Psychology 2301 General Psychology
Minimester
Instructor: Dr. Deborah Horn
Office: Arts and Sciences 202, Brenham Campus
Office hours: By appointment only.
Email address: Please use the email module in the course room
Phone: 979-830-4245 (I will check my messages periodically)
Course Description: This is an introductory course presenting elementary principles of human behavior, development, and mental process. Course material includes an overview of psychology, psychological research basics, biological bases of behavior, perception, learning, cognition, emotion, motivation, individual development, psychological disorders, methods of treatment, and an introduction to social psychology. Prerequisites: Appropriate score on the THEA test or alternative test or completion of READ 0306 with a grade of 'C' or better. Credit: Three semester hours. This is a Core Course in the 42-Hour Core of Blinn College. As such, students will develop proficiency in the appropriate Intellectual Competencies, Exemplary Educational Objectives, and Perspectives. The URL for the Blinn College Core Curriculum web site is http://www.blinn.edu/corecurriculum.
Learning Outcomes: Successful completers of this course will be able to (a) discuss the goals of psychology, (b) assess the use of scientific method in Psychology, (c) Evaluate the central features of major psychological theories, (d) summarize basic psychological terms and concepts, (e) utilize key psychological terms and concepts in real life examples, (f) characterize the work of leading contributors to the field of psychology, (g) discuss how psychological, biological, and social, factors can effect behavior and mental processes, (h) demonstrate the ability to use critical thinking skills to analyze research and reports of human behavior, (i) assess real-life situations that may require professional psychological help and compare various treatment options, and (j) differentiate the various parts of the nervous system and summarize their role in behavior.
Textbook: Lilienfeld,
S.O.,
You should activate your Blinn email account within the next couple of days. Instructions can be found at http://www.blinn.edu/acadtech/studentemail.
Suggested Class Calendar with Recommended Due Date:
Day 1: Ch 1. Science and Pseudoscience; Assignment 1
Day 2: Ch 2.
Research Methods; Assignment 2
Day 3:
Ch 3. Biological Psychology; Assignment
3
Day 4:
Ch 4. Sensation and Perception;
Assignment 4; Exam I (Chs 1-4)
Day
5: Ch 6. Learning; Assignment 5
Day 6:
Ch 8. Language,
Thinking, and Reasoning; Assignment 6
Day 7: Ch 10 Human Development, Assignment 7; Ch 11. Emotion and
Motivation,
Assignment 8; Exam II (Chs 6, 8,
10, 11)
Day 8: Ch
13. Social Psychology, Assignment 9
Day 9:
Ch 14. Personality, Assignment 10
Day10: Ch 15.
Psychological Disorders, Assignment 11
Day11: Ch 16.
Psychological and Biological Treatments, Assignment 12, Assignment A, Exam
III (Chs 13-16)
Day12: Final Exam
(Please note: The attendance sign-in sheet is available on each class day from midnight to 11:55 pm, with the exception of the attendance on Day 12. The sign-in sheet on Day 12 will be due by 5:00 pm. All Assignments and Exams I, II, and III are due by Day 11 at 5:00 pm. The Final Exam is available from midnight on Day 12 until 5:00 pm on Day 12).
Civility Notification Statement: If a student is asked to leave the class because of uncivil behavior (such as inappropriate behavior on a discussion board), the student may not return to that class until he or she arranges a conference with the instructor; it is the student’s responsibility to arrange for this conference.
Course Requirements: Exam I = 100 points Grades:
Exam III = 100 points 560 to 629 = B
Assignments 1 through 12 = 120 points 490 to 559 = C
Assignment A = 110 points 420 to 489 = D
Attendance Assignments = 70 points 000 to 419 = F
Final Exam = 100 points
Exams: Exams will cover assigned readings. Exams I, II, and III may consist of multiple choice. The final exam will be a comprehensive examination consisting of all multiple choice items. Exams must be completed by the designated time. There are no make-up exams. After you have completed the required assignments for an exam, you may take that exam. You have only one attempt. In order to maintain test security, you may only see the answers to your exams in my office.
Assignments: You will also be required to complete assignments throughout the course. Assignments must be completed in the order in which they are assigned. These assignments consist of outlining each chapter, among one other assignment. Failure to use proper outlining techniques will result in a lower grade. Proper outlining techniques utilize Roman numerals, the alphabet, and Arabic numbers. The outlines must be of sufficient detail that they may be used for study materials in preparation for exams. The chapter outlines must be typed and submitted in the assignment module by cutting and pasting them. I do not accept attachments. You should follow the format of the sample outline available in the course room. Failure to submit an outline without following these directions may result in a lower grade.
You may complete the course at your own pace, but you must log in every class day (please see calendar above for class days) and complete the attendance assignment. There will be an attendance assignment available to you every class day. Failure to complete the attendance assignment on any day will be considered an absence from the class regardless if you login to the course, and you may be dropped from the course for excessive absences. If you complete the course requirements before the final day of class, you must still sign in every class day. All Exams and assignments must be completed by 5:00 pm on the first day of the minimester’s final exam schedule. There will be no exceptions to these deadlines, and you cannot receive an incomplete. If you prefer to distribute you work evenly throughout the semester, you should use the recommended due dates.
Assignment A: You may select one of the two options below:
Option 1. For the first page of this option, reflect on your opinion, feelings, thoughts, etc., on people who are older than 70 years of age. Then watch the motion picture, "Young @ Heart" (this is not the movie with Doris Day.) For the remaining two pages, describe the older people you viewed on this film. Also reflect on whether your opinion, feelings, thoughts, etc., have changed.
Option 2. For the first page of this option, reflect on your opinion, feelings, thoughts, etc., on people who are older than 70 years of age. Then find an individual who is older than 70 and spend an hour or two getting to know that person. Ask them about their life, what advice they would give a young person today, what do they like best about their life currently. For the remaining two pages, describe the answers your interviewee gave you. Also reflect on whether your opinion, feelings, thoughts, etc., about older individuals have changed. PLEASE NOTE: Be respectful, do not ask personal questions, do not ask questions about health, etc. Thank the individual for his or her help with your assignment.
When writing this assignment, your page should be set with one inch margins, double-spaced, and use Times New Roman with a pitch of 12. The only heading it should have is whether you selected Option 1 or Option 2 to complete. Your completed assignment should be a minimum of 3 pages.
Attendance policy: The College District believes that class attendance is essential for student success; therefore, students are required to promptly and regularly attend all their classes. Without full participation and regular class attendance, students shall find themselves at a severe disadvantage for achieving success in college. The Blinn handbook states: “If a student has one week’s worth of unexcused absences during the semester, he/she will be sent an e-mail by the College requiring the student to contact his/her instructor and schedule a conference immediately to discuss his/her attendance issues. Should the student accumulates two weeks worth of unexcused absences, he/she may be administratively withdrawn from class. Also, we recognize four excused absences: Blinn approved activity, ISD approved activity, military service and religious holy days.” For this class, class participation shall constitute at least ten percent of the final course grade. If you should decide to drop this class, you must initiate the drop. However, if you miss a substantial number of classes, I reserve the right to drop you from the course.
If you should become ill during the minimester and cannot keep up with the demands of the class, I encourage you to drop. To continue in the class otherwise will most likely result in a lower final course grade.
In this course, you must sign in every class day at some point during that 24 hour period or you will be counted absent. Missing one day is equal to missing one week of class.
Scholastic
dishonesty (from the student handbook): It is the responsibility of
instructors to maintain scholastic integrity at
Makeup Examinations (from the student handbook):
In this class, all examinations and assignments must be completed by the due dates stated above. No make-ups are given. No incompletes will be given. No extra credit work is given. It is very important that you complete assignments, prepare for tests, and complete work on time. I reserve the right to change class rules as it becomes necessary. However, class requirements, assignments, and grading policies will not change.
Unacceptable behavior in this class:
Threats to faculty or other students
Using profanity
Initiating arguments with faculty or other classmates