CollegeNow Psychology 101
CourseExpectations & Syllabus
REQUIRED TEXT: Myers, David G. (2011). Exploring Psychology: 8th Edition in Modules. Worth Publishers , NY.
RECOMMENDED REFERENCE: Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Ed. (2001). [aka, APA Manual]
COURSE OBJECTIVES: The primary objective of this course is to introduce you to the terms, methods, theories and findings of psychology in the 20th century. Topics include the following: research methods, interacting influences of nature and nurture on behavior, major schools of thought in psychology, development, learning, memory, health & stress, personality, motivation, abnormal behavior and social influence.
An additional objective of this course is to address these various facets of psychology with respect to how they relate to our day-to-day lives. With this in mind, class instruction will involve a combination of discussion and small group exercises. There will also be some lecture. Various out-of-class assignments will also provide you with opportunities to apply concepts discussed in class.
COURSE OVERVIEW: During the course you will be expected to actively participate in class and complete homework assignments and exams on time. There will be 5 exams spread throughout the course. There will not be a cumulative final exam. There will be a “Final” Project to be presented.
The combination of in-class and out-of-class exercises are intended to add depth to your learning by helping you to understand psychological principles as they relate to your life experiences and the experiences of your classmates. This document explains the participation requirements and grading policy for this course.
A final term paper is NOT required for the course. Instead there will be several smaller assignments required throughout the course.
GENERAL EXPECTATIONS:
- Ask questions when you don’t understand something.
- Add value to the course by sharing real-life stories of relevant content.
- Actively participate (more on that below).
- Read all assigned text readings as scheduled.
- Submit all homework assignments on time.
- Take exams during the scheduled time. If you miss an exam for any reason, you will have an opportunity to make it up during the Final Week of Class. (THIS IS YOUR ONLY OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE UP MISSED EXAMS!)
PARTICIPATION EXPECTATIONS: Your active participation in class is strongly encouraged. A portion of your grade will be based on your participation in classroom discussions and activities. I value participation so highly because it has been indicated in several studies that active participation enriches your learning as well that of others. Participation expectations include, but are not limited to the following:
- Be prepared to participate, in an informed way, by having read the required material and having completed all assignments due for a given class period.
- Be actively involved in class discussions (this includes responding to questions posed, as well as asking questions, especially questions intended to clarify topics).
- Complete individual and small group in-class application exercises.
- Behave in ways that do not detract from the topics being discussed.
EXAM EXPECTATIONS: There are five exams in this course. All exams will take place in-class and will be non-cumulative. You will have the entire class time to complete each exam. Each Exam will have a minimum of 50 multiple choice questions. There may be extra credit questions included in each exam.
All exams will consist of multiple-choice questions that cover material from both the lectures and the readings. The exams will cover everything discussed in class (including lectures, films, and exercises) as well as the assigned chapters. Although there will be a heavier emphasis on material presented both in class and in the text, you may also be tested on material that is presented only in class or only in your text. Not everything that is important to know for the test will be covered in class.
Exams focus primarily on conceptual and applied understanding of the material, rather than on the rote memorization of facts. Please note: students often find these exams very difficult in part because they understand the material only superficially, and in part because they start studying too late (i.e., studying the night before just won't cut it for these exams, which cover a lot of material). To do well on the exams you must truly understand and be able to distinguish among all the various concepts and theories, in addition to applying the concepts. [Hint: It's a good idea to put extra effort into studying for the first exam until you know what to expect.]
Exam Make-up and Re-take Policy: Anyone can make-up or retake ONE exam for any reason. However, there is only one opportunity during the term to do this. If you miss an exam for any reason, you will have an opportunity to make it up during the final week of class. OR you can retake ONE exam during this same time period. You can only retake or make-up a total of ONE exam (not one of each).
GRADING:
Incompletes will not be given for this course. If a student is unable to meet the course requirements, that student is advised to withdraw at the appropriate time; otherwise a regular letter grade will be assigned at the end of the course.
EXTRA CREDIT: You may earn extra credit for this course. Extra credit opportunities will be announced throughout the course. Extra credit options may include the following:
- Writing a 1 page application paper on a topic covered in class, following APA style guidelines
- Attending a relevant presentation or workshop and writing a 1 page application paper following APA style guidelines
- Submitting additional TPQs. All other TPQs must be submitted before additional ones will be considered for extra credit.