Introduction to Psychology
(Fall 2003)
Course:PSYC 1030: Introduction to Psychology (SCI)
Instructor:Dr. Linda M. Woolf |  |
Office Hours:
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Text:
Wade, C., & Tavris, C. (2003). Psychology, (7th ed.). Upper Saddle Creek, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Optional Text:
Kuther, T. (2003). The Psychology Major's Handbook. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Course Description:
Psychology can be defined as the scientific study of mental processes and behavior. . While psychology is most often associated with clinical issues (i.e. abnormal, personality), this makes up only a small portion of the field. Other specialties within the field include, to name a few, physiological, social, organizational, and developmental psychology. We cannot understand ourselves or the individuals around us without looking at how we develop, how we behave in a social context, or the physiological components of our behavior. Thus, this course will serve as an overview of the major fields within psychology with an emphasis on developing an understanding of psychology as the science of human thought and behavior. We will also learn to critically evaluate "common sense" knowledge about how people function.This course is coded for the Scientific Understanding goal in the General Education program. Scientific Understanding is defined as the analysis of the concepts of a scientific discipline and its methods, limitations, and impact in the modern world.
Course Objectives and Outcomes:
- Objective: To gain a better understanding of the field of psychology both historic
and current.
- Objective: To become familiar with the research methodology commonly used by
psychologists. To become familiar with the scientific method, and examine the benefits and
limitations of this method of inquiry as it relates to developmental psychology.
- Objective: To become familiar with the biological bases of behavior.
- Objectives: To develop an understanding of processes involved in learning and cognition.
- Objective:To develop an understanding of the various types of development that an individual experiences across the life-course.
- Objectives: To become familiar with the theories concerning psychological health and
disorders.
- Objective: To become familiar with the theories concerning human behavior in a social
context.
- Objective: To become familiar with the rapidly growing body of literature on psychology.
- Objective: To further develop writing skills in conjunction with the use of APA format.
Incoming Competencies/Prerequisites:
All students should be capable of integrating and evaluating information, critical thinking, and writing at the college level.
Class Meetings:
The class will meet on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:00 - 11:50. Attendance is strongly recommended as material will be presented that is not in the book and missing class can adversely impact your grade.
Course Requirements:
Five exams, research participation, and a term paper.Research Participation: Research is a critical component in the behavioral and social sciences. The experience of being a research participant can further your understanding of psychological concepts and help you become a better consumer of research. There are two ways for you to complete this assignment. 1) Complete 3 hours of social science research participation during the course of the semester. Each hour is worth 3.3 points towards your final grade (for a total of 10 possible points maximum). 2) Review of journal articles. The articles must be from a reputable psychology journal (not Cosmo or Psychology Today) and has to be approved by me beforehand. You are to type out your review (double spaced with one inch margins with approximately 450 words per page). You will receive a maximum 1/2 point for every page of material turned in. Once again you can only earn a maximum of 10 points. No review of an article should be shorter than six pages. These points will be converted to a grade with 9-10 being an A, 8 being a B, etc. Research participation is worth 10% of your final grade.All grades will be assigned on a scale of 0 - 10 with:
90 - 100 A-,A Superior Work 80 - 89 B-,B,B+ Good Work 70 - 79 C-,C,C+ Satisfactory Work 60 - 69 D,D+ Passing, but less than Satisfactory Less than 60 F Failing
Percent of Grade:
Examinations 75% Research Participation 10% Term Paper 15% Examinations: Examination format will include multiple choice, short answer, matching, and essay. They will cover material presented in lecture, readings, and discussion. Each exam will constitute 15% of your final grade. The five exams will only cover the material/chapters assigned and discussed for the each exam. In other words, the five exams are not cumulative. Note, however, that an optional comprehensive final will also be available on the day of the final. POLICY STATEMENTS: All exams must be taken on the date scheduled except in case of an emergency. In case of the above, the instructor must be notified in advance that a test is going to be missed. If an exam is missed, the comprehensive final will serve as the make-up exam. If two exams are missed, an alternate essay make-up exam will be provided. No extra credit work will be made available to make-up for a poor test grade. However, the comprehensive final can be used to replace one of the exam grades (if it is higher).
A Study Guide came bundled with your textbook. A good way to get a sense of how prepared you are for the test is to take the practice tests. Take the test and then calculate your score as follows: Total number you got correct divided by the total number of questions and then multiply this number by 100. This will give you your percent correct. Compare to the above grading scale. Thus, if you got a 85% correct, your practice test was in the B range. However, if you only score a 64%, you need to go back and restudy the material. Note that this will only give you a ballpark figure as it does not include the additional material provided in lecture.
Additionally, the published has a web site available for use with this class and textbook. On this site, one will find a variety of study tools including chapter objectives, practice tests, links, flash cards, select portions of the powerpoint presentations used in class, and much more! Students who use this web site regularly as part of their study program have generally performed significantly better on exams and learned more of the material. The web site can be found at http://wps.prenhall.com/hss_wade_psychology_7/.
Term Paper: Students are required to research and write a term paper for 15% of their final grade. The specific requirements are given below:
- The purpose of the term paper is to provide you, the student, with an opportunity to explore an area of psychology in greater depth. The paper is to be a 5 - 7 (approximately 1800 to 3600 words) paper review of some topic pertinent to psychology NOTE: THIS IS A COURSE IN PSYCHOLOGY. THUS, YOUR TOPIC NEEDS TO RELATE TO PSYCHOLOGY.
- Paper topics must be approved by the instructor (See additional instructions below). Deadline for final acceptance of projects is December 5. NOTE: This deadline is not a suggestion. Papers accepted following the deadline will experience a drop of one letter grade for every two days late except in cases of emergency discussed in advance with the instructor. It is up to the instructor's discretion whether to accept or not accept a paper following the December 5 deadline.
- All paper proposals must be submitted via e-mail to the instructor. Paper topics that have not been approved will not be accepted. Paper topics proposals must be submitted for approval by September 19. Email proposals to woolflm@webster.edu.
At least five references for your paper must come from refereed journals (not Psychology Today or Newsweek, for example). NOTE: Do not rely heavily on popular literature, for example, a book you happen to see at Borders Books. Often times these books are not empirically based. Also, do not take the bulk of your paper from one source or from secondary sources. I want an integration, analysis, and critique of all of your readings, in particular, the current research in the area you have chosen to study. Textbooks for this or any other class are not appropriate references for a psychology paper.
Click here for some rules of thumb regarding literature reviews/papers or see Chapter 5 of The Psychology Major's Handbook.
Papers must be submitted electronically in Word format to E-mail: woolflm@webster.edu
All papers must be typed, double-spaced, 1 inch margins, and in APA style format. Note that one of the major purposes of the paper is to facilitate your learning of APA format. Thus, you will need to become familiar with this publication format. We will discuss the format in class but you will also need to consult the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th ed.) (the library has copies). Note that all journal articles for APA journals such as the American Psychologist are written and referenced in APA format. Forty percent of your grade will be related to your use of APA format.
Policy Statements:
Plagiarism (attempting to pass off the work of another as one's own) is not acceptable and will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment and will be turned over to the appropriate university source for disciplinary action. In addition, cheating on exams will also result in the same fate.
This site will help you avoid the problem of plagiarism particularly plagiarism resulting from paraphrasing too closely to the original source. - Establishing Authorship by Paul C. Smith, Alverno CollegeLate withdraws from this class will not be approved by the instructor except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor. No late withdraws will be approved on the basis of poor class performance.
This syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes concerning course requirements will be provided in writing. Changes concerning exam dates may be made at the instructor's discretion and communicated verbally to the class.
It is understood that remaining in this course (not dropping or withdrawing from this course) constitutes an agreement to abide by the terms outlined in this syllabus and an acceptance of the requirements outlined in this document.
COURSE OUTLINE | |
Week Ending | Topic and Readings |
| August 29 | Introduction to the class What is psychology?
Readings: |
| September 5 |
How psychologists do research
Readings: |
| September 12 | How psychologists do research Neurons, hormones, and the brain
Readings: |
| September 19 | Neurons, hormones, and the brain
Readings:Paper topic due - email to woolflm@webster.edu Exam I |
| September 26 | Body rhythms and mental states
Readings: |
| October 3 | Body rhythms and mental states Learning and conditioning Readings: |
| October 10 | Learning and conditioning Readings:Exam II |
| October 17 | Thinking and intelligence Readings: |
| October 31 | Thinking and intelligence Development over the life span
Readings: |
| November 7 | Development over the life span
Readings:Exam III |
| November 14 | Theories of personality Readings: |
| November 21 | Theories of personality Psychological disorders Readings: |
| November 28 | Psychological disordersReadings:Exam IV |
| December 5 | Approaches to treatment and therapy Readings:Paper due |
| December 12 | Behavior in social and cultural context
Readings: |
| December 15 | Exam V and Comprehensive Final Exam |