20 Mar Pyschology

Final Project Description

As the culminating task in this course, you will apply your newly acquired knowledge and skills to your life experiences and important societal issues. You will submit a 5-7 page essay, along with a cover page and reference list. APA style is required and is a criterion in grading.

In your essay, identify ten course ideas from at least six different textbook chapters and assigned readings that:

• helped you gain a better or different understanding of yourself, others, or society,
• assisted you or others in solving a problem,
• helped you in making a decisions in a particular various role (e.g., as student, parent, worker, friend, citizen),
• motivated you to make a changes in your life,
• inspired you to take action on a social issue, or otherwise
• had a significant impact on your understanding, thinking, motivation, and/or behavior.

In writing your essay, pay attention to the following instructions:

• Write a strong thesis statement in the introduction of your essay that illustrates your clear understanding of the assignment and describes the purpose of your essay.
• Clearly describe each idea with enough detail that someone unfamiliar with the example would understand it.
• Don’t just describe a psychological concept in abstract terms, but connect it to specific details or “evidence” (studies, theories, or observations from lecture, the text, or section).
• Use the “language” of psychology in your descriptions to make them clearer and more concrete. This may include using key terms appropriately (e.g., secure attachment) and knowing the names of major theorists or researchers (e.g., Piaget).
• Remember to add citations to make your examples clearer (e.g., Asch, 1951). For this assignment, APA style citations and a reference section are required.
• Share with me the personal relevance of this example and meaning to you. There are many ways to do this, such as with a personal story/example or an application of the example to one of your goals or an issue that you care about. Be sure to make the personal relevance clear.
• The order with which you describe your ideas, their meaning, and personal relevance is flexible. Describe these ideas in the way you think will work best.
• Write a great conclusion. Refer to your thesis again at the end of your essay. Briefly summarize the main point(s) of your essay and work to provide a compelling “takeaway” point for the reader.

Make sure that your essay is organized and easy-to-read

• Use your introduction and conclusions to not only state and restate your thesis, but to preview and later, summarize the ideas that you discuss.
• Use thoughtful transitions between body paragraphs.
• Use clear and grammatical language and syntax.
• Do your examples feel disjointed from one another? Look for ways to draw connections between examples, so that they work together to support your thesis.

Double-check and submit

• Take a close look at the rubric that will be used to grade your essay and make sure you haven’t missed any important items or features.
• Login to Canvas and submit your essay to the Final Project Module.
• Be prepared to upload a WORD version of your essay.
• Be sure to submit before the deadline: Saturday, March 12, at noon. Late assignments will not be accepted. Consult the course late policy in the syllabus.

Citation for the text: (Spielman et al., 2020)