Personal experience
Pick a story involving you that links your personal experience to one of the topics that we cover in class. Be sure you are able to tie it in to what we study: Brain and behavior (genetics), the scientific mind (critical thinking), sensation and perception, learning and memory, personality, or abnormal psychology (behavioral disorders). The story does not have to be about something that happened to you, it could also be something that happened to a friend/family member that you witnessed
For a score of 20 points, the paper must:
Clearly describe a specific relevant event/experience from your life.
Fully explain how the event is related to theory and/or empirical findings on the topic.
Accurately use any relevant technical terms.
Follow standard conventions for spelling, grammar, and punctuation.
Film analysis: Pick a film that involves psychology directly (as a main plot or big reveal at the end) and analyze what is going on with the character or characters and summarize how it was handled. Examples of films include A Beautiful Mind, Shutter Island, and The Soloist.
For a score of 20 points, the paper must:
Have a good summary of the movie
Have a good summary/outline of the problem at hand (of the character/characters)
Explain if there was any intervention or treatment for the character/s (therapy, medication, etc.)
Explain what you would have done in that situation (either as the person afflicted or the person trying to help)
Explain if it does a good job portraying the illness in your opinion, or if it just makes the person/illness look better/worse/different than you think it should.
