Introduction to Psychology Psychology 1315 Section 005 – Spring 2008 Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:00 am - 12:20 pm Life Science Building Room 424 (424 LS) Instructor: Mark Frame, Ph.D. Office: Life Sciences Building Room 402 Phone: (817) 272-5482 E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Tuesday 1:00 pm – 2:00pm or by appointment Student Learning Outcomes This course will cover a wide range of Psychological concepts and topics. Successful completion of this course will require students to a) be able to describe and integrate the basic theories of psychology, b) able to identify and apply the techniques and methods used by psychologists, c) be able to explain and the application of psychology, and d) be able to begin answering questions that they may have about themselves and the people around them. Psychology is the scientific study of behavior, cognition and emotion. The basic unit of study in psychology is the human being. As a species, human beings are and have been fascinated with our selves for millennia. Psychology is the result of this fascination. It developed as a method for answering questions that we have asked about ourselves since earliest times. Questions such as: Why do I do the things I do? What is love? How can I be sure you understand my experience? Why do I remember certain things and not others? How can I ever survive this experience? Overall, we still have more questions than we have answers. The overarching purpose of this course is to share with you the empirically derived answers that we do have, to help you apply this knowledge to solve problems and increase your understanding of everyday life, and to formulate better, more objective questions about human agency. It is critical that students read the assigned material before coming to class. Discussions and lectures will be based on the assigned readings. Students are expected to budget enough time during the week to read the material from the text. Required Text Psychology by Nairne, 4th edition ISBN 0-534- 60538-9 (study guide optional, but recommended). Students are strongly encouraged to use the textbook publishers’ companion website which can be found at http://psychology.wadsworth.com/nairne4e/ Research Participation Requirement Students enrolled in Psychology 1315 must complete a research participation requirement. Research participation is an experiential learning opportunity which enhances and deepens students’ understanding of and appreciation for the scientific study of Psychology. Failure to meet this requirement will result in an “Incomplete” or failing grade. This requirement may be satisfied by serving as a participant in psychological research or by summarizing and evaluating published studies, in journals or in other sources. More details will be provided in an orientation session and in an informational handout. Summaries must be submitted by the last class meeting. Points are not added to the course grade for completion of this requirement. Communications When communicating with faculty members and other professionals, all students are expected to communicate in a professional and formal manner regardless of the communications media (phone, e-mail, face-to-face, etc.). This includes addressing one’s audience using their proper title, using proper grammar, and using proper spelling. Indeed, how one delivers a message is often as important as the message itself. Thus, I expect students to communicate professionally when sending e-mail communications to me (and to use grammar and spell-check functions before the e-mail is sent). Communications deemed inappropriate may not receive a response.UT-Arlington provides all students with an official UT-Arlington electronic mail (e-mail) address. UT-Arlington and this instructor will use students’ UT-Arlington e-mail accounts for official communication with students. All communications regarding this course will be sent to students’ UT-Arlington e-mail accounts. Evaluation Grading is based on a mastery model. There is NO curve. You may all get A’s, you may all fail, or you may sort yourselves out across a normal distribution of grades. It depends on the time and effort you put in to mastering the material. Grades for the course will be computed as follows: Exam 1 30 Points Exam 2 30 Points Exam 3 30 Points Final Exam 30 Points Participation and attendance 10 points The course grades will be assigned as follows: A 90 – 100 Points B 80 – 89 Points C 70 – 79 Points D 60 – 69 Points F 0 – 59 Points Exams There will be four (4) exams, three (3) regular exams and one (1) Comprehensive Final exam. The exams will cover material from lectures, assignments, discussions, videos, presentations and the corresponding readings in the textbook. All of the exams will consist of multiple-choice items. A student arriving late after the scheduled class start time, on an exam date, will not be allowed to take the exam after the first exam is returned. Students are required to provide their own Scantron answer sheets and pencils for the exams. The lowest exam score will be dropped. If an exam is missed, that will be the score that is dropped. Any additional exams missed will result 0 points for the exam grade. Students are not exempt from any exams. There are a total of 90 points to be earned through exam performance. If an exam is canceled due to inclement weather or other unexpected reasons, it will take place in the subsequent scheduled class time and at the same place as originally scheduled. An official UT-Arlington picture I.D. is required to take exams. Missed Exams Because the lowest exam score is dropped, this instructor will only give makeup exams due to extraordinary circumstances and when official paper documentation is provided. Makeup exams will ONLY be administered at 7:00 am on May 12th, 2008. A student who misses an examination, work assignment or other project because of an observance of a religious holy day will be given the opportunity to complete the work missed within a reasonable time after the absence provided the student has properly notified the instructor. To meet the proper notification requirements, students must notify the instructor in writing of classes scheduled on the dates they will be absent in observance of a religious holy day. Notification must be made within the first 15 class days and either personally delivered, acknowledged and dated by
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