Psychology 325

Personality: Theory and Research

Fall 2007

Course Syllabus

Instructor: William B. Scott

Office: Morgan 112 Telephone: ext. 2464 cell: 1-330-280-4165

email: WScott

Office hours: M-F 11-12 or by appointment

Course Objectives:

This course is a survey course. The history and scope of various approaches to the understanding of personality will be covered.

This course is a discussion course. You will be expected to present one side of a debate in class. You will also be expected to contribute to classroom discussion.

This course is a writing (W) course. You will have many opportunities to write papers and essays and develop your skills in using the style and methods of communication that are used in the psychological literature.

This course is a preparatory course for I.S. You will develop skills in analysis and scientific writing that go beyond what you have developed in previous courses.

At the end of the course you should:

  • be familiar with the major theories of personality and have an understanding of them in historical context.
  • be familiar with some of the "sticky issues" and controversies in the field of personality.
  • be aware of the implications and applications of theories of human nature and the methods covered in the course.
  • be able to formulate questions in the field of personality in such a way as to be able to develop empirical methods for obtaining some kind of answer.
  • be better prepared for Senior I.S. in your writing and analytical skills.

    • Class material:
    Funder, David C. (2007) The personality puzzle(4th ed). New York:  W.W. Norton
    Funder, D.C. and Ozer, D.J. (eds) (2007) Pieces of the personality puzzle (4th ed). New York: W.W. Norton

    American Psychological Association (1994) Publication Manual (5th Ed.) Washington DC: APA.

    Other readings will be assigned for debates.

    You will want to use your Novell account for this class. If you cannot log onto your novell account go to Taylor Hall and ask a computer consultant for help.

    Class requirements:

  • Two research papers which will require drafts and rewrites
  • Three  essay examinations and a final exam.
  • Presentation in a debate
  • Attendance and participation in class which will often include writing a response to a question regarding the readings.

    • Reading and Topic Schedule are available on the internet at http://www.wooster.edu/psychology/personality/9-007pers.html
    Bookmark the page and refer to it often. It will be updated regularly.
    Do all reading before the date scheduled!