Spring semester 2014 Course Syllabus PSY101E INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY Contact Details for Professor Tel: 0494197055 GSM: 0494197055 (only in emergencies) E-mail: nele.jacobs@faresa.be Office hours and location: TBA Course Description An introductory survey of the methods and findings of modern scientific psychology. The following topics will be covered: history and methodology (research methods), biological psychology, sensation and perception, consciousness, learning and memory, motivation and emotion, verbal and cognitive processes, developmental psychology, social psychology, individual differences (intelligence and personality), and clinical psychology. Theory will be supported by demos, class experiments, exercises and film fragments. Brief outline: Chapter 1: Mind, Behavior, and Psychological Science Chapter 2: Biopsychology, Neuroscience, and Human Nature Chapter 3: Sensation and Perception Chapter 4: Learning and Human Nature Chapter 5: Memory Chapter 6: Thinking and Human Intelligence Chapter 7: Development over the Lifespan Chapter 8: States of Consciousness Chapter 9: Motivation and Emotion Chapter 10: Personality: Theories of the Whole Person Chapter 11: Social Psychology Chapter 12: Psychological Disorders Chapter 13: Therapies for Psychological Disorders Chapter 14: Stress, Health, and Well-Being
Learning Objectives After this course, you should be able to: Compare and contrast different theoretical approaches to the study of psychology Understand psychology as a science, including research design and methodology Have gained insight into core concepts and existing domains within psychology Understand how language, motivation, and cognition influence behavior; and the processes involved in human and animal learning Discover how we develop as individual human beings, with unique capacities and differences in a social context Critically analyze journal articles, and interpret the findings Be able to reflect critically about psychology as a scientific discipline Course Materials Textbook: Zimbardo, P., G., Johnson, R., L. G., McCann Hamilton, V. 2011. Psychology: Core Concepts, 7 th Edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN-13: 9780205183463 Additional documents (if any) will be handed out in class and/or posted on Pointcarré. Students are responsible for reading and understanding assigned portions of the textbook. Difficulties encountered should be brought to the attention of the instructor. Students are expected to be able to relate their reading to material presented in class. Classes may include lectures, demonstrations, films, DVD s, etc., and may be used to present material not contained in the textbook. No attempt will be made to cover all the assigned readings in class time. Course Assessment The students will be evaluated on the basis of their performance as follows: Participation/attendance 1 5% Assignment A 2 15% 1 The grade on in-class participation is computed by counting the number of classes attended out of the total, expressing this as a percentage, and converting the percentage to a letter grade using the table below. A student who arrived in class late or who was poorly prepared (for instance, by not having done the requested readings), or who was mentally absent in class, loses one-third of the participation and preparedness mark for that class. For example, a student who attended 10 out of 12 classes (83%) and was always well-prepared (on time etc.) will obtain a A-. A student who attended 10 out of 12 classes, but was late three times, will get a mark of 9/12 and will obtain a B. If you cannot attend class for a valid reason, let me or the College administration know before class starts. Excused absences will be counted as being present. Doctor s notes should be handed in at the reception desk; the receptionist will inform all your professors. 2 General rules applying to all written work
Midterm examination 20% Assignment B 2 20% Final examination 40% TOTAL 100% This class includes 2 written assignments and two exams. Assignments and the exams will cover material from both the textbook and class lectures. For the assignments A and B the student has to elaborate on two different (!) topics from this course (chapter 1-14) in a written essay (minimum 3 pages - maximum 4 pages, font type Arial, font size 11, one line spacing) wherein he or she makes use of minimum 3 additional articles to show his/her understanding of the chapter and connects it to recent literature (using A1 journals only!). In assignment A, the student has to add a paragraph on the implications of the research results for daily life or (clinical) practice. Additionally to this paragraph on implications for daily life, assignment B needs to contain a suggestion for future research based on his/her own readings. In order to pass this course, a grade of at least 50% must be achieved based on the average grade for all tests and the exam (combined). When turning in written work, please note that: only PAPER versions (NO electronic versions) are accepted and these papers have to be handed out to the instructor after or before class time. Only documents in a binder are accepted.
Grading Scale of Vesalius College Vesalius College grading policy, in line with the Flemish Educational norms, is now as stated follows: Letter grade Scale of 20 Scale of 100 A 17.0-20.0 85-100 A- 16.1-16.9 81-84 B+ 15.3-16.0 77-80 B 14.5-15.2 73-76 B- 13.7-14.4 69-72 C+ 13.1-13.6 66-68 C 12.3-13.0 62-65 C- 11.5-12.2 58-61 D+ 10.7-11.4 54-57 D 10.0-10.6 50-53 F 0-9.9 0-49 Further description of assessment activities and Grading Criteria The following criteria will be applied in assessing your written work: Evidence of understanding of the concepts, theories and ideas developed in the course. The selection of additional A1 articles to elaborate on the topic and the integration of information from different sources For assignment A, the implication paragraph is considered to be very important For assignment B, both the implication paragraph as the paragraph on future research are very important for the final grade of the assignment Additional Course Policies 1. Late papers are penalized unless there are serious legitimate reasons such as illness or serious personal crisis. Provision of a signed medical note is required, and notice must be given prior to the deadline. The following penalization applies when papers are turned in late without any serious legitimate reason: minus 1.5 grade point (out of 20) per day turned in late. Written work through discussion questions gives you the opportunity to see whether you can apply what you have learned. For this reason you should do it on your own. Written work that is the result of collusion is systematically graded as F. Evidence of this misconduct is brought before the Student Conduct Committee (see catalogue for the rules). If you have any questions or want to discuss topics covered in the assignments, contact the instructor (yet, not the day before the due date!)
2. Desirable Behaviors include reading assignments prior to class, showing curiosity, asking questions, legible hand-writing, on-target self-disclosure, giving feedback about how classes are going. 3. Acceptable Behaviors include leaving class early for good reason (stated in advance to the instructor), taking a bathroom break without permission, unobtrusive on-task discussions. 4. Unacceptable Behaviors include (a) with respect to course requirements -- missing assessments without notice, (b) with respect to courtesy/politeness -- late arrival for class, sleeping in class, private conversations in class, disrespect for others opinions, doing work for other courses during class, engaging in behaviors/activities unrelated to the course (e.g., on a laptop computer, cell phone, smart phone, tablet) during class, packing up before instructor is finished. Academic Honesty Statement Academic dishonesty is NOT tolerated in this course. Academic honesty is not only an ethical issue but also the foundation of scholarship. Cheating and plagiarism are therefore serious breaches of academic integrity. Following the College policy, cheating and plagiarism cases will be communicated in writing to the Associate Dean for Students and submitted to the Student Conduct Committee for disciplinary action. If you refer to someone else s work, appropriate references and citations must be provided. Grammar, spelling and punctuation count, so use the tools necessary to correct before handing in assignments. Course Schedule TIMING CHAPTER COURSE ASSESSMENT WEEK 1 Introductory course Mind, Behavior, and Psychological Science WEEK 2 Biopsychology, Neuroscience, and Human Nature WEEK 3 Sensation and Perception WEEK 4 Learning and Human Nature Deadline ASSIGNMENT A WEEK 5 Memory, Thinking and Human Intelligence WEEK 6 Development over the Lifespan MID-TERM EXAMINATION WEEK 7 States of Consciousness WEEK 8 Motivation and Emotion WEEK 9 Personality: Theories of the Deadline ASSIGNMENT B Whole Person WEEK 10 Social Psychology
SPRING RECESS WEEK 11 Psychological Disorders Therapies for Psychological Disorders WEEK 12 Stress, Health, and Well-Being FINAL EXAM