PSY4353/5353 Psychology in Literature
Spring, 2019
Professor: Dr. Travis Langley Office: McBrien Hall Room 301-F, 230-5222, langlet@hsu.edu
PSY 5353. Psychology in Literature. Psychological study of literature, exploring its structure, function, and psychological value. Topics of discussion include symbolism, the purpose of storytelling, application of psychological theories and concepts, different literary genres, accuracy in the depiction of psychological variables and mental health professionals, how writing and reading reflect cognitive processes, and the therapeutic value of literature. Character analyses involve examination of personality, mental illness, developmental issues, conflicts, and motivation. This course counts as an interdisciplinary elective for Henderson’s Master of Liberal Arts program.
QUIZZES AND ONLINE TASKS
You will take a number of short quizzes over your assigned readings. The quizzes will collectively add up to count the same as one test. There will be no makeup quizzes.
You’ll be given some assignments to do on the MyHenderson discussion forum for the class. Each will normally be worth the same as a quiz question. However, failing to perform the task will be worth negative credit (-1), not just a zero (0). They’re not difficult. Just do them.
EXAMS
There will be three 20-point tests along the way. We’ll drop either your lowest score or a missing score if you have an excused absence. The two together will add up to be equal in value to the 40-point final exam.
GRADING
Test questions range in difficulty to get an accurate idea of exactly how much you know and understand about the course material. I do not feel it is right to establish a curve based on the highest grade in the class, in which case only one score would determine everyone’s grade. The scale on the 40‑point test (although bonus credit makes them worth more than 40) is simply this:
A 35.1 ‑‑> B 30.1 ‑ 35.0 C 25.1 ‑ 30.0 D 20.1 ‑ 25.0 F <‑‑ 20.0
Your grade consists of five parts, unless the class votes otherwise.
- Two best 20-point tests
- Final exam
- Quizzes
- Participation
- Project
PARTICIPATION
A participation grade will be based on attendance, appropriate involvement in classroom discussions (contributing without monopolizing), and demonstrations that you know your assigned readings. This grade will be equal to one test. It will be weighed more heavily for people who are not doing what they are supposed to do or maybe for someone who has participated exceptionally well.
Read the things you’re supposed to read. Discussions can be fun and interesting if everyone has read the same things. Discussions would be painful chores if they haven’t. Do it.
ATTENDANCE
Be here.
Anyone who misses three or more class sessions could be dropped without further notice.
PROJECT
Character analysis (40 points). Psychologically analyze a famous literary character or story, or conduct an empirical analysis of character presentation/story content. By midterm, you will draft a paper about this topic as analyzed up to that time.
At the course’s end, you will turn in an APA style paper presenting your complete character analysis. MLA or other style is okay if that’s what you need to know best for your major or occupation; we just need to agree on that ahead of time.
Graduate students will also present this paper to the class in PowerPoint format.
Examples: Previous students analyzed Ahab, Huck Finn, Chillingworth, Daisy Miller, Hamlet, and Romeo, among others.
You will present this at the Arkansas Undergraduate Research Conference here at HSU: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/2265
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
By the end of the course, the student should be able to do these.
- Examine themes that are psychologically significant in works of literature.
- Describe how literature can be used in therapeutic, healing, or educational ways.
- Describe what psychology says about literature and what literature says about psychology.
- Tender literary examples of characters who embody different personality attributes and how they may illustrate theories of personality.
- Describe at least one literary example of a character with a mental disorder and be able to give examples of how the disorder was presented.
- Describe ways in which literature has a powerful impact on stereotyping in the area of culture, gender or ethnicity.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
As a learning community of scholars, Henderson State University emphasizes the ethical responsibility of all its members to seek knowledge honestly and in good faith. Students are responsible for doing their own work, and academic dishonesty of any kind will not be tolerated. Violations of academic integrity include but are not limited to cheating, plagiarism, or misrepresentation of information in oral or written form. Such violations will be dealt with severely by the instructor, the dean, and the standards committee. Plagiarism means presenting someone else’s idea or writing as if it were your own. If you use someone else’s idea or writing, be sure the source is clearly documented. Other guidelines for acceptable student behavior are specified in the university catalogue.
EXAMPLES OF ASSIGNED READINGS
Literature
short story “Memento Mori” by Jonathan Nolan
short stories “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The System of Dr. Tarr & Prof. Fether” by E. A. Poe
play Hamlet or Othello by William Shakespeare
play Hedda Gaebler by Henrik Ibsen
novel Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen
novel Frankenstein or Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde – take your pick
a fairy tale
a comic strip
two poems
Meta-literature (literature about literature)
Harper, P., & Gray, M. (1997). Maps and meaning in life and healing. From K. N. Dwivedi (Ed.), The therapeutic use of stories (pp. 42-63). London, UK: Routledge.
Oatley, K. (1999). Why fiction may be twice as true as fact: Fiction as cognitive and emotional simulation. Review of General Psychology, 3(1), 101-117.
Smith, R. (1995). Is bibliotherapy helpful? From Challenging your preconceptions: Thinking critically about psychology (pp. 103-112).
Zunshine, L. (2006, November/December). Why we read fiction. The Skeptical Inquirer, 30(6), 29-33.
