PSY 2720 PBC
PSY 2720—Psychology of Personality
Three Semester Hours
MA 12/19
Prerequisites
University Requisite: PSY 101D or 1010
Course Overview
Development, organization, and assessment of personality, with evaluation of major theoretical perspectives and research on personality.
Methods of Course Instruction
All material for this course is print-based. Instructor and students communicate and exchange materials through postal mail.
E-Print Options
In this course, an option exists to use e-mail to submit your lesson assignments. Your assignment will be returned to you either as an e-mail attachment or as a hard copy sent through the postal mail, depending on the preferences of the instructor and/or program.
Textbooks and Supplies
Burger, J.M. Personalit. 10th ed. Cengage Learning, 2019. [ISBN:9781337747097]
Number of Lessons
The course has eight lessons, including one midcourse examination and a final examination. The lessons include:
- Lesson 1: Overview, Defining Personality, Personality Measures, the Person and the Situation
- Lesson 2: The Psychoanalytic Approach to Personality
- Lesson 3: Trait and Biological Approaches to Personality
- Lesson 4: Midcourse Examination Information and Sample Exam
- Lesson 5: The Behavioral and Social Learning Approaches
- Lesson 6: Humanistic Psychology and the Psychology of Self
- Lesson 7: Cognitive Approaches to Personality
- Lesson 8: Final Examination Information and Sample Exam
Types of Writing Assignments
It is highly unlikely that you will achieve a high grade on the examinations if you read the lesson assignments only once. I recommend reading each assignment at least twice, preferably three times, keeping a focus on the main issues.
Each lesson writing assignment will contain six questions. Your answers should demonstrate that you have given a lot of thought to the questions. There are two components to an answer that receives an “A” grade: first, it should demonstrate that you have carefully read and understood the material, and second, it should include your own opinion or point of view. You can go even one step further by doing a little research on your own outside of the assigned readings.
Grading Criteria
Your grade for the course will be based entirely on your performance on the eight lessons. No extra credit opportunities will be available. The midcourse and final exams will each compose 20% of your grade, and each of the other six lessons will be worth 10% each.
Your final grade for the course will be weighted on the following factors:
- Lesson Assignments (6) — 10% each
- Midcourse Exam — 20%
- Final Exam — 20%