PSYC 1315-001 Introduction to Psychology Summer I 2014 Instructors: E Mail: Maria Guarneri-White Lauren Coursey maria.guarneri@mavs.uta.edu lauren.coursey@mavs.uta.edu Office: Maria: LS 409 Lauren: LS 403 (Office) LS 527 (Lab Room) Office hours: Maria: Wednesday 2:00 3:00 or by appointment Lauren: Monday: 2:00 3:00 or by appointment Class time: MONDAY-THURSDAY 3:30 5:30 Class location: LS 100 Course Learning Goals and Objectives: The course offers a general survey of topics in psychology. Course topics cover theories and research dealing with individual behavior, memory, learning, development, psychological health, therapy, and social influences. Students will be evaluated on their understanding of basic psychological concepts and techniques with a focus on real-world applications. MATERIALS Textbook: The Science of Psychology Laura A. King 3 rd Edition, ISBN 978-0-07-803540-1 You do not need a Mypsychlab code or CPS response pad. You may purchase an actual textbook or an online version of the book, which can be found at www.coursesmart.com. Using older versions of the text is not recommended and is done at the student s own risk. Exams, class material, and class discussions will all come from the 3rd edition of the above stated text. Blackboard: The use of Blackboard is required in this course. Make it a habit to check Blackboard regularly. We will use this space to post grades, announcements, additional readings, updates to the syllabus, and any other relevant content. Course grades will be posted on Blackboard only. You must have a valid UTA user ID to access Blackboard. Quizzes will be administered on Blackboard!!! Blackboard website: https://elearn.uta.edu/webapps/login/
EXAMS Exams: There are a total of 4 tests, each consisting of 50 multiple-choice or true/false questions. Each test is worth 100 points (meaning each test question is worth 2 points). The exams will cover material from lectures, assignments, discussions, videos, presentations, and the corresponding readings in the textbook. Exams will be taken in-class on the dates posted below. Missed Exams: If an event arises that prevents a student from taking an exam/quiz, makeup exam requests must be made within five days of the missed exam. Requests will be approved only with University approved excuse and documentation. Examples include documented funeral attendance, religious holidays, and illness (See student handbook!!). A note from a friend or family member does not constitute appropriate documentation. Quizzes: There will be 10 quizzes/mini-assignments throughout the semester. Each quiz/assignment will be worth 10 points. All quizzes/assignments will be administered and submitted via Blackboard. If you fail to complete a quiz/assignment by the designated deadline you will receive a zero for that quiz/assignment. RESEARCH PARTICIPATION REQIREMENT Students enrolled in Psychology 1315 must complete the research participation requirements. Research participation is an experiential learning opportunity that enhances and deepens students understanding of and appreciation for the scientific study of psychology. Failure to meet this requirement will result in an Incomplete or failing grade. This requirement can be satisfied by participating in psychological research or by summarizing and evaluating published studies in journals or in other sources. More details are provided in an informational handout. This handout can be viewed on the Department of Psychology website https://www.uta.edu/psychology/ under Participant Pool Information and is also posted on Blackboard. Points are not added to the course grade for completion of this requirement. ATTENDANCE There is no attendance requirement for this course. Regular class attendance and participation are strongly encouraged. Not only will they improve your comprehension of relevant topics, but being prepared and participating are instrumental to making this class interesting and meaningful to you. While attendance is not mandatory, we will take attendance periodically to get to know you and for statistical purposes. We may also refer to attendance logs if, and when, you discuss your class progress with us. Students who miss a class for any reason or miss a portion of a class due to tardiness or early departure will still be held accountable for all of the material that is covered during those sessions, including material covered in lecture that is not in the book. GRADING POLICY 4 Exams 400 450 A 10 Quizzes 100 400-450 B Total 500 350-400 C 300-350 D 300 F If you are having difficulty with the class material, or believe you are doing poorly, please talk to us about your situation earlier rather than later. Do not wait until after the final to discuss your GPA, exam grades,
or if you have a dispute with a grade you were given. It is your responsibility to verify with us that the percentages that you think you ve earned are accurate. If you are near the border of a grade boundary (e.g., between a B and an A), this is especially important. We will not make grade changes based on your failure to verify percentages before the final grades are issued. We do not bump grades!! Do not ask to be bumped to the next letter grade up if you are near the letter grade boundary, especially if you have not taken advantage of extra credit opportunities. EXTRA CREDIT: Worth 15pts or 3%. Students may complete an optional extra credit assignment worth 15 points. To receive extra credit points, students must write a 4-page personal reaction paper in response to one of the pre-selected Psychology Classics articles posted on Blackboard. All papers must be submitted via Blackboard as a Word document attachment. Any plagiarism will result in an automatic zero for the extra credit assignment. No credit will be given for anything less than 4 pages (i.e., no partial credit). DROP POLICY Students may drop or swap (adding and dropping a class concurrently) classes through self-service in MyMav from the beginning of the registration period through the late registration period. After the late registration period, students must see their academic advisor to drop a class or withdraw. Undeclared students must see an advisor in the University Advising Center. Drops can continue through a point two-thirds of the way through the term or session. If you drop by the census date, no grade will be posted. If you drop by the final drop date, you receive a W. It is the student s responsibility to officially withdraw if they do not plan to attend after registering. Students will not be automatically dropped for non-attendance. Repayment of certain types of financial aid administered through the University may be required as a result of dropping classes or withdrawing. AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of all federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). All instructors at UT Arlington are required by law to provide reasonable accommodations to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Any student requiring an accommodation for this course must provide the instructor with official documentation in the form of a letter certified by the staff in the Office for Students with Disabilities, University Hall 102. Only those students who have officially documented a need for an accommodation will have their request honored. Information regarding diagnostic criteria and policies for obtaining disability-based academic accommodations can be found at www.uta.edu/disability or by calling the Office for Students with Disabilities at (817) 272-3364. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY All students enrolled in this course are expected to adhere to the UT Arlington Honor Code: I pledge, on my honor, to uphold UT Arlington s tradition of academic integrity, a tradition that values hard work and honest effort in the pursuit of academic excellence.
I promise that I will submit only work that I personally create or contribute to group collaborations, and I will appropriately reference any work from other sources. I will follow the highest standards of integrity and uphold the spirit of the Honor Code. STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES The University of Texas at Arlington provides a variety of resources and programs designed to help students develop academic skills, deal with personal situations, and better understand concepts and information related to their courses. These resources include tutoring, major-based learning centers, developmental education, advising and mentoring, personal counseling, and federally funded programs. For individualized referrals to resources for any reason, students may contact the Maverick Resource Hotline at (817) 272-6107 or visit www.uta.edu/resources for more information. Psychology Library Resource Contact: Andy Herzog, MLS, Reference and Instruction, Central Library RM 313. amherzog@uta.edu ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION E-mail: UT-Arlington provides all students with an official UT-Arlington e-mail address. We will only communicate with you via e-mail using your UT-Arlington e-mail account. Messages relevant to the class will be posted on Blackboard. Do not e-mail or call me to ask what materials will be or were missed in class. We strongly encourage you to get the e-mail and telephone number of at least one other person in class. Do not e-mail asking to be bumped up to the next letter grade. We have made allowances for borderline grades, and you have extra credit opportunities.
DATE Day IN-CLASS TOPIC Readings/Assn. JUN 02 M SYLLABUS/ What is Psychology? Ch. 1 JUN 03 T Psychology s Scientific Method Ch. 2 JUN 04 W Biological Foundations of Behavior Ch. 3 JUN 05 TH Biological Foundations of Behavior Ch. 3 JUN 09 M States of Consciousness Ch. 5 JUN 10 T Exam 1 Ch. 1-3, 5 JUN 11 W Learning Ch. 6 JUN 12 TH Memory Ch. 7 JUN 16 M Memory Ch. 7 JUN 17 T Thinking, Intelligence, and Language Ch. 8 JUN 18 W Exam 2 Ch. 6-8 JUN 19 TH Human Development Ch. 9 JUN 23 M Human Development Ch. 9 JUN 24 T Motivation and Emotion Ch. 10 JUN 25 W Personality Ch. 12 JUN 26 TH Personality Ch. 12 JUN 30 M Exam 3 Ch. 9, 10, 12 JUL 01 T Social Psychology Ch. 13 JUL 02 W Psychological Disorders Ch. 15 JUL 03 TH Therapies Ch. 16 JUL 07 M Exam 4 Ch. 13, 15, 16