Research and Writing in Psychology PSY 310 Recitation, Section R03 Fall 2017 Class Time: Mondays and Wednesdays, 3:30-4:23PM Class Location: Psychology A, Room 141 Section Instructor: Tessa Clarkson E-mail: tessa.clarkson@stonybrook.edu Office: Psychology B, Room 353 Office Hours: Tuesdays 3:00PM 5:00 PM or by appointment Required Textbook: A Short Guide to Writing about Psychology (3 rd edition) by Dana S. Dunn Course Description: This writing section is designed to help you think critically about psychological research and to learn how to communicate your research according to the standards expected of research psychologists. This course will be devoted to (a) learning how to effectively use and access library resources, (b) formulating innovative and interesting research questions, (c) designing and describing an appropriate study to test the questions you generate, and (d) drafting, writing, and presenting an original research proposal for your study. You will learn the technical aspects of writing each section of the Research Proposal (i.e., the Introduction, Method, Results, Discussion, Abstract, and References sections), and you will also participate in one-on-one meetings with me to discuss your ideas and writing. Along the way, you will receive feedback on each component of your Research Proposal. At the end of the semester, you will present your Research Proposal to the class. This course will be very demanding of your time, but it will also give you the tools needed to write scientifically. Selecting a topic that interests you and keeping up with assignments will be key for success in this class. Online Communication: Please be sure you have access to the Blackboard site for the recitation (in addition to the lecture site). I will be using this to post any documents you will need, as well as to communicate with you via announcements and email. You are responsible to check Blackboard and your email regularly. Please feel free to email me with questions or concerns at any point. (In fact, please do!) I will reply as soon as possible, but please do not expect a quick reply if you send an urgent, lastminute email. I will be happy to help, but simply may not see it in time! Please plan accordingly. Also, please sign your name (especially if this is not included in your email address) and use the subject line. This will help me get back to you in the quickest, most efficient way possible. We are a team and communication is key! Use good email etiquette!
Attendance: Attendance is mandatory. Attendance will be taken, so please arrive on time and stay for the full class. Excessive lateness, leaving early, or obvious inattentiveness (e.g., sleeping) will adversely affect your attendance grade. If you know in advance that you must be late or leave class early, please email me or see me prior to the start of class. Exceptions will not be made, but it will allow me to fill you in on content you miss. On this same note, if you must miss class for any reason, please email me as soon as possible. This will allow me to plan accordingly and help work with you to keep you on schedule as well. Please be mindful as a lack of attendance can quickly hurt your grade! Submitting Assignments: All assignments will be submitted online on Blackboard. Assignments will be considered on time if they are submitted by the beginning of class on the due date. Late assignments will have one point deducted per day, with the first point deducted at the beginning of class. Please do not wait until the last minute to submit assignments! Plan ahead as you may encounter problems with internet and/or Blackboard that will cause late submission. From past experience, you should plan to submit things at least a few hours early in case of problems. Assignments will not be accepted in paper form or via email. The Writing Center and the Library: If you need extra help with any part of the writing process or would like help editing your drafts/paper, The Writing Center is an excellent resource! You can reach them at http://www.stonybrook.edu/commcms/writrhet/writing_center/writing.html. Links on the side provide resources or the ability to schedule an appointment. They are located in Humanities, room 2009 and their phone number is (631) 632-7405. Please also be aware of the resources in the library. We will discuss this in class as well, but it bears mention here. The librarians are valuable resources for locating research materials and articles you may need. The library website is here: http://www.library.stonybrook.edu/. Scroll down to see the Ask a Librarian section on the bottom right. Depending on time of day, you can chat, email, or call a librarian in addition to visiting the library in person.
Assignments and Grading Policy: The recitation is worth 100 out of 200 possible points. The remaining 100 points will be earned from the lecture portion of the class. That is, your grade for the recitation will count towards 50% of your overall PSY 310 grade. Assignment Due Date Possible Points 2 possible topics 8/30/17 2 2 annotated references 9/6/17 2 Individual Final Topic & Annotated Bibliography Meeting 2 Outline Draft 9/25/17 3 Peer Review of Outlines 9/25/17 2 Outline 9/27/17 5 Outline Presentation 10/4-10/9 3 Introduction Draft 10/11/17 3 Peer Review of Introductions 10/16/17 2 Introduction 10/18/17 5 Method Draft 10/23/17 3 Peer Review of Methods 10/23/17 2 Method Section 11/8/17 5 Results Draft 11/6/17 3 Peer Review of Results 11/6/17 2 Results Section 11/15/17 5 Discussion Draft 11/20/17 2 Peer Review of Discussion 11/20/17 2 Discussion Section 11/27/17 3 Final Presentation 11/29-12/6 4 Final paper 12/11/17 30 Attendance/Participation N/A 10
Americans with Disabilities Act: If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your course work, please contact Disability Support Services, ECC (Educational Communications Center) Building, room128, (631) 632-6748. They will determine with you what accommodations, if any, are necessary and appropriate. All information and documentation is confidential. Academic Integrity: Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Faculty are required to report any suspected instances of academic dishonesty to the Academic Judiciary. Faculty in the Health Sciences Center (School of Health Technology & Management, Nursing, Social Welfare, Dental Medicine) and School of Medicine are required to follow their schoolspecific procedures. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website at http://www.stonybrook.edu/uaa/academicjudiciary/ Critical Incident Management: Stony Brook University expects students to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, or inhibits students' ability to learn. Faculty in the HSC Schools and the School of Medicine are required to follow their school-specific procedures. ** PLEASE NOTE: This syllabus is subject to change** Class topics, due dates, and grading are subject to change. Changes will be announced in class and posted on Blackboard. Any adjustments will be resolved in the spirit of academic integrity and fairness to all students.
Schedule Date Class# Topic Due 8/28/17 1 Lecture: Welcome and Overview Lecture: Brainstorming Research Ideas 8/30/17 2 Lecture: Scientific Method and Research Design 2 possible research topics, 2 Conducting a Literature Search paragraphs on each 9/4/17 3 No Class -Labor Day 9/6/17 4 Peer Review of Topics and In-class Literature Searching* 2 annotated references 9/11/17 5 Lecture: Structure of a Research Article 9/13/17 6 Lecture: Outline & Plagiarism 9/18/17 7 Individual Meetings (No class) Final Topic with Annotated Bibliography (5 references) 9/21/17 8 Individual Meetings (No class) 9/25/17 9 Lecture: APA style and Scientific Writing Style Outline Draft (peer review 9/27/17 10 Peer Review: Outline* Outline 10/2/17 11 Lecture: Introduction 10/4/17 12 Outline Presentations 10/9/17 13 Outline Presentations 10/11/17 14 Lecture: Method Introduction Draft 10/16/17 15 Peer Review: Introduction* Introduction peer review due at end of class 10/18/17 16 Lecture: Statistics Introduction 10/23/17 17 Lecture: Results 10/25/17 18 Peer Review: Method* Method Draft (peer review 10/30/17 19 Lecture: Graphs and Tables 11/1/17 20 Lecture: Title Page and Abstract 11/6/17 21 Peer Review: Results* Results Draft (peer review 11/8/17 22 Lecture: Discussion Method 11/13/17 23 Lecture: Presentations 11/15/17 24 Lecture: Reference Section Results Discussion Draft (peer 11/20/17 25 Peer Review: Discussion* review 11/22/17 26 No Class- Thanksgiving 11/27/17 27 Final Presentations Discussion 11/29/17 28 Final Presentations 12/4/17 29 Final Presentations 12/6/17 30 Final Presentations 12/11/17 31 No-Class FINAL PAPER DUE ***Class days MAY be done remotely IF your peers will be able to get your reviews to you by the due date and time. It is YOUR responsibility to make sure your paper is reviewed by the due date. EVERYONE must review at least one person s paper and have their paper reviewed by at least one person.