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NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
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Course Title:
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General Psychology
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Course Prefix & Number:
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Psyc2301
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Section Number:
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342
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Semester/Year:
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Spring 2018
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Semester Credit Hours:
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3
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Lecture Hours:
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3
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Lab Hours:
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0
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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.
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Course Prerequisite(s): None
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Required Course Materials:
Access/Connect Code only – King, Laura A. The Science of Psychology. 4th edition. McGraw Hill.
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INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
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Name of Instructor:
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Leslie Kelley
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Campus/Office Location:
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Corinth Campus, Room 337
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Telephone Number:
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940-498-6424 (Email preferred)
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E-mail Address:
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Lkelley@nctc.edu
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OFFICE HOURS
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Monday
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Tuesday
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Wednesday
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Thursday
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Friday
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8:30-9:30am
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Online
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8:30-9:30am
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Online
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Online
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11:00am-12:30pm
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11:00am-12:30pm
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2:00-2:30pm
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2:00-4:00pm
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STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog
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At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
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Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology.
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Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.
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Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.
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Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.
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Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation.
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Identify factors in physiological and psychological process involved in human behavior.
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GRADING CRITERIA
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# of Graded Course Elements
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Graded Course Elements
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Percentage or Point Values
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1
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Introductory Discussion Board (#1)
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5 points
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2
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Article Review Discussion Boards & Replies (#2 & #3) (2 x 15pts each)
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30 points
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10
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LEARNSMART Assignments (10 x 2pts each)
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20 points
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5
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Quizzes (5 x 3pts each)
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15 points
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4
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Exams (3 x 10pts each – lowest of 4 grades dropped)
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30 points
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COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)
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Due Date & Chapters
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General Description of Subject Matter; *Assignments Due*
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1/16-1/19: Chapter 1
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What is Psychology; *Discussion Board #1 Due 1/19*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 1 Assignment Due 1/19*
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1/22-1/26: Chapters 2 & 3
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Scientific Method & Biological Foundations of Behavior
*LEARNSMART Ch. 2 Assignment Due 1/26*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 3 Assignment Due 1/26*
*Quiz #1 Due 1/26*
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Monday, Jan. 29th
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Official Date of Record
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1/29-2/2: Chapter 9
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Human Development
*Discussion Board #2 Due 2/2*
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2/5-2/9: Chapters 4 & 5
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Sensation, Perception, & Consciousness;*Quiz #2 Due 2/9*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 4 Assignment Due 2/9*
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Thursday, February 22nd
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Last day to Withdraw from Class
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2/12-2/16: Exam #1
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*Exam #1 – Chapters 1-5 & 9 due 2/16*
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2/19-2/23: Chapter 6
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Learning
*LEARNSMART Ch. 6 Assignment Due 2/23*
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2/26-3/2: Chapters 7 & 8
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Memory, Thinking, Intelligence, & Language
*LEARNSMART Ch. 7 Assignment Due 3/2*
*Quiz #3 Due 3/2*
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3/5-3/9: Chapter 10
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Motivation & Emotion; *Quiz #4 Due 3/9*
*LEARNSMART Ch. 10 Assignment Due 3/9*
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3/12-3/17
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Spring Break – Campus Closed
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3/19-3/23: Exam #2
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*Exam #2 – Chapters 6-8 & 10 due 3/23*
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3/26-3/30: Chapter 11
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Human Sexuality; *Discussion Board #3 Due 3/30*
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4/2-4/6: Chapter 12
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Personality; *Quiz #5 due 4/6*
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4/9-4/13: Chapters 13 & 14
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Social Psychology
*LEARNSMART Ch. 13 Assignment Due 4/13*
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4/16-4/20: Chapter 15
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Psychological Disorders
*LEARNSMART Ch. 15 Assignment Due 4/20*
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4/23-4/27: Chapter 16
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Psychological Therapies
*LEARNSMART Ch. 16 Assignment Due 4/27*
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4/30-5/4: Exam #3
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*Exam #3 – Chapters 11-16 due 5/4*
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Mon., May 7th – Thurs., May 10th
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Cumulative Final Exam:
Open from 6:00am (5/7) to 11:59pm (5/10)
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ASSIGNMENT DETAILS
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 several 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, which is required. 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 day of the week the assignment is due. Please note that these assignments are worth 20% of your overall grade, and without completing them 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 the due date (see calendar above). Your grade for this assignment 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 these assignments are 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 test grades 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 60 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 the Monday of the week they are due, and must be submitted no later than 11:59pm on the Friday of the week they are due (see calendar above). You must take the entire exam at one time, as it cannot be paused and finished later. Questions will be taken directly from PowerPoint slides, lectures, and other assigned materials, as well as your assigned readings / Learnsmart, 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 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.
Discussion Board #1 (5 points): You will write an introductory discussion post of 200-words followed by three 100-word replies to other students, introducing yourself to the class and presenting your thoughts on a video called The Magician’s Twin. At least half of your work for this assignment should be directly related to the video. 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.
Article Review Discussion Boards #2 & #3 (15 points each = 30 points total): SHOULD BE RESEARCH-BASED! Not opinion-based! This is including both your original post and your replies to other students. If you merely write your opinion on the topic of discussion, you will receive a 0 for this assignment. Consider this assignment to be a formal research paper presented in the form of a discussion. You should write in 3rd person focusing on what the researchers reported in the articles (e.g., “Coleman et al. (2011) conducted a study on…”), and not in 1st person (“I think that…”; “I enjoyed…”; “It seems to me…”; etc.).
For each of these discussion boards, you will write a 600-word discussion post and three 200-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, relying upon and thoroughly describing research from at least 3 of the articles provided for the assignment. Reviewing these 3 articles is the fundamental task of this assignment. Be sure to include a description of the methods and limitations of each study, as well as the outcomes of each study.
These discussion board posts should be cited in APA format, and should include references below your posts and replies. Your reference list is not considered part of your 600-word or 200-word minimum. Please do NOT attempt to create an abstract or cover page for this assignment. You may use additional resources, but must at least provide a coherent and thorough review of at least 3 of the provided articles for each discussion. You should be sure to cite (throughout your posts) any reference materials used, including the articles you are reviewing and any outside sources you use. 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 discussions are expected to be equal in quality to 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.
Failing to meet the minimum requirements of 1200 words, failing to use 3 of the provided articles, failing to reply to three fellow students, or failing to adequately demonstrate a respectable attempt to come to a clear and thorough understanding of the various perspectives of the topic, will result in a significant grade reduction. For more info on how to cite in APA format, google the following: OWL Purdue APA formatting. 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.
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 the day they are due (see calendar above). 15 points (15 %) of your overall grade in the class will be deducted for each discussion board that is not completed, including discussions & replies less than 1200 total words. No extra credit will be given for writing more than the required minimums, or replying to more than three posts, though you are highly encouraged to reply to more than three posts, and especially to reply to other students’ replies to your posts to create ongoing dialogue. Late discussions and reply submissions may not be accepted. Be sure to back-up your writing with the 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.
Article Review Replies: The deadline for the article review replies will be the same as the deadline for the discussion board, so be sure to have your initial discussion board post done early so that you can complete the replies on time. This is considered approximately 50% of the assignment, and is worth 50% of the grade. You will write a research-based 200-word reply for 3 other students’ posts, for a total of 600 words. You will utilize the research that you have studied to formulate a coherent, research-based response to other students, demonstrating that you are able to utilize the information that you have learned to dialogue with other students about social science research. Like your original post, your replies need to be formal and research-based, with citations and your reference(s) listed below each post. 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. We are all human persons, equal in dignity, and should treat each other as such. Also, as this is a formal research-based assignment, you should avoid phrases such as “I think…” “I enjoyed…” “I liked…” and similar responses. Tell us what the research that you studied said & why it is significant.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered. All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor. It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member. Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence. Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work. Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor. A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam. Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives. Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)
Additional Instructor-specific Absence 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 each week, and perhaps most importantly, by maintaining ongoing communication with your professor and fellow 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 do so.
Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Thursday, February 22nd.
DISABILITY SERVICES (Office for Students with Disabilities)
The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).
Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc. Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.
For support, please contact the counselors at (940) 498-6207 or (940) 668-4321. Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.
CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA (For classes in the Core)_______
o Communication
o Mathematics
o Life and Physical Science
o Language, Philosophy & Culture
o Creative Arts
o Government/Political Science
X Social and Behavioral Sciences
o Component Area Option
o American History
REQUIRED CORE OBJECTIVES (For classes in the Core)
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 and published online.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Scholastic dishonesty shall include, but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, academic falsification, intellectual property dishonesty, academic dishonesty facilitation and collusion. Faculty members may document and bring charges against a student who is engaged in or is suspected to be engaged in academic dishonesty. See Student Handbook, “Student Rights & Responsibilities: Student Conduct ([FLB(LOCAL)]”.
QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS
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Name of Chair/Coordinator:
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Crystal R.M. Wright
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Office Location:
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Gainesville Campus, Room 24
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Telephone Number:
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940-668-7731, ext. 4320
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E-mail Address:
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cwright@nctc.edu
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Name of Instructional Dean:
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Dr. Bruce King
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Office Location:
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Gainesville Campus
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Telephone Number:
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940-668-7731 ext. 4320
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E-mail Address:
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bking@nctc.edu
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