GRADING

Grades for the course Psychology of Personality will be based on the following components:
I. A paper or group project (200 points).

A. One of the following kinds of paper (13 pages):

1. an original theory on a topic in personality,

2. a critical review of the literature on a personality research program.

B. A creative group project presented to the class (30 minutes).

II. Peer feedback of the following kinds:

A. peer reviews of submitted student papers (1 page each) (10 points),

B. up to two peer commentaries on accepted student papers (2 pages each) (40 points).

III. Five noncumulative exams on the book Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature (100 points each).

 

Paper

This course is meant to help you think critically and creatively about the science of personality. As discussed in the prospectus, one method of doing this is for you to capture your ideas in writing. You will write not only for yourself, the instructor, and your peers, but also for persons worldwide with an interest in personality. The Great Ideas in Personality website (visited over 13,000 times per month) provides a publication outlet for high quality contributions by you and your peers. This opportunity for disseminating your ideas is meant to add motivation: your thoughts about personality can now become the focus of likeminded persons around the world.

Theory Paper. A theory paper is meant to emphasize the creative aspect of the course. You are to create an original theory of personality that (a) takes account of existing research and (b) has testable consequences. The paper should be at least 13 double-spaced pages in length and should be in APA style, including a title page, abstract, headings, and references.

Your paper will be subjected to peer review by other students, after which you will have a chance to revise it. When you turn it in, the instructor will grade it and will select the best papers for publication. Published papers will be raised by one third of a letter (typically from A to A+). They will then become the focus of peer commentaries by students in the class, and possibly also by contributors outside of class. The author of each published paper will then write an author response. Submission guidelines and several exemplary papers are available.

Review Paper. Whereas a theory paper emphasizes the creative aspect of the course, a review paper emphasizes the critical aspect. You are to write a critical review of the literature on a theory that has been the subject of vigorous scientific research. If you wish to write about a theory not discussed in class, you must obtain permission of the instructor, which will require that you show that a substantial amount of scientific research has already gone into testing the theory.

Your paper will be subjected to peer review with the possibility of publication. Published papers will be raised by one third of a letter (typically from A to A+). They will be subjected to peer commentary, and the author will write a response. Papers must follow APA style and must be at least 13 double-spaced pages in length. Writing advice is available.

Late papers will be accepted on the following basis. For each class period after the paper is due, one third of a letter will be deducted from the final paper grade. For example, if the paper is turned in on the first class period after it is due, and if the paper would have received a B, then the final paper grade will be a B-.

 

Group Project

The group project is meant to emphasize the creative aspect of the course. Students will be assigned a topic on which to make a classroom presentation. This presentation can take any number of format. For example, students may choose to make a presentation in the form of a David Letterman Show or a 20/20 documentary. Many students record their presentations in advance on video. Whatever the format, the group project should last approximately 30 minutes. Grades for the group projects will be assigned based on (a) the quality of the information presented and (b) the creativity of the presentation. An important aspect of quality is the sources (e.g., journal articles) from which the information was derived, which will be evaluated based on an outline, abstract, and references turned in before the presentation. An important aspect of creativity is whether the presentation captures the interest of the class--is it well-organized and interesting to watch? When the group project is completed, each member of the group is to email his or her evaluation of the other group members to the instructor; these peer evaluations will be the basis for 50% of the grade, and overall quality will be the basis for the other 50%.

 

Peer Feedback

Peer feedback is an important source of mutual correction. Therefore, on the rough draft of the papers, you will provide peer review and (for papers accepted for publication) peer commentary on the papers of your peers.

 

Exams

The exams are meant to be straightforward assessments of your knowledge of the book Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature.

 

Last modified September 2004
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