Course

Honours Seminar

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Psychology
Course Code
PSYC 4390
Credits
3.00
Semester Length
15
Max Class Size
10
Method(s) Of Instruction
Seminar
Course Designation
None
Industry Designation
None
Typically Offered
To be determined

Overview

Course Description
This seminar course is designed for students who wish to progress to postgraduate studies. Topics may include: developing research ideas, research ethics, graduate school application, and the peer review process. Students will have the opportunity to present and receive feedback on their Honours Thesis proposal.
Course Content

Topics may vary depending on the research topics of the Honours students.

  1. Graduate school aptitude exams.
  2. How to generate and evaluate research ideas.
  3. Evaluating and selecting graduate programs.
  4. The graduate school application process.
  5. Planning and writing the academic research paper.
  6. American Psychological Association guidelines for scholarly papers.
  7. Standards for evaluating psychology papers.
  8. Ethics in research and writing.
  9. Presenting research through conferences and publications.
Learning Activities

Methods of instruction may include:

  • seminar
  • presentations
  • group discussions
  • guest lectures
Means of Assessment

Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Evaluation will include some of the following:

Draft ethics proposal   20%
Attendance at academic talks or seminars 10%
Critical analyses of research papers 30%
Presentation of research proposal  30%
Class participation   10%
Total   100%

Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:

  1. Gain experience and develop skills in activities that strengthen preparation for job entry or graduate school admission.
  2. Select and apply the appropriate research design for a given research question.
  3. Design or replicate a research study and discuss its relationship to hypothesis testing.
  4. Evaluate the extent to which research strategies rule out alternative explanations and support cause-effect claims.
  5. Propose appropriate scales of measurement or research designs that can be used for different research purposes.
  6. Incorporate appropriate sociocultural considerations in research design and interpretation.
  7. Construct an ethics proposal for the Douglas College Ethics Board.
  8. Adapt to change in a flexible and proactive manner that is appropriate to the context. 
  9. Incorporate suggestions from feedback from peers, educators, and mentors to improve task performance.
  10. Accept and adapt to interactions in complex professional, cultural, and academic contexts.
  11. Incorporate international sources, including non-western researchers and samples, in research processes, where appropriate.
  12. Create and maintain a resume or curriculum vitae that showcases a psychology background.
  13. Use appropriate career resources to evaluate academic and career options.
  14. Deliver a research presentation that meets established conventions and professional guidelines.
Textbook Materials

Textbooks or readings will be updated periodically. Typical examples of texts are:

Sternberg, R.J., & Sternberg, K. The Psychologist’s Companion: A Guide to Writing Scientific Papers for Students and Researchers. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, current edition.

Wood, C., Giles, D. & Percy, C. Your Psychology Project Handbook: Becoming a Researcher. England: Pearson Education, current edition.

Requisites

Prerequisites

Admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology Honours Program or Department permission.

Corequisites

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

Course Transfers

These are for current course guidelines only. For a full list of archived courses please see https://www.bctransferguide.ca

Institution Transfer Details for PSYC 4390
There are no applicable transfer credits for this course.

Course Offerings

Fall 2024

CRN
34768
section details
CRN Days Instructor Status More details
CRN
34768
Fri
Instructor Last Name
Dane
Instructor First Name
Laura
Course Status
Open
Maximum Seats
10
Currently Enrolled
0
Remaining Seats:
10
On Waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N3417
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20
Section Notes

PSYC 4390 001 is restricted to students in the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology Honours program.