Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Senior Project: Literature Review (Face-to-Face)

PSY 4910-01

Course: PSY 4910-01
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSY
CRN: 33124

Course Description

Catalog: This course serves as one option for satisfying the senior capstone requirement of the psychology major. In this course, students perform an extensive review of the literature on a psychological topic of interest. The end result will be a written, APA style, professional paper that students both submit to the instructor and present to the class and/or another professional context such as the Psychology Department Research Symposium or other venues. As a capstone course, this is intended as a culminating experience in undergraduate study of Psychology. Students using this course to fulfill the capstone requirement must have successfully completed 24 credit hours of psychology courses beyond PSY 1010 to enroll. Prerequisite(s): PSY 1010 and PSY 2010 and PSY 3010 and PSY 3015 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C-

Required Texts

Recommended: American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th Ed.). American Psychological Association. DOI: 9781433832178

Learning Outcomes

Essential Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes | In-class assns. | Biblio-graphy | Presen-tations | Papers
Communication | X | X | X | 
Critical Thinking | X | X | X | X
Information Literacy | X | X | X | X
Inquiry and Analysis | X | X | X | X
Integrative Learning | X | X | X | 

Course Requirements

Annotated Bibliography (AB). Over the semester you will develop a list of publications related to your research topic. It will be formatted like an APA references section. After 6 of the entries, you will write ½ page summaries, include (a) the kind of article (e.g., review, empirical), (b) study type (e.g., experimental, correlational, longitudinal; if relevant), (c) names and summaries of theories, (d) the gist of the article, and (e) a response (e.g., critiques, insight, relevance). Note: each AB is worth 10 points.
Literature Review Paper. You will write two literature review papers in this class. Paper 1 will be on a subtopic and incorporated into your larger Paper 2. Paper 1 will be short (title page, 2-4 pages of body, references page; 6 citations minimum). Your full literature review Paper 2 will extend Paper 1, cite 15 articles minimum, and be 6-10 pages. Both papers must be APA style (7th edition). Cite only peer-reviewed scholarly publications; do not cite webpages (e.g., Wikipedia) without instructor approval. Cite all sources you use. With instructor approval, you can opt to submit your final paper to a journal. If so, you would follow the journal’s author guidelines rather than instructions in this syllabus, when they conflict. With further instructor approval, students submitting completed manuscripts, with a cover letter, to a journal before the last day of regular class will automatically receive full points on the final draft of Paper 2; otherwise, it will be scored using a rubric. Here is the timeline for the paper.
Writing Center. Up to four times during the semester – twice per paper, outside of class – you can meet with the writing center to discuss your paper. You can do this once early for each paper and once with a well developed draft of each paper. You get 10 extra credit points each visit for which you upload the attendance slip by midnight on the asterisk day on the schedule.
Presentations. Over the semester, you will give 4 short presentations to your classmates. You will also do a presentation on your paper either (a) at the Psychology Department Research and Scholarship Symposium; you can do a poster presentation or a talk; you get full points automatically; or (b) at the final exam meeting time; it must be a talk; rubric scored.
Grading. Your grade will be determined by your performance on the following. Grades are calculated based on 1000 total points, although the class has 1010 points available.
93-101% A
90-92% A-
87-89% B+
83-86% B
80-82% B-
77-79% C+
73-76% C
70-72% C-
67-69% D+
63-66% D
60-62% D-
< 60% F

Course Outline

Schedule
Week | Date | Date | Assignments Due (Canvas submissions are due midnight the night before.)
1 | Aug. 28 | R | Introductions & Syllabus (APA Style pre-evaluation)
2 | Sept. 2
4 | T | R | HW1: literature exploration assignment (Canvas)
HW2: bibliography with 6 references (Canvas)
3 | 9 | 11 | T
R
HW3: 3 annotated bibliography (AB) entries (Canvas)
HW4: 3 more annotated bibliography entries (6 total; Canvas)
4 | *16 | 18 | T
R
HW5: draft 1: title page, paper outline (Canvas)
HW6: draft 2: title page, 1+ pages of body, references (Canvas)
5 | 23 | 25 | T
R
Pres1: presentation on definitions, theories, findings, etc. (ppt Canvas)
HW7: draft 3: title page, 2+ pages of body, references (Canvas)
6 | 30 | Oct. 2 | T
R
HW8: Paper 1 full draft (hard copy to class @ peer feedback; Canvas)
in-class work/meetings with Dr. Koenig
7 | *7 | 9 | T
R
in-class work/meetings with Dr. Koenig
Paper 1 final draft (midnight on Canvas)
8 | 14 | 16 | T
R
Fall break, no class!
HW9: draft 4: title page, 3+ pages of body, references (Canvas)
9 | 21 | *23 | T
R
Pres2: 1-slide presentation on one article (ppt Canvas)
Pres3: 1-slide presentation on one article (ppt Canvas)
10 | 28 | 30 | T
R
in-class presentation work
Pres4: full practice presentations (ppt Canvas; posters first)
11 | Nov. 4 | 6 | T
R
Pres4, continued: full practice presentations (ppt Canvas; posters first)
in-class work
12 | 11 | 13 | T
R
HW10: draft 5: title page, 4+ pages of body, references (Canvas)
HW11: draft 6: title page, 5+ pages of body, references (Canvas)
13 | 18 | 20 | T
R
in-class work
HW12: Paper 2 full draft (hard copy to class @ peer feedback; Canvas)
14 | 25 | 27 | T
R
Thanksgiving break, no class
Thanksgiving break, no class
15 | Dec. 2 | *4 | T
R
in-class work/meetings with Dr. Koenig
in-class work/meetings with Dr. Koenig; class feedback
16 | Dec. 11 | R | Paper 2 final draft; final presentations; APA Style Final (3-4:50pm)
*See section above about the writing center.

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Late Assignments. You can submit late ICAs, homework assignments (other than paper drafts), and presentations until the start of the last class (2:30pm on 4 December). Late submissions are worth 90% within one week of the due date, 80% within two weeks, 70% within three weeks, and 0% after three weeks. Missed attendance points, paper drafts, and writing center extra credit cannot be made up.

Attendance Policy

Class. Attendance is required. Participation is strongly encouraged. In-class activities include lectures, in-class assignments (ICAs), peer feedback, student presentations, and working on papers. ICAs are due at the end of class. If a class has no ICA, the instructor will determine an alternative (e.g., attendance).

Course Fees

Content for this section will be provided by the instructor.

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.