PSY 140 section H54 Fall 2009 Meets 09/14-12/13/09 PLUS 16-hrs guided learning Tuesday 9am-12:50pm Potter Center: Federer Room A Professor Neil Sauter (517)416-0441 – please call if you need to reach me [email protected] Office hours: Tuesdays 1-3pm JM 150 TEXT Psychology by Myers, 8th ed. – Worth Publishing (Study guide optional) SCHEDULE Date Topics Read Assignment Due 9/15 Syllabus/Prologue/Careers 9/22 PSY as Science/Neuroscience 1&2 Naturalistic Observation 9/29 Nature vs. Nurture/Life span 3&4 Coding Scheme 10/6 Sensation/Perception 5&6 Interview 10/13 Consciousness/ Learning 7&8 Data Analysis 10/20 Midterm 1-8 Literature Review 10/27 NO CLASS 11/3 Memory/Cognition 9&10 11/10 Intelligence/Motivation 11&12 Survey 11/17 Emotion/Stress & Health 13&14 11/24 Personality/Social PSY 15&18 Experiment 12/1 Disorders & Therapy 16&17 12/8 Final exam 9-18 Final Report 16 hours of guided learning To meet the requirement of 16 hours of guided learning each student in the class will undertake a research project of a topic of their choice. The project will introduce students to multiple aspects of psychological research including literature review, naturalistic observation, case studies, surveys, experimentation, analysis, and reporting. The students will be given guidance and instruction necessary to complete each assignment. Students will complete each of the following (100 points total) Naturalistic Observation (10 points) This assignment will require each student to observe behavior in two public environments for 15 minutes each. The students will record and report data. Coding Scheme (10 points) After completing the naturalistic observation students will look for themes and develop a code book for describing behavior in a particular setting.Interview (10 points) The students will complete a 10 question structured interview with a person of their choosing about a topic of interest in psychology. Data Analysis (10 points) From a given data set, students will calculate scores of central tendency and provide an interpretation of results. Literature Review (15 points) Students will review three articles of a topic of their choice and describe how their research topic has been influenced by their readings. Survey (15 points) Students will develop and administer a five question survey on a topic of their choice and report findings. Experiment (20 points) Students will develop a controlled classroom experiment in which they manipulate one variable for study and report on their findings. Final Report (10 points) Students will prepare a summary of their findings and describe their impressions of their research process. Tests (100 points) A midterm and final exam will be given. 50 points each. Tests will consist of multiple choice and short answer questions. Quizzes (100 points) 8 quizzes will be given throughout the semester. Each will be worth 10 points and consist of short answer questions. Class Participation (20 points) Students will get two points for each class they attend and participate in classroom discussions and activities. Assignments 100 points (33% of grade) Tests 100 points (33% of grade) Quizzes 80 points (27% of grade) Class participation 20 points (7% of grade) TOTAL 400 pointsGRADING 4.0 93%+ 3.5 88-92% 3.0 83-87% 2.5 78-82% 2.0 73-77% 1.5 68-72% 1.0 63-67% 0.5 58-62% E 57%- COURSE DESCRIPTION: An overview of the field of psychology including; learning, development, perception, emotion, motivation, personality, abnormal behavior, and psychotherapy. (From JCC Catalog, 2007-08). PREREQUISITE: ENG 085 and ENG 090 TEACHING PHILOSOPHY I believe that the best way to learn is to be engaged in the topic rather than through passive listening. Therefore as your teacher I will make my best efforts to provide activities and projects in class which will help you learn and also be fun. WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASS: The last day to withdraw from classes is LISTED IN THE FALL SCHEDULE OF CLASSES. You must initiate a withdrawal in person at the main campus or one of the extension centers. Note that I do not withdraw students from class. If the withdrawal from class is student-initiated, it is necessary for an advisor or counselor to approve the schedule change. The student’s official date of withdrawal will be the date received at the Registrar's office. A student is not considered withdrawn from class until the withdrawal form has been processed (add/drop form). “I” (INCOMPLETE) GRADE: An incomplete (I) will be considered when, in my opinion, your work is sufficient in quality but is lacking in quantity to meet the course objectives. This does not mean that it is automatically given if you request it. It is not a substitute for a W grade. It assumes you have faithfully attended more than three-quarters of the class, have done good quality work (2.0 or better), and that you have a good and sufficient reason (as determined by me) not to complete the class. Please note that while I do not routinely assign this grade, I will be glad to discuss your individual situation with you.A grade of “I” may be removed by satisfactorily meeting the course objectives during either of the next full-length semesters (fall/winter) or at an earlier date specified by me. We will have a written agreement as to what you would need to do in order to remove the “I” grade. If the “I” is not removed by the end of the specified time, it will be replaced with whatever grade you earned before the “I” grade was assigned. This could result in you receiving a 0.0 for the class. Under no circumstances will the “I” grade be allowed as the final grade in the class. ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY: Academic honesty is expected of all students. It is the ethical behavior that includes producing their own work and not representing others' work as their own, either by plagiarism, by cheating, or by helping others to do so. Plagiarism is the failure to give credit for the use of material from outside sources. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to: - using data, quotations, or paraphrases from other sources without adequate documentation - submitting others' work as your own - exhibiting other behaviors generally considered unethical