CA-2: Psychology & Communications Theory

This is the assignment weblog for LHS' Communication Academy Seniors. Assignments and connections to electronic versions of documents are grouped below. Students in the class may use this blog to ask questions and gather feedback from other students and from the teacher. Make sure to put your name in the title of your blog entry. Alternately, you can send me a question, using the form to the left.

CA-2 Work for the week of February 2, 2009

M - 2/2: Introduction to Experimental Design Project, Review of textbook material. Discussion of scientific method and psychology. HWK: Begin work on Experimental Design Project (due M 2/9/09). Experimental design sheet is available here.

Tu - 2/3: Continue Intro to Experimental Design Project. Discussion of different types of psychology tests and experiments: advantages and disadvantages. Discussion of making an observation of a behavior that interests you and devising a hypothesis to explain it. HWK: Continue Experimental Design Project (due M 2/9/09). 

W - 2/4: Focus on Variables: independent and dependent variables. Group work on scenario analysis. HWK: Continue Experimental Design Project (due M 2/9/09). 

Th - 2/5: Video (Standard Deviants) on design. HWK: Continue Experimental Design Project (due M 2/9/09). 

F - 2/6: Review of progress to date on project work in peer groups, establish plans to finish over the weekend.

CA-2 Work for the week of February 9, 2009

M - 2/9: Review of finished experimental designs: PEER review and discussion. You will have until tomorrow to polish your design and rewrite as necessary. The Experimental Design sheet is available here. The sheets we will use in class are here (self-analysis) and here (psychological schools).

Tu - 2/10: Class presentation of finished experimental design write-ups. Hand in your finished papers. Exercise on how different schools would approach the problems you described. HWK: Read the section "Psychoanalytic Theory," pp. 513-515 in "Discovering Psychology." Write 1¶ describing which of the ideas presented in this section you have encountered in popular (mass) culture.

W - 2/11: Introduction to Freud. Readings and discussion. Development of Freud's ideas. Id, ego, and superego. HWK: Worksheet to be handed out in class (due Friday).

Th - 2/12: Continuation of the ideas of Freud. Psycho-sexual stages. Therapeutic methodologies. HWK: continuation of Wed.'s homework.

F - 2/13: Introduction to Jung. Readings and discussion. HWK: Current Event #2 and Paper Topic précis will be due when you return from break. (Paper instruction and rubric will be handed out in class.) 

CA-2 Work for the week of February 23, 2009

M 2/23: Freud, Intro to history and early concepts. HWK: Read Freud Handout and Passage from Introduction to Freud's Introductory Lessons on Psychoanalysis.

T 2/24: Freud: Structure of Unconscious, nature of neurosis and repression. psychosexual stages, Id/Ego/Superego. HWK: 1 to 2 ¶ describing an example from your life of a popular idea that actually comes from Freud's theory.

W 2/25: Freud: Wrap up theory and work through readings. Prep for Quiz (Thursday). HWK: Study materials for Quiz.

Th 2/26: Small quiz on Freud (early theories, transition on ideas of the origin of neuroses, psychosexual stages, Id/Ego/Superego, nature of repression, means of recovering repressed experience from the unconscious). Begin Jung. HWK: Begin reading handout on Jung.

F 2/27: Jung: Introduction to basic concepts in his theory and the general idea of archetypes. I will pass out the term paper assignment. HWK: Begin research in order to present a topic proposal to me by Monday 3/2. Use the blog below to discuss your topic and lock in that you (and not another) will get it. No two topics may be alike. A suggestion list occurs below. ALSO: create a Venn Diagram of differences and similarities between Freud and Jung's major ideas.

CA-2 Work for the week of March 2, 2009

M 3/2: Snow Day.

T 3/3: Begin work on Jung. Break up into groups to read and report on Boeree's article. HWK: Paragraph on paper research.

W 3/4: Continue work through Boeree's article. Construction of Jung vs. Freud Venn Diagram. HWK: Write on two examples from popular culture or your life experience of representatives of Jungian archetypes.

Th 3/5: Finish review of Jung. Implications of Jung's psychotherapy. HWK: Turn in your own diagram or table comparing and contrasting Jung's and Freud's theories.

F 3/6: Wrap up Jung. Begin the science of sleeping and dreaming. HWK: Read through packet over the weekend.

Term Paper Notes & cetera

Thanks, anonymous, for reminding me that I had not gotten up the links:

Click here for the note sheets.

Click here for the paper requirements.

CA-2 Work for the week of March 9, 2009

M 3/9: Group review and discussion of Sleep and Dreaming packet. HWK: Read Dream Theorists handout. (ALSO, note that you should be working on your term papers--that's why there are no heavy written homework assignments during this period.)

T 3/10: Which of the dream theorists seems most useful to you? Class debate and discussion. HWK: Think about how people around you have talked about dreams and dreaming. Prepare notes for discussion tomorrow.

W 3/11: Discussion about social attitudes toward dreams and dream symbolism as social construct. Review of material for quiz tomorrow. HWK: Prepare for Quiz on Sleep and Dreaming.

Th 3/12: Quiz on Sleep and Dreaming. Intro to the Nervous System if time. HWK: Read pp. 41-51 in the book.

F 3/13: Intro to the Nervous System. HWK: Work on your term paper.

CA-2 Work for the week of March 16, 2009

M 3/16: In Library--Term Paper work. HWK: Term Paper. The Neuron worksheet is due today.

Tu 3/17: In Computer Lab, Rm. 248--Term Paper work. HWK: Term Paper.

We 3/18: In Computer Lab, Rm. 248--Term Paper work. HWK: Term Paper.

Th 3/19: In Computer Lab, Rm. 248--Term Paper work. HWK: Term Paper.

F 3/20: In Computer Lab, Rm. 248--Term Paper work. HWK: Term Paper. The Term Paper, Note Sheets, and Class Handout Sheet are due next Tuesday. (I will be at a conference on Monday 3/23, so you have a one-day extension...)

CA-2 Final Bonus Reflection Question (Due Mon. 25 May, 12 noon)

Reflective (Bonus) Essay on Communications and Psychology

CA-2 (Due Monday, May 25 by 12 noon to be counted for credit)

Instructions: Please choose one of the topics below and write a 1 to 2 page reflective essay on the topic. You should spend no more than 45 minutes on the topic. You should e-mail your work back to me by the deadline indicated above.

Grading rubric: Your essay is worth up to 12 points. You will be judged according to the following criteria:

use of ideas from the course (4 pts possible):

  • you mention ideas from at least two distinct parts of the course, the ideas are well defined, make sense in combination, and apply well to the topic............4
  • you mention ideas from at least two distinct parts of the course, the ideas are somewhat defined, make some sense in combination, and apply somewhat to the topic............3
  • you mention ideas from only one part of the course, but the idea is well defined and applies well to the topic............2
  • you mention ideas from only one part of the course, but the idea is not well defined and it is not clear how it applies to the topic  ............1

application of ideas from the course (4 pts possible):

  • your use of ideas from the course is well thought through, meaningful and provides strong support for your opinions and reflection............4
  • your use of ideas from the course is somewhat meaningful and provides good support for your opinions and reflection............3
  • your use of ideas from the course is somewhat meaningful but provides only fair support for your opinions and reflection  ............2
  • your use of ideas from the course does not evidence a meaningful connection to the topic and provides poor support for your opinions and reflection............1

writing mechanics (4 pts possible):

  • you have a strong introduction and conclusion; strong paragraph structure; less than three grammatical or spelling errors in your text............4
  • you have a good introduction and conclusion; fair paragraph structure; less than six grammatical or spelling errors in your text............3
  • you have a weak introduction and conclusion; weak paragraph structure; seven or more grammatical or spelling errors in your text............2
  • you have no clear introduction or conclusion; no differentiated paragraph structure; many grammatical or spelling errors in your text............1


Topics (choose only 1):

1. Discuss the concept of a “construct” and how it has applied in at least two parts of the course. How has this concept changed your thinking? (If it has not changed your thinking, discuss why you think it has not.)

2. Reflect on how your sense of “art” has changed in light of what you have learned both in the communications half of the class and the psychology half.

3. Do you think that the concepts of “knowledge set” and “topic of concern” are applicable outside of traditional communications studies? Where else in the course could we have used them? Are they useful concepts for an average teenager?


All material, unless otherwise noted © 2009-2018, Robert A. DeLossa