Guidelines for Group Projects

You will be assigned to one of six projects with 5 or 6 of your classmates. Each project has three phases: 1)an intial introductory meeting in class, 2) a group prospectus, and 3) the group presentation. Each phase is explained below. Your presentation should last about 20 minutes. Most topics are deliberately broad to permit each group to shape their presentation according to their interests and the availability of resource materials. (Infotrack will prove very useful for locating and downloading full text articles.) If you have difficulty with the assigned topic, feel free to see me.

Note: The PRIMARY purpose of each group project is to introduce important concepts and principles of psychology through the medium of the specific topic. Information on each specific topic (e.g. deinstitutionalization, anti-smoking movement, etc.) is secondary and should only be introduced to the extent necessary to enhance understanding of relevant concepts, principles, and theories of psychology.. Conversely, one should not discuss psychological concepts, principles, or theories detached from this secondary topic (impact of television, play and art therapy, etc.). In other words...don't get too far afield simply discussing television programing or the anti-smoking movement. Also, avoid elaborating on entire psychological theories in a manner that is disconnected from your topic. If there are questions, please see me.

The dates and topics for the group projects are:

1. Group project #1 (Role of humor in stress relief and in advertising) -- Wednesday, November 15th
2. Group project #2 (What is ECT?) -- Friday, November 17th
3. Group project #3 (Institutional care of disordered persons and deinstitutionalization) -- Wednesday, November 29th
4. Group project #4 (Art and play therapies) -- Friday, December 1st
5. Group project #5 (Psychological impacts of television on young children) -- Monday, December 4th
6. Group project #6 (Anti-smoking movement and attitude change) -- Wednesday, December 6th

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1) Introductory meeting. Time will be set aside in class for an introductory meeting of your group. Use this time to get acquainted and to do some early planning. I will ask you to elect a group coordinator or liaison--someone who will facilitate getting the group together, keep the group on task, and meet with me as questions or challenges arise.

2) Group prospectus. Each group will submit a project prospectus at least two weeks prior to their presentation date. It should include: a specific description of proposed content and methods to be used in the group presentation, an annotated bibliography of key sources (drawn largely from Infotrac) that will figure prominently into your presentation, a description of each group member's roles and responsibilities, and a listing of all group meeting dates and who was in attendance at each meeting. I will review each group proposal and return the copy with my comments to each group's liaison.

Note: Make sure your prospectus includes enough information to provide me a clear sense of what you will cover. Also, keep in mind that the primary objective is to enhance understanding of important aspects of psychology through the vehicle of your specific topic.

3) Group presentation. On the day of your presentation, hand in a one-page outline of your presentation and the group prospectus updated with any meetings held since the original prospectus was submitted.. (You do not need to hand in copies of posters, overheads, or videos.)

Each group should also prepare a handout (no more than front and back of one page) for distribution to the class. The class handout should include the following:1) title of your presentation; 2) an overarching quote or statement that captures the essence of your presentation, 3) key points and statistics from your presentation with a focus on enhancing understanding of adolescence, 4) a brief annotated list of helpful sources for additonal reading. I will be happy to make copies of your handout for class distribution if you give me a master copy at least 24 hours prior to your presentation.

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Grading criteria

Grades will be assigned to the prospectus and the presentation. Criteria for grading include:

Group prospectus -

Group presentation -- plus/minus letter grade based on: 1) accuracy of information 2) evidence of critical thinking (dealing with significant material, backing up points made, logical coherence of entire presentation); 3) psychological context provided (e.g. linking ideas presented to relevant psychological theories, concepts, issues) 4) creativity of presentation; 5) sensitivity to student comprehension and retention of material presented; 6) appropriate use of visual aids; 7) timely submission of written report, and 8) timely completion (finishing within 20 minutes--not much sooner and not much later).

Note: If the self/peer evaluations suggest rather even distribution of workload and responsibility, each team member will receive the same grade. To the extent that the evaluations suggest unevenness in work load or responsibilies, different grades may be assigned to different team members. (Click on evaluation form to download a copy of the self/peer evaluation sheet.)

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