FPSY-1 Courses:

FPSY 8700 - Dissertation Literature Review Lab

(2 credits)

The purpose of this course is to help students prepare to write a well-structured, clearly presented, critical review of the literature for their dissertation research. The course covers topic selection, identifying a research problem related to a social problem justified by a gap in the literature relevant to their discipline, and selection of a potential theoretical framework. Research skills for searching, managing, analyzing, and using the literature as evidence to demonstrate that their proposed study is suitable for scientific research specific are developed. Upon completing the course, students produce a description of their proposed research project supported by an annotated bibliography and outline of their literature review, using a minimum of 10 self-selected research articles and a research journal relevant to their dissertation journey. This course is appropriate for doctoral students who are preparing for their dissertation research. Note: Students will have studied many of the concepts in this course in other courses and may already be familiar with the Prospectus Form. They will be able to bring their enhanced knowledge from this course to the ongoing development of a feasible research study in the Prospectus course.

Note on licensure: PhD programs in Forensic Psychology, Psychology, Developmental Psychology, and Industrial/Organizational Psychology are all non-licensure programs. They do not prepare an individual to become a licensed psychology professional; or to evaluate, do therapy with, or treat individuals in correctional or related settings. In addition, the American Psychological Association’s (APA) Committee on Accreditation (CoA) does not accredit master’s-level programs and only accredits doctoral programs in professional psychology (clinical, counseling, and school). If you have questions about licensure, please contact psyclicensure@mail.waldenu.edu.

Disclaimer: Before you begin, a word of caution: This course contains content that may be disturbing and/or triggering. If you find yourself struggling with the content, you may want to reach out to Walden’s Student Assistance Program, which offers students free and confidential counseling on a variety of personal and professional issues that may be affecting the quality of their learning experiences.