Writing Assignment 2: Due 4/24/97

Choice #1:

Find any article from a professional psychological journal or some other publication on a person suffering from a serious mental illness (e.g., schizophrenia, bi-polar disorder). Using the article case study, do the following:
 

1. Briefly describe the person's symptoms (.5 - 1 page)
2. define three of the following schools of psychology and how each school would explain the etiology (origins) of the person's mental illness (3.5 - 4 pages)

• Schools of psychology:
• Psychodynamic
• Behavioral
• Biological
• Family Systems

 The paper should be 4-5 pages in length. It must be typed and double-spaced with standard margins. You should have a cover sheet with your name, the course, date, my name, and the title of the paper. You must photocopy the article and attach it to the paper. You must also have a reference section (i.e., bibliography), properly citing the article and any other sources you use (e.g., your textbook). It is expected that you use additional sources, beyond your textbook.

Choice #2:

 Many psychological questions are still controversial. Pick a question from the list below and choose a position (i.e., "yes" or "no"). Then present an argument by supporting your position with the current psychological literature.

1. Intelligence:
• Can intelligence be measured with a single score?
• Can intelligence be increased?
2. Psychopathology and therapy:
• Are diagnostic labels harmful?
• Should conditioning principles be used to modify undesirable behavior?
• Is psychotherapy effective?
3. Social issues:
• Is pornography harmful?
• Should the insanity defense be allowed as a legal defense for criminals?

 The paper should be 4-5 pages in length. It must be typed and double-spaced with standard margins. You should have a cover sheet with your name, the course, date, my name, and the title of the paper. You must also have a reference section (i.e., bibliography), properly citing all of the sources you use. You are expected to use sources other than the text.

This assignment is worth 75 points and will be evaluated according to the criteria below. Please note that this information is identical to that in your syllabus and is only included here for your convenience.

• Writing quality and style (Approximately 20% of the grade) -- You must precisely follow the assignment requirements outlined in the preceding pages. Your ideas should be expressed clearly and specifically, and the paper must be free of grammatical errors and typos. Overall neatness is important.

 
• Content accuracy and depth (Approximately 80% of the grade) -- What you write should be accurate, based on the current psychological literature. Be sure to give credit to others through citations and references.

Any assignment that is not handed in on the due date will be marked down 25% of the allotted points for each class period that the assignment is outstanding. Late means anytime past the end of the class period that the assignment is due. Thus, a paper handed in two class periods after it is due is marked down 50%. I will not accept papers after the second class period following the due date. All papers not handed in by that time will receive zero points.

 I encourage you to submit drafts of your papers to me, prior to the due date. I will review your draft and return it to you with comments and suggestions. This often insures a good grade when the assignment is due.