Introduction to Psychology – Fall 2008 Psyc 1315.009 Life Sciences Building: Room 424 Monday/Wednesday: 7:00-8:20 Instructor: Colleen Thompson Office: 505, Life Sciences Building Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 6:00 – 6:45, or by appointment Mailbox: Psychology Department, UTA Box 19528 E-mail: [email protected] Course Website: http://www.uta.edu/webct/ Required Textbook: “The Science of Psychology" by Laura A. King, 1st edition McGraw Hill (study guide optional, but recommended). The text is also available as an eBook at http://www.coursesmart.com or http://textbooks.vitalsource.com. Additional Course Materials: Additional course materials (readings, exercises, etc.) may be passed out throughout the semester and/or placed on WebCt. Course Description: The course is designed to explore the fundamental methods and content of scientific psychology, with a concentration on the understanding of basic principles. It is a broad survey course, covering a wide range of topics, and it is therefore suited to meet the needs and interests of majors and non-majors. Course Learning Goals and Objectives: It is the goal of this course to provide a basic understanding of psychology concepts, facts, and theories. Therefore, at the end of the course students should be generally familiar with psychological terminology, concepts, people, theories, facts, and well-known experiments from a variety of disciplines in psychology. Attendance Policy: Attendance is not formally required, however class participation is included in the students’ grade, therefore regular attendance is highly recommended. Additionally, the course schedule (including exams) is subject to change; therefore it is recommended that students regularly attend class to be aware of changes in the schedule or exam schedule.Grading Format: The final course grade will be assigned based on the final point total accumulated. The final grade will be based off of a total of 360 points, see below for the grading distribution. Exam 1 70 points Exam 2 70 points Exam 3 70 points Final Exam 100 points Class Participation 30 points 340 Total Points Letter Grade Points Required A 306-340 B 272-305 C 238-271 D 204-237 F 203 and below Description of Course Requirements: Exams: Exam questions will be derived from the lectures, assigned readings, textbook chapters, and any other material presented in class including audio/visual media, exercises/handouts, guest speaker presentations, class discussions, etc. Exams 1 -3 will be non-cumulative, however the final exam will be cumulative. Questions on the exams will consist of a combination of multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill in the blank, and short answer. Late students will NOT be allowed to take the exam after the first exam has been turned in. Please review the missed exam policy stated elsewhere in the syllabus. Class Participation: Class participation is included the final grade. These points will be assigned at the instructor’s discretion, and will be based upon regular attendance, participation in class discussion, asking intelligent/relevant questions, completion of exercises/assignments, and completion of in-class quizzes. In class exercises and quizzes are NOT available for make-up. Missed assignments must be turned in on the stated due date – extra time will not be allotted. Missed Exam Policy: Makeup exam requests will be approved only when appropriate documentation is provided indicating that compelling circumstances prevented a student from taking a scheduled exam. Examples of such circumstances include funeral attendance, religious holidays, and illness. No information should be provided in a makeup exam request that is private or confidential in nature. A note from a friend or family member is not acceptable documentation. A request for a makeup exam must be made in writing, and must be supplied no later than one week following the missed exam. Make-up exams will be held during the final exam, or at a time convenient to the instructor. Make-up exams will be a different exam from the in-class exam, and may include essay questions instead of, or in addition to the types of questions listed above.Research Participation Requirement: The Psychology Department requires that all students taking Introduction to Psychology complete a 6-credit research requirement. The main way in which you will be able to complete this requirement will be by participating in experiments conducted by department faculty and their research assistants. In lieu of participating in experiments, you may choose to write reviews of approved research articles. Completing this assignment will be done via Sona (http://uta.sona-systems.com/). A departmental handout detailing this requirement (and important deadlines) can be found at www.uta.edu/psychology, under links. Any questions pertaining to this assignment that are not covered in the handout can be sent to [email protected]. Points are not added to the course grade for completion of the research participation requirement. FAILURE TO COMPLETE THE REQUIREMENT WILL RESULT IN AN INCOMPLETE FOR THE CLASS. You will then need to complete your requirement during the next semester or the incomplete will turn into an F regardless of your academic standing. In order to satisfy this requirement, you MUST have an account in Sona REGARDLESS if you participate in research or write reviews. Americans With Disabilities Act The University of Texas at Arlington is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation; reference Public Law 93112 -- The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended. With the passage of new federal legislation entitled Americans With Disabilities Act - (ADA), pursuant to section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act, there is renewed focus on providing this population with the same opportunities enjoyed by all citizens. As a faculty member, I am required by law to provide "reasonable accommodation" to students with disabilities, so as not to discriminate on the basis of that disability. Student responsibility primarily rests with informing faculty at the beginning of the semester and in providing authorized documentation through designated administrative channels. Academic Dishonesty It is the philosophy of The University of Texas at Arlington that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All
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