Final Project Guidelines
You will dig deeper into a topic of your choice by applying material from the course to a specific context/example in an original and creative way. You can choose to use, as your context/example, a book (e.g., novel, short story), movie, television show, or other work of fiction. You need to choose a recent context/ example (one that was first published, in theaters, or aired within the previous two years; remakes of older films/stories do not count as recent) to avoid accidentally choosing something that has already been discussed online extensively. The purpose of the project is to gain a fuller understanding of the course material by applying it to a specific and unique context, and to demonstrate that understanding. The project will take the form of both a Paper and an A/V Presentation.
In your Final Paper, youll be following American Psychological Association (APA) Style, and you will cite at least two peer-reviewed psychology journal articles regarding the course concepts in addition to using the textbook. You are encouraged to use CUNY OneSearch (which you can access via the Newman Library tab of BlackBoard) to find relevant research articles to support your use of the course material. Please keep in mind, however, you are NOT to do research on the context/example; the context should require a single citation that references the context itself (e.g., film, tv show, novel). The paper must be 3-5 typed, double-spaced, 12-point serif font (e.g., Times New Roman), pages of text. It must also include a reference page, which DOES NOT count toward the page-length requirement. All margins must be set at one inch. The A/V presentation will be 3-5 minutes long.
If you are unsure what a peer-reviewed journal article is, this may be helpful:
http://guides.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/content.php?pid=209679&sid=1746812
All sources must be cited in APA format. For a tutorial on the APA format, please see: http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx
NOTE: You may cite additional sources that are not specifically required as long as you meet all of the criteria for the required sources. The course text is NOT a peer-reviewed source, but will likely be one of your sources.
While drafting your Final Project, you will have the opportunity to teach and learn from your classmates. Over the course of Weeks 11-13, you will submit an outline and first draft of your Final Paper (you will only submit a final draft of the A/V Presentation). You will also be reviewing your classmates drafts (four Outlines and two First Drafts) and providing feedback on each others drafts.
Some Guidelines for the Project:
1. You will need to define the chosen concept(s) and explain how they operate (discussing research findings). In addition to defining the relevant terms, you will also tell us something about how the concept operates (e.g., Who tends to exhibit it (or different levels of it)? Under what circumstances? What are the precursors/consequences? Etc.). All relevant terms/concepts discussed must be defined, and the source of the definition (e.g., textbook and/or peer-reviewed psychology journal article) must be cited. Also cite all factual assertions. Be sure to use proper citations and APA style for all definitions, theories, findings, etc. See http:// www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx for a tutorial.
2. You should choose at least one fairly major social psychological concept, theory, or topic that is described adequately enough to lend itself to application. The fact that a topic or concept arose in the course does not make it necessarily a social psychological concept or a major course topic (e.g., heart disease and PTSD may be discussed in the course, but they would not be considered social psychological topics, generally speaking). Keep in mind that you need to be able to say something interesting about whatever concept(s) you choose. For example, under what circumstances is this phenomenon more or less likely to occur? What are the causes and consequences?
3. You will need to describe your chosen context. In the process of defining your chosen concepts and explaining how they operate, you will show us the concepts in action via your context. Give enough detail to show how your context contains examples or applications of the concepts you are discussing. Choose just one recent (within previous two years) context (one specific novel, television show, movie, etc.) to use throughout your paper. This way, you’ll be able to focus your discussion on a context that we can learn a little bit about, demonstrating the complexity of the people and/or the situation (as opposed to taking one topic and applying it to five different contexts). Be sure to properly quote and cite any sources that are used as your example (e.g., novel, film, television show). Do not do make claims related to your example that cannot be found in the example itself (e.g., if it is a work of historical fiction or a novel that is based on a true story, make sure that you stick to the information provided in the work of fiction only – not the historical context outside of the work of fiction, or information about the true story presented elsewhere).
4. Choose a unique context. Avoid using a context discussed in any course assignments. Think of your own unique context. If a context comes up only briefly in a discussion, it might be acceptable as long as there is plenty of room for you to add your own unique thoughts. Do not simply repeat what you read/viewed elsewhere. Additionally, try to avoid using a context that has already been discussed online in blogs, etc. (choosing a recent [i.e., within the previous two years] context should help avoid this trap), and avoid doing research on the example to see what others have said about it (none of your citations/sources, other than the one citing the context itself, should mention the context). Come up with your own ideas and connections.
5. You will need to connect your chosen topics/concepts to your chosen context. You need to explicitly state why or how your context contains examples of the topics/concepts you chose. The connection of your context to the concepts (e.g., definition, specific research findings) should be stated outright and not assumed. All original factual assertions that you make in your paper should be substantiated with evidence and cited.
6. This is a formal writing assignment. Do not write as if you are talking to your friends. Be sure to avoid the use of contractions, slang (unless it is relevant to the topic of your paper), and other informalities. Try to avoid the use of I or we. Your paper will be graded on clarity and organization. If you need any assistance in this area, it is highly recommended that you make use of the writing resources at SPS, particularly the SPS Writing Fellows. There are probably very few people who would not benefit from the assistance of a Writing Fellow.
8. Watch for grammatical and typographical errors. Proofread your papers. There should be minimal typographical mistakes. Use your word processors grammar and spell check functions. If you have difficulty with grammar, punctuation, or other writing issues, it is highly recommended that you seek assistance from the SPS Writing Fellows.
9. Provide a reference list. The reference list must include all sources cited within the Paper (at least two peer-reviewed psychology journal articles), and should be formatted according to APA Guidelines. See http://www.apastyle.org/learn/tutorials/basics-tutorial.aspx for a tutorial.
10. The Papers must be 3-5 double-spaced pages of text, in any serif typeface (e.g., Times New Roman; please note the difference between serif and sans serif typefaces), 12-point font, with 1-inch margins. Three full pages of text is the minimum requirement, and five pages is the maximum. I recommend that you aim for four full pages, as you will lose points if your paper does not fall within the window provided. References of all sources cited belong on a separate page and do not count toward the page-length requirement (additionally, if you choose to include a title page, abstract, or image, etc., these DO NOT count toward the page-length requirement; any headings you include [e.g., name, course number, school professor], do not count toward the page-length requirement).
Final Project Outline
How do people portray themselves so that others will see them as they want to be seen? Questions:
1) What is your example (e.g., movie, tv show, etc.)?
Movie : Isnt It Romantic
2) Provide the date(s) of publication/airing for your example? PG-13 2019 Romance/Comedy
3) What concept/topics will you be applying to your example? For each concept/topic, list the page numbers (including the entire range) where the topic is covered in the textbook. This is to ensure that you choose major concepts that are covered in the course. Please number the answers to these three questions.
How do people portray themselves so that others will see them as they want to be seen? ( page, 146 – 147)
Impression management ( Page 147)
Ingratiation (Page 147)
References:
Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2014). Social Psychology, Ninth Edition. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
Ellemers, N. (2018, January) Gender Stereotypes. Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 69, pp. 275-298, 2018.
Zaki, J. (2020). Integrating Empathy and Interpersonal Emotion Regulation. Annual Review of Psychology 2020
Reference:
Link: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/full/10.1146/annurev-psych-122216-011719
Ellemers, N. (2018, January) Gender Stereotypes. Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 69, pp. 275-298, 2018.
Abstract:
There are many differences between men and women. To some extent, these are captured in the stereotypical images of these groups. Stereotypes about the way men and women think and behave are widely shared, suggesting a kernel of truth. However, stereotypical expectations not only reflect existing differences, but also impact the way men and women define themselves and are treated by others. This article reviews evidence on the nature and content of gender stereotypes and considers how these relate to gender differences in important life outcomes. Empirical studies show that gender stereotypes affect the way people attend to, interpret, and remember information about themselves and others. Considering the cognitive and motivational functions of gender stereotypes helps us understand their impact on implicit beliefs and communications about men and women. Knowledge of the literature on this subject can benefit the fair judgment of individuals in situations where gender stereotypes are likely to play a role.
Link: https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev-psych-010419-050830
Zaki, J. (2020). Integrating Empathy and Interpersonal Emotion Regulation. Annual Review of Psychology 2020
Abstracts: When individuals experience empathy, they often seek to bolster others well-being. But what do empathizers want others to feel? Though psychologists have studied empathy and prosociality for decades, this question has yet to be clearly addressed. This is because virtually all existing research focuses on cases in which improving others well-being also comprises heightening their positive affect or decreasing their negative affect and helping them reach their own emotional goals. In this review, I argue that real-life empathic goals encompass a broader rangeincluding sometimes worsening targets affect or contravening their wishes in order to improve their well-beingthat can be productively integrated into the framework of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). I review the empathic IER spectrum in a number of contexts, including close relationships, professional caregiving, and group-based emotions. Integrating empathy and IER provides a synthetic and generative way to ask new questions about how social emotions produce prosocial actions.
Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H. R. (2014). Social Psychology, Ninth Edition. Belmont: Wadsworth Cengage Learning.