Welcome to Introductory Psychology!

Transcription

1 1 CABRILLO COLLEGE, PSYCH 1: GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY Fall 2010, Section Watsonville Campus Forum Instructor: Charlotte Nolan Reyes, Doctoral Candidate-UCSC, A.B.D Office Hour: Second Floor 4400, Room 4403 Thursday 5-5:50 pm Website: Mailbox: Second Floor Division Office, 4400 Welcome to Introductory Psychology! REQUIRED TEXT: Wade and Tavris (2008). Psychology (9th ed.) Available at the bookstore and on reserve at the Cabrillo College Library. The website associated with the textbook provides access to practice test questions, and links to other useful information *Students with disabilities, including "invisible" disabilities such as chronic diseases and learning disabilities, are encouraged to explain their needs and appropriate accommodations to me. Please bring verification of your disability from the Learning Skills or Disabled Student Services offices and a counselor or specialist's recommendations for accommodating your needs. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING EVERYTHING IN THIS SYLLABUS, Please Note: This syllabus is subject to revision! COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course introduces a survey of the major concepts and theories from the field of psychology; the study of an organism s behavior and mental processes and how they are affected by the organism s internal and external environment. A range of topics will be covered. We will explore diverse approaches to the study of psychology and examine past and current research in the field. We will also practice guidelines for critical thinking and discuss Western psychology s general commitment to the scientific method for testing our ideas about psychological phenomenon. COURSE OBJECTIVES: A primary objective of any general or "introductory" course to familiarize you with the vocabulary and concepts of that discipline. Psychology includes the study of human consciousness and human sociality the thoughts, feelings, behaviors and socio-cultural interactions that we experience as we live in our world. You already have years of first-hand experience in psychology based on your personal observations and knowledge about yourself and your environment. In this course you will see how research has been applied to test intuitive assumptions about human life. You will find that many of your beliefs about human existence are scientifically supported; but you will also find many beliefs that are not supported by evidence or that have been refuted. Certainly, as a student in this course, you will receive a more comprehensive understanding of yourself and your world. I also hope that you will develop greater skills of critical thinking that will make you a better consumer of psychological information. Unfortunately, there is a lot of "pop" psychology practiced in

2 2 our culture and popularized by the media. By the end of the course you should be able to differentiate between legitimate psychology and "pop" pretenders. Finally, I hope that you will achieve some personal growth and transformation from the course by reaching a deeper understanding of yourself and others. In the service of this goal, the theme for Psych 1 this fall will focus on Positive Psychology, introduced on day one, WEEK/DATE TOPIC(s) READINGS Foundations of Psychology & Biology 1- Sept 2 What is Psychology? Chapter 1 2- Sept 9 How Psychologists Do Research Chapter 2 Pass out Test 1 due Sept Sept 16 NO CLASS, Read and work in Study Group Genes & Environment Chapter 3 The Brain Chapter 4 The Environment & Behavior 4- Sept 23 Exam ONE DUE, Consciousness Chapter 5 Sensation and Perception Chapter 6 5- Sept 30 Learning Chapter 7 Behavior in Social & Cultural Context Chapter 8 6- Oct 7 EXAM TWO & *Extra Credit FILM Thinking & Feeling, Being & Doing 7-Oct 14 Thinking, Intelligence, Creativity Chapter 9 Memory Chapter Oct 21 Emotion Chapter 11 Motivation Chapter Oct 28 EXAM THREE & *Extra Credit FILM

3 3 The Developing Person 10-Nov 4 Personality Theories Chapter Nov 11 PAPER DUE, Development over the Lifespan Chapter Nov 18 EXAM FOUR & *Extra Credit FILM 13- Nov 25 NO CLASS * THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY Health: Wellness & Disorder 14- Dec 2 Health, Stress, & Coping Chapter 15 Psychological Disorders Chapter Dec 9 Research Participation DUE Approaches to Treatment & Therapy Chapter 17 Final Review Guide Game 16- Dec 16 FINAL EXAM ADD/DROP DATES: September 25-- Last day to drop without a W appearing on your record November 2o ---Last day to drop with a W appearing on your record CLASS ATTENDANCE AND BEHAVIOR: It is important to attend every class meeting. After 1.5 absences you can be dropped from the class at the instructor's discretion. However, DO NOT ASSUME you will be dropped and remember to drop yourself via WebAdvisor if you wish to withdraw from the course. It is the student s responsibility to come to class on time in order to minimize interruptions and to come prepared to participate in activities and discussions by having completed the assigned readings. If a student misses class, it is her/his responsibility to get the missed material from a classmate, review it carefully, and come to the instructor s office hours if there are any questions. The proper atmosphere is important for learning. Please turn the sound off on cell phones during class. Students walking in late to class or leaving early tend to disrupt the whole class. Chatting, sending text messages, playing games, listening to music, and eating noisily during lecture are also distracting. Please be considerate of others and avoid these behaviors. Cheating and plagiarism are unpleasant topics to discuss, but unfortunately, they do occur. The Student Rights and Responsibilities at Cabrillo College manual clearly states that cheating or plagiarism is prohibited conduct (p. 6, section C).

4 4 During exams, all notes, books, etc. are to be put away. There will be no talking and no wandering eyes. It is the student s responsibility to make it abundantly clear that s/he is not cheating. Any person caught cheating will receive a 0 on the exam. While students are encouraged to work together and discuss assignments, your papers must be your own work. Papers that are too similar to each other and papers that too closely resemble the wording in the textbook or other sources will receive a 0. STUDY GROUPS: Students are encouraged to form their own study groups of 3-5 members and to meet once a week to study class material. On average, you should spend about 6 hours per week outside of class reading and studying for PSYCH 1. READING: It is strongly recommended that you do the readings before the class for which they are assigned. Not all of the assigned material in the textbook will be covered in class meetings, but you are nonetheless responsible for it. EXAMS: There will be 4 exams (multiple-choice & short answer) throughout the course. Exams will cover course readings, lectures, discussions, and videos shown in class. Bring a blue Apperson form (not a green Scantron), available at the campus bookstore, two sheets of paper, and two #2 pencils to each exam. Each of the 4 regular exams will be non-cumulative and have 50 items, each worth 1 point. The final exam will be cumulative and have 100 items, each worth 1 point (approximately 75 based on new material and 25 based on past material, of which I will provide an explicit review sheet). NO early or make-up exams will be given. Instead of make-ups, you are allowed to miss one of the regular exams for any reason (e.g., illness, emergency, work or family obligation, vacation). If you do take all 4 regular exams at the regularly scheduled times, your lowest score from these 4 exams will be dropped at the end of the semester. In other words, your scores from 3 of the 4 regular exams count toward your semester grade. Do not miss the final, as that final exam score cannot be dropped. The instructor will have test scores ready for you during the class meeting following each of the regular exams. For each test, Apperson forms will be returned and exam items will be discussed in class. In order to reduce incidents of cheating, students are not allowed to keep copies of exams. You are welcome to come to office hours to look at exams you have taken. As the student, please take responsibility for being aware of your own progress in the class and meet with the instructor if you have any questions at all. PAPER: A short paper, worth 25 points, is required. Late papers will have 2 points deducted for each day late, including weekend days. Late papers may be turned in to the instructor's mailbox in the division office. Have the office staff mark the date and time on late papers.

5 5 EXTRA CREDIT: Opportunities to add a few "bonus points" to your overall score MAY be offered periodically during class. These are due anytime up to the Final Exam. COURSE GRADING: Your final course grade will be based on the percentage of 285 points you earn on 3 out of 4 regular exams (150 points possible), the paper (25 points possible), research participation (10 pts) and the final exam (100 points possible), plus any bonus points (i.e., extra credit) you may have earned. Letter grades will be assigned on the following basis: 90% (247 points) = A; 80% (220 points) = B; 70% (192 points) = C; 60% (165 points) = D; below 60% = F. From time to time, your participation in classroom activities may be noted and taken into account for borderline grading situations. You can take this course for a Credit/No Credit grade, which will not affect your grade point average (GPA). To receive a "Credit" you must complete the course with a C or better. I recommend you discuss this option with an academic advisor before you choose it. Note: Instructors are forbidden from changing grades unless there has been a documented error. Please do not ask me to do what cannot be done! RESEARCH PARTICIPATION: 10 pts Online or at the Aptos Campus DUE: DEC 9 th or before You will also be required to participate in psychology research for one hour. This experience is intended to give you a better understanding of the scientific basis of the material covered in this course. If you have personal objections to participating in scientific research, an alternate activity will be made available. You may participate online or in-person. If you choose to participate online, go to this link and choose a topic that seems interesting. Read about it. Determine the amount of time involved. Commit yourself to participate and do it clearly and with focus. You may also participate in experiment for the Cabrillo College Research Methods class (10 points). Sign-up sheets and descriptions of the experiments will be posted on the bulletin board outside of the psych lab (Rm on the ocean side of the Aptos campus below the HASS office). If you choose to participate in-person, it s best not to wait until the end of the semester. You must arrive for an experiment on time. If you wait 15 minutes for the experimenter and the study does not take place, leave a message on the large table in the Psych Lab at the front of the room and write my name and note the date and time of your scheduled experimental session. You will still get credit for the full time of the study. At the beginning of the study, the experimenter will describe what is going to happen. After you hear this description, and you agree to participate, you must sign a consent

6 6 form. If you feel discomfort or stress at any time during the experiment, you have the right to stop participating and still get credit. There will be a copy of my class rosters for you to sign. At the end of the experiment, you will get an explanation of the study. You may ask the experimenter questions about the research. If you are asked by the experimenter not to discuss the study with any other students, please honor that request. It is critical to the validity of the study. When you complete your research participation requirement, write a 3 paragraph response paper (300 words, typed 12pt font) and turn this in as a hard copy. This is due anytime on or before the last day of class (December 9 th ). REQUIRED PAPER: Psychology in the News (25 points) Due November 11 It is sincerely hoped that after you complete this course you'll continue to think about psychology and apply its ideas to what s going on in the world and to aid in your critical thinking. The purpose of this exercise is to find a NEWSPAPER article (not an article from a magazine or Psychology Today) that illustrates psychological concepts. Your assignment is to prepare one recent newspaper clipping (newspaper feature article or editorial) from a mainstream newspaper (e.g., San Jose Mercury, Santa Cruz Sentinel, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Times; it can be printed off the Web) since July On 1-2 typewritten pages (double-spaced, 1-inch margins, 12-font): 1. Identify the source and date of the article. 2. Summarize (briefly) the newspaper article. 3. Write a description or explanation of how the clipping relates to a theory, concept, or research finding presented in class or in the textbook. Be sure to include a summary of the material from the textbook/lecture and make sure the relevance is clear. 4. Discuss specific ways the newspaper article could have been improved or was misleading. For example, did you find information in the textbook that contradicted the newspaper article or would have helped explain the topic more clearly? If you think the newspaper article did a good job of reporting on its topic, explain fully why you think so and support your argument with examples. 5. Include the newspaper article (e.g., taped to a piece of paper if it is cut out from the newspaper). Make sure your assignment is fastened together with a staple.