Psychology U400: Personality
420 Shillman
M, W, Th, 1:35 ­ 2:40
Instructor: Randy Colvin
Office: 263 Nightingale Hall
Phone: 373-3098
Email: R.Colvin@neu.edu
Office Hours: Mon., 2:45-3:30, Wed., 2:45-3:30, or by appointment

Required Text: Funder, D.C. (2001). The Personality Puzzle (3rd Edition). New York: W. W. Norton & Company.

Course Description:
All of us are personality psychologists to some degree. We observe people daily (perhaps even when they donıt want to be observed) and make judgments about whether we would like to be their friend, their former friend, or never to be known by them at all. We also spend time thinking about what makes ourselves and others "tick." Why are we the way we are? Thatıs a question we all confront now and then, and a question that personality psychologists struggle with. This course will introduce you to a variety of ways in which psychologists try to understand what people are all about. We will talk about methods of personality research, and trait, psychodynamic, phenomenological, and cognitive/behavioral approaches to understanding personality.
By the end of this course it is my hope that you will be sufficiently familiar with the major theories of personality that (a) you will begin to construct or expand your own opinion about why people act as they do, (b) you will better understand yourself and gain some insight about why you behave as you do around friends, strangers, and loved ones and (c) you gain a feel for the strengths and weaknesses of each theory.

Grading:
There will be 5 short papers, 4 quizzes, and a final exam. The 5 short papers are each worth 5 points, and the quizzes and final exam are each worth 15 points. Exams will be multiple-choice. The final exam will include some questions based on the entire course. Make-up exams will be given only under extraordinary circumstances. If you know in advance that you will miss an exam, inform me of your situation as soon as possible. In addition, for each unit (e.g., traits, psychoanalysis) you will write a brief 2-3 page, double-spaced paper on a topic related to the unit we are studying. I will give more details in class about these brief papers.
Regular class attendance is suggested as I will often discus material not in the book, and I will clarify and elaborate on concepts from the assigned readings. I also recommend that you read the assigned chapters before coming to class and that you have a question or two prepared about the reading, and then raise the questions in class.

!!!!!!!!!!Class Participation!!!!!!!!! Class discussion for some is more painful than a root canal. You feel uncomfortable about it because you fear that you might say something less than Einsteinian. But like I said above, we all are personality psychologists, we act like personality psychologists everyday. You are an expert. So go for it. Share your opinion.

Course Schedule
Week of	Topics	Readings
Sep. 6
Monday
Wednesday	Brief Introduction	Chpt. 1
Thursday	Real Introduction
Sep. 13
Monday	Research Methods	Chpt. 2,3
Wednesday
Thursday
Sep. 20
Monday
Wednesday	Quiz 1; Begin Personality Traits	Chpt. 4
Thursday
Sep. 27
Monday	Personality Assessment I&II	Chpt. 5-6
Wednesday
Thursday
Oct. 4
Monday	Traits for Understanding Behavior	Chpt. 7
Wednesday
Thursday	Quiz 2 on Chapters 4-7
Oct. 11
Monday	No Class - Columbus Day
Wednesday	Freud and Psychoanalysis	Chpt. 10,11
Thursday	Freud, cont.
Oct. 18
Monday	Freud, continued	Chpt. 12
Wednesday
Thursday
Oct. 25
Monday	Freud & Friends, cont.
Wednesday
Thursday	Quiz 3 on Chapters 10-12
Nov. 1
Monday	Phenomenological Approach	Chpt. 13-14
Wednesday	Cross-Cultural
Thursday
Nov. 8
Monday
Wednesday
Thursday	No Class - Veteran's Day
Nov. 15
Monday	Quiz 4 on Chapters 13-14
Wednesday	Behaviorism	Chpt. 15
Thursday
Nov. 22
Monday	Social Learning
Wednesday	No Class --Thanksgiving Holiday Break Begins
Thursday	No Class --Thanksgiving
Nov. 29
Monday
Wednesday
Thursday	Cognitive Approach	Chpt. 16-17
Dec.6
Monday
Wednesday	Wrap up	Chpt. 18
Thursday	Reading Day
Dec. 13	Finals Week