Recently a member of the PsychTeach listserv was looking for an assignment for Intro Psych that gave students the opportunity to bring together what they learned in the course. Here are a few syllabi from the Project Syllabus database that have some type of 'capstone' project. Visit the site to view these Intro syllabi: http://teachpsych.org/otrp/syllabi/syllabi.php?category=Introductory%20Psychology
Rory McElwee's syllabus
"Case Study Paper: To take your understanding of the course material to a higher level and to solidify your learning for the long term, the last part of the semester will be spent in a collaborative, problem-based learning exercise in which teams of students will be given a case study to analyze. This exercise will enable the student to apply and synthesize material from throughout the course as well as build research, writing, and oral communication skills. Students will complete a 5-page paper outlining their work which will be due during finals week. You will receive detailed guidelines later in the term. Attendance during these class periods is mandatory for full credit on the project."
If you're interested in learning more about this assignment, contact Rory at mcelwee@rowan.edu
John Schwoebel's syllabus
"OICS Project: Ask a novel question? Explore an intriguing idea. Find a person, theory, area of study, idea, or finding that interests you. Then develop (with my help) an activity that will allow you to further explore the topic. You might: Imagine how a conversation/argument between two famous psychologists might proceed. Create and explain illusions. Paint depression. Apply psychological findings in order to improve your memory, happiness, or attitudes toward others. Write stories, poems, or songs. Construct study aides. Conduct a psychological study. Etc... Design an activity that fits with your interests and strengths and then discuss it with me. You should meet with me (in my office) by October 18 th at the latest. If you don't discuss the activity with me by then, the activity will be graded as late. After we come to an agreement concerning the goals and requirements of the activity, you may begin working on it.
"In general, the final product of each activity will be a Poster Presentation at Cazenovia College's 3 rd Biannual Undergraduate Psychology Conference. The format of the poster will vary depending on the type of activity you choose and we will discuss this when we meet individually and as a class. The poster should not be a standard, run-of-the-mill presentation of other people's ideas. The poster should be an original, independent, creative, and scholarly work that reflects your careful thoughts, analyses, and a semester's worth of hard work. Your OICS Project grade will be worth 20% of your total course grade and will be graded based on the following components (each worth 25%):
- Originality: novel/unique questions, comparisons, arguments, etc...
- Independence: reading/study/research that goes beyond the text/lectures
- Creativity: nonstandard, non-term paperish, fun way of communicating your ideas · Scholarship: reflects a great deal of work and thought and the achievement of a deep understanding of your chosen topic"
E.M. Magidson's syllabus. This assignment comes from 2004, but it could easily be adapted for the more recent Jaycee Lee Dugard kidnapping by Phillip Garrido. The syllabus provides detailed instructions that I haven't reproduced here.
"Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped from her home in Salt Lake City, Utah, for nine months in 2002 by a self-proclaimed prophet, Brian Mitchell and his companion, Wanda Barzee.
1. Find on the Internet one or two authoritative articles on this case that discuss these ideas, which you should label as subheadings in your paper:
a. Smart was (was not) Brainwashed. Discuss your choice.
b. Psychological Effects Smart May be Experiencing Now c. Suggested Therapy. Indicate why you would recommend such therapy, as well as the specific procedures used in the therapy."
Chuck Huff. Chuck uses an "Empirical Investigation" project. Students work together to develop a research question, do the background reading on it, design a study, collect and analyze the data, and then present a poster. Visit this link to go directly to his assignment: http://www.stolaf.edu/people/huff/classes/Intro/empirical.html.
If you have a capstone-type project for your Intro Psych course, consider submitting your syllabus to Project Syllabus for peer review and possible inclusion in our database!
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ReplyDeleteBefore you will be going to rite your psychology capstone you must have some psychology capstone project ideas . It is well-known fact that the capstone project is an essential part of your educational way that will show your knowledge and skill that you achieved during the studying. And I think that research is the best thing you can do to generate the best psychology capstone project ideas. You can find a lot of data online that can help you to choose what you will write about. For example, you can find the already written project that will be relative to our field and subject of studying and after reading it you may understand what you will write about.
ReplyDeleteGood effort done here. Wikipedia
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