In this course you have looked at the history of the field of psychology, examining how one movement led to another and how the surrounding culture and level of knowledge affected the field. This final paper requires you to focus on one theorist, analyzing their contributions as well as situating them in the context of the history of psychology. In particular, you will:
Outline the individual’s biography and professional history.
Detail their theories and central concerns.
Describe and evaluate criticism of their ideas and work.
Place their work in its historical context and within the history of psychology.
Explain their influence on the field of psychology in the short term.
State and defend your opinion about whether their influence was beneficial and/or harmful.
Offer your position on whether their influence is still felt today, and how (or how not).
GUIDELINES
Your project should be a research paper of between 2000 and 3300 words (8 to 12 pages). Please write your paper according to APA Style. You may refer to the textbook for supporting evidence, but you must also use at least five additional credible sources outside of your textbook.
Be sure your paper has:
A title page.
An introduction (that clearly states your thesis).
Full development of your ideas supported by cited sources.
A conclusion restating your main point.
A reference list in APA Style that should exactly match your in-text citations.
All reference material should be acquired through your personal research. Acceptable sources include the following:
Biographies/autobiographies
Books or original research papers by historic researchers
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Review papers from scientific journals
Scholarly websites
Papers written by historians and philosophers of science
In general, unacceptable references include unsubstantiated viewpoints and encyclopedias, whether in print or online references such as Wikipedia (although these might be used as a starting point to find more scholarly publications). Cite a minimum of five scholarly references.
Additionally:
Your paper should be well developed and convey your understanding of the readings and concepts.
Your paper should be organized, coherent, and unified.
Your paper should be free of spelling and grammatical errors.
As much as possible, avoid using the textbook as “research,” except when absolutely necessary for background information.
Be sure to document sources in an academically acceptable manner. (See Writing Resources below)
