Texts: A. Reginald Jones. Advances in African American Psychology

Date Topic Readings

1-16 Introductions and Course Overview none

1-18 What is Black Psychology? none

First Week Quiz
1-23 Theory & Method A: Banks (3-8); B: Chapter 1

1-25 Video Lecture: Dr. Sutherland

Second Week Quiz
1-30 Transforming Psychology A: Myers (9-26); B: Chapter 2

2-1 Video Lecture: Dr. Parham

Third Week Quiz
2-6 Community Psychology A: Brookins (27-50); B: Chapter 3

2-8 Video Lecture: Dr. A.J. Franklin

Fourth Week Quiz
2-13 Valucation A: Taylor (51-80); B: Chapter 4

2-15 Video Lecture: Dr. Nancy Boyd-Franklin

2-20 Organizational Development A: Coppock (81-100); B: Chapter 5

2-22 Video Lecture: Dr. Na’im Akbar

2-27 Methodology and Culture A: Caldwell, et al. (101-128)

3-1 Video Lecture: Dr. Amos Wilson Sutherland Book Review Due

3-6 Relationships A: Tucker& Mitchell-Kernan (129-)

3-8 Video Lecture: Jawanza Kunjufu

3-13 SPRING BREAK ?

3-15 SPRING BREAK ?

3-20 Sexuality A: Wyatt (167-190)

3-22 Video Lecture: Dr. Asa Hilliard

3-27 Racial Identity A: Brown, et al. (191-216)

3-29 Video Lecture: A Question of Color

4-3 Cultural Mistrust A: Terrell & Terrell (217-230)

4-5 Video Lecture: Dr. Marimba Ani

4-10 Health Psychology A: Anderson & Miles (231-266)

4-12 Video Lecture: Randall Robinson

4-17 Improving Health A: Martin (267-286)

4-19 Video Lecture: Maulana Karenga

4-24 Psychological Health A: Edwards (287-312)

4-26 Video Lecture: Louis Farrakhan

5-1 Belief Systems Analysis A: Myers (313-358)

5-3 Course review & evaluation Jones book review due
 
 

Weekly Writing - Assignments. This course is writing intensive and requires weekly reaction papers. For each of the assigned readings, provide a brief "thumbnail sketch" of the reading (in one page or less), and a brief "reaction statement" that provides your personal reaction to an aspect of the material in the article (in one page or less). For example, the readings for January 23^rd include two chapters. For each of these chapters, write a brief "thumbnail sketch" and "reaction statement." Weekly papers should also sketch and react to the preceding week’s Thursday lecture or video lecture. Students may share their reaction statements in class as a stimulus to class discussion. These writing assignments will be graded on a 100-point scale (subjectively determined by the instructor on the basis of thoroughness, originality, effort, appearance and writing quality). Papers are due at the beginning of class (they are collected each Tuesday). Late papers receive 1/2 credit. All papers may be re-written and re-submitted for re-grading within one week of their return to the student (late papers will still receive 1/2 credit).

Weekly Online Quizzes. Before class every Tuesday (except the first day of class), students must log onto the course web page, click the link for that week’s quiz, and complete the quiz. (When the link to the quiz is not posted on the course web page, e-mails will be sent to students with the appropriate link.) Quizzes will be opened no later than the Sunday evening before the Tuesday class, and closed at 8:15 a.m. on the day of class. Although students are encouraged to work alone, working with others is permitted. Each quiz is worth 100 points for a total of 1400 points. Quizzes cover the upcoming week’s readings and the previous Thursday’s lecture or video lecture.

Book Reviews - For each of the texts, students must write a book review that critically assesses the contribution of the book to Black Psychology. Book reviews must be typed, double spaced, with one inch margins, and be about 1000 words. Students are encouraged to use the book reviews in the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, The Journal of Black Psychology, or Contemporary Psychology as models for this assignment. Due Dates: March 1, 2001 (Sutherland), May 3 (Jones). (Late papers receive 75% credit.) Suitable papers will be published in Psych Discourse: The Newsjournal of The Association of Black Psychologists.

Grading - Grades are determined on a point basis. Weekly papers (thumbnail sketch & reaction statements) are worth up to 100 points for a total of 1400 points. (Each week’s paper will be graded on a 70-100 point scale.) Weekly quizzes are worth up to 100 points for a total of 1400 points. The book reviews are each worth 500 points. Contribution to the class discussion is worth up to 1200 points (Each absence, regardless of excuse, subtracts 50 points from the total). (Class discussion will be subjectively graded on a 70 to 100 point scale, and that total will be multiplied by 12. Subtractions for absences are then taken from the grand total.) The grand total, therefore, is 5000 possible points. Final grades will be determined according to the following formula: A (92%+); A/B (88%-91.9%); B (82%-79.9%); B/C (78%-81.9%); C (72%+); C/D (68%+), etc. Additional reading assignments will be made on a regular basis. The requirements and grading formula are subject to change.