NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	General Psychology
Course Prefix & Number:		PSYC 2301	Section Number:	321	Semester/Year:	Summer II 2020
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 Course Materials: *King, Laura A. The Science of Psychology. 4th edition. McGraw Hill.  ISBN 9781260223545

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Jennifer Doran
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth / Room 337
Telephone Number:	(940) 498-6424
E-mail Address:	jdoran@nctc.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Online 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.	By appointment	Online 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.	By appointment	By appointment

 

*It is my goal to return all calls / emails within 24 hours.

 

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.   (Chapter Two)
	Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.  (Chapter One)
	Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.   (All Chapters)
	Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.   (All Chapters)
	Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation. (Chapters Eight, Twelve, Fifteen)
	Identify factors in physiological and psychological process involved in human behavior.  (Chapter Three)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GRADING CRITERIA

	Graded Course Elements	Point Value	Percentage of Final  Grade
1.	Exams	300 points	30%
2.	Online Activities	250 points	25%
3.	Online Quizzes	100 points	10%
4.	Class Discussions	200 points	20%
5.	Institutional Assessment	50 points	5%
6.	Psychological Disorders Paper	100 points	10%
TOTAL:		1,000 points	100 %

 

 

• Exams (300 points):    We will have two exams that are worth 150 points each.   Exams will cover material from our text and material from our online class.   Exams are timed so it is important to understand the material prior to testing.

 

• Online  Activities (250 points):  We will have an activity posted in Canvas to complete each week.  

 

• Online Quizzes (100 points):   I will post a brief online quiz in Canvas for each chapter that we cover.  Quizzes cannot be completed once the due date has passed.

 

• Class Discussions (200 points):   Discussion questions will be posted each week.   These will require you to reflect on and apply the material from our course.   Grades will be determined by meeting length requirements and by expanding on the discussion's content in a meaningful way. 

 

• Institutional Assessment (50 points):  This assignment will be due in Week 5.   Please see the document in Canvas and the rubric below for additional details.

 

• Psychological Disorders Paper (100 points):  This assignment will be due in Week 6.   Please see the document in Canvas and the rubric below for additional details.

 

 

• TOTAL:   1,000 possible points

 

 

RUBRIC for PSYCHOLOGICAL DISORDERS PAPER
Grading Criteria	Excellent	Proficient	Approaches Expectations	Does Not Meet Expectations
Content Relevance, Accuracy and Organization   ~Up to 80 points	61-80 points **Presents appropriate material clearly and in a well-organized manner. **Writing clearly demonstrates sound understanding of subject matter.	41-60 points **Presents material in a somewhat organized manner. **Writing demonstrates a degree of understanding of subject matter.	21-40 points **Presents somewhat relevant material but organization is not fully achieved. **Writing demonstrates some understanding but some uncertainty with  subject matter.	0-20 points **Content is unclear.   Overall organization is difficult or impossible to follow.  **Writing demonstrates a lack of knowledge with regard to the subject matter.
Sources   ~Up to 10 points	8-10 points **Cites all data obtained from sources. **Sources are reliable and APA citation style is accurate.	5-7 points **Cites most  data obtained from sources. **Sources are largely reliable and APA citation style is somewhat accurate.	3-4 points **Cites minimal data obtained from sources. **Sources are present but not reliable; errors in APA citation style are noted.	0-2 points **Does not cite sources. ** APA citation style is not evident.
Mechanics     ~Up to 10 points	8-10 points **Ideas are communicated clearly. **Accurate grammar/spelling.	5-7 points **Ideas are generally communicated clearly. **Grammar/spelling generally accurate.	3-4 points **Ideas are often unclear due to mechanical errors. **Errors in grammar/spelling noted.	0-2 points **Message is lost due to significant mechanical errors. **Significant errors in grammar/spelling are present.
TOTAL POINTS EARNED	/ 100 POINTS

 

 

 

 

Course Calendar

 

 

Week 1 – Welcome; Perspectives in Psychology

                        July 15^th – 19^th

Readings:

• View PowerPoint for this week
• Read Chapter 1 in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Module 1

Assignments: 

• Respond to the Discussion Board for this week
• Complete online activity for this week
• Take quiz for this week

Module Deadlines:

All assignments for Week 1 are due on or before July 19^th by 11:59 pm CST.

 

 

Week 2 – Research in Psychology; Biological Psychology

                        July 20^th to 26^th

Readings:

• View PowerPoints for this week

• Read Chapters 2, 3 and 4 (pg. 101-104 only) in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Week 2

Assignments: 

• Respond to the Discussion Board for this week
• Complete online activity for this week

• Take quizzes for this week

Module Deadlines:

All Assignments for Week 2 are due on or before July 26^th by 11:59 pm CST.

 

 

Week 3 – Learning and Memory

                        July 27^th– August 2^nd

Readings:

• View PowerPoints for this week
• Read Chapters 6 and 7 in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Week 3

Assignments: 

• Respond to the Discussion Board for this week
• Complete online activity for this week
• Take quizzes for this week
• Complete Exam One
  • Exam One covers Chapters 1, 2, 3, 6, and 7 (and the 3 pgs. from Ch. 4)

Module Deadlines:

All Assignments for Week 3 are due on or before August 2^nd by 11:59 pm CST.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Week 4 – Motivation, Emotion and Personality

                        August 3^rd – 9^th

Readings:

• View PowerPoints for this week
• Read Chapters 10 and 12 in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Week 4

Assignments: 

• Respond to the Discussion Board for this week
• Complete online activity for this week
• Take quizzes for this week

Module Deadlines:

All Assignments for Week 4 are due on or before August 9^th by 11:59 pm CST.

 

 

 

Week 5 – Psychological Disorders and Their Treatment

                        August 10^th – 16^th

Readings:

• View PowerPoints for this week
• Read Chapters 15 and 16 in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Week 5

Assignments: 

• Respond to the Discussion Board for this week
• Complete online activity for this week
• Take quizzes for this week
• Institutional Assessment Due

Module Deadlines:

All Assignments for Week 5 are due on or before August 16^th by 11:59 pm CST.

 

 

Week 6 – Social Psychology; Wrap Up

                        August 17^th – 20^th

***Please note that this is a short week - all assignments are due by Thursday***

Readings:

• View PowerPoint for this week
• Read Chapter 13 in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Week 6

Assignments: 

• Take quiz for this week
• Submit Psychological Disorders Paper
• Complete Exam 2
  • Exam 2 covers Chapters 10, 12, 15, 16 and 13

Module Deadlines:

All Assignments for Week 6 are due on or before August 20^th by 11:59 pm CST.

 

 

 

 

 

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 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)

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is August 6, 2020.

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

 

X             Critical Thinking

X              Communication

X              Empirical and Quantitative

 

o           Teamwork

o           Personal Responsibility

X              Social Responsibility