Drop Policy: A course drop grade will be assigned in accord with UTA policy (see current catalog).

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1 Course: Psychology 1315 Spring 2011, Section 004 Meeting place and time: Instructor: Office & Telephone: Office Hours: Department website: Life Sciences Bldg Room 122; Tu & Th 9:30AM 10:50AM Linda Perrotti, Ph.D. 511, Life Sciences Bldg. x21202 Tu & Th 8:30AM- 9:30AM Before you me, be sure to read this syllabus. As a general rule: I do not reply to student s when the answer to their question can easily be found by reading the course syllabus. Required Textbook: "Psychology around us" by Ron Comer and Elizabeth Gould, 1st edition Wiley ISBN , 2011 Note: this textbook is REQUIRED meaning that you will need to read and study from it in order to pass this course. Course Business communication: The use of Blackboard is required in this course. Occasional syllabus updates and course announcements will be communicated via Blackboard. Quiz and course grades are posted on Blackboard only. Go to and login with your usual UTA Net ID and password. If you are unfamiliar with how to work within this system contact the Help Desk in the Central Library. You must bring a photo ID with you. You can also them for assistance: helpdesk@uta.edu. Course Description: The course is a general survey of the various areas of psychology and is intended to provide a scientific basis for understanding thoughts, emotions, and behavior. The course is designed to interest and meet the needs of both majors and non-majors. Course Learning Goals and Objectives: Instructional goals are directed toward enabling students to recognize and recall basic facts and describe major concepts and terminology in all fields of psychology. Instructional materials will be provided in assigned textbook, study guide and lecture presentations. Assessment of mastery of these goals will be via exams with questions that focus on each of the above knowledge skills. Attendance: Attendance is technically not mandatory. However, students do not do well in this course unless they are present, but I have no attendance requirement. Students who miss a class meeting(s) due to absence, or portions of a class or classes due to tardiness or early departure will still be held accountable for all of the material that is covered during those sessions. Drop Policy: A course drop grade will be assigned in accord with UTA policy (see current catalog). Assessments: There will be four (4) exams and 10 quizzes. These will cover lectures, videos and assigned textbook readings. Exams will be taken in class. Students arriving after the scheduled class start time, on an exam date, are not allowed to take the exam after the first completed exam is turned in. Quizzes are optional (extra credit) and will be taken on Blackboard. You must complete all quizzes by the due dates. All due dates are listed in the course schedule, which is located at the end of this syllabus.

2 Protocol for Exam Day: Bring with you 2 General Purpose Scantron Answer Sheets from no. 4521, two number 2 pencils an eraser and your university administered id (MAV ID). Desks must remain clear except for your university administered ID, no baseball caps are to be worn, cell phones, are to be TURNED OFF. Use a cover sheet to cover your test answers. The only identifying information you may write and bubble in on your scantron is the following: Your name: last followed by first Your Mav ID number (one thousand number, ex ) Missed Exams & Quizzes: Makeup exam requests will be approved only when appropriate documentation is provided that indicates compelling circumstances prevented a student from taking a scheduled exam ( Examples of such circumstances include funeral attendance, religious holidays, and illness. No information should be provided in a makeup exam request that is private or confidential in nature. A note from a friend or family member is not acceptable documentation. A request for a makeup exam must be made in writing within three days of the missed exam. There will not be any occasion to make up the quizzes as they serve as an extra credit opportunity. Any and ALL makeup exams will be taken on Thursday May 5 th from 9:30-10:50AM in LS 122. There will be no opportunity to make-up a makeup exam. Research Participation Requirement: The Psychology Department requires that all students taking Introduction to Psychology complete a 6-credit research requirement. This consists of participating in experiments conducted by Department Faculty and their Research Assistants. These experiments are approved by the UT Arlington Human Research Review Committee. A typical 30-minute experiment is worth 0.5-credit. The purpose of the requirement is to give you first-hand knowledge of psychological experimentation. In lieu of participating in experiments, you may choose to write reviews of current research articles. Each review is worth 1-credit. You will not be graded on your performance in an experiment or on your reviews. FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE REQUIREMENT WILL RESULT IN AN INCOMPLETE FOR THE CLASS. You will then need to complete your requirement during the next semester or the incomplete will turn into an F. For additional information about this requirement, please go to and click on Participant Pool Information (in the Links section) to receive a copy of the latest Psychology Pool Handout. More details will be provided in an orientation session and in an information handout. Points are not added to the course grade for completion of the research participation requirement.

3 The Final Course Grade: The final course grade will be based on the mean of the three highest out of the four exam grades. Points earned from weekly quizzes (up to a maximum of 10) will be added to the lowest of the three exam scores that comprise the student s final grade. If you miss an exam and do not have an University approved excuse for doing so this will be the grade that is dropped from the final average. Grading Format, Weighting/Point Value of Assignments, and Examinations: The grade for each exam will be the % correct of exam questions. The minimum points for a letter grade are (A=90-, B= 80, C=70, D= 60, and F= below 60). All exams are of equal weight. Rounding will be applied only for the calculation of the course grade. This will consist of raising a decimal fraction of 0.5 or greater to 1. For example, a course grade of 79.5 will be rounded to 80 for a course letter grade of B. A course grade of 79.4 will not be rounded and will yield a course grade of C. This grading policy is not flexible under any circumstances. No consideration for special circumstances will be given. The numbers will dictate the grade. Borderline Grades Stay Borderline: Every semester some people score just below the borderline of the next highest grade. I have great sympathy for people who find themselves in that position, but I have also found that raising those grades simply uncovers more people whose grades are near the new borderline. This situation makes everybody edgy. Therefore, the policy must be that borderline grades stay borderline. The Figure below is representative screenshot of what you will see at the end of the semester when you log in to your Blackboard account. Rows depict student, scores for Exams 1, 2, 3, cumulative Final Exam and Extra Credit points. Note that in the example below, the score for Exam 1 was dropped from the calculation of the Final Grade. The student s Extra Credit points were then added to the score of the Final Exam (which, since Exam 1 was dropped, is now the lowest of the remaining exams calculated into the final grade). Because the student in the example took full advantage of all of the extra credit opportunities (weekly quizzes and all four exams) he has earned a grade of A. If he had not done so, he would have earned a grade of B. Final Review Week: A period of five class days prior to the first day of final examinations in the long sessions shall be designated as Final Review Week. The purpose of this week is to allow students sufficient time to prepare for final examinations. During this week, there shall be no scheduled activities such as required field trips or performances; and no instructor shall assign any themes,

4 research problems or exercises of similar scope that have a completion date during or following this week unless specified in the class syllabi. During Final Review Week, an instructor shall not give any examinations constituting 10% or more of the final grade, except makeup tests and laboratory exams. In addition, no instructor shall give any portion of the final examination during Final Review Week. Classes are held as scheduled during this week and lectures and presentations may be given. Course Evaluation: Student Feedback Survey forms provided by the University will be used for student course evaluation. Americans with Disabilities Act: The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans with Disabilities Act - (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens. As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels. Academic Dishonesty: It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts." (Regents' Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2, Subdivision 3.22). Additional Course Policies: 1. Do not or call if you will miss (or have missed) a quiz. There is no mechanism for making up these quizzes, as mentioned earlier in this syllabus 2. Do not , call or visit asking to be bumped up to the next letter grade. 3. Please take advantage of extra credit opportunities. 4. Do not using poor communication form. is a formal channel of communication. Therefore, you are expected to identify yourself, to use proper capitalization, spelling, and punctuation. Do not use «text language» or associated abbreviations. 5. Outside of my office hours, do not drop in without an appointment. This is common courtesy. 6. Do not or call about anything that is already explained in the syllabus. 7. Any s in violation of these basic rules will be ignored or returned without a reply. 8. Adopt the following academic honor code: "I will not cheat and I will not tolerate those who do".

5 Tentative Schedule* Week Date Topics Reading & Assignments 1 Jan Science of Psychology Chapters 1 & 2 Sept 25 2 Jan Neuroscience Chapter 4 Feb 1 Feb 2 Census Date 3 Feb1-3 Development Chapter 3 Feb Feb Sensation and Perception Chapter 5 Feb 21 5 Feb 22 EXAM 1 6 Feb 24-Mar 1 Learning Chapter 7 Mar 3 7 Mar 3-Mar 10 Memory Chapter 8 Mar 10 March Spring Break 8 Mar Language and Thought Chapter 9 Mar 24 9 Mar Motivation Chapter 11 Mar 31 April 1 Last day to drop a class Apr 5 EXAM 2 11 Apr 7-12 Emotion Chapter 12 Apr Apr Personality Chapter 13 Apr Apr Social Behavior Chapter Apr Apr 26 Psychological Disorders and Treatments Chapter 16 April 28 EXAM 3 May 5 Make up Exam if applicable May 12 Cumulative Final Exam 8:00AM 10:30AM *Exam and lecture content dates are tentative and subject to shift according to the needs of an individual class.