Rutgers University
Individual Fieldwork in Psychology – 830:493
Course Syllabus
Spring 2008
Instructor: Dr. Charlotte N. Markey Class Meeting: see dates below
e-mail: chmarkey@camden.rutgers.edu Classroom: ARM B-21-C
Office Phone: 856.225.6332 Office hours: By appointment
Course Description
and Objectives:
Welcome to Individual Fieldwork in Psychology!
This course provides a means of engaging in applied fieldwork in psychology. By working in various community agencies, you will gain first-hand experiences that will enhance your understanding of psychology. This course consists of: working in an unpaid placement for 6 hours a week for 14 weeks, receiving feedback from a trained supervisor at your placement, participating in bimonthly class meetings, and completing weekly reflection papers and a final class project. Upon completion of the course, you should possess a comprehensive understanding of what an applied job in the field of psychology entails and a better understanding of the relations between psychological theory and practice.
General Course Requirements:
1) Fieldwork Placement: You must work at an unpaid placement for 6 hours a week for 14 weeks. To set up your placement, please complete the following steps:
1) Secure a placement with a supervisor who will oversee your work and provide you with feedback.
2) Have your supervisor write a letter to the course professor stating that: (a) your supervisor understands that you will work as an unpaid employee at the agency for
6 hours a week for 14 weeks; (b) you have agreed upon your general responsibilities at the agency (list these responsibilities in the letter); (c) your direct supervisor(s) has/have been determined (presumably, one of your supervisors should be writing the letter, but any other supervisors should be listed in the letter); and (d) he or she will contact your course professor if any problems with your work at the agency (e.g., not showing up or completing the required hours) arise.
3) Your supervisor’s letter serves as a contract for your work and must be presented to the professor by Wednesday, January 30, 2008. In order to complete the 14 weeks of your placement, it is necessary for you to begin working the second week of the semester (Jan. 28 – Feb. 1), thus is it is crucial that you arrange your placement by the start of the semester.
4) All fieldwork hours must be completed by the last day of fall semester classes, Mon., May 5th. The professor will provide a form for your supervisor to fill out that confirms your completion of the required hours. This form is due to the professor by Friday, May 9 at 4:00pm.
2) Attendance: Attendance and participation in 7 class meetings (one every other week beginning Wed., Jan 30) is mandatory. These meetings will serve as a forum during which you will be expected to discuss your experiences at your placement. Questions and concerns should be raised during these meetings and will be addressed by the professor and the other students in the class. In addition, class meetings will consist of relevant exercises and “mini lectures” designed to increase you understanding of the relevant theoretical material and assure your success in this course. Since there are only 7 class meetings during the entire semester, you MUST attend every meeting. In the event of an unforeseen emergency (e.g., serious illness or hospitalization), you will be expected to provide documentation of your absence (e.g., medical records), and you will need to make-up the meeting. If for any reason, you need to miss more than one class meeting, you should expect to receive a grade of “INC” in the class and make-up class meetings after the semester has ended.
3) Journal: You must write one journal entry per week describing and reflecting on your
placement experiences. These will be turned in via email to the instructor each week by Sunday at 6pm. If for any reason your access to email or your work/class schedule prohibits you from emailing the instructor on Sundays, please make arrangements to do so earlier in the week (i.e., not later). You should paste your journal entry into the email you send (do not send an attachment) and include your name and journal week in the subject of your email (e.g., Fieldwork Journal 1 – Markey). You will receive an email back from the instructor confirming that she has received your journal entry. If you do not receive this email, you should follow-up with an email or phone call. It is your responsibility to be sure that your journal entries are received each week.
Journal entries will best help you to think through your experiences at your placement if they are written immediately following your work for that week. Journal entries should be typed and are expected to be approximately 1-2 pages long each (12 font type, double spaced). Please include the date(s) that you did your internship, the date you are writing your journal entry, and the week of the semester on each journal entry. Each journal entry should include 2 parts:
1) In approximately 1 paragraph, describe what you did that week at the placement. This part of the entry may read something like this: “I met with my supervisor to discuss the tasks I would complete for the week. I observed patients in various contexts – in a group therapy session, interacting in the game room… I was involved (observed, helped with the paperwork) in three patient evaluations completed by my supervisor.”
2) The rest of your journal entry should consist of a reflection on the work you did that week. Some ideas of things you should consider including are: Did you enjoy the work you did? Was it rewarding/exciting/ difficult/ frustrating? What role did your supervisor play that week? Was your supervisor’s feedback helpful - why or why not? How is the work you are doing related to the information you have learned in your other psychology classes? What psychological concepts/ theories are most relevant to your work? Are your experiences helping you to think more clearly about your educational or career objectives? Are there any issues that you have concerns or questions about?
4) Final Class Project: A final class project integrating your experiences in your fieldwork placement and your theoretical and conceptual understanding of psychology (i.e., information learned in this and other psychology courses) is due on Wednesday, April 9. This assignment will consist of 2 parts: a written part turned in to the professor, and a brief presentation to the class during the 6th class meeting. A more detailed summary of what this project entails will be provided in a separate handout.
Grading:
Grades will be computed as follows:
Completion of fieldwork hours 40%
Class attendance/ participation 20%
Journal 20%
Final Class Project 20%
Dates to Remember:
Wed., Jan 30 Letter from supervisor establishing fieldwork placement due
Week of Jan. 28 Fieldwork hours must begin
Wed., April 9 Final Class project and presentation due in class
Mon., May 5 All field work hours must be completed
Fri., May 9 Supervisor’s notice of completion must be turned in to professor
by 4:00pm
Class meeting days (all on Wednesday): Jan. 30
Feb. 13, 27
March 12, 26
April 9, 23
Meeting times: 11-11:45am and 12:15-1pm (Note: Students must attend their scheduled time)