Popular Myths about Human Behavior: 85-119 Basic Course Information Course: 85-119, Popular Myths about Human Behavior Instructor: Dr. Terri Huston Students: This is a first-year seminar, so your classmates are probably also first year students enrolled in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (H& SS). Location: Class will be held in Baker Hall 340A, unless an announcement is made in class. We’ll be going on at least one field trip for which we’ll be meeting at another location. Time: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12 – 1:20 pm. We’ll start promptly at 12:00, so please arrive on time. Blackboard Url: http://www.cmu.edu/blackboard/ Contacting Me Outside of Class email: [email protected] Phone: 268-4353 Office: Cyert Hall 124 Office hours: Dates Times Location Mondays 4:00 – 5:00 pm Skibo Coffeehouse, in the U.C. Tuesdays 1:30 – 2:30 pm In my office, Cyert Hall 124 Other days / times Schedule an appt by email In my office, Cyert Hall 124 Course Objectives The purpose of this course is to examine several beliefs about human behavior that are currently popular in American culture. I am calling these beliefs “myths” because they all have some basis in scientific research, but many have been generalized and applied in ways that I believe stray far from the meaning of the original science. Some of these myths have become so embedded in our culture that they are passed on as unquestioned. For instance, you’ve probably heard the adage that “two heads are better than one.” Although that’s sometimes the case, it certainly isn’t always, and in this class, you will learn to question this commonly held belief as well as many others. When you pass this course at the end of the semester, you will be able to: • Identify popular beliefs about human behavior that are suspicious • Hypothesize as to why these beliefs are treasured, believed, and propagated • Learn the basic scientific evidence that challenges or supports these beliefs • Determine for yourself whether each belief is an accurate reflection upon human behavior or whether it is a well-intentioned but misleading myth and be able to argue that position • Conduct observational field research or library research to determine whether certain myths are supported by empirical evidence • Discuss these issues thoughtfully and respectfully both in class and on an internet class discussion board • Write clearly and concisely about the content of the class as well as your own role in the discussion process • Propose a research study about one of the popular beliefs at CMUTexts and Readings You are required to do all of the readings listed on the course calendar – both the readings in the texts that you purchase as well as the readings on e-reserve. Texts. There are two textbooks for this course that you will need to purchase, and both of these books can be found at the bookstore: • Mind Myths: Exploring Popular Assumptions About the Mind and Brain (1999), edited by Sergio Della Salla • The Myth of the First Three Years: A New Understanding of Early Brain Development and Lifelong Learning (1999), written by John T. Bruer We will be using Mind Myths for the first six weeks of class so it is imperative that you purchase this text immediately. In fact, our reading for the second day of class is Chapter 1 of this book, so if you haven’t already bought this book, please do so on the first day of class. The Myth of the First Three Years will be our primary text for the 7 – 9th weeks of class, but I advise you to buy this book now as well because there is a stack of used, less expensive copies in the bookstore that may disappear if you wait. I tried to keep the costs of the texts down because I know that academic textbooks are incredibly expensive. Readings. In addition to these texts, we will be reading a variety of articles from periodicals, journals, magazines, and book chapters. I designed this course to cover a range of topics in cognitive, developmental, social, and organizational psychology with the hopes that everyone’s interests will explored, but that means that we’ll be reading from a wide range of sources. These readings are listed according to their author and date on the course calendar. As stated earlier, these readings are required – they are not optional. The readings will be available on e-reserve, which means that you can access them online and either read them online or print them out. I strongly recommend that you print out all of the readings so that a) you can take notes as you read and b) you can bring your readings and notes to class for reference in the discussion and for further note-taking. You can access each reading by its link that will be posted on the course’s Blackboard website, under • Course Documents (button) o Readings (folder) Please note that the link for the readings will always be available at least 3 days before the reading is due in class. If the link is not available on the Blackboard website at least 3 days in advance, I will provide the reading in some other form. Feedback It is my goal to make this an excellent course and a stimulating and enjoyable experience for all of us. If at any time you feel that the course is not meeting your expectations or you want to provide feedback on how the course is progressing for you, please contact me. If you would like to provide anonymous comments, please submit your feedback online at the Blackboard course website. I will also be circulating an early course evaluation in class during the 3rd or 4th week. This course evaluation will give you an opportunity to provide for anonymous feedback on the course and I will use your constructive comments as a way to improve the course wherever possible. Course Web Site We will be using the University-supported system called Blackboard to distribute information about the course. You will be able to use Blackboard to access the syllabus and calendar, read announcements, check the grading criteria for each assignment, check your grades for those assignments, and post questions and answers in the on-line “Blackboard Discussions” (a necessary part of your grade described below). To get started, go to http://www.cmu.edu/blackboard/help/help/index.html and follow the instructions for logging in and accessing class information. Our class is found under “F02-85-119, Great