Vivian wrote:
> Two summers ago, I participated in a conference on using Case Studies in
> Teaching (sponsored by Pace University). I am interested in using this
> method in my teaching, but most cases I've found are for health and
> business-related fields -- the only cases I can find for psychology are
> abnormal psych cases. Do any of you know of a good source for case studies
> in other areas of psychology?
I, too, have been very interested in using teaching cases in my classes. Like
Vivian, it has been fairly difficult to find appropriate cases. Two
alternatives have worked moderately well for me in my Human Development
classes.
One of those is to use letters to newspaper and magazine advice
columns as illustrative/problem cases for discussion in class. For details, see
Cabe, P. A., Walker, M. H., & Williams, M. (1999). Newspaper advice columns as
teaching cases for developmental psychology.
Teaching of Psychology, 26, 128-129.
A second source of case-like materials for that course (that might work for
other psych classes) is "human interest" stories from the Readers Digest. The
magazine is widely available, and--with a little looking through your or
someone else's stash of old issues--scenarios that illustrate a reasonable
variety of human behavior issues, problems, principles, concepts, patterns,
elements of theory, and the like can be found. Over a perios of about 3-4
years, I've accumulated perhaps a couple of dozen candidate articles that I use
for class discussion (typically, with an associated writing assignment).
The cases website at the University of Buffalo might have some possibilities
available, though it is slanted toward more traditional science areas. It is,
for those who might be interested in preparing one, a potential outlet for case
studies in psychology. The URL is
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/ubcase.htm
Also, for those who might interested, the University of Buffalo has sponsored
case-based teaching workshops each of the past several summers. Participants
have included psychologists (I went a couple of years ago). Contact Nancy
Schiller at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for details (no promises that the
workshop will continue, but Nancy would know).
Pat Cabe
**************************************************
Patrick Cabe, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology
University of North Carolina at Pembroke
One University Drive
Pembroke, NC 28372-1510
(910) 521-6630
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty."
Thomas Jefferson
"There is the danger that everyone waits
idly for others to act in his stead."
Albert Einstein
"Majorities simply follow minorities.
Gandhi
