Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Back to Syllabus Search | Browse by Department
Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Senior Project: Independent Research II (Face-to-Face)

PSY 4940-02

Course: PSY 4940-02
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSY
CRN: 33776

Course Description

Ideally suited to students wishing to pursue a graduate degree in psychology. This course allows students to conduct research for which they have received IRB approval. Students will complete their research project with individualized mentorship from a faculty member and submit an APA-style professional paper. Though not required, it is anticipated that many students will submit their research for presentation and/or publication. 

This course may be repeated for up to 12 credits with a maximum of 3 credits applied toward a psychology degree. This course serves as one option for satisfying the senior capstone requirement of the psychology major, and if used as such, this is intended as a culminating experience in undergraduate study of psychology. While it may be taken earlier, students using this course to fulfill the capstone requirement must have successfully completed 24 credit hours of psychology courses beyond PSY 1010 to enroll. 

Required Texts

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

  1. Complete data collection and/or data analysis for their independent research project.
  2. Interpret findings in the context of existing psychological theory and research.
  3. Communicate research results in APA-style written reports.
  4. Deliver an oral presentation of their research suitable for a professional audience.
  5. Demonstrate ethical responsibility and professional conduct in psychological research.

Course Requirements

Your grade in PSY 4940 will be based on your performance across five major components, for a total of 1000 points.

Research Progress and Meetings - 200 points (20%)
Throughout the semester, you are expected to demonstrate steady progress on your independent research project. This includes initiating and attending scheduled meetings with your faculty mentor, preparing materials for those meetings, and showing evidence of consistent engagement with your research. Points will be awarded for reliability, preparedness, and evidence of sustained effort over the course of the semester.

Data Collection and Analysis - 200 points (20%)
A substantial portion of your grade reflects your ability to complete the research procedures outlined in your proposal from PSY 4930. You will be responsible for carrying out data collection (or equivalent procedures, depending on your project), ensuring the integrity of the dataset, and completing appropriate statistical, qualitative, or visual analyses. Your score will be based on both the completeness of your work and the accuracy of your analyses.

Final Written Report - 350 points (35%)
The culminating product of this course is a comprehensive APA-style research paper, typically 20–30 pages in length. The paper must include a clear introduction and literature review, a detailed methods section, a results section with appropriate analyses, and a thoughtful discussion of the findings. The paper will be graded on clarity, depth of integration with existing research, organization, adherence to APA style, and the quality of interpretation. This written document should reflect the standards of professional psychological research and be of sufficient quality to serve as a writing sample for graduate programs or professional applications.

Oral Presentation - 150 points (15%)
You will present your project findings in a professional format either at the Psychology Department Research Symposium or in an equivalent departmental presentation session. Presentations should last approximately 10–15 minutes and must include visual support (e.g., slides) that meet professional standards. You will be evaluated on the organization of your presentation, clarity of communication, visual design, and your ability to respond to audience questions. This assignment emphasizes your ability to effectively communicate psychological research to both expert and non-expert audiences.

Professionalism and Participation 100 points (10%)
Professionalism is a critical part of being a researcher. Your grade in this category reflects your attendance and engagement in class meetings, your participation in peer feedback, your respect for deadlines, and your overall conduct as a developing professional in psychology. Consistent, respectful, and ethical participation will be expected at all times.

Course Outline

Week 1 | Course introduction; check-in on progress from PSY 4930; confirm project scope and IRB status. Project status update due
Week 2 | Research progress meetings; finalize project timeline for data collection and analysis.Personal research plan due
Week 3 | Data collection in progress; troubleshoot recruitment/procedure issues.
Week 4 |  Continue data collection; optional statistics/research methods workshop. Progress check with mentor
Week 5 | Conclude data collection phase (if applicable); begin data entry and cleaning. Data collection summary due
Week 6 | Begin data analysis; submit analysis plan for review. Analysis plan draft due
Week 7 | Continue analysis; draft Results section. Preliminary results shared with mentor
Week 8 | Draft Discussion section; integrate findings with literature; peer review workshop. Results draft due
Week 9 | Full paper draft in progress; peer feedback sessions. Partial draft (Intro + Method + Results) due
Week 10 | Refine Introduction and Discussion sections; address peer and mentor feedback.
Week 11 | Submit full draft of paper to instructor/mentor for comments. Complete draft due
Week 12 | Revision workshops; polish APA style, clarity, and source integration.
Week 13 | Presentation preparation; create slides and practice delivery. Draft slides due
Week 14 | Deliver oral presentation at Research Symposium. Presentation delivered
Week 15 | Final revisions and submission of written report; course wrap-up. Final paper due

Note: This outline is subject to minor changes depending on the nature of the project and research progress.

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

Assignments submitted late will incur a penalty of 5% per day, unless prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. 

Attendance Policy

Regular attendence to scheduled meetings is required and will directly impact your performance on the Research Progress and Meetings course requirement described above.

Research Ethics

All research must comply with SUU’s IRB policies and ethical standards of the APA. Students are responsible for maintaining participant confidentiality and following approved research protocols.

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.