Course Description & GoalsAttendance and ParticipationTardy or Absent on Exam DayOther Graded AssignmentsBeepers & Cell PhonesCommunication and EmailHuman DevelopmentImportant University DatesIntroduction to PsychologyPsyc 1315 Section 001Spring 2007MWF 9:00 – 9:50Instructor: Jennifer KnackOffice: LS 411Office Hours: Mondays 10:00 – 10:50 or by appointmentEmail: [email protected] text: Psychology, 4th Edition, James S. NairneWebsite: http://www.uta.edu/webct/Book Website: http://psychology.wadsworth.com/nairne4e/Psychology Now: http://ilrn.com/nairne4eCourse Description & GoalsAs a survey in psychology, this course will teach students contemporary psychological principles, theories, and approaches. Specifically, students will be exposed to various psychological approaches, including social, personality, neurological, cognitive, developmental, and clinical psychology via class lectures, guest speakers’, audio/visual media, class discussions, activities, homework, and/or handouts.Upon completion of this course, students will have a fundamental knowledge of principles and approaches related to human and animal psychology. Additionally, students will be able to apply psychological principles to their everyday lives. Attendance and ParticipationClass attendance and participation are vital to grasping the course content. Attendance is required and willbe taken at the beginning of each class. Students who miss class are required to find out what they missed and to acquire class notes, assignments, and missed material from another student prior to the next class period. I do not give out my lecture notes. As such, I encourage you to exchange emails and/or phone numbers with at least two others students in this section.Research has clearly demonstrated that students involved in the learning process are more likely to retain the information and have greater success than those who do not. Students should participate in class discussions and respect other students’ opinions and contributions, regardless of whether these beliefs are contrary to their own beliefs.I expect you to be on time for all class meetings. If you are late, you risk missing important, announcements, directions, discussions, and extra credit opportunities. You are still responsible for any information that is covered and I will not spend time repeating information. Be courteous, be on time, anddo not socialize during class.Be prepared by completing the assigned readings and assignments prior to class. I will be operating on the assumptions that students completed the assigned readings prior to class.Drop Policy No grade will be assigned if students drop before the census date, September 13. Students may drop the course with a grade of “W” until November 3.Psyc 1315 – 001 SyllabusPage 1ExaminationsStudents will have four formal opportunities throughout the semester to demonstrate their knowledge and their ability to critically think about and apply class material. Students will take three non-comprehensive examinations and a non-comprehensive final examination. Examinations will cover information from the text, class lectures, audio/visual media, exercises, guest speakers’ presentations, class discussions, homework, and handouts. On examination day, students will NOT be permitted to wear ball caps or any other head covering that prevents my seeing their eyes.Students who wish to find out what questions they missed on examinations may meet with me in my office. In the event students wish to dispute their exam grades, they may do so in my office for one week only after that examination. However, once the week after the exam has passed, examination grades will be final and will not be changed.Tardy or Absent on Exam DayIf students are tardy the day of an examination, they will not be permitted to take the exam if any class member has already turned in a completed exam. Please be sure to arrive on time. If students miss an examination due to a university-approved absence of which they provide written approval to the instructor, they will be given an equivalent exam as a make-up and will be required to make the exam up before the next class of the missed examination at a time approved by the instructor (i.e., not during class time). If students miss an examination due to unapproved reasons per UTA’s absence policy, they will not be able to make up the examination and will receive a zero on the examination missed.Extra CreditThere may be extra credit opportunities throughout the semester. I will discuss these opportunities in the beginning of class. You will need to be at class in order to hear about extra credit opportunities. As it will be extra credit, I will not go out of my way to ensure that you have heard about such opportunities. Be sure to be on time for class so you can hear announcements regarding extra credit. You can earn up to 6 extra credit points (i.e., no student can add more than 6 points of extra credit to his/her score). Extra creditpoints will be counted as an exam question (i.e., one extra credit point will be equivalent to one correct exam question).Grading DistributionThe three exams and final exam will be computed based on the percentage of correct questions answered. Final grades will be computed as the mean (i.e., average) of all four examinations equally weighted. A = 90-100% D = 60-69%B = 80-89% F = below 59%C = 70-79%Other Graded AssignmentsDepartmental Research Requirement: Completion of six experimental credit hours or completion of a series of short papers based on research articles is a departmental requirement for this class. The Subject Pool Coordinator will describe this 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. Psyc 1315 – 001 SyllabusPage 2Beepers & Cell PhonesPlease turn off all pagers, beepers, and cell phones during class as these devices are disruptive to other students and to me.Communication and EmailFor anyone having a difficult time comprehending reading material or any other course content, please meet with me to discuss strategies on how to succeed in this course. The earlier in the semester you come talk with me, the more help
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