PSY 205 Foundations of Human Behavior
Department of Psychology
Syracuse University
Introductory Psychology Guidelines
Course Description
Psychology 205 is an introductory psychology course offered by the Psychology Department at Syracuse University. Dr. Ron Sutterer,
Dr. Larry Lewandowski, and Dr. Brian Martens in conjunction with other members of the department, have designed an innovative
course which offers instruction in the fundamental topics in psychology while guiding students through a psychology research
experience. Students also will be exposed to exercises, demonstrations, and video presentations designed or selected especially for
this course. The SU faculty has provided teaching and learning aids for each chapter topic, and these materials are available to
teachers through the SUPA website and a system called DOCUSHARE. In addition, SU professors visit every high school to work
with the students each semester, and they also communicate with teachers several times a semester. The aim is to give this course a
Syracuse University signature, ensuring that each class is similar in design, quality, coverage, and rigor to the campus course.
The primary instructional goal of the course is to provide students with information regarding major areas of psychology such as
learning, memory, cognition, biopsychology, development, personality, psychopathology, and social psychology. Students will learn
the basic principles, concepts, and research findings in psychology and will become acquainted with psychological research methods
and procedures while attempting to conduct and document research. Students will be presented with opportunities to discuss current
topics and events, real life experiences, and applications of psychological theories and research. Furthermore, students will learn the
organizational and study skills important to succeed in college courses, as well as develop their oral and written communication skills
as they write and present research findings.
Equipped with this knowledge, students should be able to begin to apply psychological principles to many facets of their life. We hope
that students come to understand the science of psychology and appreciate its wide applicability. To get the most out of this course,
we ask that students personalize what they study; relate it to their lives and let their own experiences enrich the material. Students get
the most out of the course when they become engaged, active learners and participants.
Objectives
1.
Students will demonstrate an understanding of theoretical perspectives in psychology, research methods used to test
hypotheses, and key terms, concepts, and principles associated with major topics in psychology.
This objective concerns most of the content in the course textbook. To meet this objective students will need to read the textbook,
outline the material and/or take notes, and participate in class activities and discussions. Evidence of mastery of this objective will
stem largely from examination performance.
2.
Students will learn to access, critically read, and evaluate in writing, a journal article of a psychological study.
In class students will be taught how to find an article of interest and critically read the article. Then students will be given an article
to read and review independently.
3.
Students will complete at least 10 pages of written work, and will receive written and oral feedback on both
psychological content and technical aspects of writing.
To meet this objective students will write various essay exam responses, complete at least one article review, and write a 5-page
research report. Students are encouraged to turn drafts in early to get constructive feedback.
4.
.Students will critically evaluate issues presented in class.
A major purpose of the class each week is to share ideas with one another, such that students and teachers critically analyze multiple
viewpoints and weigh research evidence regarding behavioral science knowledge. Students also will meet this objective through
active discussion in classes and via written essays in response to “critical thinking” questions.
5.
Students will analyze psychological issues using multicultural perspectives.
This objective will be addressed in all aspects of the course, including readings, discussions, and writing assignments (i.e., essay
questions).
Textbook
Weiten, W. (2008). Psychology: Themes & Variations (8th edition). Thomson Wadsworth.
Supplementary Resources
Weiten Instructor Manual
Weiten Multimedia Manager
ExamView Test maker and two test banks
Psyk Trek interactive learning modules
DOCUSHARE (visit: http://supa.syr.edu/)
Chapter Topics
Research Methods
Biological Bases
Sensation and Perception
Learning
Memory
Development
Personality
Psychological Disorders
Social Psychology
Supplementary Chapters
Motivation and Emotion
Health and Stress
Grading
Exams
Objective examination of textbook and class content should comprise approximately 65% of the overall course grade.
Approximately 10-15% of this grade can include essay type tests.
Research Component
This is an important aspect of the course that sets it apart from other introductory psychology offerings. This component
accounts for 25% of the total grade. The SUPA course must have a research component comprised of some of the
following options:
Research paper – in place of the research project teachers may choose to assign a research paper. This should be a review
of research on an interesting research topic (e.g., how does high school sports participation affect academic grades?). This
should not be a “Wikipedia” paper on a topic of a student’s choice (i.e., schizophrenia, autism, ADHD, etc.). The paper
should be approximately 15 pages and well referenced, essentially reviewing research critically on a particular question,
and reaching some tentative conclusions on the bulk of research findings.
Research article reviews – As a precursor to the options above, students should be taught how to access, read, and analyze
a research article from a professional journal. Such articles can be accessed online or through a library. You are
encouraged to use the Article Review Outline provided below (Appendix A). Some teachers have found it helpful to read
an article together with the students during class and complete a review as a whole class, then give the students an article
to read and review independently. Other teachers have taught the process and asked students to review one or two articles
through the course of the semester. It can be helpful to link the articles being reviewed to the class research project(s).
Extra Credit: There is no extra credit offered in this course.
Grade Scale
The course grade is determined by performance across the following assignments: Exams, research assignments, class
participation, and extra credit. An example of a grading structure based on a total of 500 points is shown below. Teachers
may use a different point scale, but should use a similar percentage breakdown for weighting grades. Each class
requirement is worth a specific number of points that will be summed to yield a final grade. The following scale shows
each class assignment and the maximum number of points each is worth.
Exams
=
(60%)
Essay Quizzes
=
(10%)
Article review(s)
=
(10%)
Research Project
=
(20%)
To determine the course grade add all of the points acquired by a student and compare the sum to the following scale.
A = over (92%)
C+ = (72-76%)
A- = (88-92%)
C = (68-72%)
B+ = (84-88%)
C- = (64-68%)
B = (80-84%)
D = (60-64%)
B- = (76-80%)
F = (<60%)
THE SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY COMPACT
“We the students, faculty, staff, and administrators of Syracuse University will:

support scholarly learning as the central mission of the University;

promote a culturally and socially diverse climate that supports the
development of each member of our community;

uphold the highest ideals of personal and academic honesty; and
maintain a safe and healthy environment for each member of our
community.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is an essential core value of the University, and one for which we all share responsibility. We
ask that you evaluate your role in fostering the highest ideals of personal and academic honesty with your Syracuse
University Project Advance students and include a statement about academic integrity in your syllabus. Additional
resources are available at http://academicintegrity.syr.edu.
Cheating and Plagiarism Policy
I found your essay to be good and original.
However, the part that was original was not
good and the part that was good was not original.
-
Samuel Johnson
Cheating and plagiarism in any form should not be tolerated. Examples of cheating and/or plagiarism include but
are not limited to the following: copying another student’s exam or letting another student copy off your exam; copying
the written work of another writer without giving proper credit (citations, references, footnotes, etc.); falsifying records
(i.e. research forms, documentation). Any student caught cheating or plagiarizing will receive a zero for the assignment
and the appropriate personnel will be notified. Repeated infractions will be referred to central administration for
appropriate intervention. Documentation of academic dishonesty may be placed in the student’s permanent file.
Hauppauge Public Schools Academic Integrity Policy:
Our school’s Academic Integrity Policy will be strictly enforced. Please read the following:
It is one of the goals of the Hauppauge Union Free School District to develop a community of life-long learners who demonstrate
integrity and pride in all that they do. In furtherance of this goal, plagiarism in any form will not be condoned and it is expected that
students will present only their own work, will properly acknowledge the work and ideas of others, and will not help others cheat.
Definition of Plagiarism: Plagiarism is using someone else’s idea and pretending it is your own.
“When you use another’s idea, whether from a book, a lecture, a Web page, a friend’s paper, or any other source, and whether you quote the words
or restate the idea in your own words, you must give that person credit with a citation. No source may elect not to be cited” (Harris 132-3).
Examples of plagiarism include, but are not limited to:
1. cutting and pasting information from a web site or computer resource without proper citation for the information
2. downloading or buying a complete research paper
3. translating a foreign article or web site into another language and using it as your own
4. failing to use quotation marks around all words directly quoted
5. changing some words, but copying basic ideas or phrases
6. paraphrasing or summarizing ideas without giving credit
7. having a parent or another person write an essay or do a project which is then submitted as one’s own work
8. failing to use proper documentation and bibliography
Definition of Cheating: A deliberate violation of the rules.
Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to:
1. deception, use of talking, signs, or gestures during any form of assessment
2. copying from another student or allowing the copying of an assignment
3. passing test or quiz information during a class period or from one class period to members of another class period with the same teacher
4. unauthorized use of study aids, notes, books, data or other information
5. use of or submission of a pre-written assignment at times when such assignments are supposed to be written in class
6. illegal use of computer, calculator or other electronic device (i.e. cell phone, PDA’s translator) to secure an unfair advantage
7. sabotaging the projects or experiments of other students
8. taking without right or permission to do so and with the intent to keep or make use of wrongfully
9. the school work or materials of another student or the instructional materials of a teacher
Consequences for Acts of Plagiarism and Cheating:
♦ Grade of zero assigned to all participants with no opportunity to make up that work in any way.
♦ Notification and possible removal from National Honor Society, if applicable.
♦ Disciplinary referral and parents notified.
The school reserves the right to assign additional penalties based on severity. Consequences may range from a warning to an
out-of-school suspension.
*All work is subject to be verified by turnitin.com
IMPORTANT NOTE:
*In order to drop a course, you must complete a drop form, obtain signatures, and mail/fax it to the Project Advance office. This will
remove you from the class list and remove all financial obligations to the University. There is a specific date for voluntarily dropping
the course and receiving a 100% refund. SU will not issue tuition refunds after this date. After the official SU drop date, you may
withdraw from a course, and the symbol WD (withdrawal) is recorded on your transcript. The option of withdrawing from a course
and having a WD instead of a grade recorded on your SU transcript extends to two weeks before the last day of classes.
*For more information about the Syracuse University Project Advance Program, please visit the website at http://supa.syr.edu/