Blog Assignment - Week 14

Part 1:

This week's chapter focuses on psychotherapy.  For this assignment, I just want to you critically think about a couple questions pertaining to psychotherapy.  Please complete the following questions:

• What do you know about psychotherapy, based on personal experience, experience that your family or friends may have had, what you see on television or in movies, etc.?  Please do not identify yourself or anyone else as having therapy if you are not comfortable doing so.
• Why do you think men are less willing to seek therapy than women?
• Why do you think it is that people who are better educated are more likely to seek psychotherapy?
• If you or someone close to you were going to seek therapy, which type of mental health profession would you seek out (e.g., psychologist, psychiatrist, or other mental health professional)? Why?
• If you thought you could benefit from therapy, but were reluctant to seek it, who would you talk to? Parents, friends, clergy, etc.?

Part 2:

As in the previous weeks, please respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one or posts that you have responded to previously) to get credit for you "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting. Note: Replying to other students' comments on blog posts does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with your colleagues.

That's a wrap, everyone!  You have all done a great job with the blog this semester.  I know they were a lot of work at times, but remember that learning does not really mean much if you can't apply what you have learned.  Psychology is all about applying theories, concepts, etc. to everyday life and behavior, so without the ability to apply it, what use is it, really?  Throughout the semester, I hope you have developed a better ability to not only learn about psychology, but learn to apply it to your life and life around you!

This assignment is due on Monday, December 2, 2013 at 11:59p.

I found this meme and thought you'd like it, now that we have learned the difference between antisocial and asocial :)

Blog Assignment - Week 13

Part 1:

Week 13 of 14...almost there!

This week, I would like you to watch a preapproved movie that pertains to any psychological disorder.  Yes - a whole movie!  I know you are all at the point in the semester when things start getting busy, but do remember that you need to take time to relax and take care of yourself...view this assignment as a way to get a break from the traditional cramming and memorizing - this could be something you can do with your friends around, even.  Yes, you'll need to write about it (meaning some level of attention is required), but also enjoy the movie.  You also have the next week to look forward to (no assignment, yay!).

There is a list below that I would like you to try to follow, but if there is a movie you'd like to watch that is not on the list, shoot me an email with the title and I'll see if it's appropriate for this assignment.

For this assignment, please complete the following:

• Pick and watch a movie from the list below (or run one by me if not on the list).
• What psychological disorder is portrayed in the movie?
• How does the DSM 5 describe this disorder? (See last week's blog assignment for instructions to access to the DSM 5)
• Give an overview of the movie, paying specific attention to detailing how the psychological disorder is portrayed.
• Does the movie accurately portray the disorder, based on characteristics outlined in the DSM 5? Why or why not?  Please provide examples from specific scenes.

No Part 2 this week, making Part 1 worth 20 points...please put effort into this assignment accordingly!

This assignment is due on Monday, November 18, 2013 at 11:59p.

Preapproved Movies (let me know if you think there should be something added to the list!)

Dissociative Disorders (Multiple Personality Disorder)

Identity

Fight Club

Sybil

Thr3e

Personality Disorders

Fatal Attraction

Adaptation

Suicide/Mood Disorders

Ordinary People

Girl Interrupted

The Hours

Silver Linings Playbook

Anxiety/Obsessive Compulsive/PTSD

The Aviator

As Good as it Gets

Fearless

Matchstick Men

Alcohol & Drug Abuse

Leaving Las Vegas

Clean and Sober

Blow

Traffic

Train Spotting

Requiem for a Dream

Rush

Sexual/Gender Identity

The Crying Game

Boys Don't Cry

Ma Vie En Rose

Paris is Burning (documentary)

Transamerica

Brokeback Mountain

Normal

Schizophrenia/Psychosis

A Beautiful Mind

Crumb

I Never Promised you a Rose

Garden

Revolution #9

Spider

Shine

Benny and Joon

Pi

American Psycho

Lars and the Real Girl

Shutter Island

Miscellaneous

Rain Man

Blog Assignment - Week 12

Part 1:

Please note: Depending on the length of your response, you may have to split your response in two...you can leave the main response like you always do, and either just submit the rest via another comment or simply reply to the comment you already left (the latter is preferred!).

The next chapter covers the topic of psychological disorders.  For this assignment, I want you to get an in depth look at one psychological disorder of your choice.  Because I want you to get an in depth look, there will be no required comments this week as this assignment should take you awhile to finish.  Thus, this assignment is worth 20 points.

For this assignment, you will be utilizing the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fifth Edition (DSM 5).  Please be sure you are using the DSM 5 rather than the DSM-IV-TR, as this revised edition was just released this summer!

Please complete the following:

• Choose 1 psychological disorder listed in the DSM 5.  You have access to an electronic version of the DSM 5 via the library.  Please click here.  You should be prompted to login with your university login information once you click the link.  From there, you'll want to click on the "Section II: Diagnostic Criteria and Codes" link and choose a class of disorders that is of interest to you.  You'll then be shown a list of the disorders in that class and you can choose one of those.  Please note that the classes in the DSM 5 are different than what is discussed in your book, which covers the old classification system (particularly when discussing what the DSM-IV-TR referred to as "Mood Disorders").  
• Briefly tell me what you know about the disorder before reading about it in the DSM 5.  
• Describe the disorder, according to the DSM 5.  You may wish to summarize the diagnostic criteria here.  Please attempt to use your own words whenever possible.
• After the criteria for each disorder are listed, there are a number of subheadings associated with each disorder.  The subheadings will vary by disorder.  For the disorder you chose, in your own words, summarize the following subheadings:
• Associated Features Supporting Diagnosis
• Prevalence
• Development and Course
• Risk and Prognostic Factors
• Culture-Related Diagnostic Issues (where applicable)
• Gender-Related Diagnostic Issues (where applicable)
• Comorbidity (where applicable)
• Find an associated video that shows the symptoms of the disorder or has somebody with the disorder sharing their experience.
• Summarize the video, being sure to include some of the symptoms of the disorder discussed.
• Did you learn anything new about this disorder?  Was there anything that challenged what you thought you knew?

Most students decide to major in psychology because they are interested in mental illness - hopefully this assignment will be fun and interesting!

Because Monday is a University Holiday (Veteran's Day), this blog assignment has a different due date than the typical Monday due date.  Because I want you to have enough time to complete this assignment thoroughly, I will extend the deadline to Tuesday, November 12th and 11:59p rather than pushing it up to Sunday.

In the spirit of Veteran's Day, and just because you deserve it everyday, thanks to all of you who have or are currently serving our country!

Blog Assignment - Week 11

Week 11 of 14...almost there!

Part 1:

Chapter 11 discusses the topic of gender.  Among the many topics discussed, is the issue of gender stereotypes.  I thought this week we'd do something a little more fun and find some comics that illustrate gender stereotypes.  Or, if you want to get creative and/or are into the new Bitstrips fad (or are otherwise creative), go ahead and make a comic illustrating a gender stereotype.

• What is a gender stereotype?  
• What are some disadvantages to gender stereotypes?
• Find three comics (or make, or a mix of the two).
• Describe the gender stereotype in each of the comics you choose.  You can just provide a link to the comic.

Part 2:

As in the previous weeks, please respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one or posts that you have responded to previously) to get credit for you "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting. Note: Replying to other students' comments on blog posts does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with your colleagues.

This assignment is due on Monday, November 4, 2013 at 11:59p.

Blog Assignment - Week 10

**I emailed you all with a diversity experience happening on campus Monday, Oct. 28 at 7:00p.  It's short notice, but I think it would be interesting given it will focus on diversity-related issues that have been happening on campus recently.**

Part 1:

For this week's assignment, I would like to you do a little digging and find an empirical research article from a peer-reviewed journal (like in Week 3).  Because you didn't have an extensive assignment last week over Chapter 9 topics, you can choose any material from either Chapter 9 or Chapter 10 for this assignment, giving you a wide array of options.  Please see the Week 3 blog for instructions for finding a research article.

Please complete the following:

• Find an empirical research article.
• Provide the correct APA citation for the article.  Please consult the APA manual or Purude Owl for formatting help.  There are also resources available on D2L.
• Overall, what are the researchers examining?
• Think back to our chapter on research methods, and use terms from that chapter (e.g., correlation) to describe your article.
• What did the researchers find?
• You may already do this in the steps above, but if not, please explain how your article relates to topics in either Chapter 9 or 10, and course topics from previous chapters where applicable.  
• What is your overall reaction to the article.

Part 2:

As in the previous weeks, please respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one or posts that you have responded to previously) to get credit for you "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting. Note: Replying to other students' comments on blog posts does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with your colleagues.

This assignment is due on Monday, October 28, 2013 at 11:59p.

Blog Assignment - Week 9

Part 1:
Don't forget to take a couple of minutes to complete the midterm course eval located under the USD getting started tab on D2L!

Because you are all doing a great job on the blog (and it's around midterm time), this week will be a light one.  All I want you to do is find a recent news article OR think of an experience you have had recently and apply it to course material we've learned up to this point.  This is your chance to really show that you can apply course topics.  Think outside the box and really push yourself to make these connections.

• Find and article.  You can use Huffington Post, BBC, etc.  Provide a link to your article.
• OR talk about an experience you have encountered recently that you can relate to course material.
• Briefly summarize the article and/or give details about your experience and explain its connection to course material.
• Create a list of keywords...really try to stretch yourself here and strive to use more concepts from class than you have in previous weeks.

There are NO comments due for this week.  Completing the above assignment will earn you credit for both your blog reaction and blog comments, so 20 points!  

Part 2:

Part 2 is optional.  If you have missed doing a blog assignment thus far throughout the semester for whatever reason, here is your chance to make one up.  All you need to do (in addition to Part 1 to receive credit for this week) is go back to a previous week that you missed and complete that assignment.  You can also make up one week of missed comments in the same way.

**You cannot make up week 1 assignments - the week 1 assignment did not have any associated comments as it was just an introductory post.**

If you want credit for make up assignments, please leave a comment on this post including your Part 1 assignment, as well as what posts you made up.  For example,

I commented on Blog Assignment - Week 3, Do Good Feel Good, and Mindfulness.

If you don't tell me what posts you commented on for your make up assignments, you may not receive credit.  I anticipate it being difficult to keep up with and I may miss one if you don't tell me where to look.

Also, if you are submitting make-up work and do not want other students to know you have missed assignments, you are free to email me your work rather than posting on here for privacy sake.

Part 1 and Part 2 (make up assignments) are are due on Monday, October 21 at 11:59p.

Blog Assignment - Week 8

Part 1:

Please note the different due date for this blog assignment.  Because Monday, October 14 is a University Holiday in observance of Native American Day, this blog assignment is due on:

Sunday, October 13 at 11:59p.

I have posted a short survey on D2L under the USD Getting Started Tab.  Because it's almost midterm, I want to get a sense of how the class is going for you in case I can make some improvements to make this class a better experience!

Chapter 8 discusses various elements of interpersonal communication.  For this week's blog assignment, I want you to focus on communicating with individuals different than you in ethnicity, race, gender, age, etc., with particular interest in the concept of microaggressions (something we all engage in, typically without awareness that we are doing it).

Please complete the following:

• Read this article.  
• What is a microaggression?  Please keep in mind that microaggressions extend beyond racial microaggressions presented in this article.  They can include subtle aggressions according to one's gender, race, age, sexual orientation, etc.  If you are interested in one of these areas, feel free to look around for some information, there is quite a bit out there!
• Explain the different classifications of microaggressions.
• What is the potential impact of these subtle acts of aggression?
• Have you experienced being microaggressed against (or have watched somebody get microaggressed against)?  Explain the situation and how it made you feel.  Again, keep in mind that microaggressions extend beyond racial aggressions.  It may be difficult to think of a time as you may not even realize it at the time, but I guarantee it has happened to you (or someone you know) at some time or another.
• As in past weeks, please compile a list of keywords.

____________________________________________________________________

Part 2:
As in the previous weeks, please respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one or posts that you have responded to previously) to get credit for you "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting. Note: Replying to other students' comments on blog posts does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with your colleagues.

Blog Assignment - Week 7

Part 1:

Week 7, you're almost halfway there!  

The next chapter we will discuss in class discusses a lot of research areas in social psychology (Social Thinking and Social Influence, Chapter 7).  One of the topics discussed in the chapter is the fundamental attribution error.

For this week's assignment, I want you to familiarize yourself with the fundamental attribution error, as well as apply the concept in relation to individuals who live in poverty (as we often use the fundamental attribution error for this population without even realizing).

This assignment may take you a little longer than most, but I think it's fun!  Please complete the following:

• What is the fundamental attribution error?
• Read this blog entry on the fundamental attribution error and the poor.
• Here's something fun...take a poverty simulation online here.  The website will direct you through the simulation, but it essentially gives you a taste of what it is like to live in poverty.  Please pay attention to the little tidbits of information they sometimes give you after you make a decision on what to do, as they sometimes relate to information we've discussed in class (try to incorporate these in the step below).
• Provide your reaction to the simulation (e.g., was it difficult, what did you learn, etc.). 
• Read this brief blog post on poverty and the fundamental attribution error, paying particular attention to the last paragraph.
• What are your thoughts on this way to approach policy making concerning poverty?
• Again, I want you to make a list of keywords you used in this assignment.

Just a fun little tidbit:

I just saw this article that presents some research that looked at word clouds on Facebook.  It's pretty interesting and relates to a lot of things you have been discussing on the blog (social media and narcissism, introversion/extroversion online, etc.).  It also looks at gender and age differences in the type of things one posts on their status.  Enjoy :)

If you don't already, you should consider following The Huffington Post and/or HuffPost Living on Facebook.  They frequently post things relevant to what we have discussed in class.  

Part 2:
As in the previous weeks, please respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one or posts that you have responded to previously) to get credit for you "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting. Note: Replying to other students' comments on blog posts does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with your colleagues.

This assignment is due on Monday, Oct. 7 at 11:59p.

Blog Assignment - Week 6

Part 1:

Week 6 already?!  Only 8 assignments to go after this!

The topic of Chapter 6 is The Self, which includes a variety of topics including self-concept, self-esteem, social comparison, etc.

If you haven't caught on by now, I often try to present you with multiple views on a subject to evaluate and form your own opinion regarding the topic.  This week, you'll read about the positives related to self-esteem and how to promote self-esteem.  However, for this week's assignment, I want you to take a look at the down side of promoting self-esteem.  

Please complete the following:

• What is the concept of self-esteem?
• Watch this video on YouTube.
• Thoroughly summarize the content of the video.  Be sure to include the pitfalls of promoting self-esteem.
• Provide your reaction to the video.  What really stuck out to you?
• At the end of your post, please create a list of key terms/concepts that you used from the textbook in your response (can be from this chapter or previous chapters).  This will help encourage you to really use course concepts in your writing by making it more visible to you.

On a side note, I found this relevant to previous discussion in class about social media use.  This research was done at my alma mater and examines the effect of texting during class (as many of you admitted to doing on the blog and I see it during class).  It is just a short brief, but is interesting nonetheless.  Read it here.

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Part 2:

As in the previous weeks, please respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one or posts that you have responded to previously) to get credit for you "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting. Note: Replying to other students' comments on blog posts does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with your colleagues.

Blog Assignment - Week 5

Just a couple of housekeeping notes:

I would like you all to take a moment and look at your grades on D2L to make sure they are a reflection of the work you've done.  If you think you are missing points for assignments, please email me.  

*Please review the note at the end of this blog before beginning your assignments.

Part 1:  

This next week we will be discussing the topic of coping (Chapter 4).

For this week's main assignment, I want you to explore the concept of catharsis, as it plays a pretty big role in our lives yet is often misperceived.  Please complete the following:

• Define, in your own words, catharsis.
• Based on this definition, do you engage in catharsis?  If so, what activities do you typically do?
• Do you find cathartic behaviors helpful?
• After completing the first three bullet points, please read this article.
• Provide a thorough summary of the article.
• Based on what you've read, have your views on catharsis changed?

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Part 2:

As in the previous weeks, please respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one or posts that you have responded to previously) to get credit for you "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting. Note: Replying to other students' comments on blog posts does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with your colleagues.

*Note: I've noticed that some students' comments are becoming pretty brief (not necessarily in length - I just noticed some students are doing the bare minimum to get by).  As the semester progresses, you should be able to make more connections with previous material, and thus, your posts should be getting a little longer, or at least a little more integrative. While I don't expect a novel, I expect to see some evidence that you are trying to apply not only this week's material, but material from previous weeks of the course.  The chapters we have covered these last two weeks have a lot of commonalities, so this shouldn't be too difficult.  If it helps you, I advise you make a short list of keywords that you have used from the textbook in your post to get a better gauge on how much you are applying course material rather than providing your own interpretation/experiences. While your own opinions and experiences are important as this is a field that is very applicable to your life, you should be displaying knowledge of course material.  Please keep this in mind, as I will grade your comments accordingly.

This assignment is due on Monday, Sept. 23 at 11:59p.   

Blog Assignment - Week 4

Please proofread your posts before clicking submit.  Remember this is a piece of academic work - would you hand in a paper without proofreading it?  Probably not, so please do the same on the blog, too!

Part 1:

This week's topic is stress.  For this week's assignment, I want you to critically think about stress - in your life, it's affects, and stress among others.  Please think about and respond to the following:

1)  First, in your own words, define stress.

2)  What types of items/situations/etc. create ambient stress in your current living environment?

3)  Discuss the contributions of culture to the experience of stress.

4)  Which do you think add the most stress to one's life, acute stressors or chronic stressors?  First explain the difference between acute and chronic stressors, then explain your reasoning.

5)  What are some stressors that are unique to college students?  What can be done in the college environment to alleviate these stressors?

6)  What are some positive effects you have experience as the result of a stressful event?  Please give an example.

7)  Do you think there are gender differences in the experience of stress?  Explain.

Part 2:
Respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one or posts that you have responded to previously) to get credit for you "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting. Note: Replying to other students' comments on blog posts does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with your colleagues.

This assignment is due on Monday, Sept. 16 at 11:59p. 

Blog Assignment - Week 3

Part 1:
Your blog assignment this week is to find an empirical research article from a peer-reviewed journal.  As a student, you have access to a plethora of research journals both in the library and form online databases.  To access the library's online databases, follow these steps:

• Go to the library's website.
• Click on the blue "databases" tab.
• From there, you have a variety of search options, either by the name of the database or the subject of information you are looking for.  However, I suggest using psycINFO.  To access psycINFO, click on the small "p" and scroll down and find psycINFO.
• Sign in with your USD username and password (if you haven't already).
• From there, you'll see some search bars where you can put in keywords about whatever you are interested in.
• If you need further assistance, please ask me or a reference librarian for help! 

The purpose of this particular assignment is to familiarize you with academic research. Because of this, you can choose whatever topic you want to research - whatever interests you.  To receive credit for this week's blog assignment, please select an article and complete the following:

• Provide the correct APA citation for the article.  Please consult the APA manual or Purdue Owl for formatting help.  There is also a handout and Powerpoint on D2L that may be of assistance.
• In general, what were the researcher(s) examining?
• More specifically, what was the hypothesis? (there may be more than one)
• Who were the participants?
• If your research is experimental: What was the dependent variable and how was it measured?
• If your research is correlational/survey: What relationship are they testing?
• Results - what did they find?
• What was your overall reaction to the article?  Were you surprised by the findings, do the findings relate to your life, etc.

I encourage you to try to write this post in paragraph form, as opposed to a simple listing of the information asked for in the bullet points.  For example, "College students completed 2 self-report measures related to their college experience.  Specifically, the participants were asked to report information related to their involvement in student groups and the amount of time they typically spend studying.  Results suggest that....."

Reading academic research can be difficult for students who have never done it before, so do not get discourage if you don't understand the article you chose.  If you are having a difficult time understanding the article, try to find one that is more simplistic and/or ask for help!

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Part 2: 
Respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one or posts that you have responded to previously) to get credit for your "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting. Note: Replying to other students' comments on blog posts does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with one another.  You may comment on posts from previous weeks, but I encourage you to stay up-to-date with what we will be discussing in class.

This assignment is due on Monday, Sept. 9 at 11:59p.

Blog Assignment - Week 2

Part 1:
For your first blog assignment, I would like you to find a news article/video from any major news source (e.g., BBC, NPR, Huffington Post, etc.) that relates to anything we will cover in class this semester.  You may want to do a quick perusal of your textbook to familiarize yourself with what topics we will cover.  To receive credit for this assignment, please complete the following:

• Provide a link to your article/video.
• Provide a summary (in your own words) of the article/video.
• Provide a description of how the article/video relates to topics we have/will discuss in class this semester.
• Provide your general reaction to the article/video.  Reactions can include, but are not limited to, why you chose the article or video/why it interested you, how this article/video relates to your everyday life, whether you agree/disagree with arguments made in the article/video, etc.  

There is no specific length requirement for this assignment, but  it should demonstrate that you put effort and thought into the assignment.  Throughout the semester, you'll better be able to relate the psychological principles we discuss in class to everyday life, and therefore will be able and expected to write longer responses.  

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Part 2:
Respond to any 2 existing blog posts (not including this one) to get credit for your "blog comments."  Each post has its own instructions to follow in regard to commenting.  You can find these posts along the right-hand side of the blog.  Note:  Replying to other students' comments on blog post does not count toward your grade, although I encourage you to engage in conversation with one another.  

Although blog assignments will typically be due on Mondays, because of the Labor Day holiday this coming Monday, the due date for this assignment is Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 11:59p.

Blog Assignment - Week 1

Rather than have you do a tradition blog assignment this week, I just want you to become oriented with the blog.  To get credit for your blog post response and your weekly blog comments, all you need to do is respond to this thread.

Let me know who you are.  Tell me something unique/unusual about you and why you are taking this course.

Please try to respond as soon as possible, but at least by Friday, August 30th at 11:59p.  This will help me know if anyone is having trouble accessing the blog.

Please note, you do not need to do two comments on existing blog posts this week since you weren't given much notice as class just started.  Just simply respond to this thread.  Beginning with Week 2, you'll be responding to two existing blog posts in addition to the main assignment.