Phsycology Assignment
1. You will be writing a formal letter to friend that explain and react to material from the course and make that person the audience for the letter. It should be written in your own voice (Use first person: I, my family, etc.) and style.
2. Discuss three different topics (from three different chapters): Phobias, consciousness effects in life, Neurotransmitters. The topics you pick should be ones that you can apply to your life in some way in the paper.
3. when you paraphrase, you must provide an APA style reference in text and at the end of your work in the references section.
4. Textbook: Ciccarelli, S. K. & White, J. N. (2017). Psychology (5th ed.). New York, NY: Pearson.
YOU SHOULD ONLY REFERENCE THE TEXT AND OTHER COURSE MATERIALS. DO NOT GO OUTSIDE OF THESE FOR THIS PAPER.
After describing a particular topic, you will discuss specifically what was interesting (disappointing, surprising, etc.) to you, explain why it interested (disappointed, surprised, etc.) you so much, and discuss how it applies to your own experience. Please be sure you tie it into your own life in a clear and interesting way. Use APA style references in this portion if you need to.
Please follow this format for the paper:
1) Introduction paragraph where you acquaint the letter reader (your friend, mother, etc.) with the purpose of the letter, greet them, etc.
2) A paragraph (or more) thoroughly describing and defining TOPIC 1.
3) A paragraph (or more) telling what you found interesting, surprising, etc. and how you applied it to your life for TOPIC 1.
4) A paragraph (or more) defining and describing TOPIC 2.
5) A paragraph (or more) telling what you found interesting, surprising, etc. and how you applied it to your life for TOPIC 2.
6) A paragraph (or more) thoroughly describing and defining TOPIC 3.
7) A paragraph (or more) telling what you found interesting, surprising, etc. and how you applied it to your life for TOPIC 3.
8) A conclusion paragraph.
9) A closing like Sincerely, Love, etc. and write your name.
Grading:
The paper will be graded on three main dimensions, each receiving roughly equal weight:
-Factual/conceptual content: You should demonstrate that you have thought deeply about the material, you understand it, and you can apply it to your own interests, reactions, and experiences. I want you to demonstrate that you can explain the material clearly and accurately to someone who knows nothing about it.
-Interest/originality: Your letter should be fun to read and should be creative and original. It should demonstrate depth of understanding for the topics you selected as this will make it more interesting and will give me the opportunity to learn something about you. Really think carefully about the examples from your life you discuss.
-Grammar/editing/structure: Your letter should be easy to read and organized, with appropriate transitions and paragraphs. For instance, be sure you use topic sentences in your paragraphs. (Think of a topic sentence like a promise. The topic sentence promises what the entire paragraph will be about.) Please spell check your work and edit it before submitting it.
Be sure you use proper grammar and punctuation! This is meant to be a formal letter, not a casual email. As such, do not be extremely casual in your language. Do not use emoticons (For example: J). Do not use contractions. (For instance, write out did not rather than the contraction didnt.) Do not say things like, It sucked, She was lame, He was a hard ass. These are all casual; think of another way to say the same thing. Indent new paragraphs.
In addition, you must use APA style citations properly or you will fail the assignment. See the videos I provide on citing if you need help, then ask me.
Length, Spacing & Formatting:
I will not require a specific length, but know that a typical letter includes at least 9 paragraphs and is about 3 typed, single-spaced pages with double spacing between paragraphs. You must make it long enough to do the assignment completely and thoroughly. Do not drag it out simply to make it appear longer.
Make it look like a real letter. Put the date at the top and start it with Dear . . . and sign a closing (e.g. Sincerely, ______) and your name at the end.
Please use single spacing within paragraphs with double-spacing between paragraphs. This makes it look more letter-like.
