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This dissertation consists of a case study of Swedish psychology during a specific period of time. It focuses psychology as a scientific discpline, as a professionalised occupation and as a cognitive resource for policy-making. From a general science studies perspective, it aims to provide a sociological and historical analysis of the development of psychological research, psychological practice and psychology's relation to social policy-making in key areas of the welfare state in general. The case study utilises discourse analysis, analysis of archival and documentary material, interviews and bibliometric analyses. It is argued that psychologists have changed their image from being primarily academics to being clinical practitioners whose expertise has moved from differential diagnostics to psychotherapy. Professional discourse has evolved similarly to that shown to be the case in other countries, drawing extensively on rhetorics of economics, humanitarianism and facilitation and control. A critical assessment of discourse analysis and constructionism is provided, arguing for a restricted application of constructionism in science studies. Further, professional action and organisation is analysed. It is argued that the professional project pursued by psychologists is characterised by power struggles within the profession, and is an outcome of adaptation to institutional demands stemming from the labour-market. It results in a pattern of professionalisation which deviates from what is hypothesised by much professionalisation theory. Psychology's role as a cognitive resource for social policy-making is analysed in relation to claims to decisive influence made by psychologists. It is argued that psychology has played a negligible role in key areas of policy-making. The case illustrates the politicisation of science rather than the scientization of policy-making. Finally, psychology's development as a a discipline is analysed. It is argued that the changes in the system of research and higher education illustrates the increasing influence of non-cognitive factors on disciplinary development. It has provided academic psychology with potential for growth but at the same time weakened its disciplinary core. Academic psychology has been more theoretically and methodologically diverse than is usually claimed, but a rivalling knowledge ideal to the traditional academic one has been introduced by sectorial research policy.

Part of a study made by the Institute for Research in Social Science under contract with the National Science Foundation. ; Bibliographies: p. 274-295. ; Mode of access: Internet.

Includes bibliography. ; [1] California, by H. R. Marshall, with the assistance of A. Brinton [and others]--[2] Connecticut, by E. P. Lehmann.--[3] New Mexico, by A. R. Richards and G. Radosevich.--[4] New York, by G. Birkhead and C. D. Ahlberg. ; Mode of access: Internet.

Describes the Political Science department's assessment activities for academic year 2015-2016. ; The department reports on its loop closing measures in response to past years' assessments and analyses, focused on the updating and revision of the existing undergraduate and graduate curricula to align with new departmental strengths and interests, as well as revisions to the program SLOs in response to internal analyses of past assessments (including barriers to effective assessment). A discussion of the proposed PSLOs, including one specifically addressed to diversity, is included. Plans for AY 201617 include a finalizing of the proposed PSLO revisions and indirect assessments of student success rates to gauge the opportunity gap among Political Science majors.

Describes the Political Science Department's assessment activities for the academic year 2010-2011. ; The Political Science Department's annual assessment report to the College for the Office of Academic Assessment. The report details the use of the department's Progressive Direct Assessment (PDA) model to assess ten samples of final exams or final papers from the following courses: Political Science 371, Political Science 471C and Political Science 471D. Two members of the assessment committee were asked to read the samples and score them following the department's assessment rubric. The department also participated in the Simplifying Assessment Across the University Pilot Program which asks departments to assess signature assignments from gateway and capstone courses.

Describes the Political Science Department's assessment activities for the academic year 2007-2008 ; The Political Science Department's annual assessment report to the College for the Office of Academic Assessment. The report details the department's direct assessment model called Progressive Direct Assessment (PDA) and the activities related to this model.

Describes the Political Science Department's assessment activities for the academic year 2012-2013. ; The Political Science Department's annual assessment report to the College for the Office of Academic Assessment. The Political Science department continued to collect evidence of student learning in our undergraduate program using a direct assessment method called Progressive Direct Assessment (PDA). Three SLOs were assessed-critical thinking, political decision making, and political analytical skills. In addition to collecting evidence in 2012-13, the assessment committee made progress on assessment planning. Also, the assessment committee developed a plan to assess the six undergraduate programs SLOs using the updated methodology in three years.

Describes the Political Science Department's assessment activities for the academic year 2011-2012 ; The Political Science Department's annual assessment report to the College for the Office of Academic Assessment. The Department continued assessing gateway and capstone courses. With these courses, it assessed departmental SLOs and tracked students as they progressed through the major. The department received copies of final exams or papers from seven courses from the Fall 2011 and the Spring 2012 semesters. A random sample of fifteen works per course was chosen. The results were synthesized into charts that show the percentages of works meeting the ???unsatisfactory,??? ???elementary,??? ???developing,??? ???proficient,??? and ???exemplary??? designations. In 2011-2012, the department also continued its participation in the Simplifying Assessment Across the University Pilot Program.

Describes the Political Science Department's assessment activities for the academic year 2009-2010. ; The Political Science Department's annual assessment report to the College for the Office of Academic Assessment. The report details assessment focused on the critical thinking SLO and an examination of the extent to which their students are developing analytical skills as they progress through the major. As part of this, the report details the department's activities in revising their SLOs to ensure that they are still relevant to the individual classes. The report also deals with the department's participation in the Simplifying Assessment Across the University Pilot Program which asks departments to assess signature assignments from gateway and capstone courses.

Describes the Department of Political Science's assessment activities for academic year 2014-2015 ; The Political Science Department 2014-15 annual assessment report to the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences for the Office of Academic Assessment. The department applied results of past assessments and analysis ("closed the loop") to curriculum review and revision, as well as collected final writing assignments from ten upper-division classes for future assessment of program SLO #2 (Develop a Global Perspective). The EAS was used to collect student work, but response rates were "low" (33%) due to "technical difficulties many students experienced when trying to submit their papers" and the voluntary nature of the assignment. Program modifications and new course proposals were discussed to address identified student weakness in critical thinking and substantive knowledge in the Major, and preparations for future revision of both graduate and undergraduate program SLO's (to be continued in 2015-16) were begun.

Describes the Political Science Department's Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) assessment activities for the academic year 2013-2014. ; The Political Science (B.A.) annual assessment report to the College for the Office of Academic Assessment. The department directly assessed SLOs 1 and 3 (communication and active citizenship) through a random cross-sectional sampling of 15 student essays from five courses over the year, evaluated by a committee of five faculty members. The department also undertook to ???close the loop??? on prior assessment findings by drafting a proposal to update its undergraduate program through the restructuring of its course sequencing and the addition of a new Introduction to Political Science offering, which would serve as a gateway course. Assessment of SLO 1 reveals improvement in written communication between non-capstone and capstone (proseminar) courses; but assessment of SLO 3 (active citizenship: a content knowledge category) shows no improvement in the capstone courses???a finding that is consistent with past assessment results revealing similar weakness in other SLO content areas, and which supports the decision to modify the structure of the program. Lower scores in content knowledge in the senior capstone courses, when compared to student performance in the non-senior seminars, are especially noted, along with a plan to complete the undergraduate program revision in AY 2014-15.