Syllabi 2019

Winter Mini-Mester 2019 Class Syllabus

Name of Course: Introduction to Psychology 2301-0231

Instructor’s Name:  Mr. Jose A. Rivas, M.S.
Email Address:  jrivas@nctc.edu

Starts:  12/16/2019 Ends:   01/09/2020 Last Drop Date:  01/02/2020 with a “W”

Online Class Office Hours:  As needed.

Responding to E-mails or Canvas Messages:  Within 24 to 48 hours (I usually check my emails and Canvas messages every day unless I am unable to access my computer). All generic questions must be written the “Ask Mr. Rivas Questions” discussion board.  All personal inquiries can be submitted by email or by Canvas message.

 

E-mail Policy

Due to limitations in my speech communication, students may submit any questions or inquiries to me vial email whenever face-to-face communication is not possible.

 

REQUIRED OR RECOMMENDED COURSE MATERIALS

King, A. L.  The Science of Psychology, 4th ed.  Connect Learning. ISBM: 10:  1259765350.  ISBN: 13:  9781259765353.

 “All students must purchase and read the required text book.”

Course Assignments:  All students are expected to complete the assigned readings prior to each class meeting.  Students must also complete assigned activities by their due dates.  Students that do not complete assignments by their due dates will be subjected to points subtracted to their grade for that activity.  Only students with well-documented information may be granted an extension on missed quizzes or exams.  This excludes all discussion boards and homework assignments.

Discussion Forum Questions:  Students are required to participate on all discussion forum activities.  Students may correspond with their fellow classmates, but only to discuss discussion forum questions, answers, and/or activities.  Students may not use the online discussion forums to express vulgar or obscene language, personal interactions with other students, and/or personal views not related to discussion forum activities.  Students that do fail to follow the rules may be expelled from the course.  All generic questions must be written the “Ask Mr. Rivas Questions” discussion forum.  All personal inquiries can be submitted by email or Canvas message.

Exams and/or Quizzes:  There will be two exams and six quizzes over the course of the semester.  All exams and/or quizzes will be graded within a week after students have completed the assessment tool by the date listed on this syllabus.

All Papers or Written Assignments Must be Submitted on a Word Document of 2010 or greater.

(Required Assignment) Reflection Paper:

Students must write a 3 to 5 page, double-spaced paper about how the theories, terms, and/or principles discussed throughout the course of Psychology apply to their own life.  This paper is about how we often times use Psychology references/terms to analyze ourselves.  The paper must be written and saved in Microsoft Word 2010 or greater Format.  Students must include at least one professional citations/references from all used resources and a title page with their paper in APA format.  This paper can reflect any age up to the current age, or an in-depth perception of future stages.  Students are not required to write about past, presence, or future age levels within the whole paper.  Students must select at least one age level.  For example, students can write about their school-aged years, and the joys and/or difficulties of being a child in school.  The basic assumption for this paper is to recognize self-perception within one’s own life as it relates to chapters in the book or our discussion topics.  I am looking for how the student might (or might want to) handle a perceived situation such as; illness, disease, loss of a loved-one or pet, and/or loss of bodily function(s).  The early age reflection portion of the paper may include brief discussions from parents, family members, caregivers, relatives, friends, coworkers, and anyone that has direct long-lasting connections with the student.  Student should submit their papers in the Canvas Assignment drop-box.  The maximum amount of points for this activity is 120 points or 20% of final grade.  The paper will due before: Sunday, January 05, 2020 by 11:59pm.

 

Your paper should contain the following elements:

Describe some of the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped how [psychological topic] has been conceptualized.

 

  1. Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of [psychological topic].
  2. Identify research methods used in the study of [psychological topic], and some specific findings of these research methods related to [psychological topic].
  3. Describe the psychological assessment and evaluation of [psychological topic].
  4. Identify some of the physiological and psychological processes involved in [psychological topic].
  5. Discuss individual and social responsibility in regard to [psychological topic].

 

Grading Details:

5 points for the correct length and submitted under Word 2010 or greater. 

10 points for the quality of your conclusion. 

10 points for the subject matter choice/descriptions. 

25 points for content: theme, flow, facts/figures, examples, relationships, quality, citations or references from resources, and a good title page. 

10 points for grammar/misspelled words/awkward sentences. 

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS, EVALUATION METHODS AND GRADING CRITERIA

=# of Graded Course Elements

Graded Course Elements

Percentage or Points Values

Required

Exam One-Midterm Exam

120 points

Required

Exam Two-Final Exam

120 points

Required

2 Discussion Forums

 70 points

Required

2 Quizzes

 20 points

Required

Self-Reflection Paper (All Papers or Written Assignments Must be Submitted on a Word Document of 2010 or greater).

 120 points

Required

Student Online Participation (All points will be granted if student participates with nearly all activities)

 10 points

 

 

 

 

Total Amounts of Possible Points

450 points

 

 

 

Grade Point Scale with Letter Grade:

400 to 450 = A

350 to 399 = B

300 to 349 = C

350 to 299 =  D

249 and Below = F

                                                                         

There are no Handouts for this set.