Introduction to Psychology – Fall 2009 Psyc 1315.007 Life Sciences Building: Room 122 Tuesday / Thursday 12:30 – 1:50 Instructor: Colleen Thompson Office: 505, Life Sciences Building Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11:30 – 12:20, 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.) will 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 and be able to apply the material (when relevant) to everyday life. Attendance Policy: Attendance is not formally required; however several exam questions will come from material that is presented in class but not in the book. Therefore regular attendance is highly recommended. Additionally, the course schedule (including exams) is subject to change; thus it is recommended that students regularly attend class to be aware of changes in the schedule.Grading Format: The grade for each exam will be based off of the percentage of questions answered correctly. The weight of each exam is equal (including the final). The final grade will be calculated from the average of all four exams. The minimum points for a letter grade are, 90 = A, 80 = B, 70 = C, 60 = D, below 60 = F. This distribution is set; therefore there will be NO rounding up of grades. Description of Course Requirements: Exams: There are 4 non-comprehensive required exams for this course. Exams will consist of approximately 60 – 70 questions, and the 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. 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 below. 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. Other Relevant Information: 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, andmust be supplied no later than one week following the missed exam. Make-up exams will be held 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. 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 persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to
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