|
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
|
|
|
Course Title: General Psychology
|
|
|
Course Prefix & Number: PSYC2301
|
Section Number: 381
|
Semester: 162S
|
|
|
Semester Credit Hours: 3
|
Lecture Hours: 3
|
Lab Hours: 0
|
|
|
Course Description (NCTC Catalog):
General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.
|
|
|
Course Prerequisite(s):
|
|
|
Required Course Materials:
Access/Connect Code only – The Science of Psychology by Laura A. King, 3rd edition, McGraw Hill; 9781259973925
|
|
|
Office Hours:
Monday & Wednesday – 9-11am; 12:30-2:30pm
Tuesday & Thursday – By appointment
|
|
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
|
Name of Instructor:
|
Leslie Kelley
|
|
Campus/Office Location:
|
Corinth Campus, Room 337
|
|
Telephone Number:
|
940-498-6424 (Email preferred)
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
Lkelley@nctc.edu
|
GRADING CRITERIA
|
# of Graded Course Elements
|
Graded Course Elements
|
Percentage or Point Values
|
|
3
|
Discussion Boards & Replies (3 x 5pts each)
|
15 points
|
|
10
|
LEARNSMART Assignments (10 x 2pts each)
|
20 points
|
|
5
|
Quizzes (5 x 3pts each)
|
15 points
|
|
4
|
Exams (3 x 10pts each – lowest of 4 grades dropped)
|
30 points
|
|
1
|
Literature Review Paper & Peer Review
|
20 points
|
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
|
|
At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
|
|
1.
|
Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology.
|
|
2.
|
Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.
|
|
3.
|
Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.
|
|
4.
|
Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.
|
|
5.
|
Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation.
|
|
6.
|
Identify factors in physiological and psychological processes involved in human behavior.
|
ATTENDANCE POLICY
You are expected to keep within the on-going discussion typically the nature of a psychology class by logging in and completing your assignments in canvas daily, and perhaps most importantly, by maintaining ongoing communication with your professor & classmates over the course of the entire semester. Failing to log in regularly will result in failure to finish assignments on time. All assignments have strict deadlines and cannot be made up late. Therefore, failing to log in, will likely result in a low or failing grade. If you choose to drop this class, it is your responsibility to drop the class. Remember that the last day to drop is April 24th, 2017.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
|
Due Dates & Chapters
|
General Description of Subject Matter; *Assignments Due*
|
|
Monday, Jan. 17th
|
Campus Closed for MLK JR Holiday
|
|
3/24: Chapter 1
|
What is Psychology; *Discussion Board #1 Due 3/24*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 1 Assignment Due 3/31*
|
|
Tuesday, March 27th
|
Official Date of Record
|
|
3/31: Chapters 2 & 3
|
Scientific Method & Biological Foundations of Behavior
*LEARNSMART Ch. 2 Assignment Due 3/31*
*Quiz #1 Due 3/31*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 3 Assignment Due 3/31*
|
|
4/4 & 4/7: Chapters 9 & 4-5
|
Human Development, Sensation & Perception
***Quiz #2 Due 4/4***
*Discussion Board #2 Due 4/7*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 4 Assignment Due 4/7*
|
|
4/7: Exam #1 Due
|
*Exam #1 – Chapters 1-5 & 9*
|
|
4/14: Chapters 6-8
|
Learning, Memory, Thinking, Intelligence, & Language
*LEARNSMART Ch. 6 Assignment Due 4/14*
*Quiz #3 Due 4/14*
|
|
4/18 & 4/21: Chapters 7-10
|
Motivation & Emotion; *Quiz #4 Due 4/18*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 7 Assignment Due 4/21*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 10 Assignment Due 4/21*
|
|
4/21: Exam #2
|
*Exam #2 – Chapters 6-8 & 10*
|
|
Thursday, April 24th
|
Last day to Withdraw from Class
|
|
4/28: Chapters 11-13
|
Human Sexuality; Personality, & Social Psychology
*Discussion Board #3 Due 4/28*
*Quiz #5 due 4/28*
*Literature Review Papers Due 4/28*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 13 Assignment Due 4/28*
|
|
5/5: Chapters 15 & 16
|
Psychological Disorders & Therapies
*LEARNSMART Ch. 15 Assignment Due 5/5*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 16 Assignment Due 5/5*
*Literature Review Paper Peer Reviews Due 5/5*
|
|
5/5: Exam #3
|
*Exam #3 – Chapters 11-16*
|
|
Mon., May 8th – Thurs., May 11th
|
Cumulative Final Exam:
Open from 6:00am (5/8) to 11:59pm (5/11)
|
LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW
Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Thursday, April 24th, 2017.
ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
Discussion Boards (15 points): SHOULD BE RESEARCH-BASED! Not opinion-based! For three weeks of the semester, you will write a 200-word discussion and two 100-word replies to other students, on a topic related to the reading assignment or other materials for the assigned week. For this assignment, you will need to answer the discussion board question for the assigned week, and you may take a stance in favor or against any topic, but always keep in mind that civility is a requirement, e.g., name-calling, such as you might see on some blog sites, is not true academic, intellectual discourse. Additionally, since psychology is a scientific endeavor, you should base your discussion on research, and NOT just opinion. You should rely upon your readings and the lectures to help you explain or expand upon the topic of discussion. Most discussion board topics can be accessed at 6:00am on Monday of the week before they are due. Discussion board posts and replies must be submitted no later than 11:59pm on Friday of the week they are due (see calendar above). Your grade will be based on a total of 3 discussion boards (with two replies for each discussion board post). 5 points (5 %) of your overall grade in the class will be deducted for every discussion board which is not completed, including discussions less than 400 total words. No extra credit will be given for writing more than 400 words, or replying to more than two posts, though students are highly encouraged to reply to more than two posts. Late discussions and reply submissions may not be accepted.
LEARNSMART Assignments (10 x 2 points each = 20 points): This assignment requires access to McGraw-Hill Connect, which you can purchase in the bookstore, or directly from the Connect link on Canvas. Please note that everyone will receive a free trial for 2 weeks, in case you cannot immediately purchase the access code for Connect, such that there is no reason for not completing the first 2-3 of these assignments in the first two weeks. Also, please note that purchasing an access code, will provide you access to an e-book for the duration of the course. For this assignment, you must complete the 10 LEARNSMART activities assigned for this class (see calendar above). To do so, you must access the LEARNSMART links on the modules page, which correspond to the topics you will be studying each week, and continue working on the assignment until you have completed it. Please note that there is a link for Connect support if you experience difficulties with this software. Each LEARNSMART activity may take 30 minutes to an hour or more to complete, depending on how well you know the material. As with other assignments, this assignment will be available for 12 days, beginning the Monday of the week prior to the due date, and ending at 11:59pm on the Friday of the week the assignment is due. Please note that this assignments is worth 20% of your overall grade, and without completing it you will receive a C or lower in this course.
Quizzes (5 X 3 points each = 15 points): You will have 5 quizzes over the course of the semester. Each quiz has approximately 10 multiple choice questions, on any topic from the reading/lecture materials for the current or a previous week. These quizzes cannot be accessed before 6:00am on Monday of the week before they are due, and must be submitted no later than 11:59pm on Friday of the week they are due (see calendar above). Your grade will be based on a total of 5 quizzes. Three points (3 percent) of your overall grade in the class will be deducted for every quiz which is not completed. Late quiz submissions may not be accepted. Please note that this assignments is worth 15% of your overall grade, and without completing it you will likely receive a C or lower in this course.
Exams (10 points each = 30 points total): You will have three exams, which will consist of approximately 30-50 multiple choice/matching/true-false questions each. Additionally, you will have a cumulative final exam consisting of approximately 60-70 multiple choice/matching/true-false questions. Your lowest grade on these four tests will be dropped. So, if you study well and are satisfied with your grades on the first three exams, you may choose not to take the cumulative final exam. You will have 40-50 minutes to complete the first three exams, depending on test length, and 90 minutes to complete the cumulative final exam. You must take these exams in one sitting, i.e., you cannot stop and resume at a later time. These exams cannot be accessed before 6:00am on Monday of the week they are due, and must be submitted no later than 11:59pm on Friday of the week they are due (see calendar above). Your overall exam grade will be based on your three highest exam grades. Questions will be taken directly from PowerPoint slides, lectures, and other assigned materials, as well as your assigned readings, so take good notes and read your text thoroughly. Late exam submissions will not be accepted, so be sure to allow yourself enough time to complete the exam. There will be NO make-up exams, as answers to the exam questions become available as soon as the exam time expires. If you miss the deadline for an exam, that exam will count as your dropped grade, and the other three will make up your overall exam grade. If you miss more than one exam, you will have a 0 as an exam grade, which will lower your grade by one full letter grade.
Literature Review Paper (20 points): SHOULD BE RESEARCH-BASED! Not opinion-based! You will write 1 literature review paper, which will thoroughly describe research from at least 3 provided articles, involving a major issue in psychology, as well as any additional articles you would like to include. You will choose at least 4 of the provided articles from one topic among a list of several topics, reviewing those articles in a 4-5 page, double-spaced paper with 12pt., Times New Roman font, and 1-inch margins. All 4 articles must belong to the same topic. This literature review should be written in APA format, and should include a cover page and a reference page, not included in the 4-5 page limit, i.e., you should have 6-7 total pages including the cover page and reference page. Please do NOT provide an abstract for this assignment. You may use additional resources, but must at least provide a coherent and thorough review of at least 4 of the provided articles. You should be sure to integrate content you have learned from the course. Also, be sure to cite (throughout your paper) any reference materials used, including the articles you are reviewing. This review will be submitted through Canvas, and will be evaluated with turnitin software for plagiarism. Any significant issues with plagiarism will result in a grade of 0, and will be reported to NCTC, which could potentially result in further academic consequences. These literature reviews are expected to be formal papers, and should be written as such! This assignment aims at demonstrating that you can clearly communicate the topics you have learned in the class to a general audience, and your work will be reviewed by your fellow classmates. Your Literature Review Paper will be due no later than 11:59pm on Friday, April 28th, and will be worth 15 of the overall 20 points for this assignment, which therefore makes up 15% of your overall grade for the course. Please be sure to upload your paper as a WORD document.
Failing to meet the minimum requirements of 4 written pages and to use 4 of the provided articles, or failing to adequately demonstrate a thorough attempt to come to a clear and thorough understanding of the various perspectives of the topic, will result in a significant grade reduction. Be sure to cite (throughout your presentation) all reference materials used!!! Failing to do so, will result in plagiarism and an automatic failing grade. For more info on how to cite in APA format, google the following: OWL Purdue APA formatting. Also, all references cited throughout your paper should appear in a reference list, which should appear at the bottom of your paper. PLEASE DO NOT USE LONG QUOTES FOR THIS PROJECT! I am assessing your understanding of the research, which requires that you put the information into your own words. Be sure to back-up your research. You will be required to complete the paper a second time, if you “lose” your research, but will only be able to do so before the deadline.
Literature Review Paper Peer Reviews: Peer reviews can be accessed from the course Home page or the Literature Review Paper Instructions and Final Submission Link. On the day following the completion of your Literature Review Paper, you will write a 100-word review for 5 other students’ projects, for a total of 500 words. This part of the assignment will count for 5 of the overall 20 points of the Literature Review Paper grade, which makes up 5% of your overall grade for the course. The Literature Review Paper Peer Reviews will be accessible after the due date for the literature review paper has expired, and these peer reviews will be due no later than 11:59pm on Friday, May 5th.
DISABILITY SERVICES (OSD)
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides accommodations for students who have a documented disability. On the Corinth Campus, go to room 170 or call 940-498-6207. On the Gainesville Campus, go to room 110 or call 940-668-4209. Students on the Bowie, Graham, Flower Mound, and online campuses should call 940-668-4209.
North Central Texas College is on record as being committed to both the spirit and letter of federal equal opportunity legislation, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, ADA Amendments Act of 2009, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 93-112). http://www.nctc.edu/StudentServices/SupportServices/Disabilityservices.aspx
CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA______________________________
o Communication
o Mathematics
o Life and Physical Science
o Language, Philosophy & Culture
o Creative Arts
o American History
o Government/Political Science
x Social and Behavioral Sciences
o Component Area Option
REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES
x Critical Thinking
x Communication
x Empirical and Quantitative
o Teamwork
o Personal Responsibility
x Social Responsibility
COURSE TYPE
o Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)
x Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course
o WECM Course
STUDENT HANDBOOK
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook. http://nctc.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2014-2015/Catalog/North-Central-Texas-College-Student-Handbook
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR DEPARTMENT CHAIR & INSTRUCTIONAL DEAN
If you have a concern that we are not able to resolve, you may contact the department chair for further assistance. Please note that if you contact the department chair prior to discussing the issue with me, then the department chair will simply ask you to discuss the matter with me first, before he becomes involved. If you do not feel comfortable discussing the issue with me, you are free at any time to contact the department chair.
|
Name of Chair/Coordinator:
|
Dr. Leslie Kelley
|
|
Office Location:
|
Corinth Campus, Room 336
|
|
Telephone Number:
|
940-498-6424 (Email preferred)
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
lkelley@nctc.edu
|