NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	General Psychology
Course Prefix & Number:		Psyc 2301	Section Number:   Online	0380	Semester/Year:	Fall/2019  Eight Weeks
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 Access card only for online textbook is required

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Dr. Franz Klutschkowski, Ed.D, Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor (LPC-S), Nationally Certified Psychologist (NCP)
Campus/Office Location:	Flower Mound/Faculty Offices
Telephone Number:	972-899-8400
E-mail Address:	Please send all course related questions or communications through the Canvas course email.  If unable to do so, I may be contacted at fklutschkowski@nctc.edu

 

ONLINE OFFICE HOURS

Sunday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
2-4pm

 

 

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:
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 process involved in human behavior.

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
15	Chapter Exams	375
15	Reading Assignments	375
1	Discussion Forum	50
1	Research Paper	100
25	Quiz Questions related to Videos	50
1	Course Summary Quiz	50

 

Grades are determined on the following basis:

A=90%              900    points or higher    

B-80-89%          800 – 899  points   

C=70-79%         700 – 799  points

D=60-69%         600 -  699  points

F=Below 60%   Below 600  points  

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU MUST EMAIL THE INSTRUCTOR, USING THIS COURSE EMAIL, THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THIS COURSE SYLLABUS AND REQUIREMENTS, NO LATER THAN SEPT. 3  BY 11:59 PM  (if there is anything that is not understood about the syllabus, notify the instructor by this deadline).

Exams & Quizzes:

Fifteen exams will be given weekly (multiple choice or true false).  All exams are to be taken online and must be completed before the deadlines.  The exams may be found within the Assignments tab of this Canvas course (you will need to have the online version of this textbook in order to access the exams). 

There are no exceptions for missing an exam deadline.  Exams will be available in the Assignments section of this course and please pay close attention to the closing date and time of each exam.  Exams will be over the assigned chapters with 25 points per each exam chapter.  Each exam may be taken twice (highest score is recorded) and will have a specified time limit.  Please remember once an exam is started, it must be completed within the time limit.  If the exam you are taking is stopped for any reason, only that score will be recorded when the exam is stopped (because you cannot return to the exam once stopped).

There are 25, two point questions which are related to videos within the chapters.  Please look at the videos which have quizzes attached and, after looking at the video, complete the short quiz.  There is no time limit for these quizzes, but they must be completed before the due dates.  For those of you who are interested, there are also a number of interesting videos related to psychology which do not have any quizzes, although they do have deadlines related to assigned chapters.

Also one summary exam will be presented which relates to a general overview of this course.  It consists of multiple choice questions and one essay question.  The time limit will be 60 minutes for this exam and all the questions are directly related to textbook material.

Reading Assignments:

Each chapter has a graded reading assignment and instructions are to be found within the assignments section of this course.  These assignments may be found within the Assignments tab of this Canvas course & then the McGraw Hill Connect tab (you will need to have the online version of this textbook in order to access this assignment).  Each reading assignment is worth 25 points each and must be completed before the assigned deadlines.

Discussion Forum ( DF A & B ):

The discussion topic is assigned  by the professor and is found in the Discussion tab.  Each student is to write/post about the topic and respond to other students about their postings.  The DF has a deadline and no exception is made for missing a deadline.  There are two deadlines for the DF (the initial posting and replies)  All initial postings and replies must be made before the deadlines.  However, once a deadline occurs for an initial posting, no other initial postings will be accepted for credit.  Students may make reply postings at any time and some extra credit may be earned for more than one reply, depending on the quality of the replies.   These forums are interactive with students as well as the professor.

For the initial posting you should give your thoughts about the topic but you MUST find related information about the topic and give the complete reference (if you are quoting from the textbook, please give a page number from the textbook and it is not necessary to give the complete reference).  Grading is based on the quality as well as the quantity of content; A=1 page (double spaced or ½ page single spaced) and one reference, B=1/2 page and one reference, C or D=less than ½ page depending on the quality of the posting.  Postings may NOT be uploaded, they must be typed within the DF tab (although related website addresses may be included if you wish to provide more information but they are not counted for a grade).                                

Reply postings must be made within the DF;  clicking on the initial posting(s) of any other students posting;  and clicking on the reply tab to make your reply.  Replies MUST consist of adding information (give reference) to the posting as well as giving your opinions.  Thoughtful responses are requested.  Responses such as, ‘I agree’ or ‘I really like what you presented’ etc, will not earn any credit.  As well, responses simply complimenting a student's posting without adding anything will receive minimal credit.  Reply postings grading:  A = 1/2 page-with a minimum of one reference; B =1/4 page with a minimum of one reference; C/D = less than 1/4 page depending on the quality of the content: F = no significant response or no response at all.  Small amounts of extra credit may be earned if more than one response is made to another student.

Note that the discussion forum consists of two parts and has two different deadlines.  The DF is worth 50 points (initial postings are worth 40 points and reply postings are worth 10 points).  Each initial posting will have a specific deadline and reply postings will have a later deadline. 

Also, please note that demeaning, abusive replies are not acceptable and may be cause for loss of discussion forum points as well as possible removal from the course. 

Grades for this assignment will only be posted after the completion of both DF-A & B.

 

Research Paper (RP):

Students are required to complete a research paper relating to a psychological disorder found in chapter 15 (Psychological Disorders);  or any disorder found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5).  

For this assignment, please choose one specific psychological disorder to research. Using academic articles and your text, discuss the psychological disorder that you are researching.  Personal information may be presented, as one is comfortable, but the grading requirements are as follows:

A = Three or more complete references which must be noted in the body of the paper.  A minimum of   

         three full pages and the content is directly related to the mental disorder.

B = Two or more complete references which must be noted in the body of the paper.  A minimum of

         two and a half full pages and the content is directly related to the mental disorder.

C= One or more complete references which must be noted in the body of the paper.  A minimum of

         two full pages and the content is directly related to the mental disorder.

D = One or more complete references which must be noted in the body of the paper.  A minimum of

         one and a half full pages and the content is directly related to the mental disorder.

If there is a question about an acceptable mental disorder, please email the instructor (using the course email).  Please note that 'full pages' means that headings and indentations do not count.  No larger than 12 point font, double spaced and must be in a WORD document.  The paper is to be sent through the canvas assignments tab.  

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE : All exams are due at 11:30 pm on the due date

 

August 26                       Introductions, syllabus review and work on chapters 1, 2, & 3, research paper and                                                disscussion forum

Sept 2                               Required email to Instructor of acknowledgment of syllabus requirements

Sept 8                                Chapters 1, 2, & 3 reading assignments & exams (including video exams) are due

                                    --------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sept 9                             Work on chapters 4, 5, 6, & 7

Sept 11                          DF initial posting is due and closes

Sept 18                          DF reply postings are due and close

Sept 22                          Chapters 4 thru 7 assignments close (including video quizzes).

                                  --------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Sept 23                         Work on chapters 8, 9, 10, & 11

Sept 27                         Last day to withdraw from this class with a grade of 'W.'

Oct  6                             Chapters 8, 9, 10, & 11 assignments are due (including video quizzes.

                               ---------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Oct 7                              Work on chapters 12, 15, 16, & 17

Oct 13                           Summary quiz is due

Oct 15                           Research paper is due

Oct 16                          All chapter assignments are due and the semester ends.

 

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:  Please note that the instructor does NOT drop students.  If a student wishes to withdraw from this course, the student is responsible for completing the paperwork.  If this is not done, the student will receive a final grade of “F.”

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is September 27.

 

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)]”. 

 

[Instructor-specific Academic Dishonesty Policy:

 

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. Bruce King
Office Location:	1500 North Corinth St, Corinth, TX 76208-5408
Telephone Number:	940-498-6464
E-mail Address:	bking@nctc.edu