Introduction to Psychology Psychology 1101 University of West Georgia

Transcription

1 Introduction to Psychology Psychology 1101 University of West Georgia Instructor: Emaline Friedman Department of Psychology / University of West Georgia Office: TBA / efriedma@westga.edu Office Hours: TBA Course Description: Welcome to your very first psychology class! This course is designed to give you a fast-paced introduction to the young discipline of psychology. We will take up multiple different perspectives on psychological life in order to appreciate the historical development of the field and its current status, both in research and clinical practice. We will explore concepts that pertain to human development, mind, perception, social life, culture, personality, and psychopathology. Needless to say, we will be very busy. Further, we will encounter many recurring questions posed by psychologists from various traditions. What is a human being? How can we study her or him? What are the causes of how we feel, think, and live? How do we interact with our environments? Our textbook, selected articles and class discussions will help us to consider these questions throughout the semester. And, by approaching a wide range of topics, perspectives, and figures in psychology, we will develop an appreciation for the applications and development of psychological knowledge in the world. Course Objectives: Each student should, upon completion of this course Have a basic understanding of the subject matter, vocabulary, and concepts of the discipline. Understand the processes of testing and studying people and life enacted by psychologists. Start thinking deeply about human life, our relationships with others and with our environments, and the way we go about living in the social world. Be equipped to subject various views of human psychological life to scrutiny and weigh the value of different types of evidence for these views. Be able to form critical opinions about the conclusions drawn from psychological theories and research (become a critical consumer of psychological theories and pseudo-theories floating around out there!) Make learning personal, or, dare to think about your own views on psychological topics in relation to the ones we learn about in class Course Readings

2 There will be one required texts for this course, which are available inexpensively at the bookstore, as well as through Amazon.com and similar websites. I may periodically assign articles based on class interest to be accessed through D2L. If you have any problem accessing D2L, please contact the University s Information Technology Services (ITS). Text: The Psychology Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained by Dorling Kindersley Publishing Staff ISBN- 10: or ISBN-13: Class Assignments: Quizzes There will be four quizzes over the course of the semester. These quizzes together comprise a large portion of your total grade in the class. Quizzes will consist of short-answer and multiple choice questions. You will be given sufficient notice as to when these quizzes will occur, and preparatory material if necessary. In-class Presentation Each student will be expected to present, in a small group, a thoughtful, summary-style presentation of one of the topics we will cover for the week. These presentations should serve as jumping off points for more detailed discussions we will have during class. More information and scheduling will take place on the first day of class, as these presentations will begin immediately. Take-home Final Your take-home final will be the one major writing assignment of this class. It will be comprised of three short essays which I will expect to include at least three cited sources and should reflect the psychological themes which have intrigued you the most up to this point of class. A paper copy of your final should be turned in to me at the beginning of class on the day of the final, Monday, December 8 th. More details will come as we approach the end of the semester. Class Attendance and Participation Class attendance will be absolutely crucial to your ability to succeed in grasping the material and expressing that grasp in assignments and examinations. I expect that you show up ready to engage critically with the material. This is a course that will take its direction largely from class discussion, thus drawing from material that may not always show up explicitly in our required texts. So, I will take attendance daily! Your rate of attendance and participation will factor into your final grade, whose breakdown is below. Grading: Quiz 1 = 25 points Quiz 2 = 25 points Quiz 3 = 25 points

3 Quiz 4 = 25 points In-class Presentation = 50 points Final Exam = 100 points Attendance and Participation = 50 points 300 points possible Class Policies and Regulations MISSING A TEST, CLASS, OR ASSIGNMENT DUE DATE As already emphasized, class attendance is mandatory. However, if you are unable to attend a class you do not need to inform me. It is your responsibility to find out from a classmate what you have missed and to catch up accordingly. The only instance in which you will need to make advanced arrangements is missing an examination or assignment due date. No make-up exams will be given without evidence of a verifiable emergency. If you do have an emergency, you will be given a substantially different exam to be made up within a week of the original test date. This same week-long window applies to late assignments. Late assignments will be penalized with a full letter grade reduction for every late day. After one academic week, both late work and missed examinations will receive no credit. If you miss your final exam, and prior arrangements have not been made, you may receive a grade of F on that exam or paper and this may affect your final grade in the class. If you miss your exam due to an emergency, please contact the Psychology office at (678) or go to Melson Room 123 as soon as possible to complete the application: Missed Final Exam: Verification of Emergency. This form will need to be approved by the chair for an incomplete grade which may allow you the time to make up your exam or complete your final assignments. This application will require documentation and authorization from you to verify your emergency. PLAGIARISM As you probably know very well, plagiarism is highly unacceptable. All written work which you turn in as your own should give due credit to any intellectual material which is not yours. This includes not only direct quotations, but ideas as well. I urge you to air on the side of caution, and not to take this consideration lightly. Please see the honor code in the student handbook, or come ask me personally if you have any doubts about proper citation. If any plagiarized work is turned in as your own, or if you are caught cheating in any way, the assignment in question will receive zero credit and you will be subject to disciplinary action by the University. ACCEPTANCE AND OPENNESS This class will provide an environment of open exchange, through attitudes which evoke respect and willingness to receive the ideas and thoughts of others. To maintain this environment, I require that we adopt non-prejudicial or discriminative ways of expressing ourselves. This may not be how you behave outside of class that s fine. I ask that you strive to make your fellow students feel accepted through your active participation and the way you listen.

4 ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABILITIES Arrangements and accommodations will be made for any student with disabilities. Please come and make these arrangements with me as soon as possible. If you have a learning disability, please be prepared to show documentation. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Students, please carefully review the following information at this link It contains important material pertaining to your rights and responsibilities in this class. Because these statements are updated as federal, state, university, and accreditation standards change, you should review the information each semester. Tentative Course Schedule: All readings are listed by the key figures they highlight and organized by theme, in accordance with our class book. This reading schedule is a rough indicator of when these themes should be studied at home. I will always note the exact sections that will be covered in the next class. August 25 Introduction and Themes of Psychology September 1 Labor Day Holiday, no class! 8 - Philosophical Roots and Early History of Psychology readings: Descartes (20), Kierkegaard (26), Galton (28), Wundt (32), James (38) 15 Philosophical Roots and Early History of Psychology Cont d readings: Pavlov (60), Thorndike (62), Skinner (78), Lorenz (77), Lashley (76) 22 Psychoanalysis readings: Janet (54), Charcot (30), Kraepelin (31), Freud (92), Adler (100), Jung (102), Klein (108), Winnicott (118), Lacan (122) 29 Psychoanalysis Cont d October 6 - Humanistic Psychology readings: Fromm (124), Rogers (130), Maslow (138), Frankl (140), May (141), [anti-psychiatry] Laing (150), Rosenhan (328)

5 13 - Humanistic Psychology Cont d 20 - Cognitive Psychology readings: [learning/attention/motivation] Kohler (160), Bruner (164), Broadbent (178) [cbt emotion] Beck (174), Salkovskis (212), Ellis (142), Watzlawick (149) Ekman (196) [intelligence] Binet (50) Guilford (304), Cattell (314) [memory] Tulving (186) Bower (194), Loftus (202), Schacter (208), Brown (237) Miller (168) 27 - Class cancelled November 3 Social Psychology readings: [social constructionism] Lewin* (218) Goffman (228), Moscovici (238), [social attitudes and behaviors] Zajonc (230) Lerner (242), Aronson (244), Festinger (166), Asch (224), Milgram (246), Zimbardo (254) [prejudice/cross-culturalism] Spence (236), Maccoby (284), Clark (282), Martin-Baro (256) [personality psychology] Allport (306), Mischel (326) Eysenck (316) 10 Social Psychology Cont d 17 Developmental Psychology readings: [developmental models] Piaget (262), Vygotsky (270), Erikson (272), Dolto (279) [attachment] Bowlby (274), Harlow (278), Ainsworth (280) Bettelheim (271) [social learning & morality] Bandura (286), Kohlberg (292) 24 Thanksgiving Holiday, no class! December 1 Developmental Psychology Cont d Final Exam Day (Monday, Dec. 8, 5:00-7:30 pm)