Class Video Jockey- Something new…DisabilitiesAcademic IntegrityIntroductory PsychologyPSY 301 (#39805), Spring 2004 NOA1.116, MW 6pm-7:30pmClass homepage: http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/class/psy301/niederhofferInstructor: Kate NiederhofferOffice: SEAY Psychology Building, 3.426GOffice Hours: TF 9-11Phone: 471-6852Email: [email protected] Description:Psychology is the study of the human mind and behavior: individuals’ thoughts, feelings, and actions. This course is a systematic introduction to contemporary psychology. Because the field is extremely broad and diverse, the course briefly examines the theories, research, and applications of five psychological domains. The main goal is to engage students through the personal relevance of material across the domains. The domains we will examine include (1) Neuropsychology, the relationship between brain and behavior; (2) Cognitive Psychology, how people acquire, use, and remember information; (3) Developmental Psychology, how thinking, reasoning, language and social skills change across the human lifespan; (4) Social and Personality Psychology, the study of individuals’ thoughts, feelings and behavior and how others influence those thoughts, feelings and behaviors; and (5) Clinical psychology, the nature, causes and treatment of psychological disorders. Through lectures, discussions, demonstrations, group activities, and films we will take a scientific approach to explore specific topics within these themes.Course Objectives:Over the course of the semester, you will: - Gain an understanding of the major psychological theories, classic and contemporary; - Learn how psychologists do research and how to critically evaluate that research; and- Gain an appreciation for various psychological perspectives in applying the information to your lives. Our lectures and discussions, readings, assignments, and tests reflect these goals. Active participation in class discussions, conscientious attention to lectures and readings, and thoughtfulcompletion of assignments will enable you to achieve the course goals and flourish as a potential social psychologist. Required Readings: Available at the University Co-OpTextbook: Gazzaniga. M. & Heatherton, T. (2003). Psychological Science: the mind, brain and behavior. W.W Norton & Company, Inc.; hardback text. Student website: http://www.wwnorton.com/psychsci/home.htmExperimental requirement. All students are required to participate in 5 hours of experiments or write one research paper at least 5 pages long. Information about the experimental requirement was handed out on the first day of class. If you do not have this form, refer to the following webpage:http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/undergrad/courses/info/pretesting.htmlFailure to complete the experimental requirement will result in your receiving and Incomplete in the class. The experimental requirement has no effect on your grade in the course.Class Format, Attendance and ParticipationClass meetings will involve lecture, discussion, demonstrations, and group activities. Class attendance and participation are integral components of the course. As such, you are expected to attend and actively participate in every meeting. Participation in class discussions and activities will count for 10% of your grade.We also have a class website on which I will post reminders, announcements, supplemental readings and other relevant information: http://homepage.psy.utexas.edu/homepage/class/psy301/niederhoffer I encourage you to visit me during office hours to ask questions, talk about the course, discuss research opportunities and/ or share the relevance to your life of issues we’ve covered in class. While office hours are not a time to repeat lectures you have missed (for that, you are personally responsible to get notes from a classmate), it is a great time to clear up anything that may have seemed confusing in class or in your readings. Grading DetailsThe final grade in this course is determined by the following:Test 1 20%Test 2 20%Test 3 20%Test 4 20%Journal 10%Class Participation 10%This class will not be graded on a curve. A grade of 90-100 is an A; 80-89 is a B; 70 –79 is a C; 60-69 is a D; and, below 60 is an F. TestsThere will be 4 in-class tests during the semester. Each will be non-cumulative, and include information discussed in class and as well as from assigned readings. The tests will consist of short answer and essay questions requiring you to understand, integrate and apply what you havelearned in the class, not just regurgitate definitions. There will be no makeup tests and I will not give tests early. JournalAnother course requirement that will be helpful in integrating the material into your lives and enhance the quality of our class discussions is to keep a journal over the course of the semester. Note, however, this is not a “deepest thoughts and feelings/ diary-type” journal. The point of this journal, instead, is to encourage you to see the relevance of psychology to your everyday lives-- to make connections between the theories we are studying and snapshots of social psychology that you see in your “real-world” encounters. You are required to write two journal entries for each of the 4 sections of the course (only1 for the last section), for a total of 7 by the end of the semester (see dates on Course Outline below). You are free to select any process, phenomenon, theory or tendency that is relevant to that week’s main theme.Class Video Jockey- Something new…One of the best ways to demonstrate the application of psychological principles to life outside of the classroom is through video clips of contemporary TV shows and movies. As we move through the semester, you will begin to notice manifestations of various psychological ideas and issues that we have discussed in class pop up in reality TV shows, sit-coms, films, etc. Each week, I would like to have one member of the class bring in a brief (3-4 min) video clip to launch the lecture. It will be up to the VJ to explain to the class why such a clip was chosen. Details will be discussed in class.DisabilitiesFor students with disabilities, I am available to discuss any appropriate academic accommodations that might be necessary for this course. Before course accommodations can be made, you will be required to provide documentation to the Office of the Dean of Students—Services for Students with Disabilities. For more information,
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