PCP course

R. A. Neimeyer, U of Memphis (neimeyerra@MSUVX1.MEMPHIS.EDU)
Fri, 20 Jan 1995 21:04:50 -0600

As a number of you know, I've been teaching courses in PCP for 15 years or
so, typically at the graduate level. I routinely change about 80% of my
readings each year, updating them with the latest scholarship, giving the
theory a new slant, representing different lines of classical or
contemporary research, depicting international differences in emphasis, and
so on. I also experiment with different course structures (using small
group projects, self-studies, personal developmental journals, etc. But it
struck me that this year I could take advantage of this network to solicit
some ideas from others about how to approach the task of teaching a PCP
seminar; who knows, some of the novel ideas might even be of interest to
other network readers, and the "winners" might be forwarded to Devi, Joern,
Beverly, and Jon to share with the readers of their respective regional
newsletters. So here are my prompts. I am most interested in your
thoughts about my specific seminar context, which will include about 10
bright Ph.D. students, most (but not all) with a specialization in clinical
or counseling psychology, for 16 weeks of contact, consisting of a single
3-hour class per week. Areas to brainstorm:

1. Readings
a. any particular Kelly classics that are "must reads?"
b. anyone whose work should not be neglected, with specific suggestions of
papers?
c. any areas of research, scholarship, or application that are esp. important?

2. Course structures
a. novel exercises or teaching formats
b. provocative self-study methods that convey the personalism of the approach
c. bombs: things that you have tried, but that went poorly

3. Evaluation
On the assumption that a grade (or mark) must be given, are there ways that
this might be approached that are compatible in some sense with the theory?

In a sense, I am especially interested in the reactions of those of you who
are not professors, but who could generate ideas about a course that
embodies some of what drew them to the theory originally, that keeps them
engaged with it, or that represent "growing edges" of your own exploration.
In other words, how can we best convey our excitement about PCP to a new
generation of students? Although I have a fairly large library of PCP
materials, I'd also appreciate any readings in hard copy that might be
especially hard to find (and would be happy o reciprocate by sending any
papers of my own that you might find useful).

Feel free to respond to me personally if you think your comments would be
of interest mainly to me, or post them at your discretion on the network if
you think they might be of interest to a wider readership. On the other
hand, if this request seems inappropriate to post in this medium, I'm sure
you'll feel free to "flame" me for that, too!

Constructively yours,
Bob Neimeyer

Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University of Memphis
Memphis, TN 38152
(901) 678-4680
FAX (901) 678-2579
neimeyerra@MSUVX1.MEMPHIS.EDU

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