Discussion

• Substantive and thoughtful; that is, discussion posts must refer to a topic from the week’s readings.  All discussion posts must be supported by current journal article(s) found in SFC Online Library Database system.  Discussion posts should draw from the information found in this week’s course materials, from personal experience, and from credible sources (peer-reviewed journal articles and sites provided by your professor).
• All information gained, read, or acquired from any source that is not your personal information must be cited throughout the document otherwise it is plagiarism.  All information must be cited in the body of the document AND full-reference text at the end of the document using APA style & format criteria.
• APA style & format criteria:
• Peer-reviewed journal articles from SFC Online Library Database System
• Current: January 2015 – Current month 2020
• PDF available
• Times New Roman font
• 12-point font
• Black ink
• Single spaced work for DISC and RESP assignments only (to save space)
• In-text citations appear throughout work
• Full-text references appear at bottom of work
• The discussion post should be three (3) well-developed paragraphs in length (about 7-9 fully developed sentences each; adhere to APA style & format including in-text and full-text reference citations).
• If your professor and/or fellow classmate(s) asked you a question, to follow up, or further explain a point, you are required to do so in addition to your two main responses. Failure to timely respond by Sunday of each week (to follow up questions) will result in reduction of points; 1 point for each entry not addressed.

The main discussion post is due by Day 3 (Wednesday of each week).  Please click on “REPLY” from the main discussion post instructions to submit your assignment.

Credible sources relevant to this course are (this is only a PARTIAL list):

Santa Fe College Library Database system (https://sfcollege.libguides.com/az.php (Links to an external site.))

American Psychological Association (www.apa.org (Links to an external site.))

Society for Personality and Social Psychology (https://www.apa.org/about/division/div8 (Links to an external site.))

American Psychiatric Association (www.psychiatry.org (Links to an external site.) or www.psychiatryonline.org (Links to an external site.))

National Institutes of Health (www.nih.org (Links to an external site.))

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.org (Links to an external site.))

World Health Organization: WHO (www.who.int (Links to an external site.))

REMEMBER: YouTube, Social Media, Wikipedia, etc. are NOT credible sources.

Examples of topics to write about

(Choose only one topic from the examples below OR choose a topic of your interest that pertains to this week’s material):

Evolution

Discuss the scientific issues concerning the theory of evolution and defining adaptations. One cannot absolutely determine the conditions of our ancestors that would give rise to certain adaptations. Scientists have to make inferences on traits that are present and theorize about past selective pressures. It is easy to come up with conditions that would have led to certain traits that we see today. For example, an adaptation that appears to be universal can have several speculative evolutionary explanations.

Emotions

There has been controversy surrounding theories on the categorization of emotions. Some theorists indicate that there are six universal emotions that everyone cross-culturally can recognize, and some theorists claim there are less. How can we measure categories of emotions and determine if they are universal? How does a categorical assessment of emotional expression differ from a dimensional assessment? Can all of human emotional expression be conveyed through four basic expressions?

Cultural Symbols 

Rituals, customs, and costumes are common in most cultures. Because self-esteem may stem from associations with a specific cultural value or worldview, individuals tend to communicate to others the groups to which they belong.  What customs and rituals bind people together in a distinguishable group?  What are some reasons why people wear cultural symbols and the value they place on customs and rituals? Discuss how these symbols and rituals may be evolutionary adaptations that helped with survival. Talk about what may happen if an individual does not adhere to the customs of their culture and how their self-esteem may stem from their groups.