Course Syllabus Fall 2012

AP Psychology

Course Syllabus Fall 2012

Course Description

Psychology is the study of individual mental and behavioral processes. This course is designed to help students understand how and why human development and behavior occurs. Students will be exposed to the history of the study of psychology, as well as the different perspectives that have been adopted over time. They will come to understand the functions of the human brain, emotions, motivations, physical and social development, personality, and abnormalities. The course is designed to parallel an introductory college-level Psychology course.

Class Format

The course will be taught through lecture, discussion, case study analysis, comparative journal readings, and preparation for the AP exam given in May. Most class notes and handouts are available on my website and/or LMS. Additional PP presentations, notes, readings and links will be frequently posted. http://classroom.kleinisd.net/webs/awatson/

Course Requirements

Students are required to have a binder, pens, pencils, and paper and keep these supplies organized and available everyday for the entire semester. Textbooks will be used on a daily basis and is Wayne Weiten, Psychology: Themes & Variations, 5th edition (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2001). The text is accompanied by a student study guide that will be used as supplement to classroom instructions and assignments. Students will be expected to complete reading assignments 3-4 nights a week, prepare for weekly quizzes, essays and take unit tests that simulate the AP Psychology exam.

Students will read and take notes over every chapter within the required textbook. Reading is an essential part of this course. Students are also required to bring their fully charged laptop tablet to class daily.

Grading Guidelines

Major Grades = 70% of six weeks average. These include tests, projects, essays and presentations. 3 will be given each six weeks. Test format = 35-50 multiple choice questions and 1 essay (this is a timed test). This will simulate the AP exam in ½ its actual length. Social Studies test days are Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Daily Grades = 30% of six weeks average. These include quizzes, reading assignments, case study analysis, essays, timed writings, and discussions. At least 6 will be given each six weeks. Students will be given reading assignments to be completed at home. Comprehension of such assignments will be assessed through quizzes the following day.

*A cumulative final exam will be given at the end of the semester and counts 16% of the semester average. Students may exempt the spring semester exam if they meet the district criteria. Every student takes a fall semester final exam.

Extra Credit: extra credit opportunities will be given each six weeks. Extra credit assignments could include the analysis of journal articles (the Klein Forest library has several Psychology periodicals); optional research papers; mock AP tests.

Late Policy: Major grades will be accepted with a 25-point deduction each day for two days after the assigned due date. Daily work will be accepted with a 50-point deduction one day late. Missed tests will be made up in a timely manner with cooperation between teacher and student.

Tutoring is offered after school every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday in room 914.

KISD Re-Do Policy

Students will have the opportunity to receive instruction to recover six weeks grades. When a student enrolls in the Grade Recovery Class, the students will receive quality instruction. The curriculum will recapture any skills they are lacking so that they are prepared to receive credit and also be prepared for the EOC/TAKS in April or May. This intervention plan may include students attending after school Grade Recovery or Grade Recovery during the day. The highest grade a student can earn is 75. This grade will replace the lower grade. Students enrolled in Pre-AP courses may enroll in grade repair and receive Pre-AP credit for up to 1 six weeks per semester. Students enrolled in AP courses may enroll in grade repair and receive AP credit for up to 1 six weeks per semester. AP courses will have additional writing requirements in order to recover the grade and GPA point value:

AP students will complete 1 GR per semester. The will be required to complete an AP writing assignment and graded according to a pre-determined rubric with a scale of 60-75.

Course Outline

1st Six Weeks: August 27 – October 05

Unit I: The History of Psychology (Chapter 1)

· Schools of Thought (structuralism, functionalism)

· How the study developed

· Themes

· Professional specialties

Research Methods (Chapter 2)

· Scientific Approach

· Experimental Approach

· Descriptive/correlational Research

· Statistics

· Ethics

Unit II: Biological Bases of Behavior (Chapter 3)

· Nervous system (structure and functions)

· Studying the Human Brain (research methods)

· Anatomy of the Brain

· Endocrine System

· Genetics effect on behavior

· Evolution (adaptation)

Sensation and Perception (Chapter 4)

· Basic concepts (thresholds, adaptation)

· Visual system

· Auditory system (including vestibular)

· Chemical senses: taste and smell

· Skin senses (including kinesthetic)

Unit III: Variations in Consciousness (Chapter 5)

· Levels of awareness

· Biological rhythms and sleep

· Sleep Cycles

· Dreams

· Hypnosis and Meditation; Drugs

2nd Six Weeks: October 08 – November 16

Unit IV: Leaning (Chapter 6)

· Classical Conditioning (Pavlov)

· Operant Conditioning (Skinner, Thorndike, reinforcement)

· Observational Learning

Cognition (Chapter 7-8)

· Storing information in the memory

· Retrieving information from the memory

· Forgetting information

· Types of memory (long-term, short-term, declarative, procedural, episodic, semantic, prospective, retrospective)

· Language Development

· Problem solving

· Decision Making (chances, probabilities)

Unit V. Motivation and Emotion (Chapter 10)

· Motivational drives and theories

· Hunger, eating, sexual behavior

· Achievement

· Emotional Experience (cognitive, physiological, behavioral, cultural)

· Theories in Emotion (James-Lange, Cannon-Bard, Schachter, evolutionary)

Stress and Health (Chapter 13)

· Nature of Stress

· Responding to Stress

· Effects of stress (psychological and physical functioning)

· Moderating Factors (support, optimism)

· Health-Impairing Behavior (smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, alcohol/drug use, AIDS)

Reaction to Illness (seeking treatment, communication with health providers, medical advice)

Unit VI: Human Development (Chapter 11)

· Prenatal Development

· Childhood Years (attachment, personality, cognitive, moral development)

· Adolescent Years (transition)

· Adult Years (cognitive and physical changes)

3rd Six Weeks: November 26 – January 17

Unit VII: Personality (Chapter 12)

· Nature of Personality

· Psychodynamic Perspective (Freud, Jung, Alder)

· Behavioral Perspective (Skinner, Bandura)

· Humanistic Perspective (Rogers, Maslow)

· Biological Perspective (Eysneck, genetics, evolution)

Intelligence and Testing (Chapter 9)

· Key Concepts of Testing (types, norms, standardized tests, reliability, validity)

· History of IQ Testing (Galton, Binet, Terman, Stanford-Binet, Wechsler)

· Questioning IQ Tests (scores, potential, reliability, validity, predictability)

· Extremes (giftedness, mental retardation)

· Hereditary Factors (genetics, environment, cultural bias)

· New ways to Assess Intelligence

· Creativity (measuring, correlation)

Unit VIII: Abnormal Psychology (Chapter 14)

· Abnormal Behavior: medical model, criteria, stereotypes, classification system, prevalence)

· Anxiety Disorders (GAD, phobias, panic, agoraphobia, OCD, PTSD)

· Somatoform Disorders (somatization, conversion, hypochondriasis)

· Dissociative Disorders (amnesia, fugue, DID)

· Mood Disorders (major depression, bipolar)

· Schizophrenia (symptoms, subtypes, causes, treatments)

· Personality (antisocial)

· Legalities (insanity, commitment)

Treatment of Psychological Disorders (Chapter 15)

· Types of Treatment

· Insight Therapies (psychoanalysis, client-centered, group, effectiveness)

· Behavior Therapies (desensitization, aversion, social skills, cognitive-behavioral treatments)

· Biomedical Treatment (drugs, ECT)

· Current trends

Unit IX: Social Behavior (Chapter 16)

· Person Perception (forming impressions, schemas, stereotypes, subjectivity)

· Attribution Process (internal, external, bias and cultural tendencies)

· Close Relationships (attraction, love, cultural influence)

· Attitudes (social judgments, persuasion, attitude formation and change)

· Conformity and Obedience

* Thanksgiving Break (November 19 – November 23)

* Christmas Break (December 24 – January 04)

* The above scope and sequence is subject to change.

Assessments

· Daily assessments will include regular nightly reading assignments, weekly quizzes, vocabulary assignments, timed writings and essays, active discussions and debates, and participation in class activities.

· Major assessments will include timed unit tests with 35-50 multiple choice and open-ended/essay questions designed to prepare students for the AP Psychology exam, projects that could include, but are not restricted to

o Group presentations

o Conducting research

o Experimental simulations

Instructor Information

Anne Watson

Klein Forest Social Studies Department

Room 914

House 9

Conference Period: 4th Period (10:30-11:15)

832-484-4422

http://classroom.kleinisd.net/webs/awatson/

__________________________________ Date _________

Student Signature

__________________________________ Date _________

Parent Signature

**Note to parents and students**: the AP Psychology exam is scheduled for mid-May, 2013. Students are required to register and pay for all AP exams by the end of April 2013. I strongly encourage all students to take this test. You could get 3 hours of college credit for making a 3, 4, or 5 on the exam.

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