Brazosport College Syllabus for PSYC 2301 General Psychology

Transcription

1 Brazosport College Syllabus for PSYC 2301 General Psychology Instructor: Cassandra D. Gonzalez Office Hours: Monday-Thursday 1:00-2:00 pm Office Phone: Other times by appointment Office Location: B.226 Mobile Phone (call or text): (preferred): Note: Federal policy requires that all official communication between the students and the instructor be conducted through the students accounts. COURSE DESCRIPTION (From the Brazosport College Catalog) An introductory course dealing with the elementary principles of human behavior. Designed especially for those students majoring in the social or biological sciences, in pre-medicine, or in education. PREREQUISITES (From the Brazosport College Catalog) Required skill level: College-level reading and writing COURSE GOALS General goals for this course include: 1.) Define psychology and its goals. 2.) Establish perceptions and where they come from. 3.) Establish a basic history and foundations of major perspectives in psychology. 4.) Introduce biological, psychological, and cognitive behaviors/principles/processes/disorders 5.) Interactive participation/learning regarding behavior and behavior modification. 6.) Establish a basic foundation in physiological and mental principles of the body. 7.) Relate and apply the above objectives to real-life situations and dilemma. REQUIRED TEXTBOOK Psychology: A Concise Introduction by Richard A. Griggs Third Edition 2012 Worth Publishers ISBN-10: ISBN-13: Book companion site: STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES Students are expected to fully participate in this course. The following criteria are intended to assist students in being successful in this course: 1. understand the syllabus requirements 2. use appropriate time management skills 3. communicate with the instructor 4. complete course work on time, and 5. utilize online components (such as Desire2Learn) as required

2 COURSE STRUCTURE This course will be presented in a team-based learning format. Students will form teams of approximately 5-7 students at the beginning of the course, and these teams will remain in place throughout the semester. Students will be expected to participate regularly and contribute to team discussions, assignments, and quizzes. All students will also receive grades from their peers for their contributions. Additionally, students are responsible for reading all appropriate chapters and completing assignments before the material is discussed in class, in most cases. It is important that students stay ahead and keep track of all assignments and deadlines. For more information regarding assignments and grading, see Course Requirements. COURSE REQUIREMENTS Exams (40%): There will be three major exams, each covering 3-4 chapters and making up a third of the exam total. Exams will contain approximately questions, which may be a combination of multiple choice, true/false, and/or short answer items, covering information from both lecture and the textbook. Students will need to read the textbook thoroughly to answer all exam questions accurately. No make-up exams will be given, as students will have the option of taking the cumulative final to replace one exam grade. Final Exam (Optional): The optional final exam will be cumulative, including information from both lecture and the textbook for the entire course. The final exam score may be used to replace the lowest regular exam grade. Individual Chapter Quizzes (15%): There will be ten chapter quizzes (one per chapter) to be completed via Desire2Learn (visit to access Desire2Learn). Each quiz will have ten multiple-choice questions, which must be completed in less than 20 minutes. Students must pay special attention to quiz instructions as once an assessment has begun, all questions must be answered in the order they are presented and within the time allotted. Quizzes must be completed by the posted deadline in order to receive credit. It is the students responsibility to keep track of these quizzes and deadlines. No make-up quizzes will be allowed. Team Chapter Quizzes (15%): Each of the ten chapter quizzes (one per chapter) will also be completed in teams using IF-AT (Immediate Feedback Assessment Technique) forms. It is important that students complete the appropriate chapter readings and individual chapter quizzes before each class. When completing team quizzes, students should discuss each question in teams and decide on one team answer to scratch off for each question. Immediate feedback will be available. If the team members select an incorrect response, they may attempt the question again for partial credit. More information about scoring will be discussed in class. Only those students present on the day the quiz is administered will receive credit for the quiz. No make-up quizzes will be allowed. Individual Assignments (10%): There will be five assignments (one introductory assignment, three chapter-based assignments, and one final assignment) to be completed via Desire2Learn. These may be in the form of Dropbox assignments and/or group discussions. Assignments must be completed by the posted deadline in order to receive credit. All documents must be uploaded in either.doc,.docx, or.pdf format in order to be graded. Any assignments unable to be opened from within the Desire2Learn system will receive a grade of zero. It is the students responsibility to keep track of these assignments and deadlines. No make-up assignments will be allowed.

3 Team Assignments (15%): There will be ten assignments (one per chapter) that will be completed in teams. Questions on team assignments may be a combination of multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill in the blank and/or short answer items. Students will be expected to discuss each question with other teammates and agree upon a team answer for submission. Only those team members present on the day the assignment is completed will receive credit for the assignment. No make-up assignments will be allowed. Peer Review including participation and attendance (5%): All team members will grade each student on his/her participation and contribution to team assignments and team quizzes throughout the semester. Peer review grades will be collected twice: once halfway through the course and once at the end of the course. More detailed information regarding peer review grades will be distributed in class at the time of grading. Extra Credit (up to 5 extra points): Extra credit may be available from time to time in the form of extra, unannounced quizzes or assignments. Points earned can be a combination of any of the available extra credit opportunities, with a maximum of 5 points for each student. Points will be added to final course grade. Extra credit opportunities are not guaranteed, and there will be no form of make-up extra credit. GRADING POLICY Grades will be assigned according to the following scale: A % B % C % D % F % MAKE-UP POLICY Absolutely no make-ups will be accepted for any assignment, quiz, exam, or extra credit opportunity missed by any student. Students have the option of replacing a missed exam grade with the cumulative final. Additionally, students may have the opportunity to earn extra credit points throughout the semester to help offset any missed assignments. ACADEMIC HONESTY Brazosport College assumes that students eligible to perform on the college level are familiar with the ordinary rules governing proper conduct including academic honesty. The principle of academic honesty is that all work presented by you is yours alone. Academic dishonesty including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, and collusion shall be treated appropriately. Please refer to the Brazosport College Student Guide for more information. This is available online at Click on the CATALOGS AND SCHEDULES link under STUDENTS. Academic dishonesty violates both the policies of this course and the Student Code of Conduct. In this class, any occurrence of academic dishonesty will be referred to the Dean of Student Services for prompt adjudication, and will, at a minimum, result in a grade of zero on the assignment or assessment in question. Sanctions may be imposed beyond your grade in this course by the Dean of Student Services.

4 ATTENDANCE AND WITHDRAWAL POLICIES Students are expected to attend every class session and are responsible for all information presented in class, whether in attendance or not. Attendance will be recorded by teammates, and random, unannounced extra credit opportunities may also available in class at the instructor s discretion. Only those students present on the day a team assignment or quiz is administered will receive credit. For extra credit opportunities, points will only be available to those students in attendance at the time the opportunity is presented in class. Therefore, attending every class session is strongly encouraged. The instructor will not initiate any administrative withdrawals, regardless of student attendance/progress. It is the students responsibility to initiate any drops/withdrawals if they feel it is in their best interests. Students are responsible for knowing the withdrawal date and procedures. No grade changes will be issued once final grades are submitted to the Registrar. STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES Brazosport College is committed to providing equal education opportunities to every student. Brazosport College offers services for individuals with special needs and capabilities including counseling, tutoring, equipment, and software to assist students with special needs. Please contact the Special Populations Counselor, , for further information. OTHER STUDENT SERVICES INFORMATION Information about the Library is available at or by calling For assistance with online courses, an open computer lab, online and make-up testing, audio/visual services, and study skills, visit Learning Services next to the Library, call , or visit For drop-in math tutoring, the writing center, supplemental instruction and other tutoring including e- tutoring, visit the Student Success Center, call , or visit To contact the Psychology Department (Division of Social Sciences and Business), call The Student Services Offices provide assistance in the following: Counseling and Advising Financial Aid Student Life To reach the Information Technology Department for computer, , or other technical assistance call the Helpdesk at or helpdesk@brazosport.edu.

5 TENTATIVE* EXAM DATES AND TOPICS Thursday, 7/10: Monday, 7/14: Tuesday, 7/15: Wednesday, 7/16: Thursday, 7/17: Syllabus, Introduction, Chapter 1: The Science of Psychology (Lecture) Introductory Assignment Due Chapter 1: The Science of Psychology (lecture) Team Assignment Chapter 1 Individual Quiz Due, Team Quiz Chapter 2: Neuroscience (lecture) Chapter 2 Individual Quiz Due, Team Quiz, and Team Assignment Chapter 3: Sensation and Perception (lecture) Chapter 3 Individual Quiz Due, Team Quiz, and Team Assignment, Review Monday, 7/21: Exam 1 (Ch 1-3), Chapter 4: Learning (lecture) Tuesday, 7/22: Chapter 4: Learning (lecture) Team Assignment Wednesday, 7/23: Thursday, 7/24: Monday, 7/28: Tuesday, 7/29: Chapter 4: Learning (lecture) Individual Quiz Due and Team Quiz, Chapter 5: Memory (lecture) Chapter 5: Memory (lecture) Individual Quiz Due, Team Quiz, and Team Assignment Chapter 6: Thinking and Intelligence (lecture) Chapter 6 Individual Quiz Due, Team Quiz, and Team Assignment, Review Wednesday, 7/30: Exam 2 (Ch 4-6) Thursday, 7/31: Chapter 7: Developmental Psychology (lecture) Monday, 8/4: Tuesday, 8/5: Wednesday, 8/6: Thursday, 8/7: Monday, 8/11: Tuesday, 8/12: Chapter 7: Developmental Psychology (lecture) Chapter 8: Personality Theories and Assessment (lecture) Chapter 8: Personality Theories and Assessment (lecture) Chapter 9: Social Psychology (lecture) Chapter 9: Social Psychology (lecture) Chapter 10: Abnormal Psychology (lecture) Chapter 10: Abnormal Psychology Individual Quiz Due, Team Quiz, and Team Assignment Review Wednesday, 8/13: Exam 3 (Ch 7-10) Final Assignment Due Wednesday, 8/13: Final Exam (all topics optional) to be completed online by 11:59 pm *Topics and dates are subject to change. Any changes to exam topics and/or dates will be announced in class, at least two days in advance.