SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA UNIVERSITY OF HEALTH SCIENCES COLLEGE OF SCIENCE AND INTEGRATIVE HEALTH DEPARTMENT OF PROFESSIONAL SERVICES INSTITUTE OF SCIENCE COURSE INFORMATION Course Title: Course Number(s): Term: Psychology I Lecture: PSY102 SU2016 Time Requirement: (hours/week) Lecture Hours: 40 Total Units: 3 Prerequisites: High School Diploma or equivalent Faculty: Lead Faculty: Elijah Levy, Ph.D. Contact Information: elijahlevy@scuhs.edu or thelevylaunch@yahoo.com Office Hours: TBA Assisting Faculty: Essence Parker, M.A. Contact Information: essenceparker@scuhs.edu or Essence_Parker@yahoo.com Office Hours: TBA COURSE PURPOSE Course Description: Examines basic psychological concepts, such as the nervous system, memory, intelligence and development along with Freudian, humanistic, social, cognitive, and trait theories. Presents an introduction to the issues, methods, and descriptions of psychology. Discusses individual and social problems of everyday life through the viewpoints and methods of modern scientific psychology. Examines the psychological processes through which people deal with the challenges of everyday life. University Learning Outcomes: 1. Evidence-Based Knowledge: The student will utilize foundational health science knowledge; and critically appraise and apply relevant scientific literature in professional healthcare practice. 2. Communication: The student will effectively engage patients/clients, colleagues, and the public using appropriate verbal, non-verbal, and written communication. 3. Professionalism: The student will demonstrate leadership, integrity, respect, and self-reflection while employing ethical and legal standards in professional and community interactions. 1 P a g e
4. Integrative Healthcare: The student will serve as an effective member of a healthcare team, collaborating with other professionals to improve community health and patient outcomes for the health of individuals and the community. Course Objectives: At the conclusion of this course, a successful student should be able to: 1. Demonstrate competent written communication skills 2. Employ effective oral communication skills 3. Interpret quantitative data using mathematical principles to effectively identify core issues and solve problems 4. Illustrate competence in the biological, physical, and natural sciences 5. Locate disparate information through multiple sources demonstrating technological and informational literacy 6. Analyze ideas and make decisions using critical thinking skills 7. Describe and interpret diverse perspectives, value systems, history, cultural traditions, and artistic expression 8. Articulate issues and arrive at a defensible conclusion, given a set of ethical dilemmas INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIALS Required Text(s): Essentials of Understanding Psychology (11th Ed.), by R.S. Feldman (13: 9780077861889) Classroom Expectations: Please be professional, prompt, prepared, and polite at all times. The professor will adhere to all polices as found in the Student Handbook Cellular phones must be kept on silent during class times. If you are texting I will take your phone away until the break and you will return it to me after the break. If you are using a laptop you will be asked to sit in the front of the class. TEACHING METHODS AND ACTIVITIES There are 9 hours of lecture each week for 4 weeks. The lectures will be held on Saturdays and Sundays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Final exams will take place on Wednesday evening at 6:00 p.m., following the fourth week of courses. Best Practices for studying Psychology: Read before and read after each class. Skim the chapter before it is covered in lecture in order to become comfortable with some of the terms associated with each topic. Review each chapter after it is covered in class to enhance your understanding of what was covered in class. Participate during class by taking notes during class and looking over them afterwards. Don't skip class, arrive late, or leave early. Ask questions for clarification when you don t understand the 2 P a g e
material. Stay on top of the homework and assignments. Do the assigned readings a week before class so when the topic is covered in class it will increase the depth of your understanding of specific concepts and will help you learn the material more efficiently and effectively. Do not wait until the night before the homework is due to start the assignment. You will get more out of it if you take the time to really learn the concepts and review the material without being rushed. Find a group of students to study with. Seek out students dedicated to doing well in the course. This makes studying more fun and also helps you learn the material better by teaching what you know and learning from your peers what you don t know. Explaining these concepts to others will help you learn the material even better. Stay focused by finding an environment where you can study with few distractions. EVALUATION OF STUDENT LEARNING Grading procedures: Student assessments may include self-assessments, peer assessments, and instructor assessments. The format of these assessments may include multiple choice, essay, short answer, or fill-in examinations; special individual or group projects; or practical examinations, etc. Evaluation Methods, Grading Assignment/Assessments Due Date Points Midterm Exam July 10 80 Final Exam July 24 80 Quiz #1 Quiz #2 Class Participation July 3 July 17 Every Class 40 40 On-Line Discussion one every weekend: posted by Saturday 8:00 pm Sunday by 8:00 pm 40 Students are required to comment on a classmate s posting. Each post worth 10 points x 4 weekends 3 P a g e
Writing Assignment (Paper) Due July 24 80 The topic for the paper students write for this course must be approved by the instructor. The style is APA and the instructor will distribute an abbreviated APA style outline to students. The instructor will describe the requirements for the paper in class. Essentially - the paper must demonstrate the student s critical thinking and analysis skills by conducting a cross cultural exploration of the chosen topic and by asking the important questions that reveal additional discoveries about the topic and implications of the paper s conclusions. The length of the paper is 7-8 pages minus the title and reference page. One Minute Papers one every Sunday written at end of class. Students will write a paragraph of most important concepts learned that day and implications they have for how they perceive human behavior. Each one minute paper worth 10 points x 4 weekends At end of class on Sunday 40 TOTAL 400 Grading scale: Letter grades will be assigned only at the end of the trimester. A = 90% to 100% B = 80% - less than 90% C = 70% - less than 80% D = 60% - less than 70% F = less than 60% I = Incomplete W = Withdrawal University Policies Students are expected to spend at least two hours for each lecture or practicum hour and one hour for every two laboratory hours of course time per week in activities and assessments outside the classroom. Examples of activities include, but are not limited to: writing papers; reading articles or text; small group work; presentations; completing assignments; preparation for assessments; online activities and other activities that do not include direct instructor interaction and involvement. All university policies apply to this course and all others. For full policy information please consult the university SCU Policy Manual. For a quick reference guide to the following policies: make-up examination, grade posting, results of failing grades, student support information, syllabus amendments, special needs, student conduct, and attendance, please consult the academic policies document housed on the Online Student Services [the preceding is a hyperlink]. 4 P a g e
Withdrawal: Students can withdraw from any IoS course by submitting a formal withdrawal online. The student withdrawing from a course must log in to the MySCU portal and click on the "Drop Course" link and complete the course drop request. An email confirming the drop request will be sent to the student, acknowledging the withdrawal. Disability: In keeping with the Americans Disabilities Act of 1990, SCU will accommodate a student s known physical or mental limitations in order to enable him or her to perform the essential functions of the curriculum, to the extent the necessary accommodations are reasonable and do not impose undue hardship to the University. Interested students should request information regarding the services offered by the University. The Learning Resource Specialists are located in the library and can assist with the documentation required to access special services due to disabilities. Academic dishonesty: Students are expected to adhere to the highest standards of academic honesty. In this class, cheating will not be tolerated. Plagiarism includes passing someone else s ideas off as your own without citing proper credit. Cheating includes looking at another student's test during an exam, allowing other students to copy your work, use of unauthorized materials during an exam, presenting lab reports that are not your original work, and recording laboratory data that was not actually observed. These are all prohibited in this program. Collaboration and discussion are encouraged, but it is important for each student to individually complete each assignment. Any student who is academically dishonest can receive a failing grade. COURSE SCHEDULE 5 P a g e
Week/ Date Class Objectives/Course Learning Outcomes Content Outline Student Assignments July 2 (Saturday) Define Psychology; Discriminate between psychology as a science and a pseudoscience; research in psychology; basic elements of behavior; the brain Introduction Psychological Research Neuroscience and Behavior Ch. 1: Intro. to Psychology Ch. 2: Neuroscience & Behavior July 3 (Sunday) Sensing the world around us; perceptual organization; sleep and dreams; meditation; drug use. States of Consciousness Sensation and Perception Ch. 3: Sensation & Perception Ch. 4: States of Consciousness Quiz #1 July 9 (Saturday) Classical conditioning; operant conditioning; cognitive approaches to learning; memory; long term memory; forgetting Memory Learning Ch. 5: Learning Ch. 6: Memory July 10 (Sunday) Thinking and reasoning; language; intelligence; explaining motivation; human needs and motivation; understanding emotional experiences Thinking; language; intellligence Motivation and Emotion Ch. 7: Thinking, language, Intelligence Ch. 8: Motivation & Emotion Midterm July 16 (Saturday) Development; nature and nurture; adolescence; becoming an adult; adulthood; personality development; trait learning; exploring diversity Development: Infancy, Moral, Social and Physical Personality Development Ch. 9: Development Ch. 10: Personality July 17 (Sunday) Coping; psychological aspects of illness and well being; promoting health and wellness; major psychological disorders; normal versus abnormal Health Psychology: Stress, Coping and Well-Being Psychological Disorders Ch. 11: Health Psychology: Stress, Coping and Well-Being Ch. 12: Psychological Disorders Quiz #2 6 P a g e
July 23 (Saturday) NO CLASS MEETING ASYNCHRONOUS WORK ASSIGNED Psychotherapy; humanistic and group approaches to treatment; biomedical therapy Psychotherapy, Biomedical Therapy, Biological Approaches totreatment Ch. 13: Treatment of Psychological Disorders Students will create either a mind map or concept map of types of treatment available for the following disorders: Anxiety Disorders Mood Disorders In addition, please respond to this question: Why is Schizophrenia considered to be the cruelest of the mental illnesses? Please write at least three pages of text. Both assignments must be emailed to the instructor by 10:00 pm today (Saturday) Please email these assignments to: elijahlevy@scuhs.edu July 24 (Sunday) Persuasion; conformity; compliance; obedience; foundations of prejudice; liking and loving; aggression Social Psychology: Attitudes and Social Cognition, Aggression Prejudice and Discrimination Positive and Negative Social Behavior Final Exam Ch. 14: Social Psychology Final paper due today. Writing Assignment: Paper The paper for this course requires students to use APA style. The instructor will explain APA style and distribute an abbreviated APA booklet. Essentially, we want students to select a topic they are interested in examining and to exercise critical thinking by asking questions that deepen their understanding of the subject. For example, students may study the incidence rate of Schizophrenia, what puts one at risk, etc. cross-culturally by asking the important questions about the role culture plays in diagnosis and treatment of Schizophrenia. The topic you select must be approved by the instructor. The paper is 7-8 pages in length not including the cover and reference page. 7 P a g e
On-Line Discussion: Students are required to post an on-line response to the instructor s comment about a concept or theory studied in class that day. Your response needs to be posted every Sunday before 8:00 pm. The responses need to be thoughtful and reflect your critical thinking skills. IoS (SS): Psychology I, PSY102, SU2016 Syllabus prepared by: Elijah Levy Revised: 6/30/16 8 P a g e