3

Applying to grad school: what are the primary and secondary admission criteria? when should you start the application process?

 Applying to grad school
 
F Mar 5 Reference & recommendation letters: what's the purpose of reference letters? how can you get a strong recommendation?; Chicago Semester representative here Recommendation letters Service Learning journals due
M Mar 8 Resumes & cover letters: what is the purpose of these documents? what should they include? What is a resume?;
Covering Cover Letters		 Four-year plan due
W Mar 10 Review and revise resumes   Resume & cover letter drafts due
 
Mar 11-22                                                  Have a great spring break!
W Mar 24 Writing cover letters   meet in computer lab
 
F Mar 26 Review and revise cover letters   meet in computer lab
M Mar 29 Interview skills: what to wear (and not wear) to an interview? what happens in interviews and what are some basic dos/don'ts (DVD)? Interview Prep dress for an interview
W Mar 31 Hiring: how are candidates selected for a position? what makes for a good fit?    
~~~ ETHICS, COUNSELING, & RESEARCH ~~~
F Apr 2 Good Friday -- no class    
M Apr 5 Ethical standards: what are the general principles and minimum ethical standards for professional conduct in psychology? APA Ethical Principles (bring hard copy to class) Psych Lecture Series 11:00am (BJ Haan) & 7:30pm (SB-101)
W Apr 7 Ethical case studies: how do APA ethical standards and scriptural principles apply in research, teaching, and clinical situations?    
F Apr 9 No class - Dr. Lantinga at a conference     
M Apr 12 No class - Dr. Lantinga at a conference    
W Apr 14 Clinical evaluations: what kinds of information do psychologists gather from clients and how do they use it? Faiver, Eisengart, & Colonna (pp. 46-55);
APA Multiaxial Assessment (pp. 27-33)		 Service Learning Journals and Journal Article Summary Set #2 due
F Apr 16

Psychological research methods: what are some of the ways research is done in psychology? What tensions do a scientific approach present for Christian psychologists?

  Job application package due

M Apr 19		 Testimonial "evidence": why does science give better information than talk shows and infomercials? Stanovich chapter 4 (pp. 55-74)  
W Apr 21 Experimental research: why are experiments the best way to test causal claims? Stanovich chapter 6 (pp. 87-102) Siouxland conference April 22
F Apr 23 Research Report presentations   Library Research Reports due
  ~~~ WRAP-UP ~~~    
M Apr 26 Career, Service Learning, or Journal Article Summary presentations   Service Learning and Journal Article summaries papers due; Conference Research Reports due
W Apr 28

Presentations, continued

    
F Apr 30 Course wrap-up & evaluations    

Th May 6

Professional Development Reflection paper due by 10am    

Dordt College Psychology Department Mission Statement:
In light of God's Word, the Dordt College Psychology Department is dedicated to a Reformed Christian perspective in developing students'
understanding of the psychological knowledge base, professional and interpersonal skills, and desire to use their knowledge and skills in serving others.

page last revised April 2010