Take Home Exam Projects

Report 1
Report 2
Report 3
Outline/Write Up
Project 1: Krupat Reading Report


This task is carried out by yourself. Its purpose is to present your own self-witnessing report on your reading of social psychology textbook material. Follow these steps:

1. Study the accompanying CHART of questions and their ennead matrix location. Study the chart until you feel confident you know it.

2. Select one (only) of the nine Krupat chapters. Read (or reread) it and when you come to a sentence or paragraph to which you have some reactions to report, write it down or dictate into a tape recorder. Always record:
(a) the page no. and line no. of the passage;
(b) the reaction or information for the ennead matrix box;
(c) the ennead box it fits into (e.g., "High Affective" or "Low Sensorimotor" or "Mid Cognitive", etc.). Collect between 2 to 5 observations for each box, if possible;
(d) obtain a Xerox copy of the passage if long, or quote it if just a sentence is involved.

3. Get hold of any other social psychology textbook. Check the following possibilities: Sinclair Shelves for Psychology and Sociology courses; Hamilton Shelves for Social Psychology; Hamilton Reference Stacks; DRA Library in Gartley 213; UH Bookstore; etc. Using the Index in the book, find sections that deal with the topics you've picked to react to in your Krupat book. If you can't find the same topics then pick whatever related topics you can find. Read these sections as you did Krupat and record where and when you have any reactions to report. Here too try having between 2 to 5 observations for each box, if possible and relevant.

4. Now study your two tables and discuss it with friends. How do they differ? What do they indicate regarding:
(a) the topics;
(b) you;
(c) the textbook.

5. See outline for write up.

OUTLINE FOR KRUPAT READING REPORT WRITE-UP

To be typed. Double spaced. On dark ribbon. With front sheet giving appropriate information. With Table of Contents. Paginate all pages.
l.Introduction(3-4 pages): Explain this is a class project for the Generational Curriculum of Community-Classroom. Explain the threefold self and the self-witnessing method. Discuss briefly the negative and positive bias in science.

2. Results of Reading Textbooks:(2-4 pages Plus Tables) Explain the procedure for using the ennead matrix to report on your reactions during reading textbooks. Present your results in the 2 Tables. Discuss the differences, the trends, the similarities, etc.: what do these comparisons show about
(a) the topics;
(b) you;
(c) the textbooks?

3.Conclusions; (2 to 4 pages) Discuss: Is this a good method for studying? Can the ennead matrix serve to study other subjects in other courses? Does this method teach about yourself and how you process information? What else could this method be used for? How has this report affected you? What have you learned? Any other suggestions or statements or advice to the future generations?

Project 2: Find a Book


This task is carried out in a dyad but each student writes up their own report after sharing all the data and discussion. Decide who will be the searcher and which one of you will be the searcher's huddle-buddy. Both must read these instructions and discuss them. Huddle-buddy's role: You are to help in the collection of the data according to the ennead matrix as shown in the CHART below. Since the overall task is to find a book, there are of course many sub-tasks (e.g., finding catalog card, finding shelves map, finding book, etc.). You are to obtain information in the three areas of A,B,C for as many sub-tasks as you find feasible to do searcher.

You both meet at the catalog section of Hamilton library. Prior to starting you are to go to the stacks and select three books from three different floors, one book for a floor. Use random location. Write the full title (only) of each book on a separate paper and number the papers 1, 2, and 3. Then go to catalog section to meet the searcher. Hand searcher your first paper with title and note time to closest minute. Use written notes and cassette tape recorder, preferably with microphone. Observe searcher and remain close together so searcher could talk out loud into tape recorder and answer your questions. Collect information for the ABC columns according to the questions in the above chart. Avoid irrelevant talk and be task oriented. Frequently prompt the searcher to answer you: What are you doing now? Where are you looking now? What are you thinking now? etc. Don't feel intimidated by others who might be watching you. After all you're doing important scientific work that will surely improve people's ability to use the library and think better. Save all papers and records for your write up. You are to hand in the tape along with the report. After collecting all the information you want on all three book searches you are to review this information together and discuss how best to present the results. Listen to the taped notes and select those that fit the ABC information categories, and write them down so that you end up with a Table giving the ABC information for finding bookl, book 2, and book 3. Get a Xerox copy of the three Tables and each gets a copy. Then you write up the report separately according to the outline below. You also need to hand in the cassette tape.

SEARCHER's ROLE: Your huddle-buddy gives you the title of the first of three books you are to find in the stacks. Find the card catalog entry by Title and write down pertinent information (call number, author's name, date, etc.). As you write try memorizing the information and relate it to other information you know about the author, call number, topic, etc. Meanwhile your huddle-buddy will ask you pertinent questions to elicit information from you on your ABC activities during your problem-solving. Be sure you answer loud enough in the microphone held up for you by your huddle-buddy. It is not important to go fast even if your huddle-buddy will note how long you take for the various sub-tasks, but this is not a speed test, and it is more important to get enough accurate data on your thinking and feeling processes as you're doing the search for the book. Walk to the elevator or staircase and examine floor maps and directions while you are continuing to talk to your huddle-buddy and giving the information needed. Talk out loud. Note your errors as well as your good solutions. You may stop to talk on the way if that's desirable to get better data. Note the last few seconds before the book is found: where do your eyes go? How do you search? What do you feel? Include relevant and irrelevant thoughts, feelings, sentences, observations, etc. You want to be able to present a full picture of what it's like to search for a book in the library. After retrieving the book give it to your huddle-buddy who will then replace it. Then you go up and repeat the whole thing for the second book. Then you do it again for the third book. After this you listen to the tape you produced and examine all the notes and add whatever is necessary. Then you make up your final Table, get a Xerox copy for each other and you each write up your own report using the outline below.

OUTLINE FOR FIND-a-BOOK REPORT WRITE UP


Type. Double spaced. Dark ribbon. Paginate every page. Have a front sheet with relevant information. Have a Table of Contents.

l.Introduction (2-3 pages). Explain this is a class project in Community-Classroom for the Generational Curriculum. Explain the ABC system of the threefold self and the approach involved in self-witnessing method. Discuss briefly the positive and negative bias in science.

2.Procedure (2-3 pages). Describe what both of you had to do (roles). Give enough details to allow others to replicate your steps. Add comments on problems and suggestions for future dyads.

3.Results (2-3 pages plus Tables). Give the ABC Tables you both have and add explanations on how the information was put into the tables from the tape recorder and from your written notes. How reliable is this procedure? What got left out? etc.

4.Discussion (2-3 pages). Contrast the three Tables: what do they indicate regarding (a) what searching is like, (b) how your searching changes or improves with practice. Can you suggest ways of quantifying the information? Would this be useful? What are your conclusions? Discuss the nature of library search behavior: can it be taught? What does it depend on (intelligence, knowledge, etc.). What are its component skills? What do you have to know before you search well? Discuss theory from Lectures and Krupat that might be used to throw some light on this type of behavior.

5.Personal value (2-3 pages). What did you gain by doing this? What effects did it have on you? Should other students do this? etc.

Project 3: TRACE-A-BOOK REPORT


This task is carried out as a dyad but each student writes up their own report after sharing all the data and discussion. Decide which one of you will be the searcher and which one the huddle-buddy to the searcher. Both of you must read all the instructions and discuss them. Also, read the instructions for Project 2 since it has some similar features as this one and it will give you additional hints on how to do this one better!

HUDDLE-BUDDYS ROLE: Your task is to collect the ABC information as specified in the chart for Project 2 -- see p.4. To do this you use a tape recorder with a microphone that you can hold to the mouth of the searcher so as to record the appropriate self-witnessing information. You are to prompt the searcher with questions such as those in the chart on p.4. As well, you can take written notes or draw diagrams or keep the notes the searcher is making during the search. Also, while the searcher is reading or being silent, you are to dictate summary notes (or write them down) which will serve later to orient your discussion and describe the details of how the search went. Note what kind of information the searcher prefers to follow up vs. those that aren't followed up: What's the difference? Thinking and discussing these issues with the searcher will allow both of you to write up your report so that you can shed light on this process of building up a topic in your mind, solving intellectual-academic problems, and how we acquire and use knowledge. It's as if you're observing science in the making or knowledge coming into being!

SEARCHERS ROLE: Your task is to do the search on the following topic: "The Positive and Negative Bias in Science and History" -- which was discussed in the lectures. You are to build up this topic by searching through various sources, taking notes so that you can then make a table or list of views on this topic. Your table or list is to be organized into sub-headings with pro and con views on that sub-heading. For instance, you may have contrasts such as: old vs. current views on the self; scientific vs. anecdotal reports on the self; eastern vs. western views; religious vs. theosophical perspectives; psychology vs. sociology vs. philosophy; favorable vs. unfavorable views on the spiritual self; booklength reports vs. short reports as in letters; etc. etc. Your table should provide a balanced view on some limited aspect of the topic since it would not be possible to be complete given the size of the literature on this topic. You may consult with your huddle-buddy any time regarding anything since this is not a test. You may also consult with librarians and others at any time. You may use several strategies: e.g., looking up subject headings in the catalog such as RELIGIOUS DOCTRINES (BL 425-490); PARAPSYCHOLOGY (BF 1001-1389); ONTOLOGY (BD 300-450); MORAL & RELIGIOUS EDUCATION (LC 251-951); HOMEOPATHY (R~); MENTAL HEALING (RZ 400-408); or such search words as SOUL, SPIRIT, HEAVEN, HELL, TRANSPERSONAL PSYCHOLOGY, TRANSCENDENTALISM, CONSCIOUSNESS, SELF, SCIENTIFIC METHOD, NULL HYPOTHESIS, BIBLE EXEGESIS, and so on. You may also look up (or start instead with) authors that deal with this topic, such as SWEDENBORG, KANT, FMERSCN, VAN DUSEN, ARISTOTLE, PLATO, DESCARTES, WESLEY, CALVIN, BUBER, NIEHBUR, KIERKEGAARD, POLANYI, and so on. Your task is thus double: to make up the table or list of views and to dictate self-witnessing notes to your huddle-buddy about what goes on inside of you as you build up the topic through the search. You must complete the search in one day taking as many hours as you wish.

After completing the search, the tape, and the notes, you are to get together (not necessarily on the same day) and discuss the write up. Listen to the tape, take notes off of it, and utilize whatever notes and memories are relevant until you end up with a good understanding of what went on. Organize your notes into two types of tables: the first type is the table of views prepared from the searcher's notes and efforts; the second type of table is the ABC information of the self-witnessing notes and the tape. When you finalize both types of tables you are to take a xerox of them so that each of you has them. Then you write up your own report using the same tables (which must be typed). The following is an outline for your write up.
OUTLINE FOR TRACE-A-TOPIC REPORT WRITE UP


TYPED. DOUBLE SPACED. DARK RIBBON. PAGINATE EVERY PAGE. FRONT PAGE WITH APPROPRIATE INFORMATION. TABLE OF CONTENTS.

l.Introduction (2-3 pages) Explain this is a class project in community-classroom and is for the Generational Curriculum. Explain the ABC system of the threefold self, and the self-witnessing methodology. Discuss the positive and negative bias as introduced in the lectures.

2.The Topic. (3-4 pages plus tables) Present your views on this topic prior to the lectures or prior to this semester. Present the table of views from your search. Discuss your current views on this topic and how the search has affected your views.

3. The Search (3-4 pages plus tables) Describe your procedure for gathering the ABC information. Present the table. Discuss the content of the table: What does it reveal about library search behavior? Can it be taught? What does it depend on? What are its component skills? How could all this be investigated further? etc.

4.Personal Value. (1-2 pages) What did you gain by doing this project? What effects did it have on you? Should others do it? Was it worth the effort (how long did it take?). Anything else?
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