PSY 1012 – General Psychology
Course Syllabus
Session II 2017/2018
Section 2557
Instructor and Course Meeting Information
Instructor: Dr. Dolores (Lori) T. Puterbaugh, LMHC, LMFT, NCC
Office: Social Sciences, EPI Center, Seminole Campus
Office Phone: Contact Social Sciences department at 727-394-6965
Email through MyCourses course room
Office Hours: Contact Instructor
Meeting Days: Tuesday
Class Time: 7 PM – 9:40 PM
Locations: SEUP 233
Important Dates
Drop/Add: On or before January 12, 2018
Spring Break: Week beginning Sunday, March 4, 2018
Last Day to Withdraw with a Grade of W: On or before March 21, 2018
Course Dates: January 8, 2018 through May 4, 2018
Academic Department
Dean: Dr. Joseph Smiley
Office Location: LY 150, 727-712-5851
Academic Chair: Dr. Rivero
Office Location: UP 337 EPI Center, Seminole Campus, SPC
Discipline Information
Generally defined as the study of human society and human relationships in and to society, the discipline of social and behavioral sciences includes psychology, sociology, anthropology, history, political science, economics, and education. Additionally, the discipline employs qualitative and quantitative research methods, using questionnaires, focus groups, case studies, laboratory-based data collection, statistical sampling, ethnography, archival retrieval, and comparative approaches to the study of societies. Finally, theoretical frameworks in the discipline include a broad range of established and more recent contributions, all of which seek to explain and predict future human phenomena based on a body of reliable data.
ADDENDUM FOR ALL SYLLABI: http://www.spcollege.edu/addendum/
Course Description and Content
This course is an introduction to the field of psychology. It includes the history, scientific methodology, major theoretical schools of thought, various approaches to interpersonal functioning and human development. The effects of ethnicity, age, race, and gender are integrated into the study of the discipline (course). This course partially satisfies the writing requirements outlined in the General Education Requirements. 47 contact hours.
Course Objectives
1. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the historical roots of the science of psychology.
2. The student will demonstrate knowledge of research methods used in psychology.
3. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the major theories of psychology.
4. The student will demonstrate knowledge of self as both biological and social organism.
5. The student will demonstrate knowledge of universal stages of development and of individual differences.
6. The student will demonstrate knowledge of the effects of ethnicity, age, gender, and/or race on psychological functioning.
Required Textbook: Discovering psychology, 7th Ed. Hockenbury & Hockenbury. The study guide is strongly recommended but not required.
Expectations/Course Etiquette & Netiquette
Students are expected to be on time and prepared for class; to turn cell phones off and keep electronic devices put away during class; to only leave for emergencies. The class begins and ends on time. If you arrive late you are responsible for getting notes from another student. If you miss a pop quiz because you are late you will not be permitted to take the quiz. The classroom is a professional, educational environment and so the normal rules for work place and classroom apply: no eating meals, no private conversations or disruptions, no inappropriate behaviors, clothing or speech. Expect to behave as you would in an office workplace or any academic setting. Similarly, online activities in MyCourses or through the SPC email system are expected to be mutually respectful.
The class time will comprise lectures, some group activities, and question/answer/discussion periods. You are expected to have read the assigned reading, and have your questions ready for class.
Attendance and the Withdrawal Date
You are expected to attend class. Notification of any anticipated absences that may conflict with a scheduled assignment must be given to me prior to the absence so that the assignment can be turned in prior to its scheduled date. You may not be able to make up tests, and you cannot make up pop quizzes or class-activity based assignments. The exceptions are limited to documented medical emergencies for yourself or a dependent; and required US military/Reserve/National Guard duty, documented. You cannot make up the Final. Though you may withdraw from this course at any time prior to the voluntary withdrawal date, I retain the right to consider you to be NOT actively participating after you have accumulated 3 absences or missed the deadline established for the major writing assignment. If you wish to withdraw, you can do so through March 21, 2018. After this date, I am prohibited by the College to approve withdrawals, though you may receive a grade of “WF” if you fail to complete the course or violate the attendance policy after the voluntary withdrawal date.
Active Participation:
Active participation is defined in two ways: regular attendance and completing assigned coursework. In terms of regular attendance, active participation is defined as not exceeding two unexcused absences. Active participation is also defined as completing assigned coursework. This includes tests, quizzes, homework, projects and in-class activities. If students have more than two unexcused absences or incomplete coursework, students must contact the instructor to determine an academic plan for successful completion of the course. If students have violated the active participation policy in terms of attendance or completing coursework, and if students have not contacted the instructor to establish a plan for completion of the remaining requirements of the course, then students will be reported as not actively participating in the course, which may result in a grade of WF. If you are in your third attempt at completing a course, you will be given a grade of “WF” at any point you attempt to withdraw or at any point you violate the active participation policy.
Academic Dishonesty
Cheating during tests and quizzes or intentional plagiarism in essays or class projects will result in 0 (zero) on that assignment and a referral to my academic chair. Please refer to the SPC policy regarding this issue. Here is the link: http://www.spcollege.edu/central/botrules/R4/4_461.doc.
TURNITIN:
The instructor of this course provides access to Turnitin.com as a tool to promote learning. The tool flags similarity and mechanical issues in written work that merit review. Use of the service enables students and faculty to identify areas that can be strengthened through improved paraphrasing, integration of sources, or proper citation. Submitted papers remain as source documents in the Turnitin database solely for the purpose of detecting originality. Students retain full copyright to their works.
The Turnitin Usage Agreement can be reviewed at https://turnitin.com/agreement.asp?. Students who do not wish to submit work through Turnitin must notify their instructor via course email within the first seven days of the course. In lieu of Turnitin use, faculty may require a student to submit copies of sources, preliminary drafts, a research journal, or an annotated bibliography.
Student Survey of Instruction
The Student Survey of Instruction (SSI) is administered in courses each semester. It is designed to improve the quality of instruction at St. Petersburg College. All student responses are confidential and anonymous and will be used solely for the purpose of performance improvement. The SSI will be given online using the MyCourses Learning Management System.
Requirements and Grading
Student’s total points scored on the following will determine his/her final grade:
5 tests (100 points each) 500 points
1 comprehensive Final Exam 100 points
Written Assignment 300 points
Class Participation/In-Class Activities/Homework/Quizzes 100 points
Total: 1000 points
About the tests:
Except for the final exam, the regular chapter tests are provided via MyCourses. They are timed and may only be accessed once; you cannot save them and return at a later time. Tests are kept open for 1 week and thus there are no makeups unless your illness (with medical documentation) or military/related service created the difficulty. It is your responsibility to let me know as soon as possible if one of these situations applies.
Please note: I provide extra credit opportunities via writing assignments, participation in various library workshops held by SPC staff, properly documented use of writing center or librarian assistance on assignments, and other in-class opportunities. These can contribute towards your final grade. You will find information on this in MyCourses.
Written Assignment. The written assignment is designed to integrate your understanding of the subject matter.
Late Penalty: if assignment is submitted late, you will receive a 10-percent deduction after 11:30 PM of the specified due date.
FOR ALL WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: Your resources must be scholarly. You should plan on obtaining your sources through the St. Petersburg College online library. Each assignment description contains the specific minimum sources. You may not use sources such as: Wikipedia, About.com, eHow.com, or other non-scholarly free access internet sources. Do not use non-scholarly sources (such as Psychology Today, The New York Times, Time Magazine, etc.) in place of scholarly sources. You may certainly use respected non-academic sources, but understand they are not replacements for professional journals. See the Rubric form included in this syllabus for specific information regarding font type and size, and other details used in grading the paper.
Note: The due date is 11:30 PM on the date specified in the course outline.
The major written assignment:
You may choose from among the following two. For this semester, the choices for written assignments are:
1. MENTAL DISORDERS AND TREATMENT
Student will:
a. Select one specific mental disorder/psychiatric diagnosis currently listed in the most recent Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.
b. Write a 2000-word essay that:
a. Summarizes the diagnosis criteria. Do not spend more than about 200 words on this section. Do not provide long lists; write in paragraph form.
b. Describes two current recommended treatments and then
c. Compares and contrasts these recommendations for treatment based on peer-reviewed journal articles and other scholarly sources
c. The sources must include: the text book; the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition (you may use the online database for the DSM-5 found in the SPC library online databases); at least two peer-review journal articles related to the treatment or diagnosis of the disorder, and one other academic source related to treatment(s). You may use more scholarly sources.
d. The paper should be in APA format including:
a. Cover page
b. Reference page in APA style
c. Times New Roman 12-pt. font
d. Proper use of in-text citations
2. Analysis of famous person. You have three choices:
a. Hector P. Garcia, MD (1914-1986)
b. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, (1906- 1945)
c. Ellen Sirleaf Johnson (10/29/38 - )
Student will:
a. Write a 2000-word essay about Dr. Garcia, Rev. Bonhoeffer or President Sirleaf Johnson. The essay should briefly address significant life events but primarily be a scholarly presentation of your perspective on your subject’s decisions in terms of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and Kohlberg’s Moral Development theory.
b. The sources must include at minimum: the textbook, an SPC online library biographical resource for Garcia/Bonhoeffer/Sirleaf Johnson, one peer-review journal article concerning Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and one related to Kohlberg’s levels of moral development; and one additional scholarly source related to either Maslow’s or Kohlberg’s concepts.
c. The paper should be in APA format, including:
a. Cover page
b. Reference page in APA style
c. Times New Roman 12-pt. font
d. Proper use of in-text citations
Class Participation/Homework/Quizzes:
There will be quizzes, activities and homework assignments periodically throughout the course. These comprise 10% of your grade. Students may not be able to make up work that is missed due to absences.
STUDY PROCESS AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
This is a demanding course. We cover a great deal of material in a short time. I recommend the following structure to your studies:
1. Preview the chapter so you are aware of the major concepts and points of the chapter.
2. Read the chapter slowly, taking notes as you go along. Leave space in your notes for additional explanations and info during the lecture/discussion. Make note of points you’d like me to explain in class.
3. Have the text and your notes available in class. Add to your notes as we go along. Ask questions during the class!
4. Review your notes periodically between classes. Fifteen minutes or so each day is going to be more effective than cramming the night before the class.
5. Consider organizing a small study group with other students. You may decide to meet regularly on campus to compare notes, quiz one another, or review concepts. Any student interested in this should let me know so I can post it in the announcement section of MyCourses.
RUBRIC FOR WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS: HOW IS THE INSTRUCTOR GRADING MY WORK?
All written assignments will be subject to the following standards. I hope that providing these standards will help you better prepare your assignments, understand the grading system, and improve your writing and critical thinking within this course and beyond it.
1. Basic Presentation: Is the report in standard font (Times New Roman) and size (12 point)? It is double spaced? Are there separate title pages and reference pages? Are your name, the class number, and the date included on the title page? Is the grammar and spelling correct? The Basic Presentation Grade is 10% of your grade.
2. General Content: Did the assignment cover what it was asked to cover? Was the word count within 5% of the required word count for the assignment? Does the assignment show basic understanding of the topic in the textbook? Did the writer use scholarly outside resources? The General Content Grade is 40% of your grade.
3. Critical Thinking: This course emphasizes the importance of thinking critically about information. Thus, this is a crucial aspect of the assignment. You are expected to demonstrate critical thinking by doing more than just a book report. You should be comparing and contrasting multiple sources of information, e.g., the text and a journal article’s explanation of a disorder or treatment approach. Critical thinking comprises 50% of your grade. If a paragraph has only one source cited, you may not be doing enough critical thinking.
WRITING/PRESENTATION ASSIGNMENT RUBRIC TOOL:
Student Name:
Date:
Assignment:
AREABASIC
10% / Typewritten, Times New Roman, 12 Pt, regular, double-spaced?
1% / Name, date, class on title page?
1% / Title page and reference page included?
1% / Grammatical and spelling errors?
7% if more than 3 errors. Prorated for fewer errors; -3 for 1, -5 for 2, -7 for 3 or more errors / SCORE:
GENERAL 40% / Completed accurately?
Does it cover the assignment requirements?
10% / Did the writing indicate a grasp of the basic concepts of the text?
10% / Word Count correct? You should be within 5% of required word count in the body of the paper.
5% / Resources cited properly and are scholarly
15% / SCORE
CRITICAL THINKING
50% / Did the writing indicate critical thinking, e.g., compare, contrast, check information? / Hint: if your paragraphs are merely summaries of one source, you are not doing critical thinking. / SCORE
TOTAL SCORE
Your total points will vary according to the assignment.