Psychology 243

Required Readings:

• Peterson, C. (2006). A primer in positive psychology. NY: Oxford. ISBN-10: 0-19-518833-0 ISBN-13: 978-0-19-518833-2
  
  This is the primary textbook for the course. Peterson describes research on what goes right in life and why.
• McKay, M. Davis, M, & Fanning, P. (2007). Thoughts & feelings: Taking Control of your moods and your life (3^rd ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger. ISBN-10: 1-57224-510-7 ISBN-13: 978-1-57224-510-5
  
  This is a workbook for learning the principles of cognitive-behavioral self-management by applying those principles to your own life. The emphasis is on reducing problems such as worry, depression, low self-esteem, and anger.
• Browne, H. (2004, Internet Ed.). How I found freedom in an unfree world. ISBN 0965603679. Can be downloaded for $9.75 from http://www.harrybrowne.org/ .
  
  Any print edition of the book is acceptable, too. Browne exposes erroneous beliefs, which he calls traps, that limit our freedom and presents methods for maximizing happiness.
• The Course Outline of this syllabus also directs you to several short "handouts," posted on ANGEL, that you are meant to read before particular classes. I will actually hand out only the first such handout (on cooperative learning); after that, you will be expected to obtain these short documents yourself from ANGEL.

Optional Book:

• McKay, M., & Fanning, P. (2000). Self Esteem (3rd. Ed.). Oakland, CA: New Harbinger. ISBN-10: 1-57224-198-5 ISBN-13: 978-1-57224-198-5.
  
  I will be talking about ideas from selected portions of this book from time to time. Your course grade will not be affected by whether or not you buy this book, so I would purchase a copy only if I were interested in owning the book.

Course Objectives:

The overall objective of this course is to learn how to make your life more satisfying and meaningful. This general objective can be broken down into three more specific objectives, namely, learning how to:

(1) avoid and escape negative states such as anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, anger, and self-defeating behavior;
(2) deal effectively with the normal demands of everyday life (have good relationships with others, cope with stress, organize yourself, set and accomplish goals, etc.); and
(3) improve yourself beyond mere normality (become more creative, increase awareness, and develop a higher quality life).

The study of psychological well-being has undergone and interesting evolution over the past 60 years. Originally, the focus was on the first two objectives, that is, helping people to overcome emotional and behavioral problems and to cope effectively with the stresses and demands of everyday life. Courses dealing with this subject matter were often called "The Psychology of Adjustment," which gave the impression that there was one standard of mental health for everyone to live up to.

Over time, however, psychologists became dissatisfied with this focus on eliminating negatives and encouraging adjustment. An alternative approach, which began with humanistic psychology in the 1960s and developed into what is now called Positive Psychology, came to focus on each person's unique potential for positive growth and excellence. In the words of our textbook author, Chris Peterson, Positive Psychology is "The scientific study of what goes right in life" (p. 4).

This course promotes both the original goals of a psychology of well-being (getting rid of negatives and dealing with ordinary challenges), while emphasizing Positive Psychology's focus on growth and excellence.

Methods for Achieving Course Objectives:

Chapter 2 of Chris Peterson's textbook is titled "Learning About Positive Psychology: Not a Spectator Sport." This means that in our course we will be learning by doing. Prior to every class, everyone will be expected to complete a homework assignment in preparation for that class. The assignment usually includes reading from one or more of the textbooks. But in addition to any textbook reading, you are expect to engage in an activity related to the topic. Instructions for each activity are posted on ANGEL. The instructions will tell you how to write a short "activity report" for the activity.

You are to bring each activity report to class to help you discuss your experiences with the activity with members of your small group. In these discussions, students are meant to learn from one another. I will usually kick off the discussions with a short lecture. After groups discuss the topic of the day for a period of time, I may visit the various groups to see how things are going, or I may moderate a full-class discussion of the topics for that class period. You will turn in your activity report at the end of class. There are no exams or major papers in this course. Your grade is determined by the number of acceptable activity reports you submit and on your participation.

Course Outline:

The following course outline charts when we will be covering the different topics. Any changes from this outline will be announced in class. For reading assignments and other activities in our books, I have used the following shorthand book titles:

Primer - A Primer in Positive Psychology, by Christopher Peterson

Taking Control - Thoughts & feelings: Taking Control of your moods and your life, by Mathew McKay, Martha Davis, and Patrick Fanning

Freedom - How I Found Freedom in an Unfree World, by Harry Browne

Assignments and Grades:

For example, let's say four people are in your group, including you. Each person will have 30 points to distribute among the other three members. If everyone distributes their points equally, you would receive 30 points. Your participation score will be 400 x (30/30) = 400. If someone is judged to be a slacker and receives only 5 points from each of the other three group members, his or her score would be 400 x (15/30) = 200. Note that if your group members believe you contributed more than an average amount, you could actually end up with more than 400 points for participation, but there is a limit of 440 points that can be earned for extraordinary contribution. We will conduct an informal assessment of participation (assigning points as per the formula above--but it won't count toward your grade) at mid-semester just to see how things are going. At the end of the course, if any individual's participation score seems to me too high or too low due to bias, I may adjust the score.

Note to Students with Disabilities:

For further information regarding the Office of Disability Services, visit their web site at www.equity.psu.edu/ods/ . Instructors should be notified as early in the semester as possible regarding the need for modification and/or reasonable accommodations.

Statement of Academic Integrity:

Violating academic integrity is considered a serious offense by the University and is treated accordingly. Students violating academic integrity will receive an F for the course. In the case of more serious offenses (multiple violations; organized, widespread distribution of plagiarized materials, etc.), expulsion from the University will be recommended to the Director of Academic Affairs. Further information, including appeals processes, can be found in Policy 49-20 of the current Policies and Rules for Students handbook.