Thought Papers

Introductory Writing Assignments – Fall 2012

Writing Assignment I - Current Event

1. Read your notes and your book to understand the different perspectives in psychology. These are the biological, cognitive, psychodynamic, sociocultural, behavioral, and humanistic approaches to psychology.
2. Find a newspaper or magazine article that describes a person who has engaged in some unusual behavior. The article should be relatively recent and should include enough information about the person so that you understand the obstacles in their life.
3. Describe the article you have chosen. Tell what they did and who the person is. Reference where you found the article.
4. Describe the person’s behavior using ALL six different perspectives. It must be clear to me that you understand each approach to psychology so that I can evaluate your write up.

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Writing Assignment II - Psychological Film Analysis

Watch one of the following films related to some aspect of psychology. Examples: What’s eating Gilbert Grape, Clockwork Orange, Kids, Primal Fear, The Accused, Higher Learning, Sybil, Girl Interrupted, At First Sight, As Good as it Gets, Boys Don’t Cry, Tuesdays with Morrie, On Golden Pond, The Notebook, Grumpy Old Men, Cocoon, Secondhand Lions, Iris, Shutter Island, Something’s Gotta Give, Bucket List. Write a paper analyzing the psychological issues raised in the film. This paper should not be merely a summary of the film. Your paper will be evaluated on how well you address psychological issues. If you want to analyze a film that is not on this list, you must have my pre-approval.