Writing for Psychology

PSYC 204

Lecture Outlines        Assignments        Resources

Instructor:                     Dr. Tara Mitchell         

Email:                           tmitchel@lhup.edu

Office:                          Robinson 305

Phone:                          570-484-3866

Office Hours:                M 2:00-3:00; T 11:00-12:00; W 10:00-11:00, 2:00-3:00; R 1:00-2:00; by appointment

Class Website:             www.lhup.edu/tmitchel/writing

I.          Course Information:   

A.        Course Title:                Writing for Psychology, PSYC204, Section 1

             B.        Class meetings:             MWF

                                                            11:15 am – 12:05 pm

Sloan 214

                                                            Final exam: Paper due by 3:00 pm Tuesday, December 11

C.                 Credits:                        Three (3)

D.                Prerequisites:                PSYC 100; ENG 100

E.                 Gen. Ed. Overlay:         Meets Information Literacy and Writing Emphasis Req.

F.                  Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students develop. . .

·         proficiency in using databases available at the LHU library to locate empirical research

·         competency in the American Psychological Association's (APA) writing style

·         a clear understanding of what constitutes plagiarism and will learn to properly cite sources so as to avoid plagiarism

·         the ability to select appropriate topics for writing assignments

·         the ability to write abstracts

·         the ability to write experimental and non-experimental research papers

II.        The method of instruction consists of lectures, class discussions, and learning activities.

III.       Requirements:

A.        Required Texts:

Perrin, R. (2004). Pocket guide to APA style. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Rosnow, R. L., & Rosnow, M. (2003). Writing papers in psychology (6^th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Strunk, W., Jr., & White, E. B. (2000).  The elements of style (4^th ed.).  Needham Heights, MA:  Allyn & Bacon.

Szuchman, L.T. (2005).  Writing with style:  APA style made easy (3^rd ed.).  Belmont, CA:  Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

                        Optional Text:

American Psychological Association. (2001).  Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5^th ed.).  Washington, DC:  Author.

B.                 Method of evaluation:

1.         Exams:

There will be two (2) exams.  One (1) exam will be a traditional exam covering grammar, spelling, and the like. One (1) exam will be a Mastery Exam on APA style references. Mastery exams are different from regular exams. You will take the Mastery Exam until you score an 80% or better. The traditional exam will be treated as any other exam. You will receive a zero (0) on the traditional exam if: you do not promptly notify me that you have to miss the exam day. Please see the expectations section for more details on this process.

                        2.         Participation/Quizzes:

Participation will be based on completion of assignments and class attendance.  There will be random quizzes throughout the semester. These quizzes have two purposes: (1) to encourage class attendance and (2) to encourage reading the class texts. If you are in class and reading the material as it is covered in class, then you will have no problems with the quizzes. In the spirit of random quizzes, there will be an unknown number of them.

3.         Writing assignments:

As the course name implies, this entire class will be spent discussing and practicing writing for a psychology audience. Although we will spend some time covering basic grammar rules, it is assumed that you have learned that in your ENG 100 class. Because this is a class designed to teach writing for a particular audience (and incidentally meets a Writing Emphasis requirement), you will be doing a large amount of writing. The schedule details the due dates for each writing assignment. The requirements and scoring information for each assignment will be addressed in class.

Please keep in mind that you will be working on multiple writing assignments at any given time. You will need to plan your schedule accordingly.

4.                  Academic Honesty:

Academic honesty is essential! Any form of academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will result in, at minimum, a zero score on the specific assignment and a maximum of a “E” grade for the class. See the Student Handbook for the University “Academic Honesty Policy and Procedure.” Cheating on an exam is unacceptable and if you are caught cheating you will be given an “E” in the course.  There will also be no tolerance for plagiarism in any of your writing assignments.  If you are reporting information that you learned from another source, that source must be cited and direct quotes must be placed in quotation marks and cited. We will be spending an entire week on referencing materials, so ignorance of plagiarism or the rules of citation will not be an acceptable excuse. Any type of plagiarism will result in an “E” in the course and you will be reported for academic misconduct.  Not understanding what constitutes plagiarism will not be accepted as an excuse for plagiarism. 

III.       Expectations:

            A.        Attendance and Preparation:

1.         Taking attendance:

I believe that you will benefit the most from this class by attending each class and having the reading assignments completed. I also, however, realize that you all have lives outside of my class and that things happen.  I will not be taking attendance. 

2.         Missing class:

Keep two things in mind in regards to missing class.  First, if you are not in class, your participation grade will be low, because you will not be in class to take complete the projects.  Secondly, when you miss class, it is your responsibility to get the notes for that session.  I will make outlines of the PowerPoint lectures available to everyone, but I will not provide detailed notes. 

B.                 Electronics in the classroom:

1.         Laptops/Tape Recorders:

I am open to the use of any electronic equipment that will help your learning.  You are free to bring laptops or tape recorders in order to record the lecture.

                        2.         Communication Devices:

There will be NO beepers or cellular telephones allowed in class.  This includes pagers set to vibration mode. If the phone rings during class, I will answer it. If I find out that you deliberately let the phone ring, you will leave the class. If there is a legitimate problem with this rule, please see me. 

                        3.         Classroom Behavior:

                                    1.         Schedule:

You should arrive in class on time. It is distracting for me and probably for everyone, when people come in late. Please do everything in your power to arrive on time. Secondly, you should stay in the class until I dismiss you. It is extremely distracting to have people pack up and leave in the middle of a class session. If, due to that life thing happening, you have to leave early, please be sure to sit near the exit and to leave as quietly as possible.

2.                  Discussions:

I expect for you to take an active part in the course and your education. This means answering questions posed to the class, asking questions for clarification of the information presented in class, and coming to my office hours for any additional help you need. I can not work with you to make the material clear, if you do not tell me that you do not understand the material!

3.                  Conduct:

I expect you to treat one another, and me, with respect. This means that you will not talk amongst yourselves during class, which is disrespectful to me, and to your classmates who are trying to hear the material. You will also be respectful of the opinions of all your classmates during our discussions, even when you disagree. The classroom will be an area where you are each welcome to express opinions and ideas and to learn from one another. Also, if you have a question or need clarification, it is likely one of your classmates has the same question. Please ask the question as we cover the material. Your grades, and your classmate, will thank you!

4.                  Exams:

You are expected to arrive on time, with a pencil, to take exams.  If you arrive late to an exam, you will have until the last person who arrived on time finishes his/her exam.  Make-up exams will be given at my discretion.  If you miss an exam and wish to take a make-up, you must contact me immediately.   If you do not contact me before the next class period, then no make-up exam will be considered.  If you miss more than one exam, you will receive a zero on that exam - no exceptions.  There will be no make-up for the final exam.  If you miss the final exam, you will receive a zero for that exam - no exceptions!

IV.       Outside Resources:

            A.        Reasonable accommodations:

Students with disabilities are encouraged to discuss requests for reasonable accommodations with me at the beginning of the semester. For accommodations to be provided, the Office for Disability Services must verify your disability. Please contact Dr. Reynol Junco, Director at 104 Russell Hall, extension 2926 or via email at rjunco@lhup.edu.

B.        Help with material:

If you find yourself having difficulty with the material, please make use of my office hours. In a one-on-one session, we will be able to come up with a plan to help you with the course material. If you do not make use of these office hours, I will not be as able to help with any difficulties.

V.        Grading Policy:

Grades will be based on your performance on the exams, quizzes, writing assignments, and various and sundry other assignments. You will be given the opportunity to receive feedback on your writing assignments by turning in drafts. You will not be graded on those drafts – the sole purpose will be to give you feedback. The grade distribution is below:

Your final grade on the short and long papers will be the average of your grade on the original product and the rewrite. If you are happy with your original grade, then you do not have to turn in the rewrites. For your research paper, your grade will be based on the final, full report.  You will not receive grades for the individual pieces, but you will receive feedback.

VI.       Class Schedule:

The class schedule is subject to change at my discretion, based on our ability to cover the material. There are several days scheduled as “work days.” Class will not officially meet on all of those days; I will be available, however, for questions during each of them. We will also meet in the computer lab on some of them, so you will be able to work on your papers during class time.

Date                                         Topic/Reading                                                                         Assignments Due

August 27                    Course Introduction

August 29                    Formal Writing (Sz. Ch 1; R. & R. Ch 1)

August 31                    Selecting a Research Topic (R. & R. Ch 1)     

September 3                 Holiday – No Class

September 5                 Research Topics/Library Research (R. & R. Ch 2)                              

September 7                 Library Research (R. & R. Ch 2)                                                     Short Paper Topics

September 10               Ethics in Writing (R. & R. pg 63 – 68)                                              PsycINFO

September 12               Ethics in Research

September 14               Grammar, spelling, punctuation (Sz. Ch 2; S. & W.)                           IRB Certificate

September 17               Grammar, spelling, punctuation

September 19               Grammar, spelling, punctuation (Meet 10:45 – 11:25)                         Long Paper Topics Due

September 21               Test on Grammar, spelling, punctuation         

September 24               Referencing Journals (R. & R. Ch 7; Sz. Ch 8)

September 26               Referencing Journals; Citations

September 28               Citations (P. Ch 4)      

October 1                     Referencing Books (R. & R. Ch 7; Sz. Ch 8)                                   Short Paper Due

October 3                     Referencing Books

October 5                     Mastery Exam on Referencing

October 8                     Holiday – No Class

October 9                     Referencing Electronic Sources (Perrin pg 100 – 109) [MONDAY SCHEDULE]

October 10                   Referencing Other Sources

October 12                   Mastery Exam on References 2                                  

October 15                   Titles and Title Pages                                                                      Short Paper Rewrite Due

October 17                   Formatting Reports (P. Ch 2; Sz. Ch 9)           

October 19                   Research Project Information                                     

October 22                   Essay Writing (Sz. Ch 3)         

October 24                   Introductions (Sz. Ch 3)

October 26                   Introduction Work Day

October 29                   Method Section (Sz. Ch 4)

October 31                   Results Section (Sz. Ch 5)                                                                Long Paper Due

November 2                 Work Day       

November 5                 SPSS Lecture                                                                                  Title Page & Introduction Due

November 7                 Table and Figures

November 9                 Using Excel/Word for tables & figures

November 12               Work Day                                           

November 14               Discussion Section (Sz. Ch 6) 

November 16               Abstract (Sz. Ch 7)                                                                          Method & Results Due

November 19               Abstract

November 26               Tying it All Together   

November 28               Work Day

November 30               Posters (R. & R. Ch 8; Sz. Ch 11)                                                    Discussion & Abstract Due

December 3                 Handouts                                

December 5                 Presentations                                                                                   Long Paper Rewrite Due

December 7                 Resumes and Cover Letters                                                             Posters & Handouts Due

December 11               Final Paper Due by 3:00 pm