Guidelines

Guidelines for the Mid-Term Paper

From the Syllabus: The Mid-Term Paper is designed to provide students with the opportunity to more deeply explore a psychological concept of interest. As this is a survey course, students may find that they would like to know more about one of the areas that we cover in the class. The paper is designed to facilitate that exploration, enhance student’s knowledge of a psychological concept, and challenge their critical thinking and writing skills. The paper is worth 100 points, and constitutes 13% of your grade.

Potential Topics of Exploration: A theory or theorist of interest, a subdiscipline, (e.g. Forensic Psychology, Developmental Psychology) of interest, or an in-depth analysis of a psychological disorder or contemporary debate in the field, (e.g. schizophrenia, neuroplasticity.) Other topics are a possibility; please see the instructor for approval.

Grading Criteria:

Content: Quality of the research on the paper topic & its relevance to the field of Psychology; Student should demonstrate that they have applied their critical thinking skills to the topic presented. (40% of grade)

-Student must include at least five cited sources, of which only two can be Internet sources and at least one of which must be a contemporary journal article

Organization & Writing Style: Student’s ability to synthesize the most relevant information and to organize the information that enhances the readability of the paper and the reader’s understanding of the concept. (40% of grade)

Grammar, Spelling, & Presentation: Student should adhere to APA format when writing the paper and should demonstrate their investment in the assignment through their efforts to review spelling and grammar before submitting the paper. (20% of grade)

Papers are due at the start of class on October 4th. Late submissions or papers submitted electronically will not be accepted without prior approval from the instructor.