PSY 140 – Introduction to Psychology 1 C. Boulter Syllabus Psychology PSY-140-2 Class day and time: Monday and Wednesday at 6p-9:52p Building and room number: JM 151 Professor Christopher Boulter [email protected] - Primary Course Description: This course is introductory in nature. This means we will cover quite a few topics related to the discipline of study known as psychology. By the end of the semester, you will not be a psychologist but you will have been exposed to the major principles, concepts and ideas upon which psychologists’ research and debate. We will travel through the material in the textbook at a rapid pace. Yes, you will need the book and yes, you will need to read the book. It is important for you to keep up with the reading of each chapter (approximately 40 to 50 pages per chapter). Always refer back to the attached tentative schedule to see what we will be discussing on each class day. Further, this class meets twice a week for almost four hours per class. It is a long class and a significant amount of information will be covered in each class. Remember, you signed up to take this class on these days, at this time. Do not use the lengthy class time as an excuse to not complete your best work. Course Goals: Modern psychology is defined as the science of behavior and mental processes. By the end of the semester, I hope you understand exactly what that sentence implies regarding the nature of psychological science. Yes, you will be exposed to many new words, thoughts and concepts. I think you will find this class intellectually stimulating and perhaps, somewhatPSY 140 – Introduction to Psychology 2 C. Boulter challenging. I also hope your active participation in this class helps you in your own personal journey of self-discovery … an important developmental task for all humans. Successful students in this class tend to demonstrate certain behavioral/personality characteristics. Allow me to list a few of them: 1. Class attendance … be on time, and be prepared 2. Prior preparation … read the assigned chapters prior to class 3. Timely work 4. Questions, questions, questions … 5. Interaction with professor and fellow students … my office hours are posted and student study groups work well Textbook: Myers, D. G. (2007). Psychology (8th ed.). Holland, MI: Worth Publishing. Recommended Reading: Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.). (2001). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Maimon, E. P., Peritz, J. H., & Yancey, K. B. (2007). A writer’s resource: A handbook for writing and research (2nd ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill Higher Education. Academic Honesty Policy: Academic honesty is expected of all students. Each student will produce his or her own work and not represent the work of others as their own via plagiarism or cheating nor will a student aid others in the violation of the ethical principle of academic honesty. Plagiarism is thePSY 140 – Introduction to Psychology 3 C. Boulter failure to give credit for the use of material from outside sources. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to: 1. Using data, quotations, or paraphrases from other sources without adequate documentation 2. Submitting others’ work as your own Cheating means obtaining answers/material from an outside source without authorization. Cheating includes but is not limited to: 1. Plagiarism in all forms 2. Using notes/books without authorization 3. Copying 4. Submitting others’ work as your own or submitting work for others 5. Altering graded work 6. Falsifying data Consequences/Procedures: Faculty members who suspect a student of academic dishonesty may penalize the student by taking appropriate action up to and including assigning a failing grade for the paper, project, report, exam, or the course itself. Instructors should document instances of academic dishonesty in writing to the Academic Dean. Student Appeal Process: In the event of a dispute, both students and faculty should follow the Conflict Resolution Policy. This policy is presented in the Student Rights and Responsibilities (student handbook) and in the Master Agreement. ADO: Associate Degree OutcomesPSY 140 – Introduction to Psychology 4 C. Boulter My colleagues and I (faculty, administration and trustees of JCC) have determined each student successfully completing Psychology 140 should have a degree of competency in two conceptual areas: 1. Understanding human behavior and social systems, the principles which govern them, and their implications for the present and future 2. Think critically; Demonstrating critical thinking through questioning, interpreting, analyzing, evaluating, inferring from and synthesizing information to solve problems in a variety of settings. How will you develop the necessary skills in this course that correlate with these two important ADOs? 1. Be prepared for class by reading the lecture material prior to the scheduled date. 2. Be prepared to ask lots of questions regarding what you have read. 3. The chapter exams are designed to help you develop an understanding of human nature via a study of the principles of modern psychology. 4. The chapter exams are designed to help you develop your critical thinking skills by incorporating conceptual and application type test items related to the psychological concepts under study. Grading Scale Grades will be based on class attendance and participation, tests, and research paper. The following break down will apply to each student. 1. Attendance and participation: 20% 2. Outside activity / hybrid project (To be determined): 20% 3. Test totals: 60%PSY 140 – Introduction to Psychology 5 C. Boulter The final grading scale will be based on the totals of the above graded activities. I do not grade on a curve, your grade will be what you earn. 90-100 % = 4.0 85-89 % = 3.5 80-84 % = 3.0 75-79 % = 2.5 70-74 % = 2.0 65-69% = 1.5 60-65 % = 1.0 59 % and below = 0.0 WITHDRAWAL FROM CLASS: The last day to withdraw from classes is LISTED IN THE 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 other than what is described under attendence. 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