INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology 10809198–0009 Spring 2013
INSTRUCTOR: Quincey L. Daniels, Ph.D.
Email: danielsq@westerntc.edu
Office: Coleman Bldg Rm 116
Office hours: By Appointment
Phone: (608) 451-1224
CLASS MEETINGS: Tuesday 9:10-11:10
Location Coleman Room 133A
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Psychology is the scientific examination of behavior and mental processes. The extent of psychology is extraordinarily broad, covering both human and animal behavior, and ranging from the physiological activity of neurons and hormones, to the maze-running abilities of lab rats, to the effects of emotions on how we think and act towards others, to the influence of social contexts and cultures on our own behavior. This course will provide you with an extensive introduction to the vast and exciting field. It will cover psychology’s basic subject matter across a variety of topics (e.g., development, learning, memory, abnormal behavior, social influence), psychologists’ approaches to collecting and evaluating evidence about behavior, as well as how psychological knowledge can be applied to understanding – and improving – everyday life.
Also, as psychology is all about human behavior, it is useful for ANY career or field that involves understanding and interacting with humans, including anthropology, biology, business administration, education, family & consumer studies, journalism, literature, medicine, nursing, political science, sociology, and communications.
CLASS MATERIALS
REQUIRED: Textbook: Matering the World of Psychology (4th ed.) by Samuel E. Wood & Ellen Green Wood and Denise Boyd (ISBN# 10: 0-205-00331-1). It is considered one of the best general psychology text around, it is engaging, easy to follow, and has many useful features such as end-of-chapter reviews, “test yourself” questions, and key terms. It is not the most comprehensive text, but what is included is absolutely essential – the core of intro psych – the student is responsible for all the assigned material from the textbook.
CLASS SESSIONS
PURPOSE: The purpose of the lectures will be to explore in depth the most significant concepts and issues in psychology, and use examples, demonstrations, and “instant polls” to illustrate key ideas. Many of the lectures will present new material or go beyond what is presented in the textbook. You will be responsible for material from both lecture and the text on the exams, so it is essential to attend to both if you want to do well in this course.
ATTENDANCE: Class attendance the instructor expects students to attend class. Material will be covered in class that is not in the textbook, and this material will show up on the exams – so if you miss class, you’ll miss important material, as well as any special announcements, changes to the course outline, and opportunities for in-class participation points. If you have to miss a class, you must notify the instructor if possible in advance.
POLL PARTICIPATION. Thanks to an online Poll “where you can text your responses to”, you can be heard! Each lecture will have opportunities for in-class participation – via demonstrations, instant polls, or “check your knowledge” questions.
ETIQUETTE: The instructor will do as much as possible to ensure each class is completed by the designated schedule, but assistance is needed to do this. Please arrive to class on time, if not a few minutes early. Most important announcements will be indicated at the beginning of class, if you arrive late you may miss them. Please set all cell phones to vibrate, pagers or anything else that may disrupt or delay class. If you need to leave a lecture early, please sit in an aisle seat in the back of the room. If you believe that you can’t go during our designated class period without texting or disrupting class, do not come to class. Goes without saying, do not hold conversations during lecture – either with fellow students or on the phone.
GRADING
Course grades will be based on the total number of points that you accumulate on four exams, and the total number of research points that you accumulate. There will be total of 1000 points maximum that a student can earn, broken down into the following components:
Exam Grades: 400 points (4 exams x 100 points each)
Final Exam: 200 Points
Student experiments and analysis : 200 points
Class Participation: 100 Points
Written Assignments: 100 Points
Total Course Points – 1000
Therefore, the grading scale will be as follows:
A: 940-1000 C+: 770-799 D- : 600-639
A-: 900-939 C: 740-769 F: Under 600 points
B+: 870-899 C-: 700-739
B: 840-869 D+: 670-699
B-: 800-839 D: 640-669
Any final averages over .5 of a point will be rounded to the next higher point.
EXAMS
4 REGULAR EXAMS. Exams will cover information from the assigned readings and information presented in class. Because lectures will often contain information that is not covered in the reading, it is important to attend class. The exams will consist of multiple-choice questions, and will not be cumulative… that is, they will only cover material since the last exam.
FINAL. The optional final will be CUMULATIVE – it will cover material from the entire semester. If students have earned the points necessary to earn an A, students do not have to tke the final exam.
MAKE UP POLICY:
To be fair to everyone in the class, all students should take exams at the same time. Makeup exams will not be given except under extreme circumstances such as a verifiable, documented medical reason or for another documented circumstance out of a student’s control.
A make-up exam will only be given if (1) the student notifies the instructor prior to the exam and has a documented written excuse, and (2) the instructor accepts the excuse. See the instructor IN PERSON prior to an exam, or as soon as humanly possible afterwards. The instructor reserves the right to accept or reject the excuse. Again, to be fair to all students, make-up exams should not be identical to the regularly-scheduled exam. Make-up exams may be in essay or oral format. It is strongly recommended that you do not miss an exam if at all possible.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
You will receive 4 writing assignments throughout the semester. The purpose of the writing assignment is to help you incorporate and apply what we’re discussing in class, and what you’ve read in the text (which will, in turn, help you study for your exams). In a typical assignment, you might be asked to define and describe certain terms (e.g., behaviorism) in your own words, and then to discuss examples of behaviorism in daily life. Each writing assignment will be graded on a 0-25 point scale.
Maximum points will be awarded for an outstanding answer that comprehensively addresses the question(s) and is written in a clear, understandable, grammatically correct manner (yes, writing counts!). 20 Points will be awarded for a good answer, but whose comprehensiveness or writing style is not stellar. 15 Points will be awarded for an average answer.
10 points will be awarded for an answer that attempts to address the question, although not completely, or has poor a poor writing style, some grammatical and/or typographical errors. 5 points will be awarded for an answer that attempts to address the question, but has significant writing/grammatical/typographical problems. No points will be awarded for an answer that does not focus on the question or for an answer with poor writing and typographical errors.
Please observe the following when writing your assignment: 1) One inch margins
all around; 2) single spaced; 3) 12 point Times Roman font; 4) No less than 1.75 pages in length and no more than 2 pages in length; 5) List your name and class number in the header on the right of the page; and 6) That your assignment is turned in on time. Writing assignments are due in class one week from when they are assigned (which will be announced both in class and on the Announcements section of Blackboard). Assignments that are not turned in on time will not receive any credit.
A Few Words About Attendance
This course is designed as a knowledge laboratory that provides the student with “hands-on” experiences directly applicable to teaching. Important learning occurs during each meeting of every class as we focus on modeling and use approaches to fully engage students in the educational experience. The goal is to have the student maximize his / her own learning and maximize the learning of others by offering ideas, contemplative inquiry, germane resources and engaging in respectful exchanges and active listening. It is expected that students to attend every class session on time, conclude assigned readings and contribute in all course group activities. Over the semester activities will be done individually and in groups.
Students are expected to attend all the classroom sessions on time. If you are more than 10 minutes late, please wait until the first break to enter the class as to not disturb the learning community. The primary learning experience for this course will take place in the classroom, through both lecture and discussion. At times during the semester we will be out of the classroom and experiencing different cultures. Much of the material for the exams will be drawn from the classroom sessions and will not be available from any other source. When the class meets, students are expected to devote their full attention to the session.
You are allowed 3 absences without impacting your grade.
4 absences - 75 points from your total grade
5 absences - 125 points off of your total grade
6 absences - student no longer has access to the course
A NOTE ABOUT EMAIL
I welcome email to danielsq@westerntc.edu. However, to ensure a useful response, make sure of the following:
1. Include “INTRO TO PSYCH” in the SUBJECT LINE, followed by the topic of your question. No subject or an irrelevant-seeming subject means it will probably get tagged as spam and I won’t ever see it.
2. You are in no hurry for a response. Typically I will respond within 1 day, but in some cases it may take longer (out of town, weekend, etc).
3. The response will be brief. If you have a question that is broad or complex, please ask it in person in office hours or after class.
4. Include your first & last name. It’s hard to respond if I don’t know who I’m responding to.
SUPPLEMENTAL INSTRUCTION
Developing a Study Group is suggested for students who want to improve their understanding of the material taught in this course. Study sessions should be led by a student who has already mastered the course material and has been trained to facilitate group sessions where students can meet to compare class notes, review and discuss important concepts, develop strategies for studying, and prepare for exams. Attendance at SI sessions is voluntary and students should try to attend as many times as they choose. SI sessions normally are recommended to begin the second week of classes and continue throughout the semester. A session schedule will be announced in class and an updated schedule will also be posted on the blackboard site.
OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: University policy requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Disability Services. (contact 608.785.9875) or visit http://www.westerntc.edu/services/disability.asp for more information on registration procedures.
A WORD ON ACADEMIC DISHONESTY: Don’t cheat, don’t plagiarize in this course. Western Technical College is very clear on their policy against these forms of academic dishonesty, and the penalties can include suspension or expulsion College Policy on Academic Dishonesty.
What is academic dishonesty?
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, plagiarizing; cheating on tests or examinations; turning in counterfeit reports, tests, and papers; stealing tests or other academic material; knowingly falsifying academic records or documents of the institution; accessing a student’s confidential academic records without authorization; disclosing confidential academic information without authorization; and turning in the same work to more than one class without informing the instructors involved.
Student expectations.
Each student is expected to engage in all academic pursuits in a manner that is above reproach. Students are expected to maintain complete honesty and integrity in the academic experiences both in and out of the classroom. Any student found in violation of academic dishonesty, including, but not limited to the following, will be subject to disciplinary action (as per the guidelines of the Western Technical College Student Code of Conduct):
A. Cheating on an examination or the preparation of academic work. Any student who engages in any of the following shall be deemed to have engaged in cheating:1. Copying from another student’s test paper, laboratory report, other report, or computer files, data, listings, and/or programs;
2. Using, during a test, materials, or electronic devices not authorized by the instructor;
3. Collaborating with or aiding another person, without authorization, during an examination or in preparing academic work;
4. Knowingly and without authorization, using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, soliciting, copying or possessing in whole or in part, the contents of an unadministered examination;
5. Substituting for another student, or permitting another student to substitute for oneself in taking an examination or preparing academic work;
6. Bribing another person to obtain an unadministered examination or information about an unadministered examination;
7. Attempting to bribe any faculty/staff or student to alter a grade.
B. Plagiarizing or appropriating another’s work or idea without properly acknowledging incorporation of that work or idea without properly acknowledging incorporation of that work or idea into one’s own work. For example, “quotation marks should be used to indicate the exact words of another” as stated in the fifth edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. In addition, sources should be cited when paraphrasing or summarizing.
C. Unauthorized reuse of work or the turning in of the same work to more than one class without informing the instructors involved.
D. Any forgery, alteration, or misuse of academic documents, forms or records, in hard copy or electronic format.
E. Attempts to unauthorized individuals or organizations to access student records without the expressed written consent of the student. Examples of violations include, but are not limited to the following:
1. Illegally accessing information from student or faculty files (electronic or paper)
2. Misrepresenting oneself to obtain another student’s transcript, semester grades or class registration
3. Using a student’s ID number without his/her expressed written permission to
gain access to other university services.
Adapted from the University of Central Oklahoma Academic Dishonesty Policy.
Reference: WWTC Policy EO700
Student Code of Conduct
Western Technical College provides education and training to the residents of the Western District. As a learning organization, Western Technical College monitors student conduct and encourages positive behaviors in support of a positive teaching and learning environment. In the classroom and in all aspects of college life, our goal is to provide the best opportunity for student success for all. The College will take action to prevent and stop any negative behavior that inhibits learning as a result of:
1. Physical or verbal abuse of any person.
2. Disruption of the normal operation of the College.
3. Endangerment of the health, safety or rights of any person.
4. Theft or damage to College property or property of any person on campus.
5. Unauthorized entry or use of a College facility.
6. Use, possession, or distribution of drugs, firearms, explosives, dangerous
chemicals, etc. or illegal use of alcohol.
7. Academic dishonesty such as plagiarism or cheating.
8. Unethical or immoral use of technology in the District.26
Should violations of the Student Code of Conduct arise, a hearing procedure will be followed in accordance with the College disciplinary guidelines and/or the Nonacademic Suspension or Dismissal Procedure. Action taken may range from referral for counseling support in situations where students need support services to suspension from the College in situations where serious violations arise. In keeping with the mission of the College, any action taken will reflect an opportunity for the student to learn conduct that is more conducive to a positive learning environment.
TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE
(see course calendar)
This is a tentative schedule. Sometimes topics may change, some don’t fit neatly in to 1 class session, so things may get moved around a bit. The student will be kept informed of changes.
DATE – TOPIC - READINGS
(special note the instructor reserves the right to make changes to the syllabus to increase student learning outcomes as needed.)
Change 1 Dated 1 Feb 2013 Webpage assignment (mandatory activity) Information provided on Blackboard - An (I) incomplete will be provided until assignment is turned in.
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