Johnson State College External Degree Program. PSY-4010-JY01 Biological Psychology Syllabus Summer 2015

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1 Instructor: Laura Gannon-Murakami, Ph.D. Johnson State College External Degree Program PSY-4010-JY01 Biological Psychology Syllabus Summer 2015 Dates: May 18 to August 16 Location: Online using Moodle ( ADA Statement: Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact JSC s Learning Specialist in Academic Services, as soon as possible to ensure that accommodations, if needed, are implemented in a timely fashion. Please call or [email protected]. Academic Honesty: (from JSC Catalog) Students are expected to conform to the highest standards of academic honesty in all of their academic work at Johnson State College. Academic dishonesty in any form is prohibited and unacceptable. Acts of dishonesty for which a student may be disciplined include, but are not limited to, receiving or providing unauthorized assistance on an examination and plagiarizing the work of others in writing assignments. The American Heritage Dictionary defines plagiarism in the following way: To steal or use (the ideas or writings of another) as one s own. Students are responsible for knowing what specific acts constitute plagiarism; if students are uncertain as to whether a particular act constitutes plagiarism, they should consult with their instructors before turning in assigned work. Texts: Texts are available through the JSC bookstore. Call or go to The brain is truly fascinating! Our memories, emotions, thoughts and sensations are all only firing of neurons. This semester we will explore the complexities of the brain and its role in emotions, drugs, sex, eating, learning communicating and sleep. We will also learn about neurology, and the biopsychology of schizophrenia, affective disorders, anxiety, autism, ADHD and stress. We will be doing a variety of fun activities including discussions, labs, assignments, presentations and activities.

2 Essential Objectives: The successful student will be able to: 1. Understand the biology of behavior. 2. Explain the relationship of experience, genetics and evolution in determining behavior. 3. Describe the anatomy and physiology of the nervous system including the brain. 4. Understand the neurobiology of sleep, sex and eating. 5. Describe the development of the nervous system. 6. Explain neuroplasticity. 7. Understand the process of learning and memory. 8. Understand the biopsychology of neurological diseases and disorders such as schizophrenia, affective disorder, autism, ADHD, stress and anxiety. Class Policies: Attendance: You are expected to check in to the class every week and post to the discussion. If you miss more than three week s discussions, you will FAIL the class. Lectures: You are responsible to study all materials covered in the lecture even if it is not in the assigned readings. Late Assignments: There will be a 10% reduction in grade for late work. Netiquette Textbook : Readings: The term "Netiquette" refers to the etiquette guidelines for electronic communications, such as and discussion forum postings. Netiquette covers not only rules to maintain civility in discussions, but also special guidelines unique to the electronic nature of forum messages. Carlson, Neil, (2014), Foundations of Behavioral Neuroscience, 9/E; ISBN-10: All readings listed in the weekly schedule are required.

3 Assessments: Activities: Discussions: We will be doing a variety of interesting activities and assignments that will help you understand biopsychology. Discussions are one of the best things about online classes. It is a chance for you to learn about a particular topic and to be the class expert in that area. It is also a great chance to learn from each other. In order to receive credit you will need to check into the discussion folder several times each week. It is expected that you contribute at least one initial posting and respond to at least two other postings and answer any questions in your forum. You will be graded on the depth of your posting, the number of responses to other posts and the answers to questions posted in your forum. New discussion folders will be opened at the start of each week. You will have until Thursday to do the initial posting and Sunday to respond to other postings. If you do not post or respond, you will receive a 0 for that week. You cannot go back and post once the week has ended. Quizzes: There will be six multiple choice quizzes on the reading and lecture material. One part will be an open book multiple choice quiz in which you will have to answer 30 questions in 60 min. There will be six essay quizzes which will be short answer or essay. This is also open book and not timed. Grading: Number Points each Total points Assignments points Discussions points Quizzes/Essays points Quizzes/Multiple Choice points Total 830 point

4 Grading Scale: Grade Level A 93+ C A C B D B D B D C F < 60 Please see next page for Weekly Schedule.

5 Weekly Schedule Week Topic Chapter Quiz 1 Origins of Behavioral Neuroscience 1 2 Structure and Function of Cells in the Nervous System Structure of the Nervous System 3 4 Psychopharmacology Reproductive Behavior 9 6 Ingestive Behavior 11 7 Sleep Emotion 10 9 Learning and Memory Human Communication Neurological Disorders Schizophrenia, Affective and Anxiety Disorders Autistic, Attention-Deficit, and Stress 16 6