a

Jack Bauer, PhD
Department of Psychology
University of Dayton
Dayton, OH 45469
(937) 229-2617

Home

Courses

Research

C.V.

Links

New Book:
Transcending
Self-Interest

Email Jack

Psychology Department

College of Arts
and Sciences

PSY 375:
Self and Identity

Taught at Northern Arizona University

NEW EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY: Attend the Quiet Ego Conference keynote talks 2:30 - 4:45 pm, Saturday, October 29, in the Cline Library's Assembly Hall. Be sure to sign in to get credit. It's worth 1 percentage point added onto your final course grade. If you can't make the talk, then you can download and read Jennifer Crocker's article on self-esteem, then write a 2-page summary of it. This paper is due Friday, Nov. 4. For more info on the talks and the conference, see www.quietego.com.

To download articles, click author's name in the Schedule below.

Fall 2005
TTh 9:35 - 10:50 a.m., SBS 237
Office Hours: Tues 2:15 - 3:30, Wed 10 - 11, & by appt.

Syllabus
Required Texts
Course Objectives
Grading & Requirements
Miscellaneous
Schedule

Required Text
Leary, M. R., & Tangney, J. P. (Eds.). (2005). Handbook of self and Identity. New York: Guilford Press. (Paperback edition)

• In addition, individual articles and chapters will be required. These will be available on reserve in the Cline Library and often on the web (see below). The first author's names appear in the schedule below.

Back to Top

Course Objectives

Welcome to Self and Identity. This course is designed to provide a survey of theory and research on the topic of self and identity for the advanced undergraduate. This course takes a psychological perspective on the self, but within a multidisciplinary context. (Unlike the course listing on Louie, the course will not be limited to the field of social psychology. That listing will be updated next year.)

This course views the self as a primary organizing force in a person’s life. The first thing to grasp is that the self is always and everywhere a subjective perception. But the self is not enclosed within the individual. The self is inextricably part of (it influences and is influenced by) our interpersonal relationships, culture, and humanity. Still, the self is not purely at the whim of those forces: The self develops in patterns and does have relatively consistent characteristics. Our understanding of self is central to how we experience and interpret events, how we react to them, and how we chart courses of action.

The course has two broad aims. First is to provide a solid foundation for future work in the area. Second, and more importantly, is to present this area of inquiry in a practical way for your own personal development. The more we know about ourselves, and the more we know about how people create selves, the better able we are to intentionally guide our lives and to understand other people.

Back to Top

Course Grading & Requirements

Reading. This course has a lot of it. You are expected to keep up and to do the assigned reading before class. In general we will spend only one day on a topic (and thus on a particular reading), so if you miss either a reading or a class, you’re missing a lot.

Exams. Two essay exams will cover the first and second halves of the semester’s content. There is no cumulative final exam. If you miss an exam, you must have a legitimate reason for taking a make-up exam in order to earn points for that exam. In such a case you must make every attempt to notify me in advance. Each exam is worth 100 points. The two exams in total account for 50% of the course grade.

Major Paper. The purpose of this paper is for you to develop your skills in reviewing, synthesizing, and writing about the theory and research on adult development. You are encouraged to write a paper on a topic that is of personal interest to you. Try to think creatively in choosing this topic: Start by trying to figure out what aspect of adult development or adult life grabs your interest. I will be happy to help you transform your interests into something workable for a theoretical and/or research-based paper. I will describe the specifications of the paper later in the semester, but I encourage you to start thinking about possible paper topics as early as possible. You should submit a brief description (1 paragraph maximum) of your topic by Tuesday, Nov. 22. I will return this brief description with comments, suggestions, etc. to help you with your paper. The paper should be 10-12 pages and is due Thursday, December 8. The paper is worth 35% of the course grade.

Media Paper. You are to write a reflective paper on how the media portrays, manipulates, and/or influences self and identity. To help keep the paper manageable and coherent, you are encouraged to focus on a particular mass medium, such as TV, radio, film, music, or internet. You may want to focus your scope even further, e.g., specifically on advertising (or even kind of advertising) or on a particular genre of film or music. You may even examine a specific ad or film or TV show etc., but keep in mind that it should somehow represent a broader genre or theme in the media. The paper should focus on how your chosen slice of the media deals with topics like self-image, self-concept, self-esteem, personal ideals and values, gender identity, age identity, group identity, cultural identity, cultural values, or other such topics. You could focus on how and why the media attempt to influence the audience’s self-image, how the self is portrayed, and/or what the media’s portrayal of self says about our culture. The topic is largely up to you, as long as it deals with media and the self. You do not need to base this paper on research; it is to be a personal examination of the topic. However, don’t be led into thinking that you will get full credit for a rambling, stream-of-consciousness piece of dribble. A main point and coherent organization are key for high grades. The Media Paper should be 3-4 pages and is due Thursday, September 29. The paper is worth 10% of the course grade.

Film Paper. You are to write a reflective paper on the role of identity in the film Sunshine. You are encouraged to think about identity from the standpoints of individual personalities, interpersonal relationships and other social contexts, the development of individual identities, the similarities and differences of the characters’ identities across generations, and the roles of culture and social history on identity. Again, outside research on this paper is not required. The Film Paper should be 3-4 pages and is due Thursday, November 3. The paper is worth 10% of the course grade.

Participation. Discussion is essential for human development and for the creation of a self. You will be expected to participate in class—to ask questions, to offer thoughts and opinions, to respond to others’ thoughts and opinions, and generally to participate in class discussions. If you are uncomfortable about this, let me know. Participation is worth 5% of the course grade.

Back to Top

Miscellaneous

Assistance: Please let me know if you would like any form of help in this class. Feel free to call or email me for an individual appointment, or stop by during my office hours.

Attendance: While there is no attendance policy in the overt sense, there is one in the subtle sense. First, part of your final grade is participation, and you can’t participate if you’re not there. Second, students find it very difficult to do well on my exams if they miss more than a couple classes, since my exams are based not on the memorization of facts but on the ability to integrate information—a skill we develop in class.

Back to Top

Course Schedule

Back to Top