Length: 4 pages, typed, double spaced, 1 margins, 12 pt font

Assignment:
the third essay for this course requires you to write an analysis of Philip Zimbardo’s Stanford Prison Experiment that also incorporates one other text (or film) that we have studied so far this semester. The primary goal of this assignment is for you to develop a critical perspective on Zimbardo’s essay that utilizes an outside source to help you develop your argument.

As we have been discussing in class, an analysis need not be a complete take-down of the text at hand, and on the other end of the spectrum, it also need not be a full-scale showering of praise on the text. Instead, a good analysis engages specific aspects of the text in order to make a point about what you believe are the important issues in the text. Think of your outside source as a way to help you articulate and reflect on the big picture €“ the larger issues and questions surrounding Zimbardo’s study (for example, the nature of evil, or the relation between individual identity and role-playing, or the complex nature of authority and obedience, etc). A good analysis will always address one or several of these larger issues.

Use this big picture issue (which should be addressed by your thesis statement) as an organizational/structural principle for your essay. In other words, every point you make in the body of your paper should connect to an develop what you are arguing in your thesis statement about the big picture. Your second source, whatever you choose, must play a central role in helping you elaborate argument, and must be mentioned in your thesis statement.

Format:
This must be a well-structured essay with an introduction and a conclusion, and with an argumentative and detailed thesis statement at the end of your introduction and at the start of your conclusion.

Set the stage by introducing the main ideas or concerns that you will be discussing in the body of the essay. Make sure to introduce both texts in your introductory paragraph, as well as what you will be saying about them. Your thesis statement, coming at the end of your introduction, should clearly and specifically lay out the original point you will be making.

Begin your first body paragraph with a short summary of Zimbardo’s experiment. From here, transition to your critique of Zimbardo. The summary must not be longer than a page. Your priority in this essay is critique, and your critique should be structured according to the needs of the argument that you are making. This means that there is no set format for how you bring in your second source, as long as you incorporate it in a way that sharpens and develops your argument. Do not spend more than three sentences summarizing your second source, should you choose to summarize it at all.

For this assignment, you will analyze a case and discuss the characteristics of the disorder. The facilitator will assign you one of the two cases to analyze.
You can choose any one.
Analyze your assigned case in a 300-word analysis and If you refer to research information, cite sources applying APA standards. Apply the most current DSM criteria.
Jerome’s Case

Jerome is a 28-year-old African American male who lives alone in an apartment. He tells everyone he meets that he is a rapper and a male model. He has business cards for each vocation. He has never recorded a song nor held any modeling job. He has worked in a series of entry-level jobs to pay his bills. He usually gets fired for failing to show up to work. He claims he has modeling gigs or is recording when, in fact, he is not.
Much of Jerome’s spare time is spent at the gym and in nightclubs. He has had a series of failed relationships with women that typically end when they confront him about his supposed fame. He has a great deal of difficulty in considering their needs or interests and becomes upset or even abusive if he is not the focus of the conversation.
The closest Jerome got to a singing audition was when he traveled to a nearby city to audition for American Idol. He performed for the judges and was quickly told to stop. When confronted with negative feedback he screamed that they had no idea about music and that he was already a star. He became so unruly that security had to escort him out.
Jerome has had several arrests for fights in nightclubs. He tells the police on each occasion that the other guy started it because “he is jealous of my fame.” Jerome has never been in treatment nor taken any medications. When asked if he has any problems, Jerome reports, “Not me—just waiting for the world to bow down at my feet!”

Alice’s Case
Alice is a 52-year-old Caucasian who was brought to the emergency room by the police in a disheveled and disoriented state. Her clothing was dirty, and she smelled of alcohol. Currently, she is homeless and stays on the streets or in a shelter. When interviewed,
Alice appeared guarded. She answered questions only minimally and her answers made little sense. She is concerned that the police “stole her baby.” The police officer who brought her in later provided a child’s baby doll that Alice says is her child. Alice takes the doll with her at all times and cares for it as if it were a real child. There is no evidence that Alice has ever been pregnant. Alice has a long history of psychiatric hospitalizations and has been on psychotropic medications. When on medications, her thought and speech eventually become clearer. She does not like the medications—she says that they make her tired and gain weight. Alice has some sores on her feet that she has not taken care of, and they appear infected.