Psychology 2550A-650
Introduction to Personality Theory and Research
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
A survey of the history, methodology and content of the study of individual differences. Topics to be covered include: evaluation of typical personality assessment methods and a consideration of modern empirical research in personality theory and assessment.
Antirequisite: Psychology 2050
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course
4 lecture hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Livia Veselka
Office: Social Science Centre, Room 9336
Office Hours: by appointment
Email: lveselka@uwo.ca
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK (required)
Friedman, H.S. & Schustack, M.W. (2011). Personality: Classic theories and modern research (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The primary objective of this course is to introduce students to some of the major theories of personality that have been developed in an effort to understand individual differences in human behaviour. Those theories will be examined in terms of their contributions to the thinking about personality dynamics, personality structure and, personality assessment. Similarities and differences between the theories will be noted, as will contemporary empirical studies that have either supported or failed to support them. After completing this course, students should have a solid understanding of the history, research methodology, and theories related to the study of individual differences.
5.0 EVALUATION
Student evaluation will be based on:
1. midterm exam (40%)
2. final exam (40%)
3. discussion forum postings (20%)
Complete details regarding the expectations and grading criteria for each of these components of the course will be available on the OWL course website, under the Evaluation tab in the sidebar. Both of the exams will be multiple-choice in format and will be written on campus or at a designated exam centre. They will cover the modules leading up to that session, including textbook material, lecture material, and supplementary readings and videos. Note that, for many modules, supplementary videos are embedded in the posted lecture videos, and therefore it is necessary to view all lecture videos in their entirety to succeed in this course. The final exam is not cumulative. Graded exams will not be returned to the students; however, the scoring key for an exam can be checked with the instructor.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2100-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf)
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
The Office of the Registrar in combination with Distance Studies will arrange the times and locations at which the midterm exam and final exam are to be written. You are responsible for making the appropriate arrangements to ensure you can write on the date and time provided. Each exam is set for 2 hours.
Exams are scheduled to begin at 9AM, 2PM or 7PM on Saturdays. You should be prepared to write an exam at any of these times on the exam dates outlined below, although you will be notified of the exam time prior to the date of each exam, as soon as the exam schedules are finalized. You must write your midterm and final exams on the day and at the hour specified.
|
Assessment |
Date |
Content |
Weight |
|
Midterm Exam |
Saturday, Oct. 24 |
Modules 1-6 |
40% |
|
Final Exam |
during the final exam period (April 11-30) |
Modules 7-12 |
40% |
|
Discussion Forums |
Topic 1: Monday, Sept. 21 – Sunday, Sept. 27 Topic 2: Monday, Oct. 5 – Sunday, Oct. 11 Topic 3: Monday, Nov. 2 – Sunday, Nov. 8 Topic 4: Monday, Nov. 16 – Sunday, Nov. 22 Topic 5: Monday, Nov. 30 – Sunday, Dec. 6 |
Module 2 Module 4 Module 7 Module 9 Module 11 |
20% |
Missed exams will receive zero marks unless a legitimate and documented excuse is presented by the student, and the student writes a make-up exam that is scheduled by the instructor. If you miss an exam, please follow the steps below:
Step 1: If you miss an exam for any reason, you must e-mail the instructor as soon as you are able about the reason why you missed the exam.
Step 2: You must report to the Social Science Academic Counselling (SSAC) Office (SSC 2105) as soon as you are able with proper documentation.
Step 3: After the instructor receives a notification from the SSAC Office, the instructor will then e-mail you to schedule a make-up exam.
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
This is an online course. However, the course is arranged to ensure that the schedule and evaluation reflect the same amount of time commitment that would be required in a face-to-face course. To succeed in this course, you will need to manage your time well, and pay close attention to the deadlines indicated on the lecture schedule below. If you encounter any problems accessing information or require material in a different format than what is provided, please contact the instructor immediately so the problem will not continue to a point where it affects your performance in the course.
Each week of the course represents a unique module, and each module will have a separate tab on the OWL course website, which will contain resources relevant to that module. Specifically, for each module, you will be provided with a video lecture (approximately one hour in length) that you can stream or download, and re-watch as needed. You will also be given the lecture slides in PDF and PowerPoint formats, as well as any applicable supplementary material. When viewing lecture videos, please be sure to take notes, as you would in a regular classroom setting. Note that the brief notes provided in the videos and lecture slides do not summarize exhaustively all information that is covered in each lecture.
Module content will be posted on or before the first day indicated on the lecture schedule, along with instructions regarding its completion. Due to holidays and testing deadlines, some modules may be shorter or longer than others. Each module, once opened, will remain visible for the duration of the course.
Participation in the course is strongly encouraged and will be assessed through the online discussion forums pertaining to Modules 2, 4, 7, 9, and 11. Discussion forums for a given module will open on the first day of the module (Monday) and they will be closed for marking at midnight on the last day of the module (Sunday). Students may reply and respond to discussion forum topics at different times of the week, as long as their contribution is submitted prior to each forum’s deadline, which is listed in section 8.0 of this course outline.
|
Module |
Week |
Topic and course content |
Textbook chapters |
|
1 |
Sept. 14 |
Introduction and research methods
|
Chapter 1 Chapter 2 |
|
2 |
Sept. 21 |
Psychoanalytic aspects
|
Chapter 3 |
|
3 |
Sept. 28 |
Neo-analytic and ego aspects
|
Chapter 4 |
|
4 |
Oct. 5 |
Biological aspects
|
Chapter 5 |
|
5 |
Oct. 12 |
Behaviourist and learning aspects
|
Chapter 6 |
|
6 |
Oct. 19 |
Cognitive and social-cognitive aspects
|
Chapter 7 |
|
Saturday, Oct. 24 |
Midterm Exam (2 hours) |
Modules 1-6
|
|
|
Oct. 26-30 |
Fall Study Break (no lecture or office hours)
|
||
|
7 |
Nov. 2 |
Trait aspects of personality
|
Chapter 8 |
|
8 |
Nov. 9 |
Humanistic, existential, positive aspects
|
Chapter 9 |
|
9 |
Nov. 16 |
Interactionist perspectives on personality
|
Chapter 10 |
|
10 |
Nov. 23 |
Stress, adjustment and health
|
Chapter 12 |
|
11 |
Nov. 30 |
Culture, religion, and ethnicity
|
Chapter 13 |
|
Final Exam Period (Dec. 11-30) |
Final Exam (2 hours) |
Modules 7-12 |
|
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com.
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
