GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 101

VIDEO AT HOME

Spring 2004

PROFESSOR: Vanessa Mitchell

OFFICE: Livingston Center

OFFICE PHONE: 823-7065; 1-800-563-8220 Ext 203

e-mail: vanessa.mitchell@volstate.edu

REQUIRED TEXT(S): INVITATION TO PSYCHOLOGY

WADE AND TAVRIS

2^ND EDITION

WRITING PAPERS IN PSYCHOLOGY

ROSNOW AND ROSNOW

6^TH EDITION

Special Notice:

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. 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.

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY I

PSY 101 VIDEO COURSE

This course is the first in a series of two general psychology classes designed to provide an overview of the field of psychology and human behavior. This course includes the topics of philosophical perspectives; history; biology; learning; personality; human sexuality; abnormal behavior; therapies; and applied psychology.

This course in psychology is offered by videotapes, which involves independent study, reading, and reporting. It is the equivalent of a full-semester course and therefore, requires that the student dedicate sufficient time to study and preparation of examinations.

The videotapes for the course may be checked out directly from the Volunteer State Community College library, or from the bookstore on the campus where the course is being offered. These tapes do not coincide exactly with the material in the textbook. They are designed to provide a broader view of the subjects relating to the study of general psychology.

ATTENDANCE:

Students are required to attend ALL of the scheduled meetings for this course. Attendance for the exams is MANDATORY. There are NO alternative exam dates and it is not my policy to leave tests at the college at home desk. If you miss the midterm exam you should drop the course. Withdrawing from the course is the student’s responsibility. The last day to withdraw from a class is March 19.

If you miss the final exam, you will receive a “0” for the work due at that time. A makeup test will ONLY be allowed in the event of an unavoidable emergency (illness, accident, family, emergency, etc.) for which the student can provide appropriate documentation.

GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY I

PSYCHOLOGY 101 VIDEO COURSE

GENERAL EDUCATION GOAL:

The general education goal of this course is to provide the student with a foundation for studying psychology and human behavior. In this section the student will develop a basic knowledge regarding the history of psychology and its development as a science; research and methodology; the biological and physiological aspects of behavior; important psychological concepts and terminology; and the theorists and theories that have shaped the field of psychology.

OTHER GOALS:

This course also seeks to provide the student with opportunities to acquire and develop critical thinking skills; skills for the assessment or 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. The student will also have demonstrated an understanding of how these concepts are applies as the individual develops and functions within contemporary society.

Mastery of the course content will indicate sufficient acquisition of skills for pursing further course work in fields of psychology.

ASSESSMENT:

Competency will be measured through objective multiple choice, essay, or writing assignments.

Students will also evaluate the course.

POLICY:

“Incomplete” POLICY:

The grade of “I” will ONLY be given under the following circumstances:

1) The student has experienced an illness or emergency situation which could not be avoided (appropriate documentation must be provided)

2) The student has completed 50% of the course work including the midterm exam, and is receiving a passing grade (C or better)

CHEATING:

Cheating is defined as plagiarism, talking to another student during a test or exam, looking at another student’s work during a test or exam, using notes or books during a test or exam, turning in a paper that is not the student’s own work, or copying from another students answer sheet. Any student caught engaging in these behaviors will be given an automatic failure for the course regardless of the grade at that point.

CLASSROOM DEPORTMENT:

All policies and procedures for classroom misconduct are discussed in the Student Handbook, pages 17-24. 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 brought before the Associate Dean 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.

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 test or exams will be given. Any missed work will be subject to the policies outlined in this syllabus.

GUIDELINES AND FORMAT FOR DISCUSSION PAPERS

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 required to submit (6) discussion/essay papers on any subject related to the study of psychology. Each discussion/essay 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. Three (3) papers are to be turned in at the midterm, and (3) are to be turned in at the final.

The discussion/essay papers MUST be based on information from professional journals, scientific research or published books, not on opinions or discussion of specific topics. Newspaper articles and magazines are not acceptable.

Discussion/essay papers submitted that are not based on research will not be accepted. Refer to the chapter in the book that discusses scientific research.

Please use the attached form for your title page:

TITLE PAGE FOR DISCUSSION/ESSAY PAPERS (6)

This title page must be turned in with each discussion/essay paper.

Student Name:

Name of the publication, journal or book

Date the article was published

Name(s) of author(s)

What type of research is the article discussing

(Refer to the research section in the book)

Give a description of this particular type of research.

What chapter(s) in the book does the article relate to

Identify two theories in the book that relate to the article

The remainder of the discussion/essay paper should answer the following questions.

Please type this portion of the discussion. This portion must be in paragraph format.

Where is the abstract located?
What is the purpose of the abstract?
Was a hypothesis stated?
What is the purpose of a hypothesis?
What information can be found in the Methods section?
What information can be found in the Conclusion section?
How was the data collected?
Why is the article significant to the study of human behavior?
What is your opinion of the article? (this is a critical portion of the paper, give it some thought) Simply stating that it was a good or bad article is not acceptable.

DISCOVERING PSYCHOLOGY VIDEO SERIES AND CORRESPONDING CHAPTERS

MIDTERM

READ: CHAPTER ONE: WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGY

VIEW: VIDEO 1…PAST, PRESENT, AND PROMISE

2…UNDERSTANDING RESEARCH

24…APPLYING PSYCHOLOGY IN LIFE

READ: CHAPTER TWO: THEORIES OF PERSONALITY

VIEW: NO VIDEOS FOR THIS CHAPTER

READ: CHAPTER EIGHT: LEARNING

VIEW: VIDEO 8…LEARNING

FINAL

READ: CHAPTER NINE: BEHAVIOR IN A SOCIAL AND CULTURAL CONTEXT

VIEW: VIDEO 19…POWER OF THE SITUATION

20…CONSTRUCTING SOCIAL REALITY

26…CULTURAL PSYCHOLOGY

READ: CHAPTER TEN: PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS

VIEW: VIDEO21…PSYCHOPATHOLOGY

READ: CHAPTER ELEVEN: APPROACHES TO TREATMENT AND THERAPY

VIEW: VIDEO 22…PSYCHOTHERAPY

MIDTERM

DATE: TIME: LOCATION:

TO BE TURNED IN AT THE MIDTERM

PRACTICE TESTS: CHAPTERS 1, 2, 8 (50 POINTS)

Midterm take home (15 POINTS)

Three (3) discussion papers (30 POINTS)

(incomplete papers will not be graded)

MIDTERM EXAM (IN CLASS): Chapter 1, 2, 8

FINAL

DATE: TIME: LOCATION:

TO BE TURNED IN AT THE FINAL

PRACTICE TESTS: CHAPTERS 9, 10, 11 (50 POINTS)

Final take home(15 POINTS)

Three (3) discussion papers (30 POINTS)

(incomplete papers will not be graded)

FINAL EXAM (IN CLASS) Comprehensive: Chapters 1, 2, 8, 9, 10, 11

(75 POINTS)

Writing papers in psychology (25 POINTS)

TOTAL = 100 POINTS

NOTE: THE PRACTICE TESTS AND THE TAKE HOME MIDTERM AND FINAL EXAMS ARE INDIVIDUAL TESTS, NOT GROUP TESTS. THE TESTS MUST BE COMPLETED BEFORE THE DESIGNATED CLASS MEETING. SHARING ANSWERS IS CONSIDERED CHEATING. STUDENTS CAUGHT SHARING ANSWERS WILL BE GIVEN THE OF “F” FOR THE COURSE.

MIDTERM

FINAL

TO BE TURNED IN AT THE MIDTERM

FINAL

TO BE TURNED IN AT THE FINAL

VIDEO COURSE GRADE REPORT SHEET