Psychology 2301-N1, N-3, N-5 General Psychology
Instructor: Dr. Deborah Horn, LP
Spring 2010
Office: Arts and Sciences 202, Brenham Office hours: MW 9-10 & 12:15-1:10, T 9-1
Phone: 979-830-4245 Virtual office hours: T 7–9pm, W 7-9pm
Email address: please use the email module in the online course room.
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.
Required Textbook: Lilienfeld, S.O.,
You may also purchase a digital version of this textbook at http://bn.digitaltextbooks.com/ebn/eb_catalog.php?CSID=MQU0CUQ0MOM0QTMCMDUUTK2QT
It will be listed under Social Sciences as Psychology by Lilienfeld (ISBN 0205652700; Edition 09). To buy the digital version of this textbook at the Blinn bookstore you must specifically ask for it.
You must have access to a computer that is connected to the
Internet. The computer you use
must have one of the following browsers:
· Internet Explorer 7.x (Link to IE 7 for Windows XP)
· Firefox 2.0 or 3.0 (Link to Firefox 2 and Firefox 3)
· Macintosh computers running Mac OS X: Firefox (Link to Firefox 3)
· (Safari is NOT supported)
Such computers are available in the library. If you have difficulty navigating eCampus, you can get assistance by calling the help desk at 979-209-7298 or by navigating to their website at: http://www.blinn.edu/disted/internet/onlineorient.htm.
You should activate your Blinn email account within the next
couple of days. Instructions can be found at http://www.blinn.edu/acadtech/studentemail. You should check your email regularly.
Email regarding absences and drops will be sent to your Blinn email. It is your
responsibility to keep up with your absences.
Suggested Class Calendar:
Week 1: Prologue
Week 2: Ch 1 Science and Pseudoscience, Ch 2 Research
Methods
Week 3: Ch 3 Biological Psychology
Week 4: Ch 4
Sensation and Perception
Week 5:
Week 6: Exam I (Prologue, Ch. 1-4, 6)
Week 7: Ch 7 Memory, Ch 8 Language, Thinking;
and Reasoning
Week 8:
Week 9: Ch 11 Emotion and Motivation
Week 10 Ch 12 Stress, Coping, and Health
Week 11: Ch 13. Social Psychology
Week 12: Exam II (Chs. 7, 8, 10-13)
Week 13: Ch 14. Personality
Week 14: Ch 15. Psychological
Disorders
Week 15: Ch 16
Psychological and Biological Treatments
Week 16: Final Exam (Prologue, Chs 1-4, 6-8, 10-16) will be given on May 6.
If you are disrespectful or uncivil toward me or to your fellow students in an email or on a discussion board, I will notify you and block you from entering the course room. You will then need to make an appointment with me during my office hours in Brenham to discuss the issue before the block is removed.
Course Requirements: Exam I = 100 points Grades:
Assignment A = 100 points 580 to 652 = B
Assignments 1 through 15 = 150 points 507.5 to 579.5 = C
Final Exam = 100 points 435 to 507 = D
Discussions = 75 points 000 to 434.5 = F
Attendance = 100 points
Total = 725
In
order to complete the course satisfactorily, you must click on the Lessons tab
and then click on the particular week. Milestones are not provided. Thus, you
must review all material under the Lessons tab and Week folder to see what is
due. Do not wait until the last minute to submit materials as no materials are
accepted late.
Weekly Discussions: On each Monday, a discussion question will be placed on the discussion board for you to answer. You must answer the question by Friday at noon. You may have to review some material before you are able to fully answer some questions. Other questions will be Socratic in nature and require critical thinking on your part to fully answer the questions. Still other questions may require you to apply information. Each question will require two postings. One will be the answer to the question, and the second posting will be a response to a peer’s posting. More detail will be given with the first discussion question.
Exams: Exams will cover assigned readings. Exams I and II 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.
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.
This assignment is due by noon, March 12, 2010. The drop box is in the Week 8 folder.
Assignments 1 through 15: You will also be required to complete various assignments throughout the course. Assignments must be completed in the order in which they are assigned. These assignments consist of outlining each chapter, among other assignments. Failure to use proper outlining techniques will result in a lower grade. Proper outlining techniques utilize Roman numerals, the alphabet, and Arabic numbers. No bullets may be used. A sample outline is provided in the course. 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. Additional requirements are given at each assignment. I do not accept attachments for assignments.
You may complete the course at your own pace, but weekly attendance and discussions are due at the end of each week and your paper is due by noon on Friday of Week 8. Exam I and II and all assignments must be completed by noon on the last day of classes. The final exam is due by 11 pm on the first day of final exams. There will be no exceptions to these deadlines, and you cannot receive an incomplete.
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. The weekly attendance is taken by you signing in on the Attendance discussion each week between 8:00 am, Monday and noon on Friday. If you do not complete the weekly Attendance discussion, you will be counted absent that week. If you are absent for two weeks, you might be dropped
Please note that you are being given points for signing the Attendance discussion. So even if your absence is excused, you cannot be awarded points. Attendance points will be awarded utilizing the following scale:
0 missed weeks = 100 points
1 missed week = 90 points
2 missed weeks = 80 points
3 missed weeks = 70 points
4 missed weeks = 60 points
5 missed weeks = 50 points
6 missed weeks = 40 points
7 missed weeks = 30 points
8 missed weeks = 20 points
9 missed weeks = 10 points
10 or more missed weeks = 0 points
Scholastic
dishonesty (from the student handbook): It is the responsibility of
instructors to maintain scholastic integrity at
Makeup Examinations (from the student handbook):
Make-up exams are available for students who are excused to participate in a Blinn activity, military, ISD activity (dual-credit students only) or religious activity. There is no make-up for the final exam. And you cannot receive an Incomplete for this course. It is very important that you read the textbook, complete assignments, prepare for exams, and attend class regularly.
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.