Valencia Community College

General Psychology - PSY 1012

Spring Term, 2008

CRN# 21062

2:30 p.m. – 3:45 p.m., TR

Building 3, Room 227

Professor: Maxine Ruddock, Ph.D.

Office: Building 3, Room 227

352-455-7958

Email:

Text: Nevid, J. S., (2007). Psychology: Concepts and Applications (2nd ed). Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Class Schedule

Date Topic Chapter

01-8 / Overview of the class
10, 15 / Introduction to Psychology and Methods of Research / 1
17, 22 / Consciousness / 4
24, 29 31 / Learning / 5
02-5, 7 / Memory / 6
12, 14 / Biological Foundations of Behavior / 2
19, 21 / Motivation and Emotion / 8
26, 28 / Child Development / 9
03-4, 6 / Personality / 12
11, 13, 18 / Psychological Disorders / 13
20, 25 / Methods of Therapy / 14
27 / Psychology and Health / 15
SPRING BREAK
04-8, 10 / Psychology and Health / 15
15, 17 / Social Psychology / 16
22 / Final Exam and Make-up Exams / 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.

Grades

Examinations: Twelve examinations will be administered during the term. Each exam will consist of multiple-choice questions, covering the assigned chapter. Examinations will be administered after the lecture for the chapter. Examinations are 20 minutes in length.

Papers: Each student will write two application papers. The purpose of each

paper will be to assess the student’s ability to apply psychological

principles to the assignment, and to evaluate the quality of

the student’s writing skills. Ten points may be earned for each paper. A hard copy of the paper is required. Late papers will not be accepted.

Scoring Rubric for Application Papers

Factor / Poor / Average / Exemplary / Score
Explanation of a Psychological Concept / Unclear / Logical / Insightful
Organization / Not organized / Organized / Well organized
Grammar and Spelling / Frequent errors / Two or more errors / No errors
Double-spaced / Inconsistent / Consistent
12-point font / Incorrect / Correct
Title Page / Missing / Most information / All information
Stapled / Required

Extra-credit: A student may earn up to fourteen points for excellent attendance, participation and punctuality, etc. These behaviors demonstrate how serious the student is about the class. Points are awarded based on the professor’s assessment of the student.

Extra-credit

Behavior / Points deducted per occurrence
Attendance / 2 points for each absence
Punctuality / 1 point deducted for each time that the student is late
Participation / 2 points for chatting, sleeping, other reading
Academic dishonesty / 14 points
Class conduct: Please adhere to the following rules to avoid disrupting the class:
1. Turn off, or place on vibrate mode, cell phones.
2. Do not send/read text messages during class.
3. Use of computers limited to word processing class notes.

Final Grades

Category Possible Score Actual Score

Chapter 1 / 20
Chapter 4 / 20
Chapter 5 / 20
Chapter 6 / 20
Chapter 2 / 20
Chapter 8 / 20
Chapter 9 / 20
Chapter 12 / 20
Chapter 13 / 20
Chapter 14 / 20
Chapter 15 / 20
Chapter 16 / 20
Application Paper #1 / 10
Application Paper #2 / 10
Total Points / 260

Final Grade Distribution

A / = / 234– 260 points
B / = / 208– 233 points
C / = / 182 – 207 points
D / = / 156 – 181 points
F / = / 0 – 155 points

Make-up Exams: Students will only be allowed to make up two quizzes. All make-up examinations will be administered on April 22nd during the final exam period. There will be no exceptions to this policy.

Attendance: Six absences will result in a letter grade reduction in your

final grade, or a “withdrawal” from the class (professor’s

decision). Seven absences will result in a withdrawal from the class.

(professor’s decision). A consult must be scheduled with the

professor after the third absence in order to discuss the student’s

status in the class.

Academic Honesty: Expected of all students. Students will receive a “0” for cheating.

Withdrawal: March 14, 2008 is the deadline for withdrawing from the

course without penalty. Students should withdraw from the class

(Atlas) if they expect to receive a failing grade in the class. April 20 is

the final withdrawal deadline from the class.

WebCT: The class is a WebCT enhanced course. Course materials and grades

are accessed by one of two methods. Students may go to

www.valenciacc.edu, and select WebCT from the “Quick Links”, or

they may login at

http://webct6.valenciacc.edu/webct/entryPageIns.dowebct.

LifeMap: www.valenciacc.edu/lifemap is a source that Valencia Community College
provides to students as a means of planning their careers and education. Take
some time and explore the resources that LifeMap contains.
The Valencia faculty has defined four interrelated competencies (Value,
Think, Communicate, Act) that prepare students to succeed in the world
community. These competencies are outlined in the College Catalog. In
this course, through classroom lecture and discussion, group work, and
other learning activities, you will further develop your mastery of these
core competencies.

THIS SYLLABUS IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE

4