Paper Topics

If you can demonstrate a specific interest, I am very flexible in the accommodation of paper topics, other than suggested below. Since the ideal final product is a publishable paper, your expertise and interest should be the major determinant of your topic.  I fyou do nto already have an agenda, here are some suggestions:

1. Religions put into the perspective of mead’s process of building the self

According to Mead, “Self-consciousness” arises in the reflective analysis. It can be argued that this reflective process is supported by some religious practices. Explain the process of creating a self. Differentiate fundamentalist and non-fundamentalist religions in their potential contribution to this process. This reflection should include a number of different religions, not omitting Christianity and Islam.

2.Ideology and Identity

Religious ideology is still central for the organization of identities. How can we model this dominance or centrality with Styker's model of identity salience? What alternative models could be possible?

3. How is identity or self provided in contemporary music?

Present your definition of identity or self. Choose your term (identity or self) and describe how self/identity is established or at least supported by modern music genres like Heavy Metal, Rock, Crunch, Techno etc. You can choose one of these genres or use several in comparison.

4. Elaborate and test Schneider’s interpretation of Osgood’s color analogy to meaning.

This interpretation is provided in our www notes at http://www2.tltc.ttu.edu/schneider2/5320F02/5320_3b.htm.

In your reader: Osgood, Charles E. “Probing subjective culture.” Journal of Communication, 1974, 24 (1): 21-35 and 82-100. Reprinted in Charles E. Osgood and Oliver C.S. Tzeng. 1990. "Language, Meaning, and Culture, The Selected Papers of C.E. Osgood." Charles E. Osgood and Oliver C.S. Tzeng (Eds.). New York: Centennial Psychology Series.

5. The Social Construction of Pain.

How can we define pain? Present measurement scales for pain. How do we perceive and construct pain. What are the cross-cultural and individual differences?

6. The Gestalt perspective over time.

Describe the origin of the Gestalt perspective, how it was used by Fritz Heider, and what happened to this perspective today?

7. Compare the Gestalt perspective with the dissonance perspective in social psychology. Show differences and similarities.

One dimension of difference can be seen in quality of the creative forces of Gestalt and the pressure we experience id cognitions are dissonant.