NotesFAQContact Us
Collection
Advanced
Search Tips
ERIC Number: ED536903
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Dec
Pages: 280
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: ISBN-978-1-4338-1238-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Controversy in the Psychology Classroom: Using Hot Topics to Foster Critical Thinking
Dunn, Dana S., Ed.; Gurung, Regan A. R., Ed.; Naufel, Karen Z., Ed.; Wilson, Janie H., Ed.
APA Books
One of the hallmarks of a quality liberal arts education is providing undergraduates the opportunity to wrestle with controversial issues. Yet many teachers feel ill-equipped when it comes to broaching disagreeable topics, managing the resulting heated debates, or helping students to separate their personal feelings from scientific evidence. This book provides frameworks for teaching controversial topics and skills for handling disruptions, so teachers can help students evaluate evidence and develop testable questions. Specific teaching topics covered include: (1) evolutionary psychology; (2) childrearing; (3) sexual orientation; (4) animal experimentation; (5) evil; (6) diversity and social justice; (7) gender and ethnicity; (8) religion; (9) disability; and (10) healthcare policy. Following the List of Contributors, the Foreword, and the Preface and Acknowledgments, this book contains four parts. Part I, Guiding Frameworks for Teaching About Controversial Issues, contains: (1) Frames of Reference: Social Psychological Perspectives for Teaching About Controversial Matters (Dana S. Dunn, Regan A. R. Gurung, and Karen Z. Naufel); (2) Treating Students as Early Career Professionals: The Ethics of Teaching (Maureen McCarthy and R. Eric Landrum); and (3) Preventing and Handling Classroom Disruptions (Kristin M. Vespia and Tonya E. Filz). Part II, Helping Students Arrive at an Empirically Based Conclusion, contains: (4) Seven Tools from Evolutionary Psychology (David M. Buss); (5) Hitting Close to Home: Teaching About Spanking (Elizabeth T. Gershoff); (6) Sexual Orientation, Marriage, and Students of Faith (David G. Myers); and (7) Addressing the Role of Animal Research in Psychology (Suzanne C. Baker and Sherry L. Serdikoff). Part III, Opening Consideration of Multiple Views, contains: (8) Overcoming Discomfort When Teaching About Evil and Immorality (Karen Z. Naufel); (9) Anticipating and Working With Controversy in Diversity and Social Justice Topics (Cheryl B. Warner, Rosemary E. Phelps, Delishia M. Pittman, and Carla S. Moore); (10) Gender Matters: Engaging Students in Controversial Issues (Elizabeth Yost Hammer and Eugenia Valentine); (11) Teaching About Race and Ethnicity (Mary E. Kite); (12) Spirituality and Religion: How Contexts, Developmental Processes, and Personal Experiences Influence Behavior (Dean D. VonDras); (13) Disability as Diversity Rather than (In)Difference: Understanding Others' Experiences Through One's Own (Dana S. Dunn, David J. Fisher, and Brittany M. Beard); and (14) Health Psychology and Policy: When Politics Infiltrates Science (Regan A. R. Gurung and Daniel Bruns). Part IV, Concluding Thoughts and Going Forward, contains: (15) Using Controversies to Teach Scientific Thinking in Psychology: Topics and Issues (Jeffrey D. Holmes).
APA Books. Available from: American Psychological Association. 750 First Street NE, Washington, DC 20002. Tel: 800-374-2721; Tel: 202-336-5500; e-mail: books@apa.org; Web site: http://www.apa.org/pubs/books/index.aspx
Publication Type: Books; Collected Works - General
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: Teachers
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: American Psychological Association
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A