Psyc 230l Syllabus Fall 2008 2-3:30 TR

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE: PSYC 2301 (2:00pm – 3:30pm Tu/Thurs)               RM: 132B

CRN: 59050

TITLE:  INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

Instructor’s Name: Suzanne Senn, M.S.

Instructor’s Phone Numbers:  Cl# (713) 303-6275   **whenever-leave a message**

PHONE IS THE BEST WAY TO CONTACT ME!!!

Instructor’s Email:  InstructorSenn@att.net

***Office Hours: by appointment before or after class, other days by arrangement

Required Readings:

Hockenbury, D.H. & Hockenbury, S.E. (2006). Psychology, 4th ed. New York: Worth.

Rea, C. (2006). Study guide to accompany psychology, 4th ed. New York: Worth.

Student Supplementary Handbook to Accompany Psychology (4^th Edition).

Recommended Readings:

American Psychological Association (2000). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. (5th ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

This course serves as an introduction to the study of psychology. Students will cover various aspects related to the study of human behavior. Students will study topics in psychology related to learning, memory, personality, health and stress, child and adult development, and psychological disorders. This course transfers as three(3) hours of credit to most other colleges and universities.

COURSE GOALS:

1.      Recognize the key role that psychology plays in our everyday lives.

2.      Have a better insight into the behavior of individuals with whom you have frequent contact in your life.

3.      Have a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of human behavior in general.

4.      Be more aware of the major issues in at least nine subject areas of psychology.

5.      Have some understanding of the scientific method and how it applies to psychological research.

MEANS OF ASSESSMENT

GRADE SCALE (Percentages): A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-69; F = 59 or below. Grades are calculated by dividing total number of points earned by total possible points and multiply by 100.

**Assignments must be turned in by the beginning of the class specified in the class schedule.  Late papers will be accepted up to one week late, but 2 points will be deducted for each day (including weekends) the assignment is late. Papers are considered late at the end of class on the due date. Proof of submission date is the responsibility of the student.

** Writing assignments are required to be written according to APA guidelines. A copy of the APA Manual will be on reserve in the library for students to use.

** All make-up exams are to be taken at the beginning of the next class. There will be no make-ups for the final exam.

** Students will be required to purchase scantron forms for all exams and final exam. Please take care of these forms! If your scantron cannot be scanned, your test will not be graded. Students will also need to use a #2 pencil when taking each exam and the final exam. Students should make sure that each answer is marked correctly and erasures to make corrections must be made clean and complete.

BASIC INTELLECTUAL COMPETENCIES

1. READING: Students are expected read the textbook and any additional materials passed out in class.
2. WRITING:  Students are expected to demonstrate college level writing skills through the writing and homework assignments. Students will be expected through these assignments to develop and organize ideas and phrase it effectively for an educated audience.
3. SPEAKING: Students are expected to participate in class discussions and demonstrate the ability to communicate verbally in a clear and coherent manner while being respectful of various points of view.
4. LISTENING:  Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to listen, analyze, and interpret various oral, written and visual forms of information.  
5. CRITICAL THINKING:  Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to evaluate and analyze arguments and research methods by critically reviewing a peer-reviewed journal article.
6. COMPUTER LITERACY:  Students are expected to demonstrate ability to use computers through online database searches and use of word processing programs.

CLASSROOM ACTIVITY:

There will be a variety of learning activities scheduled for the classroom.  Although the topic for each day will reflect material included in the assigned readings, the format will differ from session to session, and it will focus on active learning.  The possible classroom activities include the following:  lectures, discussions, small group work, experiential exercises, films, demonstrations, and individual reports.  You may be asked to write reviews of films, participate in a role play, research answers to items missed on a test, or share personal examples which relate to textbook material. Active participation in class will be helpful primarily in relation to determining borderline grades.  The instructor will subjectively evaluate the quality and quantity of your in-class work.

            Sometimes the instructor will lecture on particularly complex topics, but at other times you may be asked to master sections of the text on your own.  Use the Learning Objective Questions and the Key Terms in the Student Supplementary Handbook as your guide to determine which material is most important.  The instructor will provide class time for asking and answering questions about material that will appear on tests.  Course objectives will help you determine which material you will need to study and master.  Please note that the instructor may require modules or topics other than those in the Student Supplementary Handbook.

INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBILITIES:

·         Prepare class activities, discussions, and lectures.

·         Facilitate an effective learning environment.

·         Prepare class assignments and exams.

·         Evaluate and provide prompt feedback on exams, assignments, and activities.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

·         Attend class, be on time, and participate in class discussions and activities.

·         Read and comprehend the textbook.

·         Complete the required assignments and exams.

·         Ask for help when there is a question or problem.

·         Keep copies of all paperwork, including this syllabus, handouts, and all assignments.

ATTENDANCE AND DROP POLICY:

            It is important that you come to class on time.  Observation over time has convinced me that poor attendance records tend to correlate highly with poor grades.  However, I feel that attendance is the student's responsibility, and further that it is the student's responsibility to initiate the drop procedure (that is, take steps to officially drop the course) if it is no longer the intention of that student to attend the class and receive credit for the course.  The college has recently enacted an early alert policy which requires instructors to notify the counseling office and recommend interventions for those students who do not seem to be achieving acceptably (i.e., passing with a safe margin).  The counseling office will then contact the student to see what assistance can be made available to improve the student’s academic outcome.  Dropping the course must be done by the student through direct communication with a counselor or the instructor of the course.  It is YOUR responsibility to take the necessary action.  If you have ceased attending class and do not complete the official drop procedure by the official drop date, you will receive a grade calculated based on the work you did complete and submit.  The official drop date for this semester is Thursday, 11/06/08 by 4:30pm.  Please do not ask me to remove an "F" you may have received if you failed to complete the official drop form.  If you miss any class, including any days during the first week, you are responsible for all materials missed.

NOTICE:  Students who repeat a course for a third or more times will face significant tuition/fee increases at HCC and other Texas public colleges and universities.  Please ask your instructor / counselor about opportunities for tutoring / other assistance prior to considering course withdrawal or if you are not receiving passing grades.

SCHOLASTIC HONESTY:

            I expect academic honesty.  Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on tests, plagiarism, and collusion.  See the current HCCS Student Handbook for definitions of each of there terms.  I will not hesitate to apply the appropriate instructor options in the case of scholastic dishonesty.  These options range all the way from a warning for more minor offenses to a "ZERO" on the test or other assignments, or under certain circumstances, an "F" for the course.  I expect application of this provision to be unnecessary.

CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR:

Students are expected to act in a manner befitting appropriate social behavior for an adult. Students are expected to be considerate of the instructor and other students while in class. Disruptive behavior may result in the student(s) being asked to leave the classroom. All cellular phones and pagers are to be turned off if not placed on silent or vibrate.

DISABILITY NOTIFICATION:

           Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at the respective college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty members are authorized to provide only the accommodations requested by the Disability Support Services Office.

          The ADA counselor for Southwest College is Dr. Becky Hauri (713-718-7910).    Reasonable accommodations will be provided to those students who show proper documentation.

CLASS SCHEDULE

August

08/26 (tues)                 Orientation, Discussion of Syllabuss 

                        Chapter 1

8/28 (thurs)                  Chapter 1

September

09//02 (tues)                Quiz 1 (Chapter 1)

                                    Discuss paper

09/04 (thurs)                Chapter 2                               

09/09 (tues)                 Chapter 2

09/11 (thurs)                Paper topics due

Chapter 2

09/16 (tues)                 Quiz 2 (Chapter 2)

                                    Chapter 9

09/18 (thurs)                Chapter 9                               

09/23 (tues)                 Chapter 9 &

Gender development in Ch 10 (pp.423-236)

09/25 (thurs)                Quiz 3 (Chapter 9 & part of Ch 10)

                                    Chapter 5

09/30 (tues)                 Chapter 5

October

10/02 (thurs)                Chapter 5

10/07 (tues)                 Quiz 4 (Chapter 5)

                                    Chapter 6

10/09   (thurs)              Journal articles due

Chapter 6

10/14 (tues)                 Chapter 6

10/16 (thurs)                Quiz 5 (Chapter 6)

                                    Chapter 7

10/21 (tues)                 Chapter 7

10/23 (thurs)                Quiz 6 (Chapter 7)

                                    Chapter 8

10/28 (tues)                 Rough Drafts due (optional)

Chapter 8

10/30 (thurs)                Quiz 7 (Chapter 8)

                                    Chapter 11

November

11/04 (tues)                 Rough Drafts returned

Chapter 11

11/06 (thurs)                Quiz 8 (Chapter 11)

                                    Chapter 13

***LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW BY 4:30 pm***

11/11 (tues)                 Chapter 13

11/13 (thurs)                Chapter 13 & STDs in Ch 10 (pp. 451-455)

11/18 (tues)                 Quiz 9 (Chapter 13)

                                    Chapter 14

11/20 (thurs)                Papers due

Chapter 14     

11/25 (tues)                 Quiz 10 (Chapter 14)

                                    Review for final

11/27 (thurs)                NO CLASS/ THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

December

12/02 (tues)                 Paper presentations

12/04 (thurs)                Paper presentations

                                    Papers retuned

                                    Review for final

12/09 (tues)                 FINAL EXAM at 2:00 pm