WV-PSY-104 Gestalt Psychology

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Sample Course Description. This page is an example of how courses might be advertised by individual professors of Wikiversity. All information on this page is fictitious, for example only.

Course Description

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This course introduces the principles of Gestalt psychology, with readings from the original Gestalt masters, up to the latest Gestalt authors. Topics include the epistemology of perception, direct perception v.s. representationalism, Gestalt illusions, the dimensions of conscious experience, quantitative modelling of conscious experience, analogical v.s. symbolic representation and computation, visual perception, cognition and mental imagery.

Prerequisites

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WV-PSY-101 General psychology from Wikiversity, or equivalent from an accredited academic institution.


Protocol

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This is a remote electronic correspondence course. All communication between student and professor take place electronically. The course does not have fixed start and end times, but can be done on a schedule at the student's convenience, as long as it is completed within one year of initial registration. The course is divided into four sections, each of which has required readings, a short paper and/or computer simulation, and a short quiz. A final longer paper, or computer simulation, and a final exam, will be scheduled at the end of the last section. Extra consideration will be given to students who not only meet the requirements and submit the work, but who also exhibit a thorough understanding of the significance of Gestalt theory, and/or express creative concepts and observations that advance Gestalt theory. Students with publications on Gestalt topics in peer reviewed journals will also be given additional consideration.

Tuition

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Total cost $1000 divided into 5 payments of $200. The first payment is due to register for the course, and subsequent payments are due with submission of the papers, computer simulations, and exams, at the end of each of the four sections of the course. Final grades and official transcript information will be released within 3 weeks of submission of the final requirements, and posted on the professor's Wikiversity web site.

Grading

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  • A: Student meets the course requirements, and additionally demonstrates a thorough understanding of the principles and significance of Gestalt theory, with original contributions to the advancement of Gestalt psychology.
  • B: Student meets the course requirements, and demonstrates a thorough understanding of the principles of Gestalt theory.
  • C: Student meets the course requirements, and demonstrates an adequate understanding of the principles of Gestalt theory.
  • D: Student meets course requirements, and demonstrates some understanding of the principles of Gestalt theory.
  • F: Student does not meet course requirement, and/or cannot demonstrate understanding of the principles of Gestalt theory.


Readings

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Arnheim R. (1969) Visual Thinking. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Arnheim R. (1988) The Power of the Center: A study of composition in the visual arts. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Koffka K. (1935) Principles of Gestalt Psychology. New York: Harcourt Brace.

Lehar S. (2003) The World In Your Head: A Gestalt view of the mechanism of conscious experience.

Henle, M. (1971) The Selected Papers of Wolfgang Köhler. New York: Liveright.