My 2 cents worth here--I think it depends on the assignment. If the assignment is to find a novel with some psychological themes and compare the treatment of those themes in the book with scientific knowledge about them, it sounds like this book might be an option. I would hate to have students assume that the author has done the research and is portraying themes accurately, but researching that would be, I think, a worthy exercise. It also occurs to me that it would be good to know when the story is coming out in movie format, in case your student plans to find a way around reading a novel.
Alice LoCicero Alice LoCicero, Ph.D., ABPP, MBA, Associate Professor and Chair, Social Science Endicott College Beverly, MA 01915 978 232 2156 -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 2009 4:13 PM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: Re: [tips] Shutter Island ps: here are the themes I did find: Treatment of the criminally insane in psychiatric hospitals in the 1950's is a theme of the book so the student could research that. Also PTSD and coping based on Korean war experiences. Also, what defines insanity. And whether that would be the appropriate term to use in this case. Finally, what indicators lead towards a diagnosis of schizophrenia for the main character, and what indicators fail to support such a diagnosis. Annette Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology University of San Diego 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 619-260-4006 [email protected] ---- Original message ---- >Date: Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:33:08 -0700 (PDT) >From: <[email protected]> >Subject: [tips] Shutter Island >To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> > >I have a student who wants to read Shutter Island by Lehane for a homework assignment in my honors intro to psych class. I generally don't allow novels but he assures me that the story line about psychopathology is one he could easily critique. > >Are any tipsters familiar with this book? With Lehane's work in general? > >I am not. A web search doesn't give me any real substance to judge on. > >Annette > >Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. >Professor of Psychology >University of San Diego >5998 Alcala Park >San Diego, CA 92110 >619-260-4006 >[email protected] > >--- >To make changes to your subscription contact: > >Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([email protected])
