|
NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
COURSE SYLLABUS
|
|
|
Course Title:
|
General Psychology
|
|
Course Prefix & Number:
|
Psyc2301
|
Section Number:
|
408
|
Semester/Year:
|
Fall 18
|
|
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): None
|
|
Required or Recommended Course Materials:
King, Laura A. The Science of Psychology. 4th edition. McGraw Hill. ISBN 9781260223545
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
|
Name of Instructor:
|
Rene Hernandez
|
|
Campus/Office Location:
|
Corinth Campus
|
|
Telephone Number:
|
e-mail
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
rhernandez@nctc.edu
|
OFFICE HOURS
|
Monday
|
Tuesday
|
Wednesday
|
Thursday
|
Friday
|
|
|
|
|
6:00PM-6:30PM
|
|
|
|
|
|
End of Class
|
|
|
Other times available by appointment
|
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog
|
At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
|
|
|
Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology.
|
|
|
Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.
|
|
|
Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.
|
|
|
Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.
|
|
|
Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation.
|
|
|
Identify factors in physiological and psychological process involved in human behavior.
|
GRADING CRITERIA
|
# of Graded Course Elements
|
Graded Course Elements
|
Point Values
|
|
1
|
Midterm
|
25
|
|
1
|
Final Exam
|
25
|
|
10
|
LearnSmart Activities (Best of 13, 2 Points each)
|
20
|
|
|
Attendance (See Below)
|
15
|
|
|
Departmental Research Paper (See Below)
|
15
|
|
|
Extra Credit Paper (See Below)
|
10
|
|
Total Score
|
Letter Grade
|
|
100-90.0
|
A
|
|
89.9-80.0
|
B
|
|
79.9-70
|
C
|
|
69.9-60
|
D
|
|
≤59.9
|
F
|
COURSE SUBJECT OUTLINE (Major Assignments, Due Dates, and Grading Criteria)
|
Date
|
Topic
(Come Prepared for...)
|
Complete Your Learn Smart Activity By…
|
|
01/24/2019
|
Chapter 1
|
02/07/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
01/31/2019
|
Chapter 2
|
01/31/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
02/7/2019
|
Chapter 3
|
0 2/07/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
02/14/2019
|
Chapter 4
Extra Credit- Self Care 1 Due
|
02/14/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
02/21/2019
|
Chapter 6
|
02/21/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
02/28/2019
|
Chapter 8
|
02/28/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
03/07/2019
|
Chapter 9 / Review
|
03/07/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
03/14/2019
|
SPRING BREAK! Enjoy!
|
-
|
|
03/21/2019
|
Midterm (Chapters 1,2,3,4,6,8, & 9)
Extra Credit- Self Care 2 Due
|
-
|
|
03/28/2019
|
Chapter 15
|
03/28/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
04/04/2019
|
Chapter 16
|
04/04/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
04/11/2019
|
Chapter 12
|
04/11/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
04/18/2019
|
Chapter 13
Extra Credit- Self Care 3 Due
|
04/18/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
04/25/2019
|
Chapter 10
|
04/25/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
05/02/2019
|
Chapter 11
OPTIONAL EXTRA CREDIT DUE
|
05/02/2019 at 6:00 PM
|
|
05/09/2019
|
Catch up and review for final
Extra Credit- Self Care 4 Due
DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH PAPER DUE
|
-
|
|
05/16/2019
|
Final Exam (Chapters 10,11,12,13,15, & 16)
|
-
|
LEARN SMART ACTIVITY POLICY
Thirteen (13) Learn Smart Activities will be assigned this semester. However, only your top ten (10) scores will count toward your grade. This will help you to be able to better adapt to the Learn Smart program.
Assignments are due by the date and time listed on the schedule above. Assignments for the first half of the class will be available on 01/22/2019. Assignments for the second half of the class will be available on 03/14/2019. NO LATE ASSIGNMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED!
Extra Credit Opportunity- Self Care Activities
I will spend all semester harping on how important self care is for you. Therefore, I will give you an opportunity to engage in some self care AND earn some extra credit at the same time! Submit an image of yourself participating in a self care activity, and earn half a point of extra credit! Completion of all four submissions will result in an additional point of credit!
A total of four of these assignments will be available during the class. Images should be of the variety that you wouldn't mind your grandmother seeing. You must be clearly visible in the picture, otherwise I won't know it's you!
Extra Credit Paper- Class Summary Report
- The paper must be submitted as a complete paper. This means you will need an introduction and conclusion.
- Appropriate grammar, punctuation, and spelling is required.
- Citations from your book or any other source must follow APA guidelines.
- Your paper must include at least one (1) source other than your textbook. Use your best judgment when choosing your source(s).
- Every submitted paper must include at least one (1) paragraph summarizing the important points of every chapter that we covered in this class. This means that you will need to have a paragraph covering each of the following chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16.
- Your paper must include at least one (1) paragraph summarizing your thoughts on the material that was covered and what you've learned. Additionally, you may wish to let me know how what you learned has influenced your life.
- Your paper is due in my e-mail box by 6:00 PM on 05/02/2019. Late papers will not be accepted.
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 judgment 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 ATTENDANCE POLICY
Attendance is a vital part of your classroom experience. However, I also understand that things happen and are often outside of our control.
Every student will begin the class with 15 attendance points. Additionally, you will be given two "free" absences. There are intended to help you get through emergency situations. Every absence from class after your first two (3rd, 4th, etc.) will result in 5 points being taken from your attendance points. Please Note, this point deduction can take your Attendance points into the negative range. Please see example 2 below.
Example 1: A student who misses 4 class periods throughout the entire semester will receive an attendance grade of 5.
Example 2: A student who misses 6 class periods throughout the entire semester will receive an attendance grade of -5.
Attendance will be taken before the end of class. If you arrive late it is your responsibility to meet with the instructor after class (or during breaks) to get yourself marked as present. I will keep this score, but it will not be posted to Canvas. I expect that you will keep track of this for your own records and ease of reference.
Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is April 4th, 2019.
|
Departmental Research Paper
This formal research paper should be Research based, Not opinion-based! If you merely write your opinion on the topic, you will receive a 0 for this assignment. This assignment is a formal research paper. You should write in 3rd person focusing on what academic sources have reported in their research (e.g., “Blashfield et al. (2014) conducted a review…”), and not in 1st person (“I think that…”; “I enjoyed…”; “It seems to me…”; et cetera).
For this assignment, you will write a formal research paper in APA format related to one specific mental health disorder. This paper will be submitted via Canvas. You will write a 3-5 page, typed & double-spaced, 12-point font paper. Please include a cover page and reference page in APA format. Cover page and reference page DO NOT count toward the 3-4 page requirement. Please DO NOT INCLUDE AN ABSTRACT for this assignment. Directly after your cover page, begin writing your paper. Reviews are to be typewritten, and most importantly CITED in APA format throughout the body of your paper. Please Google OWL Purdue APA format for a good resource on how to use APA formatting. You will choose one mental health disorder to research and write your formal research paper over the mental health problem you chose, according to the guidelines below. Additionally, you must reference at least one additional source other than your textbooks. Use your best judgment when choosing your additional source(s).
Your paper should contain the following elements:
- Describe some of the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped how mental health has been conceptualized.
- Describe at least three of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study and treatment of mental health.
- Identify research methods used in the study of mental disorders, and some specific findings of these research methods related to the disorder you are researching.
- Describe the psychological assessment and evaluation of this mental health problem.
- Identify some of the physiological and psychological processes involved in the behaviors related to this mental health problem.
- Discuss individual and social responsibilities in regard to individuals with mental health problems. Within the context of social responsibility, you may discuss familial responsibilities related to individuals with mental health problems.
Your paper will be graded according to these required elements. Including 3 or fewer of these elements will result in a grade of D or lower. Including 4 of these elements will result in a grade of C or lower. Including 5 of these elements will result in a grade of B or lower. Including 6 of these elements will result in a grade of A or lower. You must include all 6 of these elements to be able to receive an A (90% or above) on this assignment, but may not receive an A if your paper contains significant problems with incorrect grammar, spelling, punctuation, citations, et cetera, sufficient to impact the overall quality of your paper.
This grade is 15 percent of your overall grade in the class. However, failure to complete a paper will result in an automatic grade of "F" in the course. You should not write more than four pages, and no extra credit will be given for doing so. As with all other assignments, no late papers will be accepted.
Course Specific Testing Procedures
On test days students will be expected to (to the best of their ability):
- Place all materials (i.e. Bags, note books, textbooks, Cell phones, tablets, etc.) at the front of the room away from where students are sitting.
- Sit with as much space as possible between themselves and another student.
Additional policies include the following:
- Any student wearing a hat of any sort will be asked to remove it and show the instructor the top and bottom of the hat.
- Once the first student has completed and turned in their test, no further tests will be handed out. Please be prompt on testing days.
|
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
o Academic General Education Course (from ACGM but not in NCTC Core)
X Academic NCTC Core Curriculum Course
o WECM Course
Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the student handbook and published online.
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
|
Name of Chair/Coordinator:
|
Crystal R.M. Wright
|
|
Office Location:
|
Gainesville Campus, Room 24
|
|
Telephone Number:
|
940-668-7731, ext. 4320
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
cwright@nctc.edu
|
|
Name of Instructional Dean:
|
Dr. Larry Gilbert
|
|
Office Location:
|
Corinth Campus, Room 305
|
|
Telephone Number:
|
940-498-6216
|
|
E-mail Address:
|
lgilbert@nctc.edu
|