You likely are taking this course because you are interested in pursuing work in the field of psychology. As you move through your degree program, there will be a culminating project, your capstone, where you will explore a topic of interest in great depth through a thorough exploration of the research. This assignment will allow you to begin to think about your areas of interest.

Your task this week is to prepare a letter of interest for an organization of interest to you, (or one where you would enjoy working) and to develop a brief description of a potential research topic in an area of psychology.

Assume you are applying to work in a field of research.

1. Identify a community organization, business, organization, public agency, or research institution of interest to you in in the field, one in which you are interested in potentially working.

2. Prepare a statement of interest in which you address the following points:

• Why are you interested in psychology and in the particular area of interest represented by this organization?
• How do you see yourself contributing to the field of psychology?

Identify and describe a topic of interest to you in the field of psychology and a potential area of research focus within that topic that might be of interest to the organization where you would be interested in working.

To complete the assignment, you have two options:

Option 1 - Schedule a phone call or Skype session with your instructor during the first week of the class. During that session, share your thoughts, ideas, and dreams with her or him. Then, write up a summary of your discussion and submit it below. Unless you have obtained permission to submit written responses, be sure to contact your professor in a timely manner to schedule a time to complete assignment 1 prior to the Sunday due date.

Option 2 - If a phone call or Skype session (the preferred option) is not possible (e.g., scheduling conflicts, etc.), a second option for completion of the assignment for this week is to write your responses to the areas outlined above, and then submit them below.

Using your NCU account, send your instructor an email that notifies her or him about which option you have chosen to complete this assignment. If there are issues with your NCU e-mail account, contact tech support to resolve them so that you can send this notification to your instructor.

The format for this assignment should be double-spaced. Be sure the tone is professional.

Length: 1-2 pages

Your paper should demonstrate thoughtful consideration of the ideas and concepts presented in the course by providing new thoughts and insights relating directly to the topic. Your response should reflect scholarly writing and current APA standards. Be careful to adhere to Northcentral's Academic Integrity Policy.