Paper Assignment

Paper Assignment First, you will choose one psychological disorder from DSM-5 that will be the focus of your paper this semester. For the paper you will be required to: 1. Watch a movie or episode of a TV show that features a character with the psychological disorder you have chosen from DSM-5 (see page 4 for a list of potential media sources). a. If a movie, make sure that a specific mental disorder is a significant part of the plot. If a TV show, make sure that the fact that a character has the disorder is either 1) explicitly discussed in the episode and/or 2) is a major theme of the show. This is so that you can sufficiently critique how the disorder is portrayed in the episode. b. Provide a brief description of the movie/show and how mental illness and/or its treatment plays a role in that movie/show. c. Describe how accurate or inaccurate you think that portrayal is using DSM-5 criteria in your argument. 2. Search the PsycINFO database for a research article about the disorder on which you are focusing (see page 5 for instructions on finding a paper). a. Provide a brief summary of the main points of the article, including: the hypothesis (what did they expect to find) and the results (did they find what the expected? If not, how did they interpret their findings?) b. What do you think about the results? Did they surprise you? Why or why not? What are the implications? Why do they matter? c. Evaluate how DSM-5 criteria were portrayed (or not) in this article. Were certain criteria emphasized and others absent? Why does this matter? 3. Look online or in print media for a news article (not a research article) that addresses the disorder on which you have been focusing. a. The article can be from any reputable source (try Google News, not Wikipedia). b. The article should not be a summary of the disorder (e.g., not a WebMD article) or a first-person narrative (e.g., not a personal blog; that is the topic for the extra credit assignment). c. Briefly summarize the article – What was the main point the article was trying to make? d. Describe how accurate or inaccurate you think that portrayal is using DSM-5 criteria in your argument. 4. Synthesize your findings from all three sources and reflect on what you have learned, including but not limited to: a. Compare how the disorder was portrayed across your three sources. b. Describe your overall reactions to each of the three sources. c. Reflect on what you learned/how your perspective on the disorder shifted through interacting with these three sources and taking the class. 2 Formatting Papers should be at least six pages, double-spaced in Times New Roman 12-point font with typical 1-inch margins all around and submitted through a .doc or .docx document. Your paper should include in-text citations and a reference section in APA format. Use your own words! Do not plagiarize on purpose or accidentally! I will hold a workshop about APA format and citing sources during class on October 20th. In addition, please refer to these resources for tips on: • General APA format(see sidebar for more APA format links as well): https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa6_style/apa_formatting_and_style_ guide/general_format.html - :~:text=General APA Guidelines,APA recommends using 12 pt. • APA format for the reference section: https://owll.massey.ac.nz/referencing/apareference-list.php • APA format for in-text citations: https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-cite-sources-inapa-format-2794852 • How to avoid plagiarism: http://en.writecheck.com/ways-to-avoid-plagiarism 3 Grading Rubrics Paper Assignment 1: Your list of sources is due via Blackboard by midnight on October 13th (midnight between Tuesday and Wednesday). Late assignments will be deducted 10%. Criteria Total Possible Include name of the disorder on which you are focusing for the paper 2.5 Include name of the movie/tv show you will watch 2.5 Include name and link to research article you will read 2.5 Include name and link to news article you will read 2.5 Total Score 10 Paper Assignment 2: Paper is due via email by midnight on December 1st (midnight between Tuesday and Wednesday). Late papers will be deducted 10%. Please submit to [email protected] Criteria Total Possible Describe plot/aspects of movie/show (including episode title, if TV show) that illustrate the disorder you chose 8 Summarize the main points of the research article (e.g., hypothesis and results), and discuss your reactions to the article 8 Summarize the main points of the news article and discuss your reactions to it 8 Use specific DSM-5 criteria to evaluate how accurate or inaccurate the portrayal of this disorder is in each of the three sources you used 20 Discuss your general reflections on these three sources (e.g., Did they accurately portray the disorder? How did the accuracy of the portrayal differ across sources? What was the tone in each of the sources?) and what you learned about the disorder 10 General presentation (organization, spelling, grammar, etc.) 6 Total Score 60 4 List of Possible Movies/TV Shows Note: These are some sources students have used in the past. I have not personally seen every movie/TV show on this list and thus am not endorsing them or their quality. I simply want to offer some possible options to save you some googling. Movies that feature psychological disorders: • Girl, Interrupted (antisocial personality disorder, borderline personality disorder, etc.) • A Beautiful Mind (schizophrenia) • It’s Kind of a Funny Story (major depressive disorder) • Matchstick Men (obsessive-compulsive disorder) • Us (post-traumatic stress disorder) • The Aviator (obsessive-compulsive disorder) • Welcome to Me (borderline personality disorder) • Feed (anorexia) • Take Shelter (schizophrenia) • Silver Livings Playbook (bipolar disorder) TV shows that feature psychological disorders: • The Sopranos (antisocial personality disorder) • United States of Tara (dissociative identity disorder) • Empire (bipolar disorder) • BoJack Horseman (alcohol dependence, depression) • Jessica Jones (post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol dependence) • Black-ish (postpartum depression) • Maniac (schizophrenia) • Euphoria (bipolar disorder) • This Is Us (anxiety/panic disorder) • Lady Dynamite (bipolar disorder) • Shameless (bipolar disorder) • Monk (obsessive-compulsive disorder) • Dexter (antisocial personality disorder) 5 Instructions for Finding a Research Article Accessing PsycINFO 1. Go to UMB’s Healy Library website 2. Click Databases tab (or copy and paste this https://umb.libguides.com/az.php?a=p ) 3. Click the letter P 4. Scroll down to PsycINFO 5. Login using your regular UMB email and password Finding your article 1. Type in your search term (start with the name of the disorder and the word “treatment”) a. Review titles first to avoid articles that are too technical (nothing biological, neurological, etc. unless you’re specifically interested in those topics) b. Try adding additional search terms based on your interests (e.g., “social”, “family”, “culture”) 2. Only select articles that have Linked Full Text listed 3. Click Linked Full Text to view entire article 4. Download a PDF copy of the article to email to me with your paper submission Tips for reviewing your article 1. Abstract: Quick summary of the main hypothesis, method, and results 2. Introduction: Explains background on the research question and tends to include the researchers’ hypothesis (what they expect to find or what they’re hoping to understand better) 3. Method: Explains how and on whom the researchers conducted the study a. Who was the sample (age, demographics, etc.)? b. Where did the sample come from (recruited online, at a hospital, from a treatment center, etc.)? c. What methods did they use (how many sessions of treatment? what kind– behavioral? CBT? psychodynamic? group or individual therapy? were medications prescribed?) d. What measures did they use to track outcome (questionnaires, tests, symptom inventories, etc.)? 4. Results: This section can be really technical and include a lot of statistics. Skim for the words and ignore the numbers for the most part (you don’t need to report statistics). The results will also be summarized in the Abstract and the Discussion sections. 5. Discussion/Conclusion: This is a very important section to read. It summarizes the results and explains why the results are important and what they mean.