PSYD33: Current Topics in Clinical Psychology

Opinion Papers

• Summary of your opinions about the debate topic as they relate to the required readings each week
• Evaluation criteria:
  1. Ability to understand the required readings and their relation to the debate topic,
  2. Clear, well-written, and well-structured response, and
  3. Critical thinking

Hosting a Debate

• Host a debate in teams of 2-3 people on designated topic
• Evaluation criteria:
  1. In-depth understanding of the debate topic,
  2. Coherent presentation that clearly outlines issues at hand for other students,
  3. Effectively hosting the class discussion to promote critical thought

Final Paper

• 6-7 page paper summarizing one debate discussed in class + propose a novel study that would help resolve some aspect of the debate
• Must state expected findings and explain how each relates to resolving the aspect of the debate at hand
• Though not required, additional research on your topic and Clinical Psychology research methods is encouraged
• Evaluation criteria:
  1. Propose a novel study that could meaningfully inform a current debate in the field of Clinical Psychology,
  2. Write a clear, well-structured paper using APA style,
  3. Originality and level of critical thinking

• Do some background reading so you understand your topic
• Don't quote from Wikipedia, but it is actually a good place to begin your research. Entries in Wikipedia frequently contain links to useful resources that are considered academic
• Check out the list of dictionaries and encyclopedias in Psychology

Step 1: Brainstorm keywords that represent aspects of your topic.

Step 2: Select appropriate databases for your research topic.

Step 3: Build your search using search terms and Boolean Logic. 

Step 4: Review your results. 

Step 5: Evaluate the quality of your sources.

Step 6: Get the full-text of relevant articles.