Illustrative Biography
[WLO: 4] [CLOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Prior to beginning work on this assignment, review all of the illustrative biographies presented in the textbook. Also review sections 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, and 1.5 in Chapter 1 for detailed descriptions of the organizational constructs to be used in the development of this assignment. Pay close attention to table 1.2. Review the feedback given to you by your instructor for the Week 3 outline and contact your instructor if you have any questions.
In Week 3 you chose a famous person and the theory you want to apply to this person. For your final paper/presentation you will choose to either create a recorded webinar or a final paper. Effective time management is encouraged to ensure a quality product no matter which option you choose.
As a reminder, the purpose of this paper or presentation is to clearly and concisely create an illustrative biography using your chosen person and theory.
As a student of psychology, you may be interested in presenting concepts or research to organizations or at academic conferences. Even at the University of Arizona Global Campus, there will be opportunities for you to present your knowledge (i.e., at Psych Club symposiums, the UAGC Teaching and Learning Conference (TLC), and research symposiums) and hence, developing this skill will help you both academically and professionally. Although using technology can be a bit daunting, in this age, it is imperative that you become more comfortable with this mode of communication. In addition, if you continue your education towards a doctorate at an online institution you may have to defend your dissertation or applied project online; starting your development now, using these technologies, is helpful. This is why Option B for this assessment is a recorded webinar or presentation.
Need an example of a webinar? Growing Up Online (Links to an external site.) and Enhancing Online Schooling Experience Through Intentional Connections And Participation (Links to an external site.) are student UAGC Psych Club symposium presentations and are examples of how to present recorded information. (There are many ways to do this. Consider also looking at other examples online to assist you.) If you have questions, please ask your instructor.
If you do not currently have the technology to complete this option successfully, or you prefer writing, Option A is a written final paper.
You should use the theory and person you chose in Week 3. Each of the final assignment options have requirements. Be sure to review these requirements prior to completing.
Both options:
Your paper or presentation must include the following sections. (For the written paper option, use section headers, or, if doing a recorded webinar, use clear visuals denoting the following sections):
Introduction
- Identify the subject of the illustrative biography.
- For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) and Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Writing Center resources.
Description
- Describe the basic assumptions of the chosen theory using information about the subject’s life as context.
- This can be a very brief overview.
In the subsequent sections, be detailed in your discussion of how theoretical concepts apply. There is no need to reexplain the theoretical concepts. (You may presume that the reader knows the theories.) Focus on how the theoretical concepts apply to the one person you are trying to understand. Cite specific details from the biography to support your interpretations.
Adjustment
- Describe what the theory says about healthy and unhealthy adjustments in personality.
- Explain how this is illustrated in the subject’s life.
Cognition
- Describe what the theory says about the role of cognitive processes in the development of personality.
- Explain how that is illustrated in the subject’s life.
Culture
- Describe what the theory says about the role of culture in the development of personality.
- Explain how that is illustrated in the subject’s life.
Biology
- Describe what the theory says about the role of biology (including epigenetics).
- Explain how that is illustrated in the subject’s life.
The Illustrative Biography final paper/presentation
- Must include citations and references.
- Must utilize academic voice. See the Academic Voice (Links to an external site.) resource for additional guidance.
- Must include both an introduction and a conclusion paragraph or slide section. Your introduction paragraph needs to end with a clear thesis statement that indicates the purpose of your paper.
- For assistance on writing Introductions & Conclusions (Links to an external site.) and Writing a Thesis Statement (Links to an external site.), refer to the Writing Center resources.
- Must use at least six scholarly or credible sources in addition to the textbook.
- The Scholarly, Peer-Reviewed, and Other Credible Sources (Links to an external site.) table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source.
- To assist you in completing the research required for this assignment, view Quick and Easy Library Research (Links to an external site.) tutorial, which introduces the University of Arizona Global Campus Library and the research process, and provides some library search tips.
- Must document any information used from sources in APA Style (7th Edition) as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA: Citing Within Your Paper (Links to an external site.) guide.
Option A: The final paper
- Must be eight to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA Style (Links to an external site.) as outlined in the Writing Center’s APA Formatting for Microsoft Word (Links to an external site.) resource.
- Must include a separate title page with the following:
- Title of paper in bold font
- Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title page.
- Student’s name
- Name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Due date
- Title of paper in bold font
- Must include a separate references page that is formatted according to APA Style as outlined in the Writing Center. See the APA: Formatting Your References List (Links to an external site.) resource in the Writing Center for specifications.
Option B: The recorded webinar
- Must include a URL link to the presentation in the “Submission Comment†section of Waypoint.
- Must include audio and visual text (i.e., your voice and slides with clear, readable text).
- PowerPoint slides only or audio embedded in slides only will not be accepted.
- See an example of a success webinar:
- Must be a minimum of 20 minutes in length (i.e., approximately 20 slides).
- Must include an introduction slide with the following clearly identified:
- Title of webinar in bold font
- Space should appear between the title and the rest of the information on the title slide.
- Student’s name
- Name of institution (The University of Arizona Global Campus)
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Due date
- Title of webinar in bold font
- All information should be paraphrased and well-cited.
- Must include a reference slide or text overlay of your references formatted in APA Style (7th ed.) at the end of the webinar. (For example, if you present using yourself rather than slides, overlays can be added to it through programs such as screencast-o-matic (Links to an external site.); see Tutorials/Overlays (Links to an external site.) for help.)
- Audio must be clear and easily heard.
- Optional
- Additional visual aids (e.g., images, tables, etc.). Be sure to cite these.
- Be sure these do not get so large they take over the presentation.
- Bio of the presenter: How to Write an Online Bio—With Short, Professional, and Other Bio Examples (Links to an external site.).