General Psychology
Psych 101 C01-Spring 2007
MWF (8:00 a.m. through 8:50 a.m.) Shields 109
Jerod Halvor Opsal M.S.
Email:
Phone: 732-6869
Office Hrs. Aspen 130. Monday-Friday 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
What will be Expected of You?
Examinations: There will be four quantitative exams covering material from classroom lecture and the textbook. Remember! You are responsible for reading the information in the text. If it is not covered in lecture, it is risky to assume that it will not show up on an exam. All exams are comprised of a combination of multiple choice and t/f items from text and additional lecture material. Each exam is worth 100 points. We will have an exam approximately every 4 weeks.
Missed exams due to scheduling conflicts must be personally justified prior to the exam date. Students missing exams due to illness or other unexpected personal issues are required to notify me by e-mail or telephone as soon as possible. A note from a physician or other authority will be required to take the exam late. No Exceptions. All exams may be taken early.
Reaction Paper: You will be required to write a critical review towards the first part of the semester. We will discuss topics within the first week, etc. Your paper will be no shorter than two pages, and must be in American Psychological Association (APA) format, 5th edition. Late papers receive a penalty of 10 pts per-day past the due date.
Class Quizzes: There will be pop quizzes throughout the semester over the material (both text and lecture). The quizzes will help you keep up with content and aid in educated participation in the classroom. Falling behind in reading and lectures guarantees poor performance in the course. The quiz format will be one or two multiple choice items (and/or true--false). Drawing a diagram will sometimes be required. Each quiz is worth 20 points. There are no make up quizzes.
Course Website: As an added benefit (not required), the course has a website that is associated with iTunes. Thus, each lecture is podcasted so that you may fill in your notes as needed. This is not an invitation to treat the course as an independent study. You will certainly do poorly in the course with missed classes, etc. For instance, it is impossible to ask questions about content when you are not present in class, exacerbated by the fact that we divert from the text quite frequently; the course is a portion of text content and lecture material brought to you by your instructor and classmates. You may not visit me during office hours to ask questions about podcast material since it only can be capitulated within the context of the classroom (office hrs. are very limited!). Furthermore, I do not answer emails similar to the above. However, you may ask any question you like in the next lecture provided we have adequate class time. My advice: Don’t miss class!
You will have to download iTunes in order to subscribe to the podcasts. You may get started by doing a search under my last name (Opsal) within the search engine in iTunes and subscribe to “Abnormal Psychology.” You can also subscribe through the website itself at: http://web.mac.com/bispen/iWeb/Intro%20101/Welcome.html . Finally, if you go to my personal information page at the CSI Directory, there is a link established that will take you directly to the course website.
After you have subscribed to the podcast and a particular lecture is downloaded to iTunes, you can burn it to cd, or simply listen on your home computer. You do NOT need to buy an iPod in order to take advantage of this technology. I should also mention that students have used other programs to get to the course podcasts. However, you will have to experiment with these methods on your own.
Topical Outline of the Course:
(The following outline is tentative and not comprehensive. It is open to adjustment as the semester progresses.)
Week / Dates / Task at Hand1 / Jan 15th to Jan 19th / · Chapter 1: The Science of Psychology: Pgs. 4-35.
2 / Jan 22nd to Jan 26th / · Chapter 2: The Biological Perspective: Pgs. 44-75.
3 / Jan 29th to Feb 2nd / · Chapter 3: Sensation and Perception: Pgs. 84-118.
4 / Feb 5th to Feb 9th / · Chapter 4: Consciousness: Sleep, Dreams, Hypnosis, and Drugs: Pgs. 126-158.
· Exam1
5 / Feb 12th to Feb 16th / · Chapter 5: Learning: Pgs. 166-201.
6 / Feb 19th to Feb 23rd / · Chapter 6: Memory: Pgs. 210-241.
7 / Feb 26th to Mar 2nd / · Chapter 6: Memory: Pgs. 210-241.
8 / Mar 5th to Mar 9th / · Chapter 7: Development Across The Lifespan: Pgs. 250-285.
· Exam 2
9 / Mar 12th to Mar 16th / · Chapter 8: Cognition: Thinking, Intelligence, and Language: Pgs. 294-328.
10 / Mar 26th to Mar 30th / · Chapter 9: Motivation and Emotion: Pgs. 336-364.
11 / Apr 2nd to Apr 6th / · Chapter 10: Special Topic: HIV: Pgs. 395-398.
12 / Apr 9th to Apr 13th / · Chapter 12: Theories of Personality: Pgs. 444-472.
13 / Apr 16th to Apr 20th / · Chapter 12: Theories of Personality: Pgs. 444-472.
· Exam 3
14 / Apr 23rd to Apr 27th / · Chapter 13: Social Psychology: Pgs. 480-513.
15 / Apr 30th to May 4th / · Chapter 14&15: Special Topic: Psychopathology & Tx (Lecture)
Finals / May 7th to May 11th / · Finals Week (Exam 4)
Point Breakdown:
Four Exams (x 100 pts) = 400 pts
Term Paper (x 150 pts) = 100 pts
Five Quizzes (x 20 pt) = 100 pts
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Total Possible Points = 600
Approximate Due Dates:
Exam One: Feb 9th
Exam Two: Mar 9th
Exam Three: Apr 20th
Exam Four: TBA (Finals Week)
Term Paper Due: Feb. 19th
On-line Course Evaluations Statement:
Students are strongly encouraged to complete evaluations at the end of the course. Evaluations are very important to assist the teaching staff to continually improve the course. Evaluations are available online at: http://evaluation.csi.edu. Evaluations open up two weeks prior to the end of the course. The last day to complete the course evaluations is the last day of the course. During the time the evaluations are open, students can complete the course evaluations at their convenience from any computer with Internet access, including in the open lab in the Library and the SUB. When students log in they should see the evaluations for the courses in which they are enrolled. Evaluations are anonymous. Filling out the evaluation should only take a few minutes. Your honest feedback is greatly appreciated.
A Note for Students with Disabilities:
Any student with a documented disability may be eligible for related accommodations. To determine eligibility and secure services, students should contact the coordinator of Disability Services at their first opportunity after registration for a class. Student Disability Services is located on the second floor of the Taylor Building on the Twin Falls Campus. 208.732.6250(voice) or 208.734-9929 (TTY), or email .
A Final Note about Honesty:
Any forms of plagiarism or cheating are violations of campus policy and professional ethics. If you plagiarize, cheat, or contribute to the cheating of another, you will receive a zero for the work in question. In more extreme cases, you may be removed from the class and reported to the department head for more extensive review.
The College of Southern Idaho Mission Statement
The College of Southern Idaho, a comprehensive community college, provides educational, social and cultural opportunities for the diverse population of South Central Idaho. In this rapidly changing world, CSI encourages our students to lead enriched, productive and responsible lives.
General Education Criteria: This course satisfies all eight criteria for general education. It is designed to:
1. provide a broad-based survey of a discipline and show the interconnectedness of knowledge.
2. develop a discerning individual.
3. practice critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
4. promote awareness of social and cultural diversity in order to appreciate the commonality of mankind.
5. foster the balance between individual needs and the demands of society.
6. reinforce reading, writing, speaking, and/or quantitative skills.
7. encourage and inspire life-long learning.
8. encourage creativity.
Social Science Department Mission Statement
The mission of the Social Science Department is to provide educational, social, and cultural opportunities which encourage enriched, productive and responsible lives primarily by instructing students to understand, interpret, and apply Social Science discipline coursework.
Social Science Department Goals: This course addresses the following Social Science Department goals, which are to:
1. help students understand important facts, concepts and theories of Social Science subjects.
2. help students acquire techniques and methods used to gain new knowledge in the disciplines.
3. help students learn to distinguish between fact and opinion.
4. teach students to use evaluation, analysis and synthesis to interpret and solve problems.
5. teach students to use different perspectives from the social sciences to make better-informed decisions
6. help students acquire an informed understanding of various cultures.
7. prepare students to transfer to a university.
Psychology Program Mission Statement
The mission of the CSI Psychology Program is primarily to prepare graduates to transfer as Junior-level students to 4-year universities.
Psychology Program Objectives: Students will…
1. gain mastery of a breadth of knowledge of the discipline of psychology (breadth of knowledge).
2. gain mastery of a depth of knowledge of the discipline of psychology (depth of knowledge).
3. be well practiced as a critical consumer of information (critical thought).
4. be well practiced in professional written communication (professional writing).
5. be well- prepared as a potential contributor to scientific discovery in psychology (scientific capability).
6. be well-prepared for upper-division coursework in psychology (career-focused education plan).
PSYC 101 Catalog Course Description: This survey course is an introduction to psychology. Psychology is the scientific study of thinking, emotion, and behavior. This course introduces students to the diverse research areas of psychology such as psychobiology, motivation, learning, cognitive and social processes, personality, and abnormality, emphasizing empirical findings of the discipline.
Required Textbook:
·Course Text: Psychology (Ciccarelli & Meyer, 2006) (ISBN: 0-13-183959-4).
Recommended Textbook:
·Study Guide: Psychology: Concept Notes (Ciccarelli & Meyer, 2006) (ISBN: 0-13-228335-2).
Course Outcomes* Aligned with GE Criteria (GE), Social Science Goals (SS) and Program Objectives (PSYC):
Students will… / GE / SS / PSYC1. Demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology / 1, 4, 6, 7 / 1, 4, 6, 7 / 1, 2, 4, 6
2. Understand basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation / 2, 3, 7, 8 / 2, 3, 4, 7 / 2, 3, 4, 5
3. Respect and use critical and creative thinking, skeptical inquiry, and the scientific approach to solve problems related to behavior and mental processes / 2, 3, 6, 7, 8 / All but 1 and 2 / 2, 3, 6
4. Understand and apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organizational issues / All but 6 / All but 1 and 2 / 2, 3, 6
5. Be able to weigh evidence, tolerate ambiguity, act ethically, and reflect other values that are the underpinnings of psychology as a discipline / All but 6 / All but 1 and 2 / 2, 3, 5, 6
*Outcomes derived from guidelines of the APA Education Directorate http://www.apa.org/ed/pcue/taskforcereport2.pdf
Course Outcomes Aligned with Course Assessment Activities:
Multiple-Choice/T-F Exams / Random Quizzes / Reaction Paper1 / X / X / X
2 / X / X / X
3 / X / X
4 / X / X
5 / X