History of Psychology Book Review

One good way to learn more about the field of psychology is to delve into the "classic" literature of the field. The list of books provided (click here) represents a microcosm of that literature, and is by no means exhaustive. The books were chosen based on two criteria: an attempt to select books that represent a cross section of the diverse work that comprises psychology and the need to select books that would be readily available locally. If you have another book in mind that you would like to review for this class, please speak to me about it.

Your task is to select one book from the list, read it, and write a critical review.  Length of the reviews will vary, but on average should be about 5-7 pages.

In your review you will need provide a critical summary of the book. What is the book about? What issues does it address? For what audience and what purpose was it written? How is it illustrative of the author's work in general ? (Think book report here!) You will also need to relate this work to the field of psychology. Why is the book a classic? Is it of theoretical or historical importance? What impact did it have on the field, immediately and long term? Is it (or was it) controversial in some way? How well was it received? How does it relate to the overarching issues that we have raised in class (e.g., mind-body problem, reductionism, methodology)? You may have to do some background reading to help you address these issues, especially for areas we have not yet discussed in class. You should use quotes from the material and references to other sources (where appropriate) to support your arguments.

You should also include a short biographical sketch of the author of your book. (Note that there are some books on the list that are biographies, so that this would not apply.

Use APA style to format your paper and for all quotes and citations. If you have APA style questions consult the links on the web page, the APA Publication Manual, or ask me.