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Department of Psychology

Announcements Events & Deadlines

May 2010 Commencement.  Godwin Field will begin to be renovated shortly after the end of the football season, and it will not be available for Commencement in May 2010.  Consequently plans are in progress for a very different Commencement for May 2010.  There will be no “main ceremony” on Saturday, May 8.  Instead,there will be university-wide undergraduate ceremonies for graduating Seniors on Thursday, May 6 at 7 PM in the Convocation Center.  On Saturday May 8, if the weather is nice, there will be all-CISAT Commencement ceremony on the practice soccer field across from the Festival at 9 AM.  In case of inclement weather, CISAT will be divided into two ceremonies and Psychology Majors will graduate at 12:30 PM in Godwin Hall.  Individual student names will be called this Saturday ceremony.  For more information see http://www.jmu.edu/commencement/

Student Advisory Committee.  The following students are serving on the Department of Psychology Student Advisory Committee:

Students who would like to speak with another student about a problem or concern regarding their psychology experience, or their overall JMU experience as a psychology major should feel free to speak with any of these students.  Constructive suggestions about how we can improve the JMU experience for psychology majors are of particular interest.

Events

ABPsi, the Association of Black Psychologists will be having it’s next general body meeting November 16, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. in Maury 101. Come out and engage in discussions on topics such as interracial dating, diversity at JMU, attitudes about self esteem, etc. You do NOT have to be African American or a Psychology major to be a member of this club. Anyone is welcome to come and we look forward to seeing you. For questions or concerns contact Azereon Johnson (johns2ad@jmu.edu). Hope to see you soon!

To Write Love on Her Arms. The University Program Board is sponsoring a special event on Monday, November 16, at 8 pm in the Festival Ballroom.  To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit organization dedicated to informing people about struggles with suicide, self-mutilation, depression, and addiction. This program is designed to inform and show support and hope for those that believe it doesn’t exist.  For more information contact Glenda Cosby (cosby.glenda@gmail.com).

Pondering your post-graduation plans?  Attend the the Psychology Peer Advising symposium "Post-Graduation Opportunities" to find out the many options that are available.  The symposium will be held Tuesday, November 17 at 7 PM in Taylor 400. This session is free and open to all majors.  If you have questions contact Psychology Peer Advising (peeradvise@yahoo.com), or visit their office in Miller 1106.

Marymount University.  JMU Psychology Majors are invited to learn about Masters degree programs in the Human Services available at Marymount University in a special program to be held on Wednesday, November 17, 7 PM at Marymount University Ballston Center, 1000 N. Glebe Road, Arlington, VA. Programs in Counseling, School Counseling, Forensic Psychology and Pastoral Counseling are available. Interested students should RSVP by calling (703) 284-5902, or visiting http://www.marymount.edu/infosession . Please use priority code MAatMU when responding to this invitation.

Psyc Club meets on Tuesdays at 7 pm in Taylor 402 and everyone is welcome!

South Asian Film Series.  The Department of Justice Studies at JMU presents the Fall 2009 South Asian Film Series. The series showcases 11 South Asian films focused on the most pressing social, political and cultural issues facing the region today. JMU faculty and regional experts will be on hand at each screening to introduce the film and lead an informal discussion afterwards.  These events are free and open to the public.  For more information see http://www.jmu.edu/justicestudies/news.htm .

Opportunities

Conference Presentation Travel Grants for Psychology Majors.  The Fall deadline for submitting conference travel grant requests has been extended to Wednesday, November 18 at NOON.  Up to $200 per student is available to offset the cost of traveling to a professional conference to make a presentation in the form of a lecture or poster.  Funding is only available to students who author or co-author presentations or posters.  Funding is not available for conference attendance by students who are not an author or co-author of a presentation or poster.  For more information see http://psyc.jmu.edu/undergraduate/psyc_major/grants_and_awards.html.

Demining Program Fellowship.  Every year the Mine Action Information Center offers a fellowship to a JMU student or recent graduate. The Frasure-Kruzel-Drew Memorial Fellowship for Humanitarian Demining is a paid position with the U.S. Department of State, Office of Weapons Removal and Abatement. The fellowship was established in 1999 to raise awareness among the American people about landmine contamination around the world and U.S. government efforts to address the problem.  Additional information is available at http://maic.jmu.edu/fellowship/ .  Open to all majors who are currently Seniors or recent graduates.  Application Deadline: Friday, December 4, 2009.

International Study Abroad Scholarships. The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi will be awarding competitive scholarships for undergraduate study abroad opportunities during the 2010-11 academic year.  Interested students may obtain information and application materials from the organizations web site at: http://www.phikappaphi.org/Web/Awards/Study_Abroad.html  Applications should be made directly to Phi Kappa Phi national headquarters.  Deadline:  February 24, 2010.

First-Year Graduate Experience Scholarships.  The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi will be awarding competitive scholarships for first year graduate and professional study in 2010-11.  Students interested in obtaining a scholarship may obtain information and application materials from the organizations web site at: http://www.phikappaphi.org/Web/Awards/Fellowship.html Applications should be delivered to Dr. J. Chris Arndt (MSC 2001 or Jackson 213) no later than Friday, January 15, 2010.   A committee of Phi Kappa Phi JMU faculty will evaluate the applications and select one applicant as the Chapter’s nominee for the national competition.  The University nominee for the award will be informed no later than February 3, 2010.  In the recent past, JMU nominees have had considerable success in receiving either a Fellowship or an Award of Excellence.

Jete l'Esprit Dance is conducting a free ballet program for children with disabilities run by JMU students. They are putting on the program’s first recital Monday, December 7 at 6 pm in Grafton Stovall Theatre.  Admission is $3 if you show your JAC card and $5 without it (you have to pay cash or check NOT flex),  For more information or to join this student organization contact Jete l'Esprit Dance President Heather White (whitehb@jmu.edu).

The First Year Involvement (FYI) Writing Center is a place where First Year Students can come and have a class paper read and critiqued by a trained Peer Writing Tutor.  For more information about the center see http://www.jmu.edu/orl/academic/writingcenter.html  

MAD-Rush Undergraduate Research Conference.  This coming spring, the School of Liberal Arts at James Madison University will host its first annual undergraduate research conference.  The Madison Research by Undergraduates in the Social Sciences and Humanities MAD-RUSH Conference seeks outstanding undergraduate research or writing (both critical and creative) in any Humanities or Social Science discipline.  To apply, students should submit a 100-150 word abstract of their research paper or creative project to Dr. J. Chris Arndt (arndtjc@jmu.edu) no later than Wednesday, December 16, 4 PM.  The conference will be held Saturday, March 27, 2010 at JMU.  Information on submissions and the abstract format may be found at the MAD-RUSH website, http://urcjmu.wordpress.com/

The Honors Thesis Guidelines in Psychology have been updated.  These guidelines are posted at http://psyc.jmu.edu/ug/psyc_major/specialopportunities_honorsthesis.html .  

  • The timing and credits earned for Psyc 499A, 499B and 499C have changed.  We now expect students to typically register for Psyc 499A as a full-semester course that is taken three semesters prior to graduation.  If you plan to graduate in May 2011 you should be registering for Psyc 499A during Spring 2010.  To make it more likely students will be successful with their projects, the thesis should be spread evenly over three semesters, and to reflect this steady three-semester effort, you will earn 2 credits for each semester of Psyc 499.
  • If you are planning to graduate in May 2011 and you want to complete an Honors Thesis in Psychology, you should now be trying to identify your Honors Project Advisor.  As a Psychology Major, this is usually a full-time faculty member in the Department of Psychology.  Speak to faculty about being your thesis advisor, and if you are having difficulty finding an advisor, contact Colleen Moynihan (moynihcm@jmu.edu).  She will maintain a list of students who are seeking advisors with faculty who are open to being asked.  Please remember—the number of projects that can be supervised is limited, and we cannot guarantee that every student can be accommodated.

Please read the full psychology thesis guidelines on our website. If you have questions after that, ask your academic advisor for assistance.  Questions can also be handled by Dr. Serdikoff, our department’s Honors Program Liaison, Drs. Apple or Baker, our Assistant Department Heads, or ask me (Dr. Stoloff).

Women of Distinction Award.  Each year, Student Wellness & Outreach hold the annual Woman of Distinction Awards. Three outstanding Woman on the JMU campus are honored, one student, one faculty, and one staff member.  They are now accepting nominations.  Nominations must be received by November 6. More information about the award and the nomination process can be found at http://www.jmu.edu/healthctr/swo/progevents.shtml#distinction

Graduate School…What should I look for?  Read this brief article published by the Science Directorate of APA at http://www.apa.org/science/psa/sep09-postdoc.html

Think you might have the flu?  The symptoms for H1N1 include some or all of the following: runny nose, nasal congestion, sore throat, cough and fever. The distinguishing factor between this virus and a common cold is a higher fever.  Information about how to deal with the flu and avoid spreading it to others is available at http://www.jmu.edu/healthctr/fluletter.shtml

Behavior Analysis Concentration applications are now being accepted. See http://psyc.jmu.edu/ug/psyc_major/behavioranalysis.html for more information.

Upcoming Conferences/Meetings

The Psychology Major described in the 2006 JMU Catalog includes significant requirement changes. Only students who began at JMU in August 2006 are affected by these changes. All students who began at JMU prior to August 2006 (regardless of when you were admitted to the Psychology Major) should follow the requirements listed in your academic catalog; your program is not changed and you are not required to fulfill requirements specified for the 2006 Psychology Major.

Register your interests. The Council on Undergraduate Research has established a Registry of Undergraduate Researchers to facilitate matchmaking between undergraduates with research experience who wish to pursue an advanced degree and graduate schools seeking high quality students who are well prepared for research. Currently the Registry is open to students and graduate schools/employers in nearly all the fields of science that are supported at NSF. Undergraduate students who are currently in their JUNIOR YEAR should register. You can update your listing at the end of the summer of 2006 and during their senior year, to include any additional information. The undergraduate registry can be accessed at www.cur.org/ugreg. There is no charge for this service. Information will be made available only to graduate schools that contract with CUR for this service. Organizations or companies seeking the students' information for other marketing purposes will not be granted access.