Psychology In-Class Assignment: Tuesday, 10/28/2014

Read the following article: The Schizophrenic Mind and then respond to the following writing prompts in a well organized essay (2 page minimum).

Prompts: You are writing about your reaction to what you read in the article. Use these prompts to help guide your writing. Don't be too formulaic; you should still write in essay format. Do no simply bullet your answers to these questions. I am interested in your thoughts about what you read so please feel free to write about any thoughts or questions you have about the article, not just the answers to these prompts.

Personally:

• What are your reactions to the examples of real life schizophrenics given in the article? 
• Which story was the most shocking?

According to the article:

• What are the most common symptoms of schizophrenia?
• Why does the content of hallucinations differ from one schizophrenic to another?
• What might be the cause of this disorder?
• What differences have we identified in the brains of schizophrenics that differ from the functions of a healthy brain?
• What are some of the common misconceptions about schizophrenia?
• Why can't we cure schizophrenia (at the moment)?
• What are the differences between early antipsychotics, like Thorazine and the newer, atypical antipsychotics, like Risperdal?

In class activity: 10/27/2014

Read my blog post, The Media's Portrayal of Schizophrenia and How it Affects the general Public's Understanding of this Condition, and respond in a comment of no less than 250 words.

Due Thursday, October 30, 2014

Read pages 43-58 in your textbook and copy the vocabulary definitions ("Key Terms") from this section of the chapter (biological psychology - parasympathetic nervous system ------ 37 terms in total).

Study for Chapter 3 Sociology Test on Friday 10/24/2014

Complete the multiple choice sections of the study guide packet for chapter 3:Culture that was handed out in class. You may also take a practice test here to help you prepare.

Due Thursday, November 06, 2014

Using the sociological perspective, write a well-organized, critical analysis of the film,Super Size Me by filmmaker Morgan Spurlock.  Requirements/instructions for this assignment can be found here. Here is a link to a sample APA formatted paper (you do not need an abstract).

Update: There seems to be some confusion on how to cite an online source.  Here is a link that discusses how to list a website in your references and how to format your in-text citations for an online source.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY FOR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS: Due no later than Friday, October 24, 2014!

I am offering all psychology students an opportunity to earn extra credit points toward their 1st marking period grade by finding articles of psychological importance/interest, that can be used for class discussion, and posting them to our classes' Twitter account along with a brief question pertaining to the article.  You will receive 10 bonus points for each tweet, with a limit of 3 tweets per student (for a total of 30 bonus points).  You may not duplicate another student's article.  To help me keep things organized and searchable, please mention our class username,@BruceAlmightey and label your tweets with the following hashtag: #brucediscussionquestions 

How do I sign up?

Twitter is a free site---all you need is access to a computer or smart phone. To sign up for an account:

If you don't have a Twitter account, it's easy to sign up and create one.  Follow the instructions below. Even if you already tweet, you may want to make another account for this class.  It's up to you if you want to follow the class site "Bruce's Classes" (@BruceAlmightey) with your existing personal account or not. If you want to create a new account instead, please feel free to do so. 

1. Go to www.twitter.com

1. Click the big green “sign-up now” button

1. Insert your name and email address to create your account

1. Once you get to your account main page, you can go to the “settings” button and make your account private, that is only those who have approved access (those you invite) can see what you are saying or  you can choose to leave it public.

If you have any questions/problems, please comment below this post.

EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY FOR SOCIOLOGY STUDENTS: Due no later than Friday, October 24, 2014!

This is an optional, extra credit opportunity for the first marking period.  A successfully completed post will be worth 50 points toward your 1st marking period grade (like earning a 100% on a quiz).  You have a choice of which article you want to use for your post so choose one that interests you (and there are some really cool posts on this site!).  You will find detailed instructions on how to complete your post below:

1. Go to the website www.SociologyInFocus.com and choose a post that interests you.
2. Read the post and listen to/watch any audio/video files that are embedded.
3. In your own words, write a brief summary (200 words minimum) of the post.
4. Answer the "Dig Deeper" questions at the end of the post
5. Make 2 questions of your own that are related to the reading or the main topic of the post (avoid level 1 questions that simply ask for recall of information in the article).  Here is a helpful link to help you develop higher order questions.
6. Post your summary and questions as a comment under this post on the homework blog (PLEASE check your post for spelling, grammatical, and formatting errors before posting it to the blog!)

• I want you to do something that interests you but I don't want duplicate posts.  I want there to be variety. There are numerous categories on the left hand side of the page and an archive by date.  You are not just limited to what appears on the main page (these are only the most recent posts).  
• When you find one you want, post a comment under this post to claim it before someone else does! 
• If your questions are particularly good, I may use them in class or on a quiz or test.  If I do, you will receive bonus points on your participation grade for that week.

Due Monday, October 20, 2014

This week's assignment is to produce a formal, typed proposal of your group's planned breaching experiments from the brainstorming worksheet we will be working on in class this week.  The requirements for your proposal can be found here.

Due Thursday, October 16, 2014

Response to reading (1 page minimum).  Do you agree that we all have an Inner Savant? Do you think that technology will eventually help us all tap into this amazing potential in our own brains?

Due Thursday, October 09, 2014

Read and outline chapter 3 (Culture) in your textbook. If you need a refresher on how to make a good outline check out this page.

Due Thursday, October 09, 2014

Answer the questions on schizophrenia based on your reading of the selection (pages 611-620) from chapter 14 in your textbook.

In Class Activity: Friday, 10-03-14

With a partner or small group, read this article and respond to the questions posed at the end. Share your group's answers with me electronically. Be prepared to discuss your answers in class.