PSY 499: Psychology Concentration Capstone

Course Description

This is the capstone course for the Psychology concentration and should be taken in the student's last semester. The student can have no more than 6 credits remaining in their concentration to complete in their degree program prior to enrolling in this course. The goal of the course is for students to integrate the knowledge gained in the Psychology concentration courses. The course must be taken at Charter Oak State College. (3 credits)

Prerequisites

ENG 101: English Composition 1
ENG 102: English Composition 2

Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

Demonstrate a core of knowledge of the different domains of psychology as well as the content and methods specific to those areas. This includes, but is not limited to, such domains as cognitive, behavioral, physiological, humanistic, social, and developmental.
Solve problems by applying previous knowledge to a new problem, and distinguishing between psychobabble and scientific findings.
Write about psychological topics with clarity and logical organization.
Synthesize information from primary and secondary sources using print and electronic media.
Understand psychological phenomena both systematically and empirically.

Course Activities and Grading

Assignments	Weight
Proposal (Week 2)	4%
Three drafts of capstone project (Weeks 3, 4 & 6)	21%
Final Capstone Project (Week 8)	35%
Discussions	40%
Total	100%

Required Textbooks

There are no required textbooks to purchase for this course.

Additional Resources

Optional but recommended: a General Psychology Textbook
If you need information about APA style (which is the writing format for Psychology papers), here are websites that you can use as a guide: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ and http://www.apastyle.org/learn/index.aspx

Course Schedule

Week	SLOs	Readings and Exercises	Assignments
1	1,2,3	Planning a Research Project (pages 209-257)	Read assigned material Participate in class discussion Review the Lecture material Begin Project Work
2	2,3	Prepare and submit Proposal (2-3 pages)	Read assigned material Participate in class discussion Review the Lecture material Submit Proposal
3	4,5	Prepare and submit draft 1 (10 pages & 6 references) Continue research	Read assigned material Participate in class discussion Submit Draft 1
4	2-4	Submit 2nd Draft (18 + pages) to instructor; include 10 references. Continue writing and research	Read assigned material Participate in class discussion Submit Draft 2
5	7	Continue writing and research	Read assigned material Participate in class discussion APA style
6	9,10	Submit Project Draft 3 to instructor (25+ pages with 12 references) Continue writing and research	Read assigned material Participate in class discussion Review the Lecture material Submit Draft 3
7	11,12	Finish up final paper Check APA style	Read assigned material Participate in class discussion Review the Lecture material Finish up final paper
8	7	Continue proofing final draft	Read assigned material Participate in class discussion Review the Lecture material Submit Final Project to instructor (25+ pages)

COSC Accessibility Statement

Charter Oak State College encourages students with disabilities, including non-visible disabilities such as chronic diseases, learning disabilities, head injury, attention deficit/hyperactive disorder, or psychiatric disabilities, to discuss appropriate accommodations with the Office of Accessibility Services at OAS@charteroak.edu.

COSC Policies, Course Policies, Academic Support Services and Resources

Students are responsible for knowing all Charter Oak State College (COSC) institutional policies, course-specific policies, procedures, and available academic support services and resources. Please see COSC Policies for COSC institutional policies, and see also specific policies related to this course. See COSC Resources for information regarding available academic support services and resources.