Critical study, with historical background, of the major ...

History and Modern Viewpoints in Psychology 21:830:423
Course Dates: 12/23/15 through 01/15/16
Meeting Place: ONLINE/BLACKBOARD
Instructor: Matthew Giobbi, Ph.D.
Virtual Office Hours by Appointment
Contact: [email protected]

Course Description
Critical study, with historical background, of the major schools of psychological thought
and theory and their relation to current theoretical approaches in the discipline. Theories
covered include existentialism, structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt psychology,
behaviorism and learning theory, psychoanalysis, and cognitive psychology.

Course Objectives

At the end of the course you will be able to:

Identify & describe the major schools of thought throughout the history of psychology.

Describe how historians do historiography.

Discuss the major controversies in the field.

Understand the philosophical and physiological influences on the discipline.

Understand trends and fads in the field.

Understand the philosophy of science as described by Kuhn, Popper, & Feyerabend.

Understand the beginnings of academic psychology.

Explore reactions to academic psychology in existentialism, humanism, &
psychoanalysis.

Have a specific understanding of where we have been, where we are, and where we are
going in psychology.

____________________________________________________________________

Academic Integrity

This course closely follows the Academic Integrity standards set forth by Rutgers
University at Newark. These standards and policies are viewable at:
http://www.ncas.rutgers.edu/oas/ai.

You are required to review all Academic Integrity policies before taking this course.
Evidence of academic dishonesty will result in the following of the protocol described in
the Policy on Academic Integrity (found on the above website).

Required Text

Schultz, Duane, P., & Schultz, Sydney, Ellen, (2012). A History of Modern Psychology,
Tenth Edition. Wadsworth: NYC.

Grading

You will be graded on:
Weekly Discussion Forums 10%
Weekly Written Assignments 30%
Weekly quizzes 20%
Final multimedia presentation 40%

Final Multimedia Project

Each student will be required to produce a 10 minute, multimedia video which presents
one of the major topics of this course. Videos must include the student in video & audio
presentation and include video segment example, text introduction and conclusion titles,
as well as a written introduction and synopsis of the video project. Videos will be
uploaded onto Blackboard and made viewable for critical discussion by all class
members. Videos will be graded on: Accuracy of Information (0-5 pts), Clarity and
Effectiveness of Presentation (0-5 pts), Video & Audio Production (0-5 pts), and written
mechanics (spelling & grammar) (0-5 pts). Total 20 pts.

Weekly Discussion Forum

Each week you will be required to participate in class discussion forums. You will be
awarded 0-5 points, based on: Quality of Post, Quality of Responses to Others’ posts.

Topic Quiz

Each topic will have a 15 question quiz consisting of true-false & multiple choice
questions. These questions will be taken from the readings, videos, and the lectures.

Topic Essay Assignments

Each topic will include a written essay assignment of at least 500 words. These
assignments will be reaction papers to a topical question. Essays will use APA reference
style with hyperlinks. Each essay will be graded on: Accuracy of Information (0-5 pts),
Grammar & Mechanics (0-5 pts), and Critical Thoughtfulness (0-5 pts). (Total 15 pts)

Sequence of Topics
Week 1: 12/23 – 12/30
Chapter 1: Doing History
Chapter 2: Philosophical Influences
Chapter 3: Physiological Influences
Chapter 4: The New Psychology
Videos
Recorded Lectures

Week 2: 12/31 – 1/7
Chapter 5: Structuralism
Chapters 6, 7 &, 8: Functionalism
Chapters 9, 10, & 11: Behaviorism
Videos
Recorded Lectures

Week 3: 1/8 – 1/15
Chapter 12: Gestalt Psychology
Chapter 13 & 14: Psychoanalysis
Chapter 15: Contemporary Developments in Psychology
Videos
Recorded Lectures