1. Twentieth century psychology reflects various intellectual legacies. Which individual from previous centuries has had, in your opinion, the most profound impact on modern psychology? For the purposes of this question James and Wundt count as prior to the present century (but need not be used) while Freud and Watson are to be considered in the present century and therefore cannot be used. Be sure to document your choice by showing specific influences on modern psychology. You will, of course, need to confront the issue of what counts as important, as impact, and the like.
2. As the science of psychology has matured it has become more and more specialized. We now have at least a dozen major areas of psychology, the American Psychological Association has almost 50 divisions representing various intellectual and political interests, and many psychologists feel they know more and more about less and less. In addition, many traditional areas of psychology seem to have more in common with other disciplines, and new disciplines (e.g., neuroscience, organizational studies, cognitive science, decision sciences, etc.) have encouraged many psychologists to abandon a primary allegiance to psychology. Whether this seems alarming depends in large part on whether you think there is a common core of psychology that is worth defending. Discuss various approaches to defining this common core (and it may occur to you to approach this historically). What is it that makes psychology psychology? Is there material that every psychologist should know? If so, what is it? Should we try to recover this core, and if so is there any hope of accomplishing this?
3. Throughout the history of human thought there has always been a tension between those who emphasize biological determinants of human thought and behavior and those who emphasize more cultural approaches. What to your way of thinking are the main advantages and disadvantages of each approach? Discuss some ways they can be reconciled.