Reaction Paper Topics
There are 17 assignments listed on the schedule below. Note that you may choose any seven for your submissions (You must submit seven papers or their equivalent to qualify for an A in the course).
1. (Jan 17). Social and Behavioral Human Subjects Training (http://www.research.umn.edu/consent/menu_soc.html). Developed by the University of Minnesota, this course addresses the obligations of investigators who conduct research with human participants. Topics include roles and responsibilities of researchers, guiding ethical principles, federal regulations, informed consent, IRBs, reporting of adverse events, privacy and confidentiality, and historical events that have shaped current policies. There is no need to submit a written paper for this assignment; simply provide the printed certificate documenting that you finished the course or have the results of the "Test your knowledge" quiz sent to me at sprentic@bama.ua.edu. Notes: (a) An active link to the site may be found on the links page of the course website. (b) If you have taken this course already, you may not complete it again.
2. (Jan 19). Bertman: "Warp speed".
3. (Jan 26). Lavine et al.: "Depicting women as sex objects in television advertising: Effects on body dissatisfaction" or Muraven & Baumeister: "Self-regulation and depletion of limited resources: Does self-control resemble a muscle?".
4. (Feb 2). Anderson: "Attributional style, depression, and loneliness: A cross-cultural comparison of American and Chinese students".
5. (Feb 14). Floyd et al.: "A meta-analysis of research on protection motivation theory" or visit the Healthy People 2010 web site.
6. (Feb 21). Perloff: "Information campaigns".
7. (Feb 23). Visit the Southern Poverty Law Center web site and Sexual Prejudice web site.
8. (Mar 2) Watch the video, "Hate in America" (Discovery, 2000) or the video, "Assault on Gays in America" (PBS, 2000). The videos are available from me. "Hate in America" is organized into three segments, about one hour each. Choose one to view. The segments concern the Christian Identity group, militias, and profiles of people who committed hate crimes. "Assault on Gays in America" includes comprehensive coverage of a hate crime that occurred in Alabama.
9. (Mar 7). Cialdini: "Principles and techniques of social influence".
10. (Mar 14). Read Elms: "Obedience in retrospect" and visit the Stanley Milgram web site.
11. (Mar 30). Shroeder et al..: "The origins of helping and altruism: Are we compassionate beasts?".
12. (Apr 4). Watters: "Why do people behave so nicely?".
13. (Apr 6). Cohen et al. (1996). Insult, aggression, and the Southern culture of honor: An "experimental ethnography".
14. (Apr 13). Bushman & Anderson (2001): "Media violence and the American public: Scientific facts versus media misinformation".
15. (Apr 20). Fawcett et al.: "Changing community responses to wife abuse: A research and demonstration project in Iztacalco, Mexico".
16. (Apr 25). Choose one of the following: (a) Read Miller: "Secrets of the cult: Rio DiAngelo tells inside story of Heaven’s Gate cult" and visit the Heaven’s Gate web site. (b) Listen to or read the interview with Laura Johnston Kohl, a survivor of Jonestown and read Dittman: "Lessons from Jonestown".
17. (May 2). View the slide presentation at the Stanford Prison Experiment web site.
Presentation option. Should you choose, you may make a presentation to the class that will count the same as two reaction papers. This may be leading a discussion on a reading assigned for the day and/or presenting additional information on the topic. I will also consider other formats. Should you plan to take this option, please contact me at least two weeks prior to the desired presentation date.