Assignments

Weekly Written Reviews:  Each week, beginning the second week, you must complete a review of one of the assigned readings.  The paper is due in class, but you should drop me an email (eamsel@weber.edu) in advance letting me know which paper you plan to do. The review should be about a page or two (shorter is better!) and have three sections.  The attached handout outlines what I will expect in the paper (click here). I appreciate that some of you may not have done such reviews before and may find this a little overwhelming. Not to worry, I will work with you to perfect such skills. The skills will prove to be critical in the preparation of your final presentation and paper.  These papers are worth 20% of your final grade and each review will be graded as no credit, partial credit, or full credit. 

Weekly Online Discussions:  I will create discussion topics on Blackboard for students which both help students discuss the required readings BEFORE the class and extend discussion on the topic AFTER the class. Actually theses online discussion is what has become of our extra class hour. I will place BEFORE and AFTER discussion topics on Blackboard (click here and go to WSU Online and click on Psych 4900). You are free to develop your own discussion theme if you like.  The weekly discussions are worth 20% of your grade, equally divided between in-class and online, and will be graded as no credit, partial credit, or full credit. 

Essay Exam:  During the February 9th lecture, I will hand out a take-home essay exam.  It will contain a series of questions requesting that you apply and integrate the issues discussed in the readings, discussions. lectures, etc. You will have 2 weeks to complete the exam (until February 23rd).  The essay exam is worth 15% of your final grade and will be graded out of 100%.

Discussion Leader: Between weeks 7 and 11, students will be discussion leaders on a topic reflecting their personal interests on adolescent development. With my help, students will find general readings on a topic of normal adolescent development which presents the topic through multiple theoretical perspectives. The topic will be presented for roughly 45 minutes in class and I plan on 2 or 3 presentations a week.   

Research Presentation:  For two weeks beginning in late March, students will use class time to present their ongoing analysis of selected research papers on a topic of their own choosing.  With my help, students will come ready to present at least three empirical papers on a topic of interest.  The purpose of this presentation (which is meant to be messy and challenging) is to help the student work through the conceptual and procedural issues in the research bearing on the topic of the student's choice. Presenters will be expected to introduce the topic and then discuss each of the three papers.  The students in the audience will be expected to comment both conceptually (the significance of the research given the students' interest in the topic) and procedurally (e.g., internal and external validity). The research presentation is worth 15% and will be graded out of 100%. 

A note on process:   Roughly 5 students will present each week for about 20 minutes each.  I will try to organize the presentations so that they are on related topics. Letting me know ASAP of your interest in a topic will help me in scheduling and in assisting you to find papers.

Formal Presentation:  One goal of your informal research presentation is to focus your thinking so you can develop a professional-style formal presentation on your topic.  A 5-10 minute PowerPoint-assisted talk will be expected on the last day of classes (April 14th). I will then place the PowerPoint on my web site as a permanent record of the class.  We will discuss the contents of these presentations in a special class section on April 14th. 

Final Paper:  The final paper is about an 8-page write up of the research you reviewed on the topic you chose.  The paper will go beyond those three readings, although it is likely that the 3 papers and their critiques will be the core of the paper.  The formal presentation/final paper together is worth 25% of your final grade and will be graded out of 100%.