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Psyc
405: Environmental Psychology & The Wilderness Experience
(Spring 2008, section 1)
Catalog Course Description: Exploration of behavior-environment relationships. Ecopsychology, wilderness experience, and appraisal of our natural environment.
Analysis of the social environment (privacy, territoriality, crowding). Evaluation of the built environment (home, workplace, community).
Instructor:
David
Campbell
Office:
444 BSS
Phone:
826-3721
Office Hours:
Wed
E-mail:
dec1@humboldt.edu
Web site:
www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm
Required
texts: (Be sure to purchase the correct edition.)
Gifford,
R. (2007). Environmental psychology
(4th ed.). Colville, WA: Optimal. ISBN:
978-0-9688543-1-0
Gardner,
G., & Stern, P. (2002). Environmental
problems and human behavior (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson
Custom
Publishing. ISBN: 0-536-68633-5
Additional Readings (excerpts to be placed on the
instructor's
web site):
Possibilities include
selections from The Biophilia Hypothesis, Ecopsychology: Restoring the
earth, Healing the mind, and The Wilderness Psychology Group newsletter
&
proceedings.
Course
Objectives:
Course Overview:
Psychology is the scientific
study of human behavior and experience. While it is obvious that all
behavior
has to occur somewhere, the importance of setting often gets limited
attention
in psychology courses. After all, psychology’s primary concern is
with
the person, not the place. In this course, we adopt a different
viewpoint: we start with the mindset that where behavior takes
place is
not trivial. In fact, no explanation of behavior and experience
is
complete without explicit attention to the environmental context.
We will
take an ecological approach in addressing human experience and move
towards the
development of a behavioral ecology.
Our outlook will be scientific, not
humanistic, as we explore the significance of the environment in our
lives. We will inquire into the meaning of personal space,
territoriality,
crowding, and privacy. Review of the relevant research literature may
be
combined with mini-research projects as we work through this material. We will also address the built environment
and critique the behavioral basis of environmental design.
Architects
say, "Form follows function." We'll discuss how well their
constructed forms actually function and what they mean to us, the human
occupants. We will review psychological assessments of
environments
intended for living, learning, working, and playing. If time
permits, you
will have the opportunity to prepare a post-occupancy evaluation of a
built
environment of your choice.
A
primary theme throughout this course is
that human activity has altered global processes to such as extent that
our
very existence may be threatened. We
will examine evidence in support of this statement and explore ways in
which an
understanding of human behavior and thought processes can be applied to
programs aimed at global restoration and balance.
Course Procedure:
This is not a lecture course; rather it will be run as a seminar
focusing
on discussion of the assigned reading. Accompanying each reading
assignment there will be a set of homework questions intended to
provoke
thought, stimulate discussion, and review key points.
You are expected to actively engage with your
reading and come to class with your written responses to the homework
questions
prepared in advance. The instructor will review your notes in class for
grading
purposes.
Grading:
Your
responses to the study questions will count 20% of your
grade. Due in class on the assigned week! Complete all adequately for an
“A.” Each uncompleted assignment “costs”
one letter grade.
Two
midterm exams over the reading (one mid-semester and one during finals
week)
contribute 20% each to your grade.
Term
paper—20%. This may be on almost any
topic within the field of environmental psychology.
This is due at the time of the final exam and
must be prepared following the APA format.
Further details will be worked out between you and the
instructor. You should
plan on arranging a private meeting with Campbell no later than
mid-semester to agree on your topic and expectations regarding the
details.
Participation in class discussion—20%. This component of your grade is determined by the instructor’s evaluation of the quantity and quality of your total contribution to class discussion and debate. Keep in mind that active engagement in discussion of the reading and related topics is a major student responsibility in this course. Feel free to discuss your progress privately with the instructor on this matter.
Extra
Credit:
You can earn extra credit in this course by participating in one or two hours of research as a participant (subject). Such participation will be helpful if you are near the border between two letter grades when course grades are being determined. To sign up for experiments, you need to first create an account in the participation pool system. Instructions are available at http://www.humboldt.edu/~cla18/partpool.htm
Student Responsibilities:
Both students and instructor will approach this course in a
constructive
and mature manner. We will take care to maintain an open, yet
critical,
mindset regarding issues of environment and behavior. It is
expected that
you will attend almost all class sessions and will participate fully in
the
class activities. If you will have to miss a class or must turn
in an
assignment late, advise the instructor in advance (e-mail is
convenient).
Topics and Reading Assignments
(must be completed prior to class meeting)
HOMEWORK QUESTIONS OVER THE READING WILL BE FOUND AT http://www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/p405discquest.htm
| Jan 23 |
Orientation and general
discussion |
|
| Jan 30 |
Gifford: Chapter 1 -- The Nature & Scope of Environmental Psychology | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 1 -- Earth's Environmental Problems & Role of Human Behavior |
| Feb 6 |
Gifford: Chapters 2 and 5 -- Environmental Perception & Spatial Cognition; Personal Space | Gardner & Stern: no assignment |
| Feb 13 |
Gifford: Chapter 4 -- Personality & Environment |
Gardner & Stern: no assignment |
| Feb 20 |
Gifford: Chapter 15 -- Designing More Fitting Environments |
Gardner & Stern: Chapter 2 -- Earth's Environmental Problems as Tragedies of the Commons |
| Feb 27 |
Gifford: Chapter 3 -- Environmental Attitudes, Appraisals, & Assessments | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 3 -- Religious & Moral Approaches: Changing Values, Beliefs, & Worldviews |
| March 5 |
Gifford: Chapter 11 -- Educational Environmental Psychology | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 4 -- Educational Interventions: Changing Attitudes & Providing Information |
| March 12 |
Gifford: Chapter 6 -- Territoriality | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 5 -- Changing the Incentives. First midterm exam. |
| March 19 |
Spring Break |
-- |
| March 26 |
Gifford: Chapter 7 -- Crowding | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 6 -- Community Management of the Commons |
| April 2 |
Gifford: Chapter 8 -- Privacy | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 7 -- Combining the Solution Strategies |
| April 9 |
Gifford: Chapter 9 -- Residential Environmental Psychology | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 8 -- Stone Age Genetic Behavioral Predispositions in the Space Age |
| April 16 |
Gifford: Chapter 13 -- Natural Environmental Psychology | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 9 -- Human Reactions to Environmental Hazards: Perceptual & Cognitive Processes |
| April 23 |
Gifford: Chapter 10 -- Urban Environmental Psychology | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 10 -- Choosing the Behaviors to Change and the Points of Intervention |
| April 30 |
Gifford: Chapter 12 -- Workplace Environmental Psychology | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 11 -- Human Interactions with Complex Systems: "Normal" Accidents & Counterintuitive System Behavior |
| May 7 |
Gifford: Chapter 14 and Epilog - Sustainability: Managing Limited Resources; Epilog: Utopic vs.Entopia | Gardner & Stern: Chapter 12 -- Human Interactions with Complex Systems: Complex Systems Continued: Chaos, Self-Organization, & the Global Environmental Future |
| May 14 |
Term Paper Due at our Final Exam (actually a second midterm), 5:00 on Wednesday, May 14. |
Persons who wish to request disability related
accommodations should contact the