Abnormal Psychology
This paper will consist of you locating a recent event or news article and incorporating it into a
two-page discussion of some topic previously covered in class. The intent is for you to
synthesize some of the material covered in the course with real-life application and to deepen
your understanding of the concepts. Your thought paper should not merely summarize the article
or event but apply concepts we have discussed in class. You may use learned concepts to provide
an explanation for the event or to present an alternative explanation. Your thought paper may
also involve posing an interesting research question or proposing a new study design based on
your reading. Be creative! If done well, such a paper could become a blog post on PsychToday
or other forums.
An example topic for this paper would be the following: examining the aftermath of Hurricane
Florence and how it may or may not contribute to the development of psychopathology. You
could discuss how certain experiences from the hurricane, such as flooding or losing homes, can
become a stressor that with a pre-existing vulnerability may turn into a psychopathology, such as
bipolar disorder. Alternatively, you can propose a correlational study to testing levels of
psychopathology before and after the hurricane.
Papers will be graded for completion and on their effectiveness of incorporating class material,
clarity of thought, organization, grammar, and spelling. Writing is an essential skill, and poor-
quality papers that have not been proofread or structured effectively will receive poor grades.
Papers should not exceed 3 pages (double-spaced; 12-point Times New Roman font; 1-inch
margins). For every day the paper is late, the grade will be reduced by 5 points.
Rubric
Points Points Earned
Discussion of a recent event or news article 4
Discussion of a topic covered in class 4
Integrated discussion (synthesis) of recent event or
news article and topic covered in class 10
Quality of Writing
– Clear organization and sentence structure
– Clear sentence structure 8
Formatting
– 2 pages (not to exceed 3 pages)
– Double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font,
1 inch margins
– No typos
