Syllabus: CSI_CUNY_PSY_390_Evolutionary_Psychology
Psychology 390 College of Staten Island Fall 2022
Meeting Times
Fridays 10:10AM- 2:15PM
Meetings held in person (4S-222)
Professor Dan McCloskey
email: dan.mccloskey@csi.cuny.edu
Office Hours: Wednesdays 4-7PM
Description:
Overview of the scientific perspective of evolutionary psychology, which investigates psychological mechanisms from the standpoint that they arise from the function of the brain, which has been shaped by the process of biological evolution. The course covers the basic principles of biological evolution and addresses the evolutionary forces that are likely to have influenced the development of specialized psychological mechanisms such as individual survival, reproduction, group/social living, and biological constraints on learning (ontogeny). The course will also cover emerging topics in evolutionary psychology such as the development of culture and the potential role of memes in manipulating human behavior.
Learning Objectives:
It is expected that by the end of this class you will:
- Understand the study of Evolutionary Psychology and its foundations.
- Understand ways in which the brain shapes behavior and environmental pressures shape the brain.
- Enhance your skills in designing conducting a research project using the scientific method.
- Gain experience using computational models of animal and human behavior.
Course Organization and Grading
This class is organized as a Flipped Class with background material for each topic presented as readings and videos which should be reviewed prior to class. Each class will begin with a brief review of the material, followed by a quiz. Class time will be largely devoted to the experimental methodology for the final project. There is no textbook for this course.
Your final grade will be calculated as follows:
- Quizzes (top 10): 60%
- Class Participation: 10%
- Homework assignments (10): 10%
- Final Research Project: 20%
1. Quizzes will consist of 2 or 3 essay questions to be completed, closed book, during class time.
2. Class participation will be measured by your contributions to class discussions and by posting a response video to weekly topic videos.
3. Homework assignments are a variety of assignments to be turned in on your own.
4. The Final Research Project is a group project conducting a real or simulated experiment based on an evolutionary psychology concept. Your grade will be based on: a) individual contribution, b) APA research paper, c) experimental design, and d) a presentation by your group.
If you need an accommodation because of a documented disability, please register with the CSI Center for Student Accessibility.
This course follows the CSI Guidelines for Academic Integrity. Cheating on quizzes or plagiarism in HW will result in an undroppable zero.
A note about inclusion and discussion:
As an upper division course that is based more on class discussion than lecture, my hope is that we can have an open dialogue about race, gender, religion and viewpoint that respects and celebrates differences. Please remember that none of us can know everything. We all come to this class with different experiences and knowledge bases. Let’s use those differences as a community so that we all can benefit by learning from one another.