AttendanceWithdrawalCourse RequirementsBiopsychologyPS 309 – Spring 2008TTR 8:30-9:50 INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Lauren E. Highfill ([email protected])OFFICE: PSY 235 PHONE: 8428OFFICE HOURS: MW: 1:00-3:00; TR: 10:00-12:00 (or by appointment)TEXTBOOK: Pinel, J. P. (2009). Biopsychology (7th Ed.), Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. Course Description- Pre-requisite: PS 101S and junior standing- Application of neurological and neurophysical principles to understanding human behavior and thought, emotion and motivation, learning and memory. Attendance - Attendance is not mandatory, but it will be taken for every class. - You are responsible for all material covered in class whether you are present or not.- Please arrive to class on time and do not leave early.Withdrawal- Do not assume that you have been withdrawn from class if you stop attending.- The last date to drop (without academic penalty) is February 5th, 2009.- The last date to withdraw with W grade is April 9th, 2009. Special NeedsIf you have a disability or believe that you qualify for accommodations under the Americans withDisabilities Act or other laws, please contact Disability Support Services at extension 8248 or via email at [email protected] as soon as possible. Appropriate accommodations can only be arranged through that office, and may not be made retroactively.Academic Honesty: "On my honor, as an Eckerd College student, I pledge not to lie,cheat, or steal, nor to tolerate these behaviors in others."This is Eckerd College's Honor Code; I expect everyone in class to abide by this code with regard to all assignments for this course. Toward that end, I will require that each assignment for this class contain an indication that the work turned in was done without any inappropriate aid. This will be done by writing "Pledged," followed by your name, on each exam.Student Conduct- You are responsible for all information presented in class, including lecture notes, videos,and announcements. I will elaborate on certain lecture points and some assigned readings will not be discussed in class. It is your responsibility to keep up with the pace of this class.Make-up Exams- No make-up exams will be given except in the case of extreme circumstances, such as jury duty, serious illness, serious accident, or death in the family. - Written proof for any of these circumstances will be required (Note: Simply having a doctor’s appointment does not excuse you from an exam! You must verify illness that prevents you from taking the exam). - I must be notified within 24 hours of the scheduled exam, preferably prior to the exam. Failure to take a make-up exam will result in a score of zero (0). - If you must miss an exam for University-approved activities (e.g., athletics), I must receive documentation prior to the exam so that arrangements can be made. Course Requirements1. Reading the Textbook- You are expected to have read the required chapters, as well as additionally assigned readings.2. Quizzes- There will be quizzes throughout the semester a. Only on material covered in class.b. They will take place at the beginning of class (so be on time!)c. I will drop your lowest quiz graded. Your cumulative quiz grade will count for 20% of your final grade3. Exams- There will be three in-class exams and one final a. They will consist of multiple-choice, fill in, short answer/essay, and labeling diagrams (mostly for neuro-anatomy). b. These exams will NOT be cumulative.c. You will be tested on both material covered in class and assigned readingsd. Each exam will be worth 20% of your final grade4. Participating in Experiments – During the semester, faculty or students may come to ourclass to ask for volunteers for psychology experiments. You do not have to volunteer. Ifyou do, however, you will earn extra credit points for each experiment in which you takepart. a. For each experiment in which you take part, you will earn ½ point (that is, .5points) added to your final average for the class. b. Thus, if you participated in 5 experiments during the semester, this would raiseyour final average by 2½ points--almost a third of a letter grade.5. Grading- Formal evaluation in the course will be based on the quality of performance onquiz grades and four unit exams OR quiz grades, a research paper and three exams. Theresearch paper is an option which you may choose to substitute for your lowest unitexam grade. Please note the dates, times and material covered for the scheduledexams in the course.A = 90-100%B = 80-89%C = 70-79%D = 60-69%F = Below 60%COURSE SCHEDULE**Tentative Schedule: Should it be necessary, I reserve the right to make changes to this syllabusduring the semester and to share the changes with you. Exam 1 on or around February 19th Chapters to be covered: 1, 3, 4Exam 2 on or around March 12th Chapters to be covered: 6, 7Exam 3 on or around April 16th Chapters to be covered: 9, 10, 11Outside assigned reading: Articles (to be given out in class)Final Exam on May 12th at 11:30 AMChapters to be covered: 12, 15 (part of 18), 17RESEARCH PAPER REQUIREMENTSThe research paper for this course should meet the following requirements:> The paper must be written in APA format.> The paper must be typed (10-12 pt font) – grammatically error free.> The length should be 8-10 typed pages, plus references.You may write about any topic related to biopsychology (e.g. gender differences in the brain;homosexuality and the brain, somnambulism, cognitive training and Alzheimer’s disease). Iwould suggest selecting a topic for your paper that is relevant to an area of interest to you. Thechapters in your text provide areas you may wish to explore further in your paper. You may usetextbooks as sources for your paper, but you must also cite at LEAST 4 peer-reviewed journalarticles.Please Note:Your paper is due at the beginning of our last class on Thursday, May 7th. If your paper is nothanded in at this time the option of substituting the paper grade for a unit exam grade will nolonger be in