Psychology
Undergraduate Advising
S105 Elliott Hall
75 East River Road
Minneapolis, MN
55455-0344

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Email: psyadvis@umn.edu
Phone: 612-625-8520
Fax: 612-626-2079

 

Psy 3902W: Major Project

Psy 3902W is a three credit capstone course which fulfills the major project requirement in psychology. Psychology majors who have completed the appropriate prerequisites are eligible to take this course.

It is crucial that you begin considering your major project options before it is your time to register. The Psy 3902W lab sections differ and your lab registration will impact the type of major project paper that you complete, as well as the course structure and requirements. Here's your chance to explore the major project options and choose the one that best fits your learning style, personal interests, and future goals! Be sure to register early for this course in order to ensure a seat in your first choice of the three major project options.

Major Project Options:

1. Research Lab Project
Take full advantage of the abundance of psychological research happening right here in the psychology department by connecting your major project to your participation in a faculty member's research lab. For this section, you will enroll simultaneously in two separate three credit courses: Major Project (Psy 3902W) and Research Laboratory in Psychology (Psy 5993). You will then draw from your experience in the research laboratory to develop the topic and structure of your major project paper.

2. Community Engagement Project
Interested in connecting your studies of psychology to important issues in your local community? The Community Engagement Project option provides you with the opportunity to work onsite at a nearby community organization for approximately four hours each week throughout the semester. As you develop a learning partnership with this community organization, you will then be expected to draw from this engagement experience in order to formulate your major project topic and structure.

3. Individual Interest Project
If there's an area of psychology you'd like to investigate in depth (e.g. a particular profession, psychological construct, or topic of interest) the Individual Interest Project option will allow you to explore that interest through the completion of a major project paper. For this option, you will write a major project paper which reflects your disciplinary or career interests, searching the psychological literature to support and deepen your understanding of your chosen topic.

Course Structure

The course structure of 3902W is largely the same for all three major project options. However, the community engagement and research lab options do contain additional components, which are outlined below.

For ALL enrolled students:

  1. Large lecture once each week. On-line viewing of these lectures will be an option after the first week of the term. Everyone must attend the first day of lecture.
  2. Small discussion section once each week. A graduate student instructor will guide you through developing your project idea and final products.
  3. Final paper. You will write a final paper of approximately 15-20 pages. The paper format will reflect your topic and the type of major project option you have chosen. For example, students in the Research Laboratory Project class will likely complete a research project proposal paper. All papers must draw upon psychological literature and be written in APA format.
  4. Poster session. You will present your work at the class poster session held at the end of the term.

For the Research Lab Project students:
In addition to components 1-4 above, you will also need to secure a laboratory research opportunity and register for three credits of Psy 5993: Research Laboratory in Psychology (3 credits = 9 hours/week in lab). Securing a research assistantship in a faculty member's lab is your responsibility and although this arrangement does not need to have been finalized in order to initially register for a Research Lab section of the Major Project course (Psy 3902W), it does need to have been completed by the first day of the Major Project class.

For Community Engagement Project students:
In addition to components 1-4 above, you will spend four hours each week on site at a community organization. Your registration for the Community Engagement option of Psy 3902W will prompt communication from Community Involvement and Service-Learning (CSL) staff regarding the process of selecting a community organization. Soon after you register, you will be contacted and provided with a list of detailed position descriptions at a number of local community organizations. Before the first day of class, you will need to go through the application process laid out for you by the CSL staff.