General Honors 302
Current Issues in Psychology: Looking Behind the Controversies

Spring Semester, 1998
9:30 - 10:45 p.m. TTH

Instructor: James A. Schmidt, Ph.D.
Office: Waggoner 119, 298-1842
Office Hours: To Be Announced
Email: James_Schmidt@ccmail.wiu.edu or mfjames@wiu.edu
Webpage: www.wiu.edu/users/mfjames (follow Teaching link)

Purpose of Course
In this course, you will examine in depth several highly visible and controversial issues in contemporary psychology. The emphasis will be on delineation of the scientific, social and political aspects of the public debate. Controversies that have transcended the confines of academic psychology and that have received national media attention will serve as the focal points of our discussions. We will address three issues: the debate regarding bias in mental testing, false memory syndrome, and the insanity defense in criminal cases.

Format of Course
This course probably will be unlike any other you've taken and its format will be more similar to a graduate seminar than an undergraduate class. To me, this means a lot of the assumptions of traditional undergrad classes (e.g., the instructor is the expert, and the students are empty vessels waiting to be filled with knowledge) will be laid aside. The value of this class will be constituted not just of the factual knowledge you gain, but of the process of gaining and exercising that knowledge as well. I also hope our class will be fairly relaxed, informal and fun. There will be few or no lectures and much of the important work will take place outside of class meeting times. As participants in this class, you will have great responsibility over what will be covered and how it will be presented.

Our class will be organized around three topics that have implications for psychology and our society at large. For each of these topics, there has been much public and scientific debate, and in each case the resolution of the debate has yet to be seen. Our goal will be to review each issue and present as thoroughly as possible both sides of the debate. To this end, for the study of each topic the class will be split into three groups (whose composition will be determined by me). The first group will be the Moderators. Moderators will research and briefly outline the controversy, highlighting whatever relevant factors (e.g., psychological, historical, political) are necessary to provide an introduction to the topic. Moderators will also serve as liaisons between the other two groups, allowing for coordination in the exchange of materials. The second group will be the Discussants/Pro. These Discussants will present information in favor of the proposition in question (see below). Discussants/Pro will research information and attempt to compose a compelling argument supporting the proposition under discussion. The final group will be Discussants/Con. Through the collection of information and research, these Discussants will attempt to refute the proposition.

The three topics we will address are:

1. Bias in psychological testing. It has been alleged that many psychological tests, especially tests of intelligence and/or achievement used to make decisions affecting children in school, are unfairly biased against racial and ethnic minorities. Proponents of these tests counter that, in many cases, the tests are merely measuring actual differences. The proposition you will debate is: Psychological Testing is Biased and Should Be Discontinued.

2. Disorders of memory and the "false memory syndrome." In recent years there has been much attention paid to cases where individuals, often alleged victims of child abuse, have "recovered" memories of the abuse while in therapy. In some cases, this has lead to charges being filed years later against the individual accused of the abuse. While many therapists and women's rights advocates support these alleged victims, opponents charge that, in many if not all cases, the memories are created (not recovered) in these patients by their therapists' suggestions and expectations. The proposition you will debate is: Repressed Memory Disorders Do Exist Naturally; They Are Not Necessarily Caused by Therapists.

3. The insanity defense. As far back as Aristotle, there has been a realization that some individuals who commit crimes do so as a consequence of some type of mental impairment. Our country's lawmakers and courts have struggled with how to deal with these cases, and have come up with a variety of imperfect solutions: not guilty by reason of insanity, insane but guilty, etc. The question hinges on what constitutes insanity and whether insanity should free someone of the consequences of committing a crime. Proponents of the insanity defense suggest that you cannot hold someone responsible for crime if they were mentally incapacitated at the time. Opponents maintain that the insanity plea is just another way to avoid punishment and that the person should be treated like any other accused individual. The proposition you will debate is: The Insanity Defense Should Be Abolished.

Schedule
About five weeks of the semester will be devoted to each topic, culminating with an in-class debate of the issue. (The specific format of the debates will be discussed in more detail later and is open to change upon suggestions/preferences of the students.) During that five week period, meetings will be regularly scheduled during classtime between the instructor and the various groups. In these meetings, goals for the upcoming week will be set, information collected during the previous week will be reviewed and strategy for the upcoming debate will be planned. It is anticipated that the groups will meet regularly outside of classtime to prepare for these meetings. During the fifth week of each topic, two class periods will be devoted to the debate and any ensuing discussion.

Evaluation
Performance in this course will be evaluated via grades for each of the three presentations and grades on a midterm exam and a comprehensive final exam. The three presentations and the tests will all be weighted equally (i.e., each is worth 20% towards the final grade). With regard to the presentations, grades will be assigned based on (a) the level student participation in the process (as evaluated by the instructor and the student's team members), (b) the adequacy of the research in preparation for the presentations/debates, and (c) the student's ability to present material in logical and coherent manner. Course grades will be assigned on a standard scale (i.e., A = 100-90%, B = 89-80%, C = 79-70%, etc.).

Special Needs
Students who have been recognized by the Disability Support Services as having special needs, with regards to note taking, reading or testing are encouraged to speak with me. I will make whatever adjustments I can to facilitate your learning.

Tentative Schedule

Feb. 24 & 26 Debate #1
Mar. 10 Midterm Exam
Apr. 7 & 9 Debate #2
May 5 & 7 Debate #3
May 14 Final Exam (8:00 a.m.)

Note: Syllabus is tentative and subject to change with notice.