IAED 410 ENVIRONMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (3 credits)

2009-2010 SPRING SEMESTER PROGRAM

Instructor name: Asst. Prof.Dr.Deniz Hasırcı

Office hours: By appointment, Office location:M 505

Class hours: Wednesday 13:30 - 16:20 [M 403]

Web-page: Check each week for updates and homework:

This course examines the transactions between people and their everyday physical environments. Topics include environmental perception and cognition, environmental stressors such as noise, spatial behavior such as personal space and territoriality, physical settings where we live, work, and learn, in addition to designing for more fitting environments.

COURSE SYLLABUS AND READING LIST

WEEK 1: 17 February, 2010 / Introduction to Environmental Psychology
WEEK 2: 24 February, 2010 / History of Environmental Psychology and Research Methods
Reading: “Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practices (Gifford)” pgs. 1-10, and “The Structure of the Ordinary” pgs. 2-3
WEEK 3: 3 March, 2010 / People and Nature
Reading: “Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practices (Bell et al.)” pgs. 2-9, “The Structure of the Ordinary” pgs. 6-9, 126-131(HW 1)
WEEK 4: 10 March, 2010 / * MOVIE (Come on time!)
WEEK 5: 17 March, 2010 / Environmental Perception and Cognition
Reading: “The Structure of the Ordinary” pgs. 10-11, 326-328
WEEK 6: 24 March, 2010 / Theories of Environment and Behavior
Reading: “The Structure of the Ordinary” pgs. 16-21, 154-171
* REPORT PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
WEEK 7: 31 March, 2010 / Personal Space, Privacy, Territoriality, and Crowding
Reading: “The Structure of the Ordinary” pgs. 32-35, 226-233
WEEK 8: 7 April, 2010 / * OPEN BOOK MIDTERM
WEEK 9: 14 April, 2010 / People in Various Settings: Residences and Communities
Reading: “Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practices (Bell et al.)” pgs. 373-385
WEEK 10: 21 April, 2010 / Spatial Behavior: Offices
Reading: “The Structure of the Ordinary” pgs. 36-39, 46-49, “Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practices (Gifford)” pgs. 433-437(HW 2)
WEEK 11: 28 April, 2010 / Spatial Behavior: Learning Environments
Reading: “Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practices (Bell et al.)” pgs. 386-394
WEEK 12: 5 May, 2010 / PEOPLE, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND DESIGN
Reading: “Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practices (Bell et al.)” pgs. 469-473, 500-501, “The Structure of the Ordinary” pgs. 371-391
* POSTER SUBMISSION
WEEK 13: 12 May, 2010 / * Group Presentations M01/CB101
WEEK 14: 19 May, 2010 / No Class
WEEK 15: 26 May, 2010 / * Group Presentations M01/CB101
FINAL EXAM: Between 31 May – 11 June

REQUIRED TEXT BOOKS:

  • Habraken,N. J. and Teicher, Jonathan (Eds.) 2000. The Structure of the Ordinary: Form and Control in the Built Environment. Boston: The MIT Press.
  • Bell, P.A.; Greene, T. C.; Fisher, J. D.; Baum, A. 2005. Environmental Psychology. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Publishers.
  • Gifford, R. 1996. Environmental Psychology: Principles and Practice. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.
  • Sommer, R. 2008. Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design. NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

EXTRA RESOURCES:

  • deBotton, A. 2006. The Architecture of Happiness. London: Hamish Hamilton books.
  • Hall, E.T. 1976. Beyond Culture.New York: Anchor Books.

2HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS (Check the web-page each week)

On two weeks, you are expected to answer a list of questions that aim to raise your awareness to your surrounding in addition to assessing your attention in reading the necessary material for that week. Homework will not be accepted after the class that they are due. You can follow which reading to do from the schedule. Any additional reading material will be at Trio. It will be beneficial to add information from different sources to your summaries. Do not forget to list your references from books, journals, web-pages etc. at the end. The purpose of the homework is to prepare for the class before you hear the lecture, therefore, the homework of weeks 2 and 9 will be submitted on the days of Weeks 2 and 9. The homework should be typed (11 or 12 font), 1,5 or double spaced, and about 2 pages in addition to the list of references.

SEMESTER RESEARCH PROJECT

- You will form groups of four, and picking one of the following topics discussed in class and an “environment”, you will prepare a research proposal and poster, and at the end of the semester, present your work.

- Considering what we will have covered in class, you will do a case study with a focus Environment-Behavior relationships.

- You will then pick an appropriate research question, form hypotheses, decide on the methodology, sample group, and try to validate your hypotheses.

- Make sure to pick a good space to explain your topic in order to be able to include as many issues as possible.

- Remember to consult with your instructor and agree on the example that is chosen for the case study.

- You will then analyze that example according to the guidelines and standards and suggest improvements to the people-environment relationship. The more detailed your investigation, the better.

* The research proposal(1/3 of your project grade) is an important step for the posters and presentations. It will be

submitted on week 6 in class and consist of 4-5 pages. In the report, the names of the persons in the group, table of contents, a photograph (not a print out!) of the topic/ space to be analyzed, and a short description of the issues to be looked at should be included. Late report proposals will not be accepted.

* The research poster(1/3 of your project grade) that you will submit on week 13 in class should be a vertical poster in

A1 format (594 x 841 mm). This poster will include images as well as an abstract, hypothesis, methods of your research, references, and drawings and tables you may want to include. Your grade will be the total of your visual presentation and poster. Late posters will not be accepted.

* The visual presentations(1/3 of your project grade) will take about 20 minutes. You will need visual data (Powerpoint

presentations/ handouts, and do not forget to notify your instructor about what kind of media you are going to use.

ATTENDANCE AND GRADING:

  • Students must attend to a minimum of 70% of the class time (11 class days)
  • Distribution of the grades:
  • Midterm: 20%,
  • Final: 20%,
  • 2 Homework Assignments: 20%
  • Report Proposal: 10%, Poster: 10%, Presentation: 10%
  • Attendance and Participation: 10%

Positive process (contribution to the class, progress, attendance, ability to take criticism to develop the case study) will affect your grade positively. Lack of process on the other hand, will have a negative effect on the grade.

GENERAL RULES OF THE CLASS:

  • Do not be late for class. After 15 minutes, you will be marked as absent.
  • The official language of the classes in this department is English, and we all will need to adhere to that.
  • Cell phones and any other device with a ringer or alarm must be switched off during class.
  • Do not to miss your presentations. Otherwise, while the whole group gets the same grade, you will receive a “0”.
  • Doctor’s reports are for Finals only.
  • No “late submissions” are accepted regarding your homework or semester projects.
  • Absolutely no talk (no students, no parents) about grades without the work.
  • You will succeed if you take your classes seriously, and complete the requirements of the class.

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