PSY 101—GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
FALL 2004
INSTRUCTOR: Carol Topping, PhD
Please feel free to call me at home (227-0639), leave a message on my voice mail (452-8600, ext 3289), or e-mail me at: carol.topping@volstate.edu. If I am not available when you call, please leave a message, and I will do my best to return your call within 24 hours. My office hours will be posted on my door, room N207B.
REQUIRED TEXTS: Invitation to Psychology, Carole Wade and Carol Tavris, 3rd ed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE COURSE: This course is designed to provide an overview of the field of psychology and human behavior. This course includes topics related to: philosophical perspectives, history, personality, the brain and biology, consciousness, sensation and perception, thinking and intelligence, memory, learning, social and cultural behavior, abnormal behavior, therapies, motivation and emotion, and applied psychology.
GENERAL EDUCATION GOAL: The general education goal of this course is to provide the student with a foundation for studying psychology and human behavior. The student will develop a basic knowledge regarding: the history of psychology and its development as a science; research and methodology; important psychological concepts and terminology; behavior in relation to social and cultural contexts; how humans behave in group situations; characteristics of various psychological disorders; and the theorists and theories that have shaped the field of psychology. Also, the student will learn: how the brain and human biology are related to psychology; how human senses and learned perceptions influence our daily lives; theories of cognition, memory and intelligence; how our lifestyle choices are related to health and stress; and how various states of arousal influence motivation.
OTHER GOALS: In addition, this course seeks to provide the student with opportunities to acquire and develop critical thinking skills, skills for the assessment of personal values, and an understanding of how these values impact mental and physical well-being. It further provides an opportunity to explore issues regarding problem-solving, communication, interpersonal relationships, and academic and personal development.
GENERAL EDUCATION OUTCOMES: As a result of successful completion of this course, the student will have demonstrated an acceptable level of mastery of psychological concepts, theories, and vocabulary and that they have developed college level written and oral communication skills. The student will also have demonstrated an understanding of how these concepts are applied as the individual develops and functions within contemporary society. Mastery of the course content will indicate sufficient acquisition of skills for pursuing further course work in the fields of psychology.
SPECIAL NOTICE: In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, students are encouraged to register with the Office of Student Disability Services for assistance with accommodations, It is the student’s responsibility to voluntarily and confidentially disclose information regarding the nature or extent of a disability. The College does not assume responsibility for providing accommodations or services to students who have not identified themselves as having a qualifying disability. Disability Services is located in the Campus center, Suite C206B.
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It is the intent of Volunteer State Community College to fully comply with Executive Order 11246, as amended, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended, and the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974, as amended, and all regulations implementing those laws and orders, for the promotion and ensuring of equal opportunity for all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or status as a qualified disabled veteran or veteran of the Vietnam era. VSCC is an equal opportunity institution, and it is the intent of VSCC to be free of discrimination or harassment on the basis of sex, race, color, religion, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, sexual orientation, veteran status, or physical appearance. It is the intent of VSCC to fully comply with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, and the CRA of 1991, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, as amended, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1976, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990, applicable state status and all regulations promulgated pursuant thereto.
No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance. Students who are receiving Title IV financial assistance (Pell Grant, Student Loan or SEOG Grant) must regularly attend class or be subject to repay PART or ALL of the Federal Financial Aid received for the semester.
EXAMINATIONS: Six (6) multiple choice exams worth fifty (50) points each will be given. You must receive permission in advance in order to miss an exam (except in the case of a DOCUMENTED emergency). There are NO alternative exam dates, and it is not my policy to leave exams at the College at Home desk. Your lowest test score will be dropped. Test #6 MUST be taken, or you will receive a grade of “Incomplete” (I). There will be NO extra credit assignments in this course as extra credit is built into the exams. NOTE: If a student is caught cheating on an exam, the action will result in an automatic grade of “F.”
CLASS PRESENTATION: Students will give a presentation of approximately 5 minutes in length on a topic chosen in class. Presentations will receive up to ten (10) points: organization, 2 pts; presentation, 2 pts; knowledge presented (facts), 2 pts; interesting examples, 2 pts; personal example(s) or opinion, 2 pts.
CLASS PAPERS: Four (4) discussion papers worth up to ten (10) points each should be 2 – 3 pages in length on any topic of interest related to general psychology. See guidelines and example for more information.
LIBRARY RESEARCH QUIZ: Will be discussed in class; worth 5 pts.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance WILL be taken. Information from lectures that is NOT in the textbook WILL be on the exams. It is YOUR responsibility to get class notes from your classmates as I DO NOT give out my notes. It is also YOUR responsibility to let me know reasons for your absences immediately after they occur so that I can excuse you (if possible) and log it on my attendance cards. You are expected to be present and on time for all classes. NOTE: Students who are frequently late will lose attendance points. (Absences:
0 - 2 = 5 pts; 3 - 4 = 4 pts; 5 - 6 = 3 pts; 7 - 8 = 2 pts; 9 - 10 = 1 pt; 11/+ = 0 pts).
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GRADING SCALE:
Examinations (5) up to 250 points
Class Presentation (1) up to 10 points
Class Discussion Papers (4) up to 40 points
Library Research Quiz (1) up to 5 points
Attendance/participation up to 5 points
TOTAL: up to 310 points
The following grade scale is used:
A = 310 - 279; B = 278 – 247; C = 246 – 215; D = 214 –183; F = 182 and below
INCOMPLETE POLICY: The grade of “I” will ONLY be given under the following circumstances: 1) if the student has experienced an illness or emergency situation which could not be avoided (appropriate documentation MUST be provided); and 2) the student has completed AT LEAST 50% of the coursework and is receiving a passing grade of C or better.
CONFERENCES: If you or I feel the need to schedule a conference, we will need to get together to schedule a time. Please feel free to meet with me before or after class to do so or call or e-mail me at the above addresses.
CHEATING: Cheating is defined as plagiarism, talking to another student during an exam, looking at another student’s work during an exam, using notes or books during an exam, turning in a paper that is the student’s own work, or copying from another student’s answer sheet. Any student caught engaging in these behaviors will be given an automatic failure for the course, regardless of the grade up to that point.
CLASSROOM DEPORTMENT: All policies and procedures for classroom misconduct are discussed in the Student Handbook. As a point of emphasis, the instructor will NOT tolerate any activity that is disruptive to the classroom setting, which adversely affects others, and which is considered by the instructor to be unethical, immoral, or illegal. Students will be dismissed from the class and the issue of misconduct will be brought before the Associate Deal of Students.
In addition, there is to be NO smoking, drinking, or eating in the classroom. Parents are asked not to bring children to class. Cell phones need to be turned off before entering the class.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY: If Volunteer State Community College is officially open, all classes WILL meet as scheduled. All assignments WILL be due and any scheduled tests or exams WILL be given. Any missed work will be subject to the policies outlined in this syllabus. If classes are closed, work will be due on the NEXT class date and scheduled exams will be moved to the NEXT class date (for example: if a test is scheduled for Wednesday and classes for Wednesday are cancelled, the test will be given on Friday). Check Channel 5 for closings.
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TENTATIVE TIMELINE FOR FALL SEMESTER 2004
Week One (8/31 – 9/2): Intros, syllabus overview; how to write a discussion paper;
Chapter 1: What is Psychology?
Week Two (9/7 – 9/9): Tues: meet in LIBRARY; Chapter 1 continued
Week Three (9/14 – 9/16): Chapter 4 : The Brain; Thurs: PAPER #1 DUE
Week Four (9/21 – 9/23): Tues: EXAM #1; Chapter 5: Consciousness
Week Five (9/28 – 9/30): Chapter 6: Sensation and Perception
Week Six (10/5 – 10/7): Tues: EXAM #2; Chapter 9: Learning
Week Seven (10/12 – 10/14): Chapter 7: Intelligence; Thurs: PAPER #2 DUE
Week Eight (10/21): Tues: NO CLASS; Chapter 8: Memory
Week Nine (10/26 – 10/28) Tues: EXAM #3; Chapter 2: Personality
Week Ten (11/2 -- 11/4): Chapter 10: Social Behavior; Thurs: PAPER #3 DUE
Week Eleven (11/9 – 11/11): Tues: EXAM #4; Chapter 13: Stress and Health
Week Twelve (11/16 – 11/18): Chapter 14: Motivation and Arousal
Week Thirteen (11/23): Tues: EXAM #5; Thurs: NO CLASS
Week Fourteen (11/30 -- 12/2): Chapter 12: Therapies; Chapter 11:
Psychological Disorders; PAPER #4 DUE
Week Fifteen (12/7 – 12/9): Chapter 11: Psychological Disorders continued
Week Sixteen (12/16): EXAM #6 (Thursday 8:00 – 10:00)
NOTE: This is a TENTATIVE timeline and changes may occur which will be announced in class. It is YOUR responsibility to keep up with these changes, especially if you miss class.
The objective of this assignment is to encourage the student to become familiar with the mechanics of scientific research as it relates to psychology and human development. The student is to submit four (4) discussion papers on any subject related to the study of psychology. Each discussion paper is worth 10 points; however, in order to receive credit, ALL papers must be submitted. Submission of only a portion of the required number of papers will result in an INCOMPLETE. Incomplete assignments will not be graded.
The general psychology text for the class is unacceptable as a resource for the discussion paper. The discussion papers must be based on information from professional journals, scientific research or published books, NOT on opinions or discussions of specific topics. Newspaper articles and magazines are NOT acceptable. Discussion papers submitted that are not based on research are unacceptable. If you are not sure what constitutes research, please refer to the chapter in the book that discusses scientific research and the book Writing Papers in Psychology.
Each paper MUST include the attached “title page for discussion papers” and answers to the following questions:
1. Where is the abstract located?
2. What is the general purpose of an abstract?
3. Was a hypothesis stated? What is the general purpose of a hypothesis?
4. What was the hypothesis found in your article?
5. What information can be found in the methods section? What information was found in the methods section of your article?
6. What information can be found in the conclusion section? What information was found in the conclusion section of your article?
7. How is this article significant to the study of human behavior?
8. What is your opinion of the article? How was it written? (This is a critical portion of the paper, so give it some thought. Simply stating that it was a good or bad article is NOT acceptable).
NOTE: All of these points MUST be addressed in your paper. Omission of any will result in lost points in grading your paper. Grading scale: effort = 1 point; title page = 3 points; questions 1 - 4 = 2 points total; questions 5 - 8 = 1 point each.
(This title page MUST be turned in with each discussion paper)
*Student Name:
*Title of the professional publication or journal:
*Title of the article:
*Date the article was published:
*Name(s) of the author(s):
*What type of research is the article discussing? (survey, experimental, naturalistic observation, correlational, etc—refer to the research section in the book)
*Describe this particular type of research (meaning: describe what survey, experimental, naturalistic observation, etc research entails):
*What chapter(s) in our textbook does this article relate to?