Psychology 1010

Introductory Psychology

Fall 2009

Tuesdays & Thursdays 10:30 – 11:45

SS 394

 

Professor’s Name: Dr. Lauren Fowler

Professor’s e-mail: lfowler@weber.edu OR through WebCT mail tool

**(This is BY FAR the best way to contact me!)

Office Hours:  MWF 9-9:30 AM; Tues 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM; Also by Appointment

Office Location: SS 368

Web Site:  http://online.weber.edu (or student portal login); http://faculty.weber.edu/lfowler

 

I.  Required Materials

      A.  Textbook:    Myers, D. G. (2006).  Exploring Psychology, 6th Ed.  Worth Publishers:  New York.

                        **The study guide that comes packaged with the new version is OPTIONAL.  If you purchase

                        your book from the bookstore, they have the book or the book/study guide package.  You may

                        purchase EITHER one.  Do NOT purchase the 7th edition!  The 6th edition is also available from

                        many websites for less than $20.

B.     Computer access for WebCT class site

C.     $ 0.60 to take exams

D.     A desire to learn and ENJOY the class!

 

II.  Course Grade

                 No exams or homework assignments can be made up after the last day of

                 classes.  There are no exceptions to this rule!

 

      A.  Examinations

1.      Five exams will be taken during the course of this semester.  Each exam is non-comprehensive and constitutes 15% of your final grade.

2.     A comprehensive final exam will be taken between December 4th and December 8th.  No final may be taken after Tuesday, December 8th.  The final exam is comprehensive and is worth 15% of your final grade.

3.     Your lowest exam grade will be dropped at the end of the semester.  If you have an A after the 5th exam, you do not need to complete the comprehensive final, unless you would like to!

4.      All exams will be taken in the Social Sciences Testing Center.  You will have 4 days to take each exam.  NO MAKEUP EXAMS ARE GIVEN.  If you miss an exam, you will receive a zero for that exam.

5.     Please allow at least one week for exams to be graded and posted on WebCT. 

      B.  Make-up Examinations/Missing Exams

      No exams may be made up, so please make sure you take each exam.  If you

know of a conflict with the exam schedule, you may take ANY exam a day early.  However, no exam may be taken late.  Please schedule your time wisely!  You may drop your lowest exam score, so if you DO miss an exam, that will be your dropped grade.  If you miss more than one exam then only one exam grade will be dropped.  If you wish to take an exam a day early, please email Dr. Fowler to get permission to take the exam early.

         **REMEMBER, NO EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN AFTER THE END DATE FOR

             THAT EXAM, SO YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR KNOWING THE EXAM

             PERIODS!!

 

    C.  Homework

                     Five homework assignments will be given during the semester. See class outline for due dates of homework assignments.  All five homework assignments are worth a total of 15% of your final grade (which is the same as an exam grade!!!).  Homework is due by midnight on the due date.  NO HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENT MAY BE TURNED IN LATE!  You will turn your homework assignments in using WebCT.  You may turn in your homework assignments at any point in the semester up to the due date.  That means you have at least 2-3 weeks to turn in any homework assignment.  You may NOT turn in your assignments late, so schedule your time wisely.  Plan to turn your assignment in by the day prior to the due date, just in case you have any problems with computer connections.  The lowest homework assignment grade will be dropped, which means that if you miss one homework assignment that grade will be dropped.  I cannot emphasize enough the importance of planning to turn in your assignment at LEAST one day prior to the due date!!  PLEASE READ THE HOW TO TURN IN YOUR HOMEWORK FILE, WHICH IS FOUND IN THE HOMEWORK FOLDER IN WEBCT.

 

D,  Research Participation

An important part of taking an introduction to psychology course is to understand how knowledge is psychology is acquired.  Therefore, 10% of your final grade will be based on research participation. You will need to complete 8 research credits (each research credit = 15 minutes of participation) to receive the full 10%.  Research participation or its alternatives must be completed by Friday, November 20th.  Read the “Research Participation Requirement” handout for more information.

 

 

    E.  Grading Scale

             The course grade will be assigned according to the scale indicated

                     below:

                    

                     Numeric Score                                      Letter Grade

                          90-100                                                      A

                          87-89                                                        B+

                          83-86                                                        B

                          80-82                                                        B-

                          77-79                                                        C+

                          73-76                                                        C

                          70-72                                                        C-

                          67-69                                                        D+

                          60-66                                                        D

                          Below 60                                                   E

 

III.  Course Outline

            Chapters                Assignment                          Date              

                      1 & Appendix A*           Homework #1                               September 9th   

                       

                                                            Exam #1                                 September 9th – 12th  

                    

 

                       2, 5                               Homework #2                             September 30th  

                        --omit 156-164 from Ch. 5

 

                                                            Exam #2                                 Sept 30th – Oct 3rd  

 

                                                                                   

                      7, 8                                Homework #3                             October 21st              

                       

 

                                                            Exam #3                                 October 21st - 24th   

 

                                                                       

                    4, 6, 15                            Homework #4                            November 11th

                        --pg. 98-109 from Ch. 4

                              --omit 204-208 from Ch. 6

                              --pg. 538—554 from Ch. 15

 

                                                            Exam #4                                November 11th – 14th  

 

 

                                                                       

                                                            RPCs Due                                November 20th

 

                     13, 14                             **Homework #5                         November 25th     

 

                                                            Exam #5                                 Nov. 25th – Dec. 1st     

 

 

                     Comprehensive Final                                                      December 4th – 8th  

 

*Appendix A is at the end of your book.

**All homework assignments are due on Wednesdays at Midnight.  All Exams (except #5) run Wednesday through Saturday.  Exam #5 has a very different schedule (due to Thanksgiving), so please make note of that in your calendars.  Exam #5 runs Wednesday, November 25th through Tuesday, December 1st, with no class on Tuesday the 1st.   The last day of classes is just to review for the final exam.

 

 

IV.  Additional Information

 

    A.  Attendance

                     Attendance is not required for this class.  However, anything discussed

                     in class may be included on an exam, even if that information is not

                     found in the textbook or study guide.  Thus, it is in everyone’s best

                     interest to attend, and it is STRONGLY suggested!!! 

                     **IF you miss class, there are two things you can do to get the material you

                     missed.  You may get the outline from the PowerPoint online, and/or you may

                     get notes from someone in class.  PLEASE do not come to my office and ask

                     me IF YOU MISSED anything or if I will re-teach the material that you

                     missed.  I will be more than happy to answer your questions, but you have to

                     put in the time first!

 

    B.  Class Contact

                     Often it is necessary to miss a part or all of class.  When that happens,

                     or when you have questions that you cannot answer on your own, it is

                     helpful to have the name and number of another student in class that

                     you can call.  Please use the space below to write down the name, email, and

                     phone number of at least one student in this class who you can call.  OR you

                     can use WebCT to email anyone in the class!

 

___________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________

 

 

 

      C.  Class Courtesy

This is a large class, so please be courteous of others when coming late to or leaving early from class.  Also, please refrain from talking during class lecture. Eating and drinking in class is allowed, as long as it is not disruptive to the learning environment.  PLEASE TURN OFF CELL PHONES IN CLASS!! Any disruptive behavior will be addressed immediately, and if the behavior does not cease, you will be asked to leave class. 

 

      D.  Grade Appeals

                     If, after receiving an exam back during class, you think a mistake has

                     been made in the grading of your exam, please do not ask about this

                     during class.  Write down on a sheet of paper what your questions are,

                     provide reference to notes in class or specific pages from the book, and

                     turn in these questions to the instructor at the end of the class period. 

                     You will receive a response, and any grade adjustment necessary, by the

                     next class period.  You may also do this with homework assignments.  THIS IS

                     THE ONLY WAY that your concerns will be addressed.  ONLY written

                     questions and comments THAT YOU SUPPORT will be evaluated.

 

E. Plagiarism/Cheating

      Whenever you try to pass off someone’s work that is not your own, that

         is cheating.  If you cheat on ANY assignment (even extra credit!), you will

         receive a grade of E (Failing) for the course.   Please refer to the following

         web site for a complete listing of infringements that

         constitute cheating.  http://documents.weber.edu/ppm/6-22.htm.

 

         Plagiarism is when you represent someone else’s ideas or words as your own. 

For a very detailed description of plagiarism, please go to the web site and review the PLAGIARISM description.  You are responsible for knowing what constitutes plagiarism.  ANY plagiarism (even unintentional) will result in a failing grade in the course.

 

WSU subscribes to TurnItIn.com, an electronic service that verifies the            originality of student work. Enrollment in this course may require you to submit some or all of your assignments to it this semester, and documents submitted to TurnItIn.com are retained, anonymously, in their databases. Continued enrollment in this course constitutes an understanding of and agreement with this policy.

 

 

 

 

F.    Students with Disabilities

    Any student requiring accommodations or services due to a disability

      must contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in room

      181 of the Student Service Center.  SSD can also arrange to provide

      course materials (including this syllabus) in alternative formats if

                  necessary.

 

G.  Students’ Rights and Responsibilities

                  Please refer to the following web site for a complete listing of all WSU

                student rights and responsibilities. 

                              http://documents.weber.edu/ppm/6-22.htm

 

      H.  Extra Credit

             There will be several opportunities for extra credit during the semester. 

                     Each exam will have an opportunity for extra credit, and an extra credit

                     assignment will be made available (see Extra Credit handout on WebCT). 

                     The extra credit assignment is due no later than Tuesday, November 17th by

                     12:00 noon.  No other extra credit opportunities will be made available.

 

V.  Course Objectives

 

A.       To learn about ‘human nature’ from the perspective of the discipline of scientific psychology.

B.        To introduce students interested in majoring in Psychology to the field, its

       different specializations and sub-areas, and methods of learning and using

       Psychology in different settings.  Specifically, this class covers the general

       topics of: The biological basis of behavior, learning, motivation, sensation,

       perception, memory, thought, knowledge, language, social psychology,

       consciousness, research methods and statistics, personality, and psychological

       disorders and their treatments.

C.        To integrate theories and research with real-life applications so as to make

       the study of Psychology both interesting and meaningful to the students.

D.       To encourage students to prepare themselves for the real-life application

       of their degree if they major in Psychology by educating them about

             different careers in psychology, graduate school in psychology, and

             applications of psychology in other careers. 

E.        To appreciate that all behavior is the result of a complex interaction between

        genetic, biological, cognitive, environmental, and social-cultural factors.

 

 

 

 

VI.  Grade Record

 

                     Please keep a record of the grades you receive on each exam.  This will help insure that you are always aware of your academic progress in this class.

 

                     Homework #1                 ______

   

             Exam #1                      ______

 

             Homework #2                 ______

            

             Exam #2                      ______

                                                                                   

                     Homework #3                 ______

 

             Exam #3                      ______

 

             Homework #4                 ______             

 

             Exam #4                      ______

                                     

             Homework #5                 ______

 

             Exam #5                      ______

            

             Research Participation        ______

                                                            

                     Each exam is worth 15% of your final grade, and all homework assignments combined are worth 15% of your final grade.  Research Participation is worth 10% of your grade. 

 

                                                           

VII.             Testing Center Hours

        All exams will be taken in the Social Sciences Testing Center, located in the basement of the Social Sciences building (SS 036).  In order to take an exam, you must show up on the correct date at the appropriate times (listed below) with a form of picture ID.  You also need 10 cents to purchase a scan-tron for each exam.  You will not be allowed to take the exam without a picture ID or if you show up after hours.  Please see the Social Science Testing Center hours listed below.

 

http://departments.weber.edu/testingcenter/hours.htm

 

Monday – Thursday

            7:30 AM – 9:00 PM (Must show up by 8:00 PM to take an exam)

Friday

            7:30 AM – 5:30 PM (Must show up by 4:30 PM to take an exam)

Saturday                    

            9:00 AM – 4:30 PM (Must show up by 3:30 PM to take an exam)

 

 

**The course syllabus provides a general plan for the course; deviations may be necessary. By continuing in the course after reading the syllabus, you are indicating that you accept the terms of the syllabus.