Biopsychology PS 309 – Fall 2009 TTR 10:00-11:20 INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Lauren E. Highfill ([email protected]) OFFICE: PSY 235 PHONE: 8428 OFFICE HOURS: Tues 3-5; Thurs 1-5; Fri 9-12, 3-5 (or just stop by) TEXTBOOK: Pinel, J. P. (2009). Biopsychology (7th Ed.), Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. Course Description- Application of neurological and neurophysical principles to understanding human behavior and thought, emotion and motivation, learning and memory. Attendance - You are responsible for all material covered in class whether you are present or not. This includes lecture notes, videos, articles, and announcements. Withdrawal- Do not assume that you have been withdrawn from class if you stop attending. The last date to drop (without academic penalty) is September 10th, 2009 Special Needs -If you have a disability or believe that you qualify for accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or other laws, please contact Disability Support Services at extension 8248 or via email at [email protected] as soon as possible. Appropriate accommodations can only be arranged through that office, and may not be made retroactively. Academic Honesty: "On my honor, as an Eckerd College student, I pledge not to lie, cheat, or steal, nor to tolerate these behaviors in others." This is Eckerd College's Honor Code; I expect everyone in class to abide by this code with regard to all assignments for this course. Toward that end, I will require that each assignment for this class contain an indication that the work turned in was done without any inappropriate aid. This will be done by writing "Pledged," followed by your name, on each exam. Hurricanes - As you all know, the months of September and October are some of the busiest of hurricane season. During this time, tropical weather systems often approach the Florida peninsula, and as a result Eckerd College sometimes closes down for a few days so that students, faculty, and staff can relocate away from the storm. When this happens, you are expected to continue doing all the assigned work in all of your courses. If we evacuate this semester, I will make assignments before we leave and give detailed instructions about how to turn them in. Take your notes and syllabus with you wherever you go. Check your email as regularly as possible during any evacuation in case I send out additional information about the class. In addition, course information will be available at my.eckerd.edu under Online Course Materials.Make-up Exams • No make-up exams will be given except in the case of extreme circumstances, such as jury duty, serious illness, serious accident, or death in the family. • Written proof for any of these circumstances will be required (Note: Simply having a doctor’s appointment does not excuse you from an exam! You must verify illness that prevents you from taking the exam). • I must be notified within 24 hours of the scheduled exam, preferably prior to the exam. Failure to take a make-up exam will result in a score of zero (0). • If you must miss an exam for University-approved activities (e.g., athletics), I must receive documentation prior to the exam so that arrangements can be made. Course Requirements 1. Pop Quizzes- There will be unannounced quizzes throughout the semester a. They will take place at the beginning of class (so be on time!) b. I will drop your lowest quiz grade c. Your cumulative quiz grade will count for 20% of your final grade 2. Exams- There will be three in-class exams and one final a. They will consist of multiple-choice, fill in, short answer/essay, and labeling diagrams (mostly for neuro-anatomy). b. These exams will NOT be cumulative. c. Your exam average will be 70% of your final grade 3. Biopsychology in the News –We will use the first 5-10 minutes of every class to hear a concise presentation on what is new in biopsychology. (10% of your final grade) a. Each student will pick their assigned days on the first day of class b. You will need to pick a recent article (dated 2007 or after) that relates to biopsychology. You will present the paper for the first 5 minutes of the lecture period. You must summarize, in easy to understand language, the new finding that was reported. You must be concise but thorough (E.g., you must look up any terms that you do not know). c. You must also bring a copy of the article to class to hand in or email the pdf. 4. Participating in Experiments – During the semester, faculty or students may come to our class to ask for volunteers for psychology experiments. You do not have to volunteer. If you do, however, you will earn extra credit points for each experiment in which you take part. a. For each experiment in which you take part, you will earn ½ point (that is, .5 points) added to your final average for the class. b. Thus, if you participated in 5 experiments during the semester, this would raise your final average by 2½ points--almost a third of a letter grade. 5. Grading- A = 90-100% B = 80-89% C = 70-79% D = 60-69% F = Below 60%COURSE SCHEDULE **Tentative Schedule: Should it be necessary, I reserve the right to make changes to this syllabus during the semester and to share the changes with you. Exam 1 on or around September 24th What is Biopsychology? Tools used to study Biopsychology Anatomy of the Nervous System Neuronal Conduction and Synaptic Transmission Exam 2 on or around October 13th Visual System Audition Touch, Smell, Taste, Attention Exam 3 on or around November 17th Brain Development Brain Damage Memory Hunger and Eating Final Exam on December 8th at 11:30 AM Drug Addiction Emotion and Stress Psychiatric
View Full Document