Psychology 2301: General Psychology Blinn College, Spring 2011 Course Syllabus Section N4 Instructor: Barbara Corbisier, M.A., M.S. Office Hours: A238 T/TH 10-noon or by appt. Office Phone: 209-7314 email: barb.corbisier@blinn.edu COURSE DESCRIPTION: This is an introductory course presenting elementary principles of human behavior, development, and mental processes. Course material includes an overview of the basics of psychological research, biological bases of behavior, perception, learning, cognition, emotion, motivation, individual development, psychological disorders, methods of treatment, and an introduction to social psychology. Semester credits: Three. This is an online course using ecampus. Students are expected to keep up with distance education assignments throughout the week. Class activities will relate to both material in the book, as well as out of book content. Students who do not read the text, view the lecture content, and complete quizzes, assignments and discussions will not do well in this class. You should expect to have at least one assignment (if not more) due each week in class. If you will not be able to access a reliable internet connection consistently throughout the semester, you will have difficulty completing course assignments. To see if an online class is the best option for you as a student, all students are encouraged to complete the Readiness for Education at a Distance Indicator (READI) here. PREREQUISITES: There are no prerequisites. Good reading skills are required for success. CORE COURSE: This is a course in the 42 hour core of Blinn College. As such, students will develop proficiency in the appropriate intellectual competencies, exemplary educational objectives, and perspectives. For details see: www.blinn.edu/corecurriculum.htm. COURSE OBJECTIVES AND STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES: Those who successfully complete this course will be able to satisfy the following requirements: 1. Discuss the goals of psychology. 2. Assess the use of scientific method in psychology. 3. Distinguish the central features of major psychological theories.
4. Examine basic psychological terms and concepts. 5. Utilize key psychological terms and concepts in real life examples. 6. Characterize the work of leading contributors to the field of psychology. 7. Evaluate how psychological, biological, and social factors can affect behavior and mental processes. 8. Demonstrate the ability to use critical thinking skills to analyze research and reports of human behavior, 9. Assess real-life situations that may require professional psychological help and compare various treatment options. 10. Differentiate the various parts of the nervous system and summarize their role in behavior. This course will require students to use library and internet resources and become familiar with psychological research and review journals. It will also foster an ongoing awareness and critical appraisal of current research and applications in psychology. TEXTBOOKS, SUPPLIES, MATERIALS: 1. Psychology, 5th edition by Hockenbury & Hockenbury (one copy on reserve in library) 2. Student Study Guide for Hockenbury & Hockenbury (one copy on reserve in library) 3. Companion Website: http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/hockenbury5e/ (study aids) 4. Course website: http://www.blinn.edu/ Click on the ecampus link and sign in to access the site. ecampus is required for this class. Assignments, reviews, and lecture materials will only be available via ecampus. There is an orientation to using the program once you access the site. COURSE OUTLINE: We will cover the following topics: experimental design, neurology, development, sensation & perception, consciousness, learning, memory, language, intelligence, motivation & emotion, gender & sexuality, personality, social psychology, abnormal psychology, and clinical interventions. See the weekly calendar at the end for estimated dates. CIVILITY STATEMENT: Members of the Blinn College community, which includes faculty, staff and students, are expected to act honestly and responsibly in all aspects of campus life. Blinn College holds all members accountable for their actions and words. Therefore, all members should commit themselves to behave in a manner that recognizes personal respect, and demonstrates concern for the personal dignity, rights, and freedoms of every member of the College community, including respect for College property and the physical and intellectual property of others. CIVILITY NOTIFICATION STATEMENT:
If a student is asked to leave the classroom because of uncivil behavior, the student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the instructor: it is the student's responsibility to arrange for this conference. COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Reading: This class requires you to keep up with the readings; for the most part there is a chapter per week. Lectures and readings will complement each other. Do not fall into the trap of thinking if you look at the lecture files you don t have to do the readings, or vice-versa! Written assignments: There will be four opinion assignments (50 points each). There will be three short worksheets (100 points total). There will also be extra credit opportunities throughout the semester. All papers and discussion posts must be turned into ecampus by 11:55 p.m. on their due date. Late written assignments will be penalized 10% for every day late, up to 40%, i.e., if it s two days late, your points will be reduced by 20% for that assignment. Tests: First, the bad news. This course will have five tests throughout the semester. The first four tests will be worth 100 points (50 questions, 2 points each) and will cover ~3 chapters worth of material. The final will be 75 questions, 25 of which will be cumulative. Now, the good news: The lowest score of the first four tests will be dropped! Students will have 60 minutes to complete the first four tests, and 2 hours to complete the final. All exams and quizzes will be taken online and will be timed. There will be no makeup for missed exams and quizzes. Chapter Quizzes: There will be a chapter quiz for each chapter on ecampus. These quizzes will assess students' knowledge of book material. Students will be required to complete these quizzes each week. Quiz due dates for each chapter will be clearly posted on ecampus. Quizzes become available at 9:00 a.m. on the day they are assigned. Students will have 30 minutes to complete these quizzes. Each quiz is worth 15 points and the top 10 quiz scores will be kept. It is the responsibility of the student to keep track of quiz due dates. There are no-make ups for chapter quizzes. All quizzes will be due on ecampus by 11:55 p.m. on their due date. Class Discussions: Throughout the semester, there will be a series of class discussions. Students are responsible for keeping track of the discussion due dates and completing them on time. Discussion posts must be posted by 11:59 p.m. on their due date. Late participation assignments will be penalized 10% for every day late, up to 40%. CALENDAR FOR MAJOR ASSIGNMENTS AND EXAMS: See the chart at the end of the syllabus. CRITERIA FOR GRADING:
Please note that I will calculate your grade based on total points, not on percentages. Class discussions: 100 points possible Written assignments: 200 points possible Worksheets: 100 points possible 1 st 4 tests: 300 points possible (lowest grade dropped) Quizzes: 100 points possible Final: 150 points possible A B C D F 855-950 points 760-854 points 665-759 points 570-664 points 569 points or lower Late written assignments will be penalized 10% for every day late, up to a maximum of 40%, i.e., you turn in something two days late, you ll get 20% fewer points than if you had turned it in on time. Extra Credit: If you ask me a question related to psychology and I don t know the answer, you can earn up to five points per question by looking up the answer and sharing it with me and your fellow students. More points will be given for scholarly research articles that answer the question, and fewer points for an answer that comes from a random website. If you find a particularly good video clip or online demo for a psychological concept, send me the link and you ll get extra credit if I haven t seen it before. Other opportunities for extra credit will be announced during the semester. BLINN COLLEGE POLICIES: Class Attendance: The College District believes that class attendance is essential for student success; therefore, students are required to promptly and regularly attend all their classes. Each class meeting builds the foundation for subsequent class meetings. Without full participation and regular class attendance, students shall find themselves at a severe disadvantage for achieving success in college. Class participation shall constitute at least ten percent of the final course grade. It is the responsibility of each faculty member, in consultation with the division chair, to determine how participation is achieved in his or her class. Faculty will require students to regularly attend class and will keep a record of attendance from the first day of class and/or the first day the student s name appears on the roster through final examinations. If a student has one week s worth of unexcused absences during the semester, he/she will be sent an e-mail by the College requiring the student to contact his/her instructor and schedule a conference immediately to discuss his/her attendance issues. Should the student accumulate two weeks worth of unexcused absences, he/she will be administratively withdrawn from class.
There are four forms of excused absences recognized by the institution: 1. Observation of religious holy days. 2. Representing the College District at an official institutional function. 3. A high school student representing the independent school district at an official institutional function. 4. Military service. Other absences may be excused at the discretion of the faculty member, with proper documentation. Students who arrive to class after attendance has been taken are responsible for requesting their instructor mark them present. If a student chooses to drop the course, it is the student s responsibility to do so at the Office of Admissions and Records. If done by the "W" date, the student will get a W. After that day, the student will get a grade of WF, unless the instructor specifies a WP in writing to the Office of Admissions and Records. Failure to drop may result in a grade of F for the course. Absences in this class are counted as follows: This is a distance education course and, as such, students are expected to work diligently at course material throughout the semester. Assignments will be posted continually in this course and it is the students' responsibility to keep up with course material via ecampus. Once a student has been inactive for one week in an internet course, meaning no assignments completed within that time [the equivalent of two absences], his/her name will be submitted to the college. Once the student has reached two weeks of inactivity, the student will be removed from the course. Please note, it is NOT enough to just log in to class, substantive work must be completed or submitted for you to be counted as attending class. You have a Blinn student e-mail account that will be used for all official Blinn correspondence, including attendance notices. Information is at http://www.blinn.edu/acadtech/studentemail/. Be sure to regularly check this account. ALL COMMUNCIATIONS REGARDING THIS CLASS WILL BE CONDUCTED VIA ecampus OR BLINN E-MAIL. Make Up Examinations A student who misses a major or final examination may ask his/her instructor for permission to make up the examination. If a student is absent while officially representing Blinn College or excused on the basis of a religious holy day, he/she will be permitted to make up the examination. The major examination must be made up within two weeks after he/she returns to class or at the discretion of the instructor. Final examinations must be made up within a reasonable time to allow the instructor to submit the final grade(s) on the day and time defined by the Admissions and Records Office. If a student cannot complete
the final examination in that time frame, an Incomplete (I) may be considered: consult further the Incomplete Policy. Short tests may or may not be made up, depending upon the instructor s discretion. It is the student s responsibility to contact the instructor regarding missed exams in a timely manner. Students with Disabilities Reasonable accommodations will be made for documented disabilities. Students must present documentation as soon as possible for the instructor to arrange accommodation. Information regarding procedures for documenting disabilities can be obtained from the Counseling Office. OTHER POLICIES: No food and drinks in the classroom. Appropriate dress is required. Cellular phones and pagers must be turned off before entering the classroom. Blinn College does not tolerate cheating, plagiarism, or collusion. Procedures for dealing with these acts are outlined in the Scholastic Dishonesty Policy in the Student Handbook. OTHER ESSENTIAL INFORMATION:
All dates subject to change; announcements will be made in class and on the website. Week Dates Topic Reading 1 Jan. 18-21 Overview & Chapter 1 Jan. 21-last day to register 1 st opinion assign. Worksheet 1 Research Methods 2 Jan. 24-28 Neuroscience Chapter 2 Worksheet 2 3 Jan. 31-Feb. 4 Sensation & Chapter 3 4 TEST 1 THIS WEEK Perception Feb. 7-11 Consciousness Chapter 4 TEST 1: Over chapters 1, 2, & 3 opens at 9 am, Feb.11 and closes at 11:55 pm Feb. 13 5 Feb. 14-18 Learning Chapter 5 Worksheet 3 6 Feb. 21-25 Memory Chapter 6 7 TEST 2 THIS WEEK 2 nd opinion assign. Feb. 28-Mar. 4 Thinking, Language, & Intelligence Chapter 7 TEST 2: Over chapters 4, 5, & 6 opens at 9 am, Mar. 4 and closes at 11:55 pm Mar. 6 8 Mar. 7-11 Motivation & Emotion Chapter 8 SPRING BREAK Mar. 14-18 WOO HOO YAY 9 Mar. 21-25 Development Chapter 9 3 rd opinion assign. 10 TEST 3 THIS WEEK Mar. 28-Apr. 1 Gender & Sexuality Chapter 10 TEST 3: over chapters 7, 8, & 9 opens at 9 am Apr. 1 and closes at 11:55 pm Apr. 3 11 Apr. 4-8 Personality Chapter 11 12 4 th opinion assign. Apr. 15-last day to drop with a W TEST 4 THIS WEEK Apr. 11-15 Social Chapter 12 TEST 4: over chapters 10, 11, & 12 opens at 9 am Apr. 15 and closes at 11:55 pm Apr. 17
21 Apr. 18-22 Stress Chapter 13 14 Apr. 25-29 Abnormal Chapter 14 15 May 2-4 Clinical Chapter 15 FINAL Chapters 13, 14, & 15 + cumulative Opens at 9 am May 7 Closes 11:55 pm May 10