PSYC 101General Psychology
3 credit hours
M,W (7:30am – 8:50am)
Semester/year: Fall 2010 E-Mail Address:
Instructor: Kelle Johnson Office Phone: 933-2390 Office Hours: Can be arranged
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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 TextPsychology (Ciccarelli & Meyer, 2006) (ISBN: 0-13-183959-4).
Course Objective:The goal of this course is to provide students with a basic understanding of psychological science. This course will introduce basic principles, concepts, and theories that are fundamental to the science of psychology, and will serve as a foundation for upper level courses in other areas of psychology.
Course Format:
- Class: Class will consist of lecture, group activities, homework, quizzes, participation and in-class assignments. It is important that you come to class prepared and that you participate.
- Exams: There will be four in-class exams and one final exam worth 100 pts each. Exams will cover material from the text, lectures, and in-class discussions. Exams will be comprised of multiple choice and short answer questions. Tentative exam dates are listed on the course outline.
- Home Work: READING!! It is important that you read the text. There will be 15 Quizzes to complete on-line. They will be posted on BLACKBOARD and each will be available for a one week period. The quizzes are worth 20 points each. There will be an opportunity to earn extra credit by completing other on-line assignments, including a course evaluation at the end of the course. These extra credit activities will be worth 50 points.
- Participation/Attendance: Participation and Attendance points will be awarded randomly during class. You must be present to receive this extra credit. Attendance is very important for your learning and development throughout the course. Material will be presented during lecture that is not in the text.
Make-up exams: There are no scheduled make-ups for exams. Make-up exams will be scheduled only if you contact me prior to the exam and if you have a written medical excuse, a school-approved activity or documentation of extenuating circumstances. Make-up exams will cover the same material but will consist of different questions and formatting than in-class exams.
Late arrival/early departure: Make every effort to be on time for class. Arriving late and leaving early is disruptive to everyone in class. If you know that you need to leave before the end of scheduled lecture time, please inform me before class.
EXTRA CREDIT/LATE WORK: There is no extra credit other than the participation, homework and attendance points listed on this syllabus. Late quizzes or late homework will not be accepted.
Respect: When you are in my class, you must show respect to me and your classmates. Rude behavior, including talking in class that is disruptive to your classmates, will not be tolerated. I also ask everyone to be respectful to people with opinions that are different from their own, so that we may have a comfortable class atmosphere that is conducive to lively discussions.
There will be no MP3, I-pods or other listening devices allowed in class. Turn your cell-phones off during class!! Failure to comply with these rules may result in removal from the class. It is extremely important in this class that we do not have these distractions. The technological format of the course makes it difficult to hear and communicate at times.
Plagiarism and cheating: Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. Any cheating or plagiarism will result in an automatic “0” for that portion of your grade. For explanations and examples of what qualifies as plagiarism I encourage you to take a few minutes and look through the website
If you need help: If you are struggling in this class, please seek help from me. I will do my best to help you do well in the class, but it is up to you to ask for help.
Online Course Evaluations: Students are strongly encouraged to complete a course evaluation at the end of the course. Extra credit points are awarded. Evaluations are very important to assist the teaching staff to continually improve the course. Evaluations are available online at
Evaluations are anonymous. Evaluations open up two weeks prior to the end of the course and remain open until the last day of the course. Evaluations only take a few minutes. Your honest feedback is greatly appreciated!
Total Points possible for the course:
Exam I 100 points
Exam II100 points
Exam III100 points
Exam IV100 points
Final Exam100 points
Quizzes300 points
Extra Credit
Participation/Attendance 150 points
Homework 50 points
All grades will be based upon the following scale:
720-800 = A
640-719 = B
560-639 =C
480-559 =D
479 =F
The CSI Mission Statement
The College of Southern Idaho, a comprehensive community college, provides quality educational, social, cultural, economic, and workforce development opportunities that meet the diverse needs of the communities it serves. CSI prepares students to lead enriched, productive and responsible lives in a global society.
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:
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).
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
Course Outcomes Aligned with Course Assessment Activities:
Exams / Participation / Quizzes / Homework1 / X / X / X / X
2 / X / X / X / X
3 / X / X / X / X
4 / X / X / X / X
5 / X / X / X / X
Course Outline
These dates are flexible. The content may be adjusted based on student needs and course pace. All changes will be announced, but it is your responsibility to double-check on important dates if you miss class.
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