Instructor: Mr. Micheal Huff, M.A. Email: huffmj@lavc.edu Psychology 001 General Psychology I Los Angeles Valley College Course Syllabus Section #7119 Fall 2016 Textbook: Required: Wood, S. E., Wood, E. G., & Boyd, D. (2014) Mastering the world of psychology, 5th Edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ. ISBN-10: 0205968082 Meeting times: This class is 100% online. While there are no class meetings, you will need to attend class online many times each week, as frequent login is necessary for your success in this class. Logging in just once a week to class is not recommended. Student Learning Outcome: Upon succesfull completion of this course, students will be able to evaluate behaviors and mental processes using basic psychological concepts and theories. Course Description: This course is an introduction to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes, incorporating theories, concepts, and research findings. Topics include the biological bases of behavior, gender and sexuality, human development, cognition and intelligence, consciousness, learning, memory, motivation and emotion, personality, social psychology, psychological disorders, therapeutic treatments, and applied psychology. Introduction: Welcome to General Psychology I Online! Through your active readings in the textbook and our Canvas course and your participation on our class discussion board, this course will introduce you to the scientific study of psychology. I will use different resources to introduce the field of psychology. The following elements will be included: A. Textbook: Our textbook for the course provides a basic introduction to the different fields of psychology. It is YOUR responsibility to read every chapter and ask questions if you have them! Reading is a critical part of our course to aid your understanding of psychology. Since the course is online, and the primary way you are acquiring the knowledge of the subject is through the book, it is important you read actively and thoroughly. B. Assignments: These will be used to enrich and master your understanding of the material. They must be turned in by the deadlines listed in the syllabus to be considered for credit.
C. Discussions: Please consider the Discussion area of Canvas as our primary place for discussions and interactions with classmates. Academic Dishonesty: All students are expected to conform to the college policy on academic honesty. Academic and academic-related misconduct includes, but is not limited to, representing the work of others to be one s own, tampering with projects of others, using external information or unauthorized collaboration during tests, or facilitating dishonesty in others. Plagiarism is the use of others words and/or ideas without clearly acknowledging their source. When you incorporate those words and ideas into your own work, you must give credit where credit is due. Plagiarism, intentional or unintentional, is considered academic dishonesty and is not tolerated. Anyone found to be plagiarizing or cheating on assignments (e.g., copying or giving answers, using crib sheets, etc.) will (1) receive a zero (fail) on the assignment, and (2) be referred to the Vice President of Student Services for further disciplinary action, following due process. For further information on plagiarism, go to the Writing Center website (http://www.lavc.edu/writingcenter/handouts/plagiarism.html) and refer to the STANDARDS OF STUDENT CONDUCT AND DISCIPLINARY ACTION in the current Schedule of Classes and Catalog. Exams/Quizzes: QUIZZES: Quizzes will be given once per chapter. It is your responsibility to take these by Friday. You can only take the quiz once, so make sure you are ready for it when you decide to take it! Each quiz will consist of 15 questions. You will have 20 minutes to complete each quiz. Please note that once you start a quiz the timer continues to run no matter what. That is, if your computer crashes, there is a power outage, or other unforeseen circumstance, the test will be over after the prescribed time. EXAMS: There will be a total of 4 exams given throughout the semester, each noncumulative in nature. Exams will be based on information from the textbook. Exams may include questions that are in multiple choice format, true/false, and/or essay format. Exams will consist of 50 questions and you will have 65 minutes to complete each exam. Discussion Postings: Each week, you will be responding to certain topics or questions on the discussion area. You are expected to give a thorough, well-thought out response to the questions. You should also respond to two of your classmates postings for each discussion topic. So, at a minimum, you should make your initial reply to the discussion prompt and respond to two classmates.
Remember to engage your classmates in the discussion topics. If they respond to your post, please respond back. There is a grading rubric posted under Getting Started for the Discussion Boards. Please make sure to review this before using the Discussion Board. **DISCUSSION Board postings are due by Thursday at 3PM each week. ** Attendance /Due Dates/Participation / Late Policies: After an exam deadline has passed, a make-up exam will not be given. Quizzes, Assignments, and Discussion postings cannot be made up. Be sure to take them by the deadlines as stipulated in the class schedule. Late work is not accepted. Discussion posts are due by on Thursdays. All other work, including tests and quizzes, are due on 11:59pm on the day they are due. **It is important to note that you are responsible for adding or dropping this course. Grading: How Do I Earn Points? Examinations 50 points each Assignments 25 points each Quizzes 15 points each Discussions (per chapter) 15 points each Total: 200 points 100 points 210 points 210 points Total Points: 720 points Final Course Grade: 90-100% of total points = A 80-89% of total points = B 70-79% of total points = C 60-69% of total points = D Less than 60% of total points = F Extra Credit: You can write a one-page reaction paper to some topic from the class. Further information on this extra credit opportunity is provided under Getting Started module on Canvas. You may complete this assignment up to 4 times over the semester, once before each exam. Papers must be submitted before the due date of any exam. Please email me your paper and I will confirm I have received it. Each reaction paper is worth up to 5 points (20 points maximum).
Succeeding in this Class: Here are a few suggestions to help you succeed in this class: 1. Read actively: don t look at the words. If you spend a half-hour reading but you are unable to recall anything when you are done, you have wasted your time. This is especially important since your understanding of the material will mostly come from reading the textbook 2. Preview a chapter quickly before you begin, and review material frequently. Pause at the end of each paragraph and summarize mentally, in your own words, what you have just read. 3. Don t try to read an entire chapter at once. Each chapter in your text is divided into several major sections. Limit your reading to one of these sections at a sitting. This is especially important since we do not have a face-to-face lecture component of the class. 4. Take notes as you read. It is much easier to go back and review reading notes when preparing for a test, than trying to reread the entire chapter. 5. Do not ignore pictures, diagrams, tables and sidebars in your textbook. These features serve to make the text more interesting and may include important information. 6. Do not wait until the last day to start working on the assignments. This class will be much easier if you work in chunks every day or nearly every day. You will understand the material better and not feel overwhelmed. 7. Check your grades. We have an open grade book on Canvas, so make sure to keep up on your grade and always let me know if there are any problems as soon as you see them. You can always determine your current grade in the class by calculating the total points you have earned over the number of points available to you at whatever point you are at in the class. For example, if you have earned 320 points out of 400, you would have an 80% or a B. Other: If you are a student with a disability requiring classroom accommodations, and have not contacted SSD, do so in a timely manner. SSD is located in the Student Services Annex, Room 175 or call SSD at (818) 947-2681 or TTD (818) 947-2680 to meet with a SSD counselor. If SSD has already sent the memo to instructor confirming accommodations required by student for this class, please meet with me to discuss arrangements. Financial Aid is available! Call (818) 947-2412. Go to the Financial Aid Office in the Student Services Center, first floor. For more info:
http://www.lavc.edu/financialaid/index.htmlindex.html. Note: Specific web addresses may change but a new page address can be found by searching the LAVC webpage. Transfer Information: Psy 001 is transferable to the California State University (CSU) system, University of California (UC) campuses, and most private colleges and universities. LAVC now offers an associate degree in psychology for transfer: http://www.californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/students/associatedegreefortransfe r.aspx. The AA-T guarantees a spot for students who complete the necessary requirements. See your counselor and the LAVC catalog for details about transferable courses and degree requirements. Course Schedule: EXAMS are due on MONDAYS, 11:59pm ASSIGNMENTS are due on WEDNESDAYS, 11:59pm DISCUSSIONS are due on THURSDAYS, QUIZZES are due on FRIDAYS, 11:59pm Week/Date Week 1 August 29 September 2 Week 2 September 5 September 9 Week 3 September 12 September 16 Week 4 September 19 September 23 Week 5 September 26 September 30 Week 6 What to do Post Introduction by Wednesday evening Read chapter 1 Introduction to Psychology Thursday: Discussion for chapter 1 due by Friday: Quiz 1 Read chapter 2 Biology and Behavior Thursday: Discussion for chapter 2 due by Friday: Quiz 2 Read chapter 3 Sensation and Perception Thursday: Discussion for chapter 3 due by Friday: Quiz 3 Read chapter 4 Consciousness Wednesday: Assignment 1 due Thursday: Discussion for chapter 4 due by Friday: Quiz 4 Monday: Exam 1 (Chapters 1-4) Read chapter 5 Learning Thursday: Discussion for chapter 5 due by Friday: Quiz 5 Read chapter 6 Memory
October 3 October 7 Week 7 October 10 October 14 Week 8 October 17 October 21 Week 9 October 24 October 28 Week 10 October 31 November 4 Week 11 November 7 November 11 Week 12 November 14 November 18 Week 13 November 21 November 25 Week 14 November 28 December 2 Week 15 December 5 December 9 Wednesday: Assignment 2 due Thursday: Discussion for chapter 6 due by Friday: Quiz 6 Read chapter 7 Cognition, Language, and Intelligence Thursday: Discussion for chapter 7 due by Friday: Quiz 7 Monday: Exam 2 (Chapters 5-7) Read chapter 8 Human Development Thursday: Discussion for chapter 8 due by Friday: Quiz 8 Read chapter 9 Motivation and Emotion Wednesday: Assignment 3 due Thursday: Discussion for chapter 9 due by Friday: Quiz 9 Read chapter 10 Health and Stress Thursday: Discussion for chapter 10 due by Friday: Quiz 10 Monday: Exam 3 (Chapters 8-10) Read chapter 11 Personality Theory and Assessment Thursday: Discussion for chapter 11 due by Friday: Quiz 11 Read Chapter 12 Psychological Disorders Thursday: Discussion for chapter 12 due by Friday: Quiz 12 Wednesday: Assignment 4 due Read Chapter 13 Therapies Thursday: Discussion for chapter 13 due by Friday: Quiz 13 Read Chapter 14 Social Psychology Thursday: Discussion for chapter 14 due by Friday: Quiz 14
Week 16 December 12 December 16 Monday: Exam 4 (Chapters 11-14)