General Psychology PSYC 100 Sect. 4 - Fall 2011 MEETING TIME AND PLACE: MWF 2:00 2:50 PM CNS E103 Instructor: Rose Danek, Ph.D. Phone: (309) 556-3867 Office: C006C CNS email: rdanek@iwu.edu Office Hours: Please make appointments to see me on Mondays 11:00 AM 1:00 PM, Wednesdays 3:00 4:00 PM, or Fridays 11:00 AM 1:00 PM Course Goals, Objectives, and Structure The purpose of this course is to provide an overview of the topic of psychology. We will examine various topics ranging from the biological bases of behavior to group (social) behavior. Topics will include, but not be limited to: neuroscience, perception, attention, language acquisition, learning, memory, development, emotion, personality, clinical disorders, and psychological therapy. Throughout this course you will see how the scientific study of human behavior can inform us about our daily lives. The course will consist of readings and lectures. Much of the material will be covered in both the readings and the lectures, but some material will be covered only in lecture or only in the readings. The tests will emphasize material covered in lecture, and consistent attendance in lectures is therefore extremely important. Below I have listed the specific learning goals for this course, the activities designed to help you achieve them, and the means by which your learning will be evaluated. Learning Goals Course Activities Evaluation 1. Know major concepts, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology. Readings, lecture, class discussion, journal activities Participation in discussion, in-class exercises, journal entries 2. Understand and be exposed to basic research in various fields in psychology. 3. Think critically and scientifically about issues related to behavior and mental processes. 4. Demonstrate information competence and the ability to use computers and other technology for research purposes. 5. Communicate effectively in a variety of formats. Readings, lecture, Research Exposure Program Readings, class discussion, journal activities Journal activities, Research Exposure Program, library instruction day Journal activities, class discussions, writing assignments REP credit hours, in-class exercises Participation in discussion, journal entries, in-class exercises Journal entries, REP credit hours, term papers Participation in discussion, in-class exercises, journal entries, term papers 1
Course Materials Gray, P. (2011). Psychology (6th Ed.). Worth Publishers. Class website: http://courses.iwu.edu/ Grading Procedures Grades will be based on 2 midterm exams (50 points each), a final exam (75 points), 12 in-class thought exercises (50 points total), 2 term papers (30 points each), and participation including journal entries (65 points) for a total of 350 points. All exams will be held during the normal class period. The exam questions will be a combination of short answer, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple-choice. The final exam will cover the last set of lectures (50 points), and it will also include questions from earlier in the semester (25 points). The term papers will be due at the beginning of lecture on October 3 rd and November 21 st. There will be 12 in-class thought exercises each worth 5 points. Your two lowest in-class exercise scores will be dropped. Finally, you will be required to participate in class discussions and you will be turning in journal entries on a weekly basis. In addition to these requirements, you will also be required to participate in a research component. Failure to do so will result in an incomplete for the class. There will be no extra credit. The calculation of the final grade will be based on the percentage of points earned throughout the course as follows: 93.0-100 A 87.0-89.9 B+ 77.0-79.9 C+ 60.0-69.9 D 90.0-92.9 A- 83.0-86.9 B 73.0-76.9 C 0-59.9 F 80.0-82.9 B- 70.0-72.9 C- There will be NO rounding of scores at any stage of calculating a grade. For example, a student who has a final grade in the class of 89.999% will receive a B+, not an A-. Research Component In order to give you a greater understanding of the studies you will encounter in your readings, each student is required to participate in some psychological experiments or to write short papers on psychological research. See supplemental materials for more information. If you do not finish this requirement, you will receive an incomplete for the class until the experiment requirement is met. Participation Requirement You will be graded on your course participation. This participation grade will include both your participation in class (e.g., answering questions in class, participating in discussion) and an evaluation of your journal entries. You will be required to purchase a notebook specifically for the course. The notebook should be 8 ½ x 11 in size and can be any number of pages (it should be a minimum of 50 pages). You will be turning in your journals each week, so you will need to have a notebook that is solely for this purpose. Your name must be clearly written on the outside front cover of your journal in permanent marker. If you would like to decorate your journal with other images, words, etc. that is great, but your first and last name must be clearly legible on the outside of the journal. 2
Every Friday from 09/02 until 12/02 (excluding the week of Thanksgiving when you will turn your journal in on Monday 11/21) you will turn in your journal at the start of class. You should have a minimum of two QUALITY journal entries per week. Content of the Journal Entries The purpose of your Psychology Journal is to get you thinking about the science of psychology, the psychology of both yourself and those around you, and how the concepts (science) and experiences (personal) relate in your everyday life. It is also a chance for you to apply your knowledge about psychology and really dig into the material we are discussing. In order to explore just how relevant psychology is to your everyday life, you will be looking at mainstream media sources as well as your surroundings for your inspiration. You will be responsible for writing two journal entries each week. At least one of these entries must pertain to something that you have heard on a podcast, radio broadcast, television program, or read in a trusted news source (see A below). Both journal entries can be about a media source (two different sources are required) or your second entry can be about something that has happened in your life and relates to psychology (see B below). Each class we will be discussing more and more topics in the field of psychology and you may be surprised just how much each of these topics impacts your life. Journal Entry type A: Psychology-Related Media 1. Describe what you read/heard/saw. Did you learn something new? What was it? 2. Does this relate to a past experience you have had? Is this likely to impact your future thinking/actions? If so, how could it? 3. What terminology/concepts have we learned that relates to this? What s the textbook definition of these terminology/concepts? How does it relate? Here are a list of websites for podcasts, radio broadcasts, and news sources. This is by no means a comprehensive list, you can (and should) find other sources: http://www.radiolab.org (highly recommended!) http://www.learnoutloud.com http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/podcasts.cfm?type=60-second-mind http://www.npr.org http://www.nytimes.com http://www.time.com Journal Entry type B: Personal Experience 1. Describe your own past experience from this week, from last year, from childhood, etc. or an experience of someone with whom you are close. 2. Talk about the personal aspects of it. Did you or your friend/relative learn anything new? Was it a difficult experience? Easy? Would you respond the same way in the future? Did your knowledge of the science of psychology help you understand what was happening from a different viewpoint? Did it help you decide how to respond? Will it in the future? 3. What terminology/concepts have we learned that relates to this? What s the textbook definition of these terminology/concepts? How does it relate? 3
Examination and Assignment Policies Makeup exams will typically be allowed only for university-mandated and officially verified reasons (e.g., illness, mandatory religious obligations, or participation in certain sports events). If the absence can be anticipated in advance of the test date, I must be notified before the day of the test. If you are ill or have an emergency on the day of the test, you should contact me before the time of the test, if possible, and as soon as possible otherwise (an e-mail is sufficient). If you do not contact me in a timely manner, you may receive a score of 0 for the test. If you do poorly on an exam, you are encouraged to look at your answers to help focus your studying for the next exam. Also, students sometimes wish to argue that the answer they gave for a given question was actually correct. If you would like to discuss the exam, please come during office hours or make an appointment to see me. Note, however, you may review an exam or challenge a question only during the 2 weeks following the exam date. Learning is facilitated by active participation in the class. Attendance will not be graded directly, but the inclass writing exercises will only be given in class. You will need to attend class in order to receive points for the assignment. Your two lowest in-class exercises will be dropped, and this provides a way to miss a class without being penalized. Of course, if you are ill or have some other officially recognized excuse, you may turn in an exercise at a different time, as arranged with me. If the absence can be anticipated in advance, you must make arrangements in advance. Because your two lowest in-class exercise scores will be dropped, I will be very strict about excuses for the exercises. Therefore, you should use the two dropped exercises only in case of accidents and emergencies. Don t just blow off exercises because you can you might need them later. For example, if a student claims that an exercise was handed in and it becomes lost, there is no way to determine whether the exercise was handed in. In such a case, this exercise would be one of the two that is dropped. Late term papers will be graded down in accordance with the degree of lateness (unless there is a universitymandated and officially verified excuse). You will lose 10% of the possible points for each day the paper is late (with a smaller number of points lost for a fraction of a day). Classroom Behavior It is expected that you will treat myself and your classmates respectfully (e.g., using respectful language) and avoid being disruptive in class. This requires that you turn off (or silence) all cell phones, watch alarms, pagers, etc. Do not disrupt class by talking during lecture. Other disruptive and/or disrespectful behaviors include arriving late, leaving early, texting, etc. Although attendance in the course is strongly encouraged, you may be asked to leave if you engage in disrespectful and/or disruptive behaviors. Academic Fraud IWU has strict policies regarding academic honesty. Students are expected to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity at all times. Academic dishonesty and misconduct will not be tolerated. ALL instances of academic dishonesty will be reported. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this course. This means that you may not copy from a classmate nor may you use cheat sheets during an exam. Plagiarism is essentially stealing ideas from others. If you use someone else s words in your own writing, you must enclose those words in quotes and cite the original author. Even if you paraphrase from another source, you must acknowledge that source. Please note that use of papers or tests on file with various social organizations violates this policy. If you are caught cheating or plagiarizing in this course, you will receive no 4
credit for the assignment or exam in question. If you have any questions about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please consult the Student Handbook and/or ask a faculty member. Email Policy In accordance with the Psychology department e-mail policy, all official course e-mail (including notification about changes in test dates and times, required reading materials, etc.) will be sent ONLY to university email accounts. Students are responsible for checking this e-mail account for important course information. Cell Phone/Electronic Devices Policy Cell phones and other devices - no. I don t want to see them, hear them or know that you have them. Keep them off, on silent, or out of the classroom. Student Services Writing Center, Buck Library 102, 556-3810, or email writcent@iwu.edu for appointments Counseling and Consultation Services, 556-3052, free & confidential Hart Career Center, (study abroad and internship info) Minor Myers Jr. Welcome Center, 556-3071 Lecture Schedule Week Date Topic Readings, etc. Humans as Behaving Biological Organisms 1 M 08/22 Introduction and Orientation Syllabus W 08/24 History of Psychology: Wundt and you Chapter 1 F 08/26 Research Methods: How (not) to read a mind Chapter 2 2 M 08/29 Research Methods: How (not) to read a mind Chapter 2; pp. 146-151 W 08/31 Neural Communication: The Original Cell Chap. 5 (pp. 137-146) Phone F 09/02 Brain and Nervous System Chapter 5 (finish) 3 M 09/05 No Class: Labor Day W 09/07 Brain and Nervous System Chapter 5 (finish) F 09/09 Becoming a Research Literati Meet at Ames Library 4 M 09/12 Article Discussion #1 TBD W 09/14 Motivation: Warm feet, a drink, and food Chap. 6 (pp. 186-208) F 09/16 Emotion: Laughing and Crying and More Chap. 6 (pp. 220-229) 5 M 09/19 Learning and conditioning Russian Style Chap. 4 (pp. 93-106) W 09/21 Finishing Russia and Hello America! Chap. 4 (pp. 107-119) F 09/23 Learning and conditioning American Style Chap. 4 (pp. 119-135) 6 M 09/26 Exam 1, in class Humans as Thinking Organisms W 09/28 Sensation and Perception: How to Taste Chapter 7 5
Week Date Topic Readings, etc. F 09/30 Sensation and Perception: How to See 1 Chapter 8 7 M 10/03 Sensation and Perception: How to See 2 Chapter 8; Term Paper #1 Due W 10/05 Attention and Consciousness Chap. 9 (pp. 309-320) F 10/07 Attention and Consciousness Continued Chap. 9 (pp. 309-320) 8 M 10/10 Sleeping and Dreaming pp. 208-219 W 10/12 Memory: In the Now Chap. 9 (pp. 320-324) F 10/14 No Class: Fall Break 9 M 10/17 Memory: Retention and Retrieval Chap. 9 (pp. 325-349) W 10/19 Memory: In everyday life Chap. 9 (pp. 325-349) F 10/21 Article Discussion #2 TBD 10 M 10/24 Problem Solving and Intelligence Chapter 10 W 10/26 How We Communicate: Human Language Chap.11 (pp. 419-433) F 10/28 How We Communicate: Human Language Chap.11 (pp. 419-433) 11 M 10/31 Exam 2, in class Humans as Developing, Social Organisms W 11/02 Human Development Chap. 11 (pp. 397-418) F 11/04 Cognitive Development Chap. 11 (pp. 397-418) 12 M 11/07 Social Development Chapter 12 W 11/09 Social Psychology 1: How to Win Friends Chapter 13 F 11/11 Social Psychology 2: How to Influence People Chapter 14 13 M 11/14 Personality: How you became you Chapter 15 W 11/16 Psychological Disorders Chapter 16 F 11/18 Psychological Disorders Chapter 16 14 M 11/21 Psychological Therapies Chapter 17; Term Paper #2 Due W 11/23 No Class: Thanksgiving F 11/25 No Class: Thanksgiving 15 M 11/28 Psychological Therapies Chapter 17 W 11/30 Stress, Health & Final Exams F 12/02 Article Discussion #3 TBD W 12/07 FINAL EXAM, 10: 15 AM - 12:15 PM ***Please note that the instructor maintains the right to modify the scope and sequence of the curriculum to meet the needs of the students.*** 6