I. Course objectives:

To present selected topics in the rapidly growing field of psychology and law. Social science methods are used to illuminate propositions of law. Issues of law set research and clinical problems for psychologists and other social scientists.

To sensitize you to the legal, social, ethical, historical, and political contexts within which psychological and social problems, and their solutions are embedded.

To introduce you to theoretical concepts and methodological approaches to problems in this field.

II. Teaching methods:

The ideas will be conveyed through discussions in small groups, and lectures. From time to time, we may have some guest lectures. Your participation in class is essential.

The analysis of problems often depends on an understanding of the legal issues, and legal thinking. If you miss out on some of these ideas because you have missed class, or haven't done the readings, you will be lost. Do not take this class if you can't come to class regularly and if you can't keep up with the reading and writing assignments. You will also need to remember what you learned in research methods, in statistics, in abnormal psychology and in tests and measurements.

III. Readings:

The main textbook is by Levine and Wallach (L&W), and is available in the university bookstore on the Amherst campus.

The second book is by Alan Dershowitz. It is a very good read. You will enjoy it and learn from it. The Advocate’s Devil is out of print but it is available electronically (pdf format) or printed ($11.00). E-mail rmp@buffalo.edu for information about obtaining the book.

IV. Course requirements:

A. Examinations. There will be no examinations. Your grade will depend on your term paper including the proposal for it, the eight papers responding to the readings, the book review, and your attendance and participation.

B. Class participation. You will learn a great deal and will benefit if you come to class regularly, on time and are prepared for class. I expect you to stay for the full session each time. You may not miss more than four class sessions after the end of the drop and add period (2nd week of classes). (See Section V. Grades) Plan accordingly. I expect that you will read all the assignments and that you will be ready to discuss the readings in class, whether or not you hand in a short paper for that reading (See below).

C. Short papers responding to readings. You are to write eight short papers responding to eight of the assigned readings. The unit for the paper is the whole chapter. Each paper will be due the week the chapter is assigned. You may hand the paper in on either the first or second date it is assigned. Having read the material and thought about it, you should be prepared to engage in discussion in class. You are responsible for doing all of the reading even if you don’t hand in a paper for that date. You may be called on in class for comment.

We have 15 weeks, 29 class sessions and 17 chapters in the book. Don't fall too far behind on this assignment. You put a lot of pressure on yourself if you try to catch up in the last few weeks.

The papers should be about four pages in length. Show that you have read the whole chapter by writing about some its main themes. Don't just list topics as they are listed in the beginning of each chapter. Select the main issues and put them in your own words. Then select some issue in the chapter that interests you, and show your comprehension by restating the idea in your own words. Use reasoned, fact based arguments especially when you have strong feelings about the material.

You may point to an idea in the chapter that is difficult to understand, and say why. Give the page number of the chapter and the approximate location on the page. You should also raise any difficult-to-understand ideas in class. If you don’t understand them, others probably don’t understand them either. You will be doing the class a favor by raising the issue. You should tell us where you believe our presentation is biased in one direction or another. If you think the presentation is biased, be specific in saying why. I am always willing to make an appointment with you individually to help clarify ideas.

I will make every effort to return the papers to you within a week. I will not grade them, but I will comment on the papers, raise questions or suggest readings. If the paper is unacceptable, I will return it to you and ask you to redo it. The papers will serve as a means of individual communication. It helps me to understand how readable the text is, and I can give you feedback that may be helpful to your learning.

If you hand in all 8 papers on time, and all are acceptable, you will earn an A for this part of the course. The papers are worth 25% of the grade. A paper will be unacceptable if it is poorly written, or if it does not cover material adequately. The paper must be written in correct English. Each one will be returned with comments. (See section on grades.)

Take pride in your work. Don't hand in papers that are sloppy or just tossed off. Correct spelling and typographical errors. I will not accept papers that are superficial, or do not show that you read the assignment thoroughly and thought about it. I will return those papers to you with a note that it is not acceptable. You can redo any paper I return to you.

Important: Academic integrity. If you quote any published work, including anything on the internet, or the assigned text, or any other work, you must put the quoted material between quotation marks, and give the exact source of the quote, including the page where the quotation will be found. You use quotation marks to set apart someone else’s writing from your own. If you don’t use quotation marks when you should, you are implying the writing is yours. If you use direct quotes in your term paper, put the materials between quotation marks, and give the precise source including page references (See APA style). If you don’t indicate quotations when you should, it raises a question of plagiarism. You may fail the paper, fail the course, and you may be violating university academic standards. You should be familiar with the University’s academic integrity policies.

Important: Always keep copies of your work in the event that I misplace your paper, or your record and my record disagree about how many papers you have completed. Unless you have a copy, I will presume that you didn't hand it in.

D. Book Review

The book review will be due November 12th.

The book review should be about 5 pages long. The novel touches on about two thirds of the issues covered in the text. The novel presents the ideas in the course of telling a story. Select at least three examples of psychology and law issues presented in the novel and relate these examples to the same issues covered in the L&W text. Be specific about the pages or chapters in the L&W text relevant to occurrences in the novel. Concentrate on the law and psychology issues. Don’t concentrate on the literary merits of the book or the characters. I will grade the book reviews on an A-F basis.

D. Preliminary and Term Paper. You will be required to write preliminary paper and a term paper. The preliminary term paper is due Tuesday, November 5th. The term paper is due the last day of class, Thursday, December 5. The term paper and the preliminary paper together will count for 65 percent of your grade. These will also be graded on an A-F basis.

The term paper should be approximately 12 double spaced, typewritten pages in length, not counting references. The paper should discuss the legal issue or legal area, and the psychological issues and research relevant to the legal issue. You should discuss some of the empirical and quantitative research, at least to show how research workers approached the problem. You should write a coherent essay that makes a few points clearly. The paper should show that you have done library research, and where appropriate, interviews, or other original research. Don't limit your research to newspaper or popular magazine or just to internet articles. Don't just summarize one book. Look at journals such as Law and Human Behavior; Behavioral Science & the Law; Law & Policy; Law and Society Review; Law and Psychology Review; Psychology, Public Policy and Law (among many others). Law school law reviews are found in the Law Library. Law review articles are often good sources because they describe and critique some area of law. Many will cite to the social science research literature. As a student, you have access to legal data bases such as Lexis-Nexus.

If you take material off the Internet, provide the addresses of the major sources you used. If you quote directly from an Internet source, you must put the material in quotes and indicate the source just as you would for anything taken from any other source. The Internet is a very useful research tool. Keep in mind that advocacy organizations with a strong viewpoint often post material on the Net. The Internet material may support one position, but may not cover alternatives or opposing arguments or facts. You should use other sources as well.

A paper that relies mostly on one source and summarizes or paraphrases just that source will be unacceptable. Your paper should show that you are able to evaluate and integrate material from diverse sources. The sources may have data that support an argument, or they may have opposing viewpoints. You should keep your notes for the paper, although you don’t have to hand them in with the paper. I reserve the right to ask you for your notes if I have questions about your paper.

Use the American Psychological Association style for references and footnotes. (The reference style in L&W is basically APA style.) If you use another reference style, it raises questions about whether the paper was prepared for this course or was taken from some other source.

(1) Preliminary Paper Required. Before undertaking your paper, you should do some preliminary reading and library research. You should have the beginning of a bibliography, and some idea about how you will attack the project.

You must hand in a four page, typed, double spaced paper with the preliminary list of references and with your ideas for the paper. The preliminary paper is essentially a proposal for a paper. I expect you to do more research after this start. The preliminary bibliography and the paper are to show that you have done some initial research and thought about the topic. Say what you think the term paper will cover. Don’t try to do too much. It is better if you concentrate on a few issues rather than try to cover everything. Sometimes, I can point you toward good readings or references for your topic, or I might be able to help you shape the topic. I will put comments and suggestions on your preliminary paper when I return it. You may also meet with me individually to discuss your ideas for a paper.

I will post a listing of suggested topics for term papers on the course website. You are not restricted to topics suggested on the list.

The preliminary paper is due on Tuesday, November 5th

I will grade the preliminary paper. If you do not hand one in by the due date, you will lose credit. The preliminary paper will not be acceptable if it doesn't include a preliminary list of references. If you hand the preliminary paper in on time, you may redo the preliminary paper to improve the grade.

You should have plenty of time to make the final term paper a good one. You also have plenty of notice so you should plan to get the paper done on time.

(2) Style. You should prepare the preliminary paper and the term paper using the American Psychological Association style for references and footnotes. APA has a style manual. It is in the reference library. Look at how the references and footnotes are done in the L&W book. Use the same style when you cite papers, books, or other sources in the body of the paper. List the references alphabetically in a separate list of references.

(3) Term Paper Due Date: The term paper is due on the last day of class, Thursday, December 5. I will accept a late paper only if you have a very good reason. You have adequate notice and you should plan accordingly. That you have papers due for other classes at the same time is not an acceptable reason for not turning in the paper for this course on time.

I am happy to have you come in during office hours, or make an appointment to discuss ideas for a paper. I will read and critique a draft of the paper if you give it to me by Tuesday, November 26^th. You can then revise it and turn it in on the due date.

V. Grades:

Short papers (25 percent):

If you hand in all 8 papers on time, and they are acceptable, you will receive an A for this part of the course.

Take this assignment seriously. I will not accept papers that are not well done. Your grade for this part will be reduced by half a grade for each paper less than eight. Late papers will not be accepted or count toward the eight assigned papers. Part of the purpose in handing in reaction papers on time is to ensure that everyone has read the material, and we have a common basis for discussion. You will receive an F for this section if you hand in fewer than six acceptable papers.

The paper must be handed in on time. The book review is due November 12. (You may hand in the book review any time before that date, at your convenience.) The reviews will be graded on an A-F basis.

These will be graded on an A - F basis. If you hand it in on time, you may redo the paper to improve the grade.

Term Paper (50 Percent):

Your grade will depend on the quality of your paper. You may not hand it in late without prior permission. You may not change the term paper topic from the preliminary paper without prior permission. The paper will not be acceptable if you don't follow instructions for the term paper. If you give me a draft before the Thanksgiving break, I will read and critique it and give you an opportunity to improve the paper.

At the instructor’s discretion, your final grade may be raised depending on your active participation in class.

There will be NO incomplete grades if you are not in good standing. You are in good standing if you have turned in a book review or a preliminary term paper proposal, at least 6 short papers, and you haven’t exceeded your allowance of four absences.

Note: If you are having a personal, a health or a family problem that interferes with coming to class and meeting course requirements, let me know as soon as you know you are having difficulty. Don’t wait until the end of the semester to let me know you are having a problem. That you are taking an overload or you are working is not a sufficient reason for not doing the work or coming to class.

Important:

Class Attendance and Effect on Grade. I will start keeping records of attendance beginning Tuesday, September 10th, the beginning of the third week of class. You may have up to four absences after that date. However, you will lose half a grade from your final grade for each absence over four. If your grade would have been an A-, and you have a total of five absences, you will receive a B+, six absences a B, seven absences, a C+, and eight absences a C. Obviously too many absences may easily result in a failing grade.

Return of Papers. The short papers and the preliminary paper will be returned in class. You can pick up your term paper four days after the final examination date scheduled for this course. You can pick up the graded papers in Room 209 Park Hall. Grades will be entered on the university’s automated system for entering grades. Grades will also be posted on the Psychology Department board in Park Hall.

VI. How to reach the instructor:

Office hours: To be announced, and by appointment. Feel free to stop by at any time. Knock if the door is closed. If I can talk with you then, I will. Otherwise I will make an appointment.

Office: 228 Park Hall, Amherst Campus.

Office phone: 645-3650, ext. 228. (If I am not there leave a voice mail message and I will return your call.)

Home phone: 883-0194

E-mail: psylevin@acsu.buffalo.edu