Schedule: Introduction to Psychological Studies
Class MWF 12:00-12:50 in CL-256 | Psychology 202 | Dordt College | Dr. Sherri Lantinga | Spring 2009
IPS Syllabus | http://homepages.dordt.edu/~lantinga/IPS/index.html
Note: this schedule is VERY TENTATIVE and likely to change (with notice) (last revised April 2, 2009)
|
DATE |
CLASS TOPIC |
READING PREPARATION |
ASSIGNMENT |
| W Jan 14 | Welcome! introducing ourselves and the course | ||
| F Jan 16 | 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 19 | Exploring the self: thinking about the human self and doing some on-campus research | ||
| W Jan 21 | Data interpretation: what does our research suggest about the self? what conclusions can we draw? schedule coffee times | Professional Development paper due | |
| F Jan 23 | Finding psychology literature: what are the main types of literature? where do they live in a library? | PsycInfo quiz due; Service Learning vs. Current Events choice due | |
| M Jan 26 | Big questions: what big questions do we have about people that psychology can help answer? | ||
| W Jan 28 | 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 30 | Big questions and theories: how do the major theories answer the big questions? | ||
| M Feb 2 | Big Question group presentations | ||
| W Feb 4 |
no class - Dr. Lantinga at a seminar |
Research Methods in psychology (wikipedia) | Reading Summary #3 due |
| F Feb 6 | 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 9 | Reading a journal article: what are the main sections of an empirical paper? | ||
| W Feb 11 | Journal article summaries: how can we translate and summarize psych research for public gain? | ||
| F Feb 13 | Journal article summary presentations | Journal article summary due |
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| M Feb 16 | Calling: how does calling relate to careers and majors? Where does psychology fit? |
Career planning;
Major and career |
|
| W Feb 18 |
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 20 | 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 23 | 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 25 | 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; Maximize chances of a good job |
|
| F Feb 27 |
no class - Dr. Lantinga at a conference |
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| M Mar 2 | 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 4 |
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 6 | 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 Current Events Entries due |
| M Mar 9 | Resumes & cover letters: what is the purpose of these documents? what should they include? |
What is a resume?;
Cover letters |
Four-year plan due |
| W Mar 11 | Review and revise resumes |
Resume draft due |
|
| Mar 12-23 Have a great spring break! | |||
| W Mar 25 | Writing cover letters |
meet in computer
lab |
|
| F Mar 27 | Review and revise cover letters | meet in computer lab | |
| M Mar 30 | 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 Apr 1 | Hiring: how are candidates selected for a position? what makes for a good fit? | ||
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| F Apr 3 | Ethical standards: what are the general principles and minimum ethical standards for professional conduct in psychology? | APA Ethical Principles (bring hard copy to class) | |
| M Apr 6 | Ethical case studies: how do APA ethical standards apply in research, teaching, and clinical situations? | ||
| W Apr 8 | 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) |
|
| F Apr 10 | Psychological research methods: what are some of the ways research is done in psychology? What tensions do a scientific approach present for Christian psychologists? |
Service Learning Journals due Current Events Entries due |
|
| M Apr 13 | Anecdotal & testimonial "evidence": why does science give better information than talk shows and infomercials? | Stanovich chapter 4 (pp. 55-74) | |
| W Apr 15 | Experimental research: why are experiments the best way to test causal claims? | Stanovich chapter 6 (pp. 87-102) | |
| F Apr 17 | Job application package due | ||
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| M Apr 20 | no class - work on library survey | Clinical testing/interview reflections due | |
| W Apr 22 | no class - work on library survey | Siouxland conference April 23 | |
| F Apr 24 | Library Survey Teams report to library staff |
Service Learning and
Current Events reflection papers due;
Library Survey Report due |
|
| M Apr 27 | Service Learning presentations | ||
| W Apr 29 |
Current Event presentations |
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| F May 1 | Course wrap-up & evaluations | ||
|
T May 5 |
Professional Development paper due in Dr. Lantinga's office by noon | ||
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.