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UVM PSYC 001 - Syllabus

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PSYC 001: General Psychology, Online Fall, 2009 Information in this syllabus is subject to change. This is Version 1; publication date, 1 Sep 2009. Some course information is only available in Blackboard. Dr. Larry Rudiger John Dewey Hall, 205, office hours by appointment Course website: https://bb.uvm.edu/. Most of the course is conducted via Blackboard. Online lectures are at this URL: http://www.uvm.edu/~psych1/lectures.html. Your Blackboard ID and password are the same as your e-mail account. If you are not on the Blackboard student list, e-mail the instructor at [email protected]. Contact Email: [email protected]. In most cases, you will get a reply within 1 business day as e-mail is checked regularly. Textbook: Joffe, J.M. & J. Krulewitz (2007) Investigating the mind, brain, and behavior: An introduction to psychology (3rd Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. ISBN 0-536-32862-5. Available in hard-copy and e-book formats. You may use either (or both). Psyc 001 Online: The gist Class routine (note that time estimates are VERY approximate and will vary) The course covers the same material as the on-campus version of Psyc 001, in a format that’s tailored for the online environment. It’s also designed to take about as much time as the in-person version, although the time is spent doing somewhat different things. Compared to the on-campus version, what you write – and how – is a bigger determinant of your grade than your performance on standardized (multiple-choice) exams. In general, you will have work that is due on Tuesdays at 10:00 pm (and a couple of other days – see the schedule). Each day where work is due is considered a class day. They are, essentially, deadlines. There are 19, as indicated on the first column of the schedule (last page). Each unit of material is covered using this three-step process. Each step is due on a different day. 1. Writing Assignments. For most class days, you can expect to spend about 1.5 hours reading from the text. Then, you will spend about another hour writing about it – the Writing Assignment (WA). WAs get submitted by 10:00 p.m. on their due date. 2. Initial discussion-board postings. Next, you’ll review some online material that may include video or other media and then respond to it in an online discussion forum. This takes a total of about 45 minutes per assignment, though there are 2 such assignments on most class days. Complete them on the assignment’s discussion day -- by 10:00 p.m., which is typically the class day after the WA is due (but you may choose to complete them right after working on the WA). 3. Reflections on discussion-board postings. The next class day, you’ll get details on step 3, your reflection on step 2. Usually you will read what some of your colleagues wrote in step 2, and reply to it. This should be about 1 hour of work. Complete that by 10:00 p.m. on the due date. The schedule’s a bit different around exams, and there are a couple of other exceptions. Once things get going, as you’ll see on the schedule, there may be writing assignments, initial discussion postings, and reflections due on the same day. In addition to this sort of work, you’ll also spend time preparing for and taking multiple-choice exams. They’re online and open-book (but timed). As a result of the schedule, the course is not self-paced. You may complete some of your work a bit ahead of the deadlines. Most of the time, you can plan on doing most of your work on the weekends (though not always the exams). But the discussion, reflection, and exam components are to be done during specified periods of time and within deadlines. That’s the gist! Course Objective PSYC 001 introduces students to the ways psychologists try to understand behavior scientifically. It does this through intensive examination of representative research rather than by attempting a general survey of the entire field. The emphasis is on how questions are framed and evidence obtained to answer them, and how theories are developed and evaluated. By the end of the course, students should be able to think like psychologists and have the skills to be critical analysts of claims made about what we know and about the efficacy of solutions we offer. These skills should serve students well if they continue to work in the field, and make them better-informed consumers of psychological services whether they work in the field or not. This course involves reading, writing, and online conference. The learning process is summed up in this adapted quote from Francis Bacon (1561-1626): “Reading maketh a full person, writing an exact person, and conference a ready person.” (Of Studies.) Reading Investigating the mind, brain, and behavior. The textbook has six sections. Each has an introductory chapter surveying the area, followed by two to five chapters summarizing specific research studies in that area. As indicated on the Schedule, along with the chapter assigned for online discussion (specific studies), read the introductory chapter for the section. This will increase your understanding of the research chapters and provide information of use in online discussion. In addition, you will be reading online materials, including recent publications from psychology research journals.Writing about the textbook A writing assignment is due electronically as noted on the schedule. Early in the semester, as you’re familiarizing yourself with the system, allow plenty of time to complete the assignment before the deadline. Note also that, on most class days, there are 2 assignments. Format and criteria. Details are provided in Blackboard. Grading. Assignments are checked for completeness and quality. You will get feedback on some assignments. Full credit is awarded if they meet the criteria indicated. Points. The number of points awarded for each Writing Assignment varies from <1 (early in the semester) to about 10 points (at the semester’s end). The more you do, the more each is potentially worth. Assignment grades are on a 0-100-point scale (percent of available points). Those values are then converted to points for calculating your grade. You can skip 2 writing assignments and still get full credit (and, if you do all of them, you can earn 10 bonus points – 5 for each assignment). Missed and late writing assignments. These are preparation for online discussion, so students cannot “make-up” missed assignments by doing them after they are due. Late submissions


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