How To Pass A Psychology Course

Transcription

1 Careers in Psychology PSY2023 Course Syllabus Instructor: John Rahael Office: Building 41 Phone: Cellular (954) Office Hours: TBA and By Appointment Course Description: This course will provide students with an overview of the discipline of psychology, including expectations for the psychology major, career options for students completing a bachelor s degree in psychology, and career options for students who pursue a graduate degree in psychology. It will also emphasize development of skills required for library research, writing in the style of the American Psychological Association, and understanding ethical and professional issues in the discipline of Psychology. Course Prerequisite/Corequisite: Students must be enrolled in or have completed PSY 2012 or an equivalent introductory Psychology course. Textbook:

2 1) Landrum, R. E., & Davis, S. F. (2004). The psychology major: Career options and strategies for success (3rd ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. 2) American Psychological Association (2005). Concise rules of APA style. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Recommended Reading: Kuther, T. L., and Morgan, R.D. (2006). Careers in Psychology: Opportunities in a Changing World. (2 nd ed). Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of the course, the student should be able to: 1) Demonstrate mastery of the course content through the recognition and application of the basic terminology of the broad discipline of Psychology and the concepts applicable to the academic preparation for a career in Psychology. Specifically, this will include the following: a. Describe and understand the requirements of the psychology major at UWF. b. Identify the specializations within the discipline of psychology. c. Describe the career options available to students who complete differing levels of training in psychology (BA, MA, Ph.D) d. Describe the importance of research for the discipline of psychology. e. Identify the skills and knowledge expected of successful applicants to graduate programs in psychology. 2) Demonstrate good critical thinking in selecting and accessing relevant psychological literature, and in developing effective learning strategies to implement in pursuing an academic program and career in Psychology. Specifically, this will include the following: a. Demonstrate skill in searching the psychological literature for information for a literature review paper. b. Identify effective strategies for learning new information and performing on tests. 3) Demonstrate effective communication through the use of clear professional language, correct use of the editorial style of the American Psychological Association (APA), and effective use of online technology in completing the assignments for the course. Specifically, this will include the following: a. Demonstrate skill in correctly using the editorial style of the American Psychological Association. b. Demonstrate skill in the effective use of internet technology to engage in online discussions with fellow classmates and the instructors for the course.

3 4) Demonstrate basic knowledge of the standards for professional and academic integrity as they are applied in the discipline of Psychology. Specifically, this will include the following: a. Identify and describe the ethical issues associated with scholarship (authorship, plagiarism) b. Identify and describe the ethical issues associated with the profession of psychology, including the ethics of research and the delivery of assessments, treatments, and interventions in psychology. 5) Demonstrate effective project management through independent and responsible selfmanagement and time-management in meeting the academic requirements of a fully online course. Academic Responsibility: I will assume that you are a responsible adult, capable of making independent decisions and that what you learn and the grade you earn in this class are in your hands. Being informed about and following the course schedule is your responsibility and you are expected to do this responsibly. You are expected to complete assigned readings, assignments, and quizzes by the posted deadlines. If a legitimate, unusual, and unavoidable circumstance prevents you from meeting a posted deadline, you must provide documentation of the circumstance and notify the instructor in advance to schedule an alternate deadline. Extension of a deadline is not automatic and must be discussed and approved, in advance, with the instructor. An online course requires considerable self-discipline and motivation for effective timemanagement in accessing course materials and meeting deadlines for assignments and quizzes. You are expected to complete all assigned readings before attempting any assignments or quizzes. You are well advised to do this well in advance of a posted deadline, to avoid poor quality work on assignments and quizzes. Your success in this course is entirely dependent on your commitment to fulfilling the requirements. Course Requirements and Grading: Modules: The course consists of approximately 13 modules to be completed throughout the term. Each module will contain the lesson information as well as the required reading. Since this course is a fully online course, it requires active learning on the part of the student. The student will be required to read and complete weekly assignments to facilitate learning. Weekly Assignments: Each module consists of more than one assignment. Assignments include quizzes, online discussions, and/or other written assignments. In order to pass the course, all assignments must be completed. Students must complete all assignments by the due dates. No late assignments will be accepted. Paper: In addition to the weekly assignments, student will write a very short paper (2 3 double spaced pages) in length using APA Writing Style. Students will choose a psychological

4 concept or theory and find at least 2 primary sources (articles from professional, scholarly reviewed scientific journals e.g., Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Social Psychology). Note, magazines (e.g., Time, Psychology Today, and Sports Illustrated), the internet, and newspapers do not count. In addition to describing the psychological concepts, the students should choose any job/career (hopefully one that you may want some day) and describe how the psychological concept relates to that job or how the job incumbent (employee) could use knowledge about the concept to succeed in the position. More details and examples regarding this paper will be provided during the term. Reminder, late papers will not be accepted. Annotated Bibliography: Halfway through the term, students will submit an annotated bibliography with two sources. An annotated bibliography includes the citations (APA Style) of the articles as well as brief summaries about the articles. While these two articles do not have to be the ones used in the term paper, it would be beneficial and time saving if the student utilized these in the paper as well. APA Writing Style: For all formal written assignments submitted in the Dropbox you are required to use APA writing style. Items you submit in the Discussion forum do not need to be in APA style. Module Grades: The course is composed of approximately 13 graded "modules", each of which has at least one, but usually more than one, module assignment or quiz. Each of the module assignments and quizzes will be graded on 0/1 scale. 0 = Failure to make a serious attempt to complete the module s assignment/quiz, by the posted deadline. 1 = Completion of the assignment/quiz by the posted deadline, at a level of satisfactory accuracy or quality. A grade of "0" for any module assignment or quiz is not acceptable and will result in a failing grade for that module. Each module must have a score of 1 to complete the module. Final Course Grade: Each module must be completed in order to successfully complete the course. Failure to complete any module will result in a failing grade for the course. The grade for the course will be either Satisfactory (S) or Unsatisfactory (U). To earn a grade of "S" for the course, the student must complete ALL modules in the course, as documented by log-in data and satisfactory completion of module assignments and quizzes. The student is responsible for accessing ALL components of the course content, being fully informed about ALL the requirements for the course, following the schedule for the course, and successfully completing ALL module assignments and quizzes by the posted deadlines. In particular, the student cannot simply ignore or "blow-off" an assignment or quiz, and expect to pass the course. Failure to complete ALL modules for the course at the minimally required level by the posted deadlines will result in a grade of "U" for the entire course.

5 Schedule: This course is a fully online course, consisting of approximately 13 modules. Each module will remain open for approximately 1 week (Friday to Friday). As a student in the course, you are responsible for setting your own schedule for accessing the course materials and meeting course requirements. This will require good self-discipline and motivation on your part to be diligent and responsible about accessing all of the components for each course module and for meeting all of the posted deadlines for the requirements of the course. Example Module Topics and Schedule (Will probably be revised slightly) 1. May Module 1: Introduction to this Course 2. May Module 2: Psychology as a Major 3. May 25-June 1 - Module 3: Psychology is a Science and Academic Careers 4. June Module 4: Careers By Degree 5. June Module 5: Careers by Sub-discipline 6. June Module 6: Careers by Sub-discipline (Annotated Bib. Due) 7. June Module 7: Graduate School in Psychology 8. June 29-July 6 - Module 8: Succeeding in Psychology Tips and Skills 9. July Module 9: Literary Research and Resources 10. July Module 10: Professional Writing 11. July Module 11:Job Hunt/Applying to Graduate School (Term Paper Due) 12. July 27 August 3 - Module 12: Ethics in Psychological Research 13. August Module 13 Students With Special Needs: Students with special needs who require specific examination-related or other course-related accommodations should contact Barbara Fitzpatrick, Director of Disabled Student Services (DSS), dss@uwf.edu, (850) DSS will provide the student with a letter for the instructor that will specify any recommended accommodations. Academic Integrity: Academic integrity is the foundation for achievement in higher education. It is my intent to promote the value of academic integrity in this course. To

6 assure an atmosphere conducive to learning that maintains the dignity of and respect for all parties involved, students will be expected to adhere to the university statement on expectations for academic conduct and classroom behavior, as published in the Student Handbook, beginning on p. 21 ( dbook.pdf). In particular, you will be expected to refrain from any behavior that disrupts or interferes with the class, and to refrain from any behavior or expression that might be deemed offensive by a member of the class. To support and promote academic integrity, a computer program called "Turnitin" will be used to determine if any portion of an assignment turned in for this course has been plagiarized. The database for this program includes the entire internet, papers that have been turned in for all other courses using Turnitin nationwide, papers that have been turned in for this course in previous years, and a vast collection of books, professional journals, and popular publications. Therefore, the Turnitin program will detect any portion of an assignment that has been plagiarized. Any instance of violating academic integrity (cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will result in an automatic grade of 0" for that test or assignment, as the minimum penalty and will be handled according to the procedures for Administration of Academic Misconduct in the UWF Student Conduct System, as published in the Student Handbook. Depending on the seriousness of the violation, that process may result in additional penalties such as a failing grade for the course, or even suspension or expulsion from the university. The outcome of the process will include a letter to the Dean of the College, and the Vice President for Student Affairs, documenting the academic misconduct. You are advised to take special care to preserve your academic integrity and not to jeopardize it by any form of academic misconduct. Academic misconduct is a very serious matter and will be dealt with as such, with no exceptions and no excuses.