Introduction to Psychology 100 On-Campus Fall 2014 Syllabus

Introduction to Psychology 100 On-Campus Fall 2014 Syllabus Contact Information Professor: Dr. Deborah Maher Office: C&L (Classrooms and Labs) 119 Office phone #: (714) 432-0202, x21190 (best to email me) Office hours: M-W, 2:30-3:30 Online Office hour: Monday 9:00pm to 10:00pm Email: dmaher@occ.cccd.edu Website: http://occonline.occ.cccd.edu/online/dmaher Contact phone for Science Hall: (714) 432-5845 Contact Protocol YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO ACCESS THE BLACKBOARD COURSE UNTIL THE FIRST DAY OF CLASSES. To log into Blackboard go to: https://occ.blackboard.com/webapps/login/. Please bookmark or shortcut it for future reference. Your Blackboard login is the same userid and password that you use for MyOCC. You can also log in from MyOCC but you will need to close the MyOCC window as it will log you out of Bb if it remains open. Once you log in, a Blackboard window for the course will open. If you need to email me, I prefer that you email me from within Blackboard. To email me from within Blackboard: click on the Email course tool on the left hand side of the page and a window will open up with Send Email at the top. To email me, click on "All Instructor Users". Type in your subject and message in the box that opens up and hit Submit. It will send the email to MyOCC email below. To check for responses from me just go to your MyOCC student email account. All Blackboard email is set to external email. That means when anyone emails from within Blackboard it will go directly to their occ student email. You can also email me at my general email address directly from your occ student account or from your personal email account. When emailing me at dmaher@occ.cccd.edu, please make sure you include your first and last name, your student ID#, your class and time (e.g. - Psych 200, 12:45 pm) and your question. I do have other Psych classes and I won t know who you are if you email me from outside o Blackboard and your email address is egyptianhunk2000. 1

Progress Grades I do not fill out progress reports in class now that you can get the information on Blackboard. Do not email me for a progress report as FERPA does not allow us to email grades because it is not secure. To get a progress report go to the Blackboard class and print up your grade from My Grades and staple it to your Progress Report form. It does not need to be signed by me as My Grades is secure. Course Description This course is an introduction to the scientific study of human mental processes and human behavior. The following topics will be explored: history of psychology, research methods in psychology, physiology of the nervous system, sensation and perception, states of consciousness, learning and memory, intelligence, thought, language, human development, motivation, emotion, human sexuality, health and stress, personality theories, abnormal disorders, and therapies. Student Learning Outcomes 1. Demonstrate how the techniques and strategies presented in class can be used to develop effective life skills. 2. Differentiate among various concepts, theories, and perspectives used in psychology. 3. Demonstrate the ability to comprehend research used to study mental processes and behavior conducted in psychology. Textbook/Workbook Package Psychology, Exploring Our Universe Within PKG (package). Includes: Psychology, Exploring Our Universe Within textbook, updated 4E, 2013 by Alexander and Yakel, Pearson Custom Publishing, and Student Workbook for Psychology, Exploring Our Universe Within, 3E by Deborah Maher, Pearson Custom Publishing ISBN: 9781269594974 *Note: You must have both the textbook and the workbook! They are both needed for the homework and the exams. Make sure you get the right package (there is a different one for the online class). The oncampus workbook has blue puzzle pieces on it and looks like the photo on the right. You may purchase the textbook/workbook package at the Orange Coast College bookstore. They have been discounted 20%, so you are basically getting the workbook for free! This semester since the textbook is a new edition you can only purchase the package at the OCC bookstore. The textbook and 2

workbook are not available separately. You only need to bring the Student Workbook to class. Class Requirements Reading: It is important that you keep up with the material. Students will be expected to listen and participate in lecture, and read the corresponding material in the text. The reading schedule and exam schedule is posted on Blackboard. You may do the reading before or after the corresponding lecture. I will be covering some topics in lecture that are not in the textbook and there will be some items in the reading that you will be tested on that I will not cover in lecture. Attendance: Attendance is required and will be taken at the beginning of every class, and at the end of class. Seats are assigned according to a seating chart. Those missing from their seats when attendance is taken will be marked absent. If the course assistant sees people leave after she takes attendance and lecture is still continuing she may return and take attendance again and you will be counted absent. The course assistant may also count you as absent if you are caught sleeping, playing on your cell phone and/or video games during class. You must be mentally as well as physically there to be counted as present! Seating: All seating in large lecture halls is assigned seating. Your seat assignment will be posted on the bulletin board for the lecture hall. If there are problems with your assigned seating, please discuss it with the course assistant immediately. No seats will be reassigned after the second week and no seats will be reassigned simply because you wish to sit next to a friend. The reassigned seat will be chosen by the course assistant and will be based on availability and need. Drops: I reserve the right to drop anyone who does not attend either of the first two classes without notifying me prior to the class. If you miss more than five days you will not be allowed to continue in the class without my permission and may be dropped from the class without prior warning. All absences are treated the same regardless of whether they are due to a valid excuse or not, so please do not bring excuses to the course assistant for absences. I also reserve the right to drop any students who have missed the first two exams. Pay attention to the OCC drop deadlines on the course calendar or you may end up with an F in the class. Ultimately, it is your responsibility as a student to drop yourself from the class to avoid an F grade in the class. Incompletes: Incompletes are only given to those who cannot complete the final exam due to some emergency (you will need to provide dated written verification of 3

the emergency). I do not give incompletes to students who do not show up to the final without notifying me PRIOR to the final. In addition, you must have completed all other work in the class and you will not be allowed to take an incomplete unless you have passing grades in the class and have the possibility of passing by taking the final exam at a later date. Workbook: It is important that you have your Student Workbook with the lecture outlines and class assignments by Monday of the second week or you will not be able to keep up with the lecture notes and assignments. Lecture outlines will be provided in class for the first day only, Wednesday s lecture will be on Bb, the rest of the lecture outlines are in the Student Workbook, available in your text package at the bookstore. You must purchase the student workbook as all of your lecture outlines, class assignments, and homework must be turned in inside of the workbook on the day of the final exam. Many of the homework assignments and exam questions will use the textbook so you must also purchase the textbook in order to complete your assignments and exams. Exams: You will have three exams consisting of 50 multiple-choice questions. Each exam will be worth 100 points. The three exams each cover 1/3 of the material from the lecture and textbook. You MUST bring a picture ID and your eight digit student ID number (not your SSN) to every exam, preferably in the form of a Student ID card or YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED to take the exam and will receive a zero on the exam. In a pinch, if you have your student ID number memorized you may write it in and show us a driver s license as a picture ID. However, anyone writing in an incorrect student ID number, or not producing a picture ID, your exam will not be graded and you will not be allowed to take a make-up exam, since you have already taken the exam. If you are late to an exam and the doors are locked, please wait outside. The course assistants will come and get you when they have finished passing out the exams. If you are more than a half an hour late for an exam I reserve the right not to allow you to take the exam. If you show up to the exam unprepared or not knowing there is an exam you will still be required to take the exam and will not be allowed an extension or a make-up. It is your responsibility to know when there is an exam scheduled and to be prepared. No use of dictionaries, calculators, and/or cell phones will be allowed during the exam and if you are caught using them you will receive a zero on the exam. Make-up Exams: All makeup exams will be given on Wednesday of finals week during regular class time. You will only be allowed to makeup ONE missed exam. 4

If you miss two exams you need to drop the class or we may drop you! You will not be allowed to makeup the final Exam 3 and will only be allowed to take an incomplete and makeup the exam the following semester if you have completed all other work for the class and have a verifiable excuse for your absence. You must get this written excuse to me by the end of finals week. You cannot do a makeup for exams which you have taken, just because you are not happy with the score. Once you have taken an exam you may not take a makeup for any reason, as the makeup exams are very similar to the original exams. The makeup will be different questions but the same concepts as the original test, so you will use the same study guide. Due to the large number of students in the class, the course assistant or myself cannot give individual makeup exams early even if you know you will be absent from an exam and you have a valid excuse. Study Guides: Study guides for each of the exams are provided on Blackboard. There is also a STUDY SKILLS sheet on Blackboard that will show you how to study for my exams and to do well. Note the study skill sheet is NOT the same thing as the study guides. Check it out! Assignments: There will be daily class assignments and lecture outlines from the Student Workbook that MUST be completed during class. For ease of grading, the assignments must be completed on the handouts from the Student Workbook. It is your responsibility to make sure that you remember to bring your Student Workbook to every class. There are also homework assignments posted on Blackboard that must be completed in the workbook, one for each chapter. Try to keep up with them each week as it will be impossible to complete them all in the last week. For ease of grading, the homework assignments must be completed in the Student Workbook. Just write your essays or answers directly in the workbook unless I expressly ask you to print results from the internet and attach them into your workbook. This may be done by printing up the test results and then cutting the page down to fit and either taping, stapling, or pasting those printed pages into the appropriate homework pages in the workbook. I will not accept homework that is stapled all together in one place or is just slipped into the workbook without attaching in the appropriate place as this is very difficult for me to grade. Points may be deducted for homework that is not attached or in the correct place in the workbook. Don t forget that the lecture outlines will also be graded but the bulk of the points is coming from the homework assignments. You are expected to have everything filled out in the workbook for the full grade. The assignments will remain in the workbook and will be turned in the day of the final exam with your workbook. If you miss a lecture you will need to get the lecture notes from 5

another student as I do not post lecture material I cover in class. If I miss class I will post the lectures on Blackboard and you will be expected to cover that lecture material on your own as it will still be on the test. The workbook MUST be turned in the day of the final exam (Monday of finals week) at the beginning of class. Only original purchased workbooks will be accepted. It is plagiarism to make copies of the workbook, so no copies will be accepted. You also cannot use workbooks from previous semesters that have been filled out by other students or you will receive a zero for copying. The second page with the name and class information must be present in the workbook and must be filled out with your name and information. No other name can be scratched out on that page without approval from me during the first week. Late workbooks will receive a 10 % penalty (30 pts) for each 24 hour period it is late, regardless of the reason as you will have had extra time to work on the assignments that other students did not receive. Late workbooks will not be accepted after 2pm on Wednesday of finals week. Turn in any late workbooks to the course assistant in the Hall (Monday to Wed of finals week). Workbooks that are requested to be returned will be available for pickup in class on either Monday or Wednesday of finals week depending on when you turned it in. All workbooks not picked up will be shredded two weeks after final exams. So check your grades and make sure you received a grade before they are shredded. Extra-credit Assignments: You may also do two community-service x-credit assignments worth 15 pts each to help raise your grade. This consists of 4 volunteer service hours AND/OR one charitable donation. You will need a letter or receipt verifying your service or donation. These can be turned in at any time to the course assistant at the Science Hall window as long as it is turned in by the end of class on the Wednesday BEFORE finals week. You will also get an opportunity to turn in your workbook the Wednesday before the final exam for 15 points of extra credit. Schedule: There is a reading, lecture, and exam schedule posted on Blackboard. Any changes in the tentative schedule will be announced in class. I will not be responsible for any problems that arise due to changes in exam dates because a student did not attend lecture. If you miss lecture, you will need to get the missed lecture notes from another student, or listen to the Podcasts (link is on Blackboard), as I do not provide students with lecture notes. Grades Workbook 300 pts (homework 240pts, outlines 60pts) Exam 1 100 pts Exam 2 100 pts Exam 3 (Final) 100 pts Your class grade consists of 600 pts Optional X-credit 45pts max 6

Final Class Grading Scale Total Pts. 87-100% A 522 and up 77-86% B 462 521 67-76% C 402 461 57-66% D 342 401 56 % or below F 341 and below Class Policy Academic Honesty Policy: Copying of any form, on exams, in-class assignments, homework assignments or sharing of completed study guides will result in an automatic zero on the assignment or exam. If the student receives a zero on an exam, it may result in removal from the course or an F grade in the course if the student is no longer able to drop. Cheating may be reported to the student s office and go on the student s record. It is considered plagiarism if a student copies an answer from another exam or even a single phrase or sentence from another student, a website, or another author. The course assistant or the professor has the right to approach you and request to see an assignment or exam she thinks you may be copying. Be Respectful of Others: You should not behave in a way that is disrespectful of others in the class. Please do not talk with other students while the professor is speaking or other students are participating in class discussion. It is distracting for other students and makes it difficult for them to hear the lecture or the discussion. Also, no sleeping in class! It is difficult for others stay involved in the lecture if someone is sleeping next to them. Remember that anyone caught sleeping by the instructor or the course assistant can be counted as absent for that day of class. You are expected to behave politely and respectfully to your fellow students and teachers. If, in my judgment, any student is disrespectful, that student may be asked to leave the class and may be removed from the class and receive an F grade. Technology: The use of dictionaries is not permitted during exams. No use of laptops, notebooks, touch pads, cell phones, or any type of audio or video equipment is permitted in class. Surfing the net or playing games via a laptop or a cell phone is distracting for others not to mention that it makes it impossible for you to engage in the class. Since, the lecture notes are already typed for you, laptops are not necessary. Disabilities: If any student has a disability that will make it difficult for them to complete this course they should contact the Disabled Student s Center (714-432- 5535). Their staff will assist you in arranging accommodations that can aid you in completing the course. If you have a learning disability, you will need to have the learning center email me explaining any special arrangements you may need. *Note - This syllabus is subject to change or revision due to the need to make course adjustments based on the instructor s judgment. This syllabus (and any changes to it) should be seen as a road map to help students attain academic success and maximize their potential. 7