Controversy in the Psychology Classroom: Using Hot Topics to Foster Critical Thinking

293 Pages·2012·2.146 MB·English

by  Dana S. Dunn, Dana S. Dunn, Regan A. R. Gurung, Karen Z. Naufel

Controversy in
the Psychology
Classroom
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Controversy in
the Psychology
Classroom
Using Hot Topics to
Foster Critical Thinking
Edited by
Dana S. Dunn, Regan A. R. Gurung,
Karen Z. Naufel, and Janie H. Wilson
American Psychological Association • Washington, DC
Copyright © 2013 by the American Psychological Association. All rights reserved. Except as
permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, the
process of scanning and digitization, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the
prior written permission of the publisher.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Controversy in the psychology classroom : using hot topics to foster critical thinking /
Dana S. Dunn . . . [et al.]. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and indexes.
ISBN 978-1-4338-1238-5 — ISBN 1-4338-1238-X 1. Psychology—Study and teaching.
2. Psychology—Study and teaching (Higher) I. Dunn, Dana.
BF77.C63 2013
150.71—dc23
2012022188
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A CIP record is available from the British Library.
Printed in the United States of America
First Edition
DOI: 10.1037/14038-000
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To David G. Myers, a teacher–scholar who uses controversies
to enlighten and to educate
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CONTENTS
Contributors ................................................................................................ xi
Foreword: Deciding Where to Stand ........................................................ xiii
Jane S. Halonen
Preface ...................................................................................................... xvii
Teaching About Controversial Issues: An Introduction ............................. 3
Dana S. Dunn, Regan A. R. Gurung, Karen Z. Naufel, and Janie H. Wilson
I. G uiding Frameworks for Teaching About
Controversial Issues ............................................................................ 11
Chapter 1. Frames of Reference: Social Psychological Perspectives
for Teaching About Controversial Issues ....................... 13
Dana S. Dunn, Regan A. R. Gurung, and Karen Z. Naufel
Chapter 2. Preventing and Handling Classroom Disruptions ......... 23
Kristin M. Vespia and Tonya E. Filz
vii
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Chapter 3. Treating Students as Early-Career Professionals:
The Ethics of Teaching .................................................. 35
Maureen A. McCarthy and R. Eric Landrum
II. H elping Students Arrive at an Empirically Based Conclusion ....... 47
Chapter 4. Seven Tools for Teaching Evolutionary
Psychology ...................................................................... 49
David M. Buss
Chapter 5. Hitting Close to Home: Teaching About Spanking ........ 65
Elizabeth T. Gershoff
Chapter 6. Sexual Orientation, Marriage, and Students
of Faith ........................................................................... 81
David G. Myers
Chapter 7. Addressing the Role of Animal Research
in Psychology ................................................................ 105
Suzanne C. Baker and Sherry L. Serdikoff
III. Opening Consideration of Multiple Views ................................... 123
Chapter 8. Overcoming Discomfort When Teaching
About Evil and Immorality .......................................... 125
Karen Z. Naufel
Chapter 9. Anticipating and Working With Controversy
in Diversity and Social Justice Topics .......................... 143
Cheryl B. Warner, Rosemary E. Phelps,
Delishia M. Pittman, and Carla S. Moore
Chapter 10. Gender Matters: Engaging Students
in Controversial Issues ................................................. 157
Elizabeth Yost Hammer and Eugenia M. Valentine
Chapter 11. Teaching About Race and Ethnicity ........................... 169
Mary E. Kite
Chapter 12. Spirituality and Religion: How Contexts,
Developmental Processes, and Personal
Experiences Influence Behavior ................................... 185
Dean D. VonDras
viii contents
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Chapter 13. D isability as Diversity Rather Than (In)Difference:
Understanding Others’ Experiences
Through One’s Own .................................................... 209
Dana S. Dunn, David J. Fisher, and Brittany M. Beard
Chapter 14. H ealth Psychology and Policy: When Politics
Infiltrate Science .......................................................... 225
Regan A. R. Gurung and Daniel Bruns
IV. Concluding Thoughts and Going Forward ................................... 243
Chapter 15. U sing Controversies to Teach Scientific
Thinking in Psychology: Topics and Issues ................. 245
Jeffrey D. Holmes
Index ........................................................................................................ 257
About the Editors..................................................................................... 271

contents ix
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