Honors in the Major

Course Objectives:

Honors in the major project may satisfy the requirements for summa cum laude honors as described on page 153 of the 2002-2004 undergraduate catalogue.

General Objectives:  This course is designed to give students the opportunity to research a topic not covered by the current curriculum in the major. You will work on a project of your own design. Students partake in every aspect of the research process. 

 In particular it will satisfy the following departmental learning objectives:

·    Use APA style effectively when writing papers

·    Demonstrate basic proficiency with a computer-based statistical package

·    Use library facilities and computerized databases (e.g., PsychINFO) to locate pertinent information

·    Have the ability to assess critically the merits of basic and applied research

·    Have the ability to accurately interpret and use such research

·    Understand the basic principles of research designs from the variety of relevant disciplines

·    Understand the ethical issues involved in research

Eligibility:

  • Minimum GPA of 3.50 for all courses in the major.
  • Minimum GPA of 3.75 for all upper-level courses in the major.
  • Successful completion of this course.
 

Assessment:

Design, analysis, and write-up of a complete research study (25-page paper, Honors/Independent study).  Training and feedback will be provided to enable the paper to be a potential candidate for acceptance at a national psychology conference. 

60 % of the grade        -- successful completion of study design, data collection and analyses.
40% of the grade         -- Final paper.

A = 93%; A/B = 88%; B = 83%; B/C = 78%; C = 70%; D = 65%; F < 65%