Course Syllabus

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Course Syllabus

Course Description:

Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. This introductory survey course explores major psychological theories and concepts, core empirical findings, and the methods used in psychological science. Topics include biological basis of behavior, perception, cognition and consciousness, learning, memory, emotion, motivation, developmental psychology, personality, social behavior, lifespan development, psychological disorders and their treatment, and applied psychology.

Student Learning Outcomes:

  1. Differentiate between major research methods used in Psychology.
  2. Identify the major theoretical perspectives in Psychology.
  3. Identify and explain the major parts and functions of the brain and Central nervous system.

Course Objectives:

Gain mastery of the following nine general domains: (1) biological basis of behavior and mental processes, (2) sensation and perception, (3) learning and memory, (4) cognition, consciousness, (5) individual differences, psychometrics, personality, (6) social processes (including those related to socio-cultural and international dimensions), (7) developmental changes in behavior and mental processes that occur during a lifespan, (8) psychological disorders, and (9) emotion and motivation.

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Psychology from OpenStax, ISBN 1938168356 

You have several options to obtain this book:

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

Exams

Exams: All exams will be online. There will be 4 exams and 1 final. The dates for each exam will be on the calendar for this course.

The material for each exam will come from the chapters, the lectures, assignments, videos, and class discussions/activities. Test questions can be multiple choice, true/false, matching and/or short answer. Each exam is worth 50 points.

Exams are mandatory. Make-up exams are rarely given and only at the discretion of the instructor. Students are not automatically given, and should not expect, make-up exams to be given unless the instructor is provided with documentation of a certified legal or medical emergency. Please refer to the Student Handbook for further information about certified emergencies.

Exams will be timed and will have a deadline for when the exam must be completed.

Participation Assignments

There will be a total of 6 assignments given out via Canvas. You will turn them in through Canvas. The assignments will be posted on Canvas. Please make sure that you are checking your email and Canvas.

The assignments will be based on the information that were are covering during the given week. Each assignment is worth 10 points. The lowest graded assignment will not count. This gives a total of 50 possible points for participation assignments.

Discussion Board

For this course there will be 7 discussion board topics or questions posted on Canvas. It will be your responsibility to post a 200 word response to the discussion and to respond to one other students’ responses to the discussion. You are allowed to miss one discussion board and not lose points. Each complete discussion board with a meaningful response to one other post is worth 10 points each. The total points possible are 60 points. The assignment will be graded on Canvas as a complete or incomplete for each week. I drop 1 out of the 7 discussion boards. Please check the rubric provided in the discussion boards to get more information about what I expect from your posts and responses.

Please do not respond to a classmate's posts if it already has two responses. I would like everyone to get responses, not just a select few. If there happens to be a situation where every post has two responses, you may respond to any post.

Your initial post for each discussion board is due on Wednesday each week. Your responses to your classmates' posts are due by Sunday each week.

For example, for our first week your response to the discussion board topic is due by Wednesday, June 10th. Your responses to your classmates' posts are due by Sunday, June 14th.

Writing Assignment

For this course, you will submit a paper applying concepts learned in the course to a current situation in your life. For example, you might write about your recent trouble sleeping, attempts and methods used to train your dog, your romantic attachment style, or your interactions with someone with a psychological disorder. You will be required to incorporate information from the text on the topic of your paper (e.g., learning, states of consciousness, etc.). The paper is worth 100 points, and it is due on July 26th, 2020. Please see the Writing Assignment Guidelines for more information.

Grading

Please save all your work from this class in case there is a question. It is your responsibility to track your grade throughout the semester. Please ask if you have any questions about a grade.

Exams 1, 2, 3, & 4: 50 pts each =                                                                       200 points 

Final   =                                                                                                                              50 points

Participation Assignments: 6 x 10 pts each (One dropped) =        50 points

Discussion board: 7 x 10 pts each (One dropped)=                               60 points

Writing Assignment=                                                                                               100 points

                                                                                                                Total points = 460 points possible

  • A+ =    451-460
  • A =      423-451
  • A- =     414-422
  • B+ =    405-413
  • B =      377-404
  • B- =     368-376
  • C+ =    359-367
  • C =      322-358
  • D+ =    313-321
  • D =      285-312
  • D- =     276-284
  • F =      275 and below

Please see the course syllabus in the Files section for additional information, including the information that we well be covering each week.

Important Notes:

  • Any student needing accommodations should inform the instructor. Students with disabilities who may need accommodations for this class are encouraged to notify the instructor and contact the Disability Programs and Services (DPS)early in the semester so that reasonable accommodations may be implemented as soon as possible. All information will remain confidential.
  • Academic dishonesty and plagiarism will result in a failing grade on the assignment. Using someone else's ideas or phrasing and representing those ideas or phrasing as our own, either on purpose or through carelessness, is a serious offense known as plagiarism. "Ideas or phrasing" includes written or spoken material, from whole papers and paragraphs to sentences, and, indeed, phrases but it also includes statistics, lab results, art work, etc.  Please see the Chaffey College handbook or Student Behavior Code for policies regarding plagiarism, harassment, etc.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due