SOUTHERN MAINE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
South Portland, Maine 04106
Title: Introduction to Psychology
Credit Hours: 3
Instructor: Katelyn Campbell, M.A.
Office Hours: By appointment
Class Meeting Time: MWF 10-10:50am
Catalog Number: PSYC 100
Total Contact Hours: 45
Email: kcampbell@smccme.edu
Office: Harborview 104
Course Syllabus
Course Description
This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the field of Psychology. Special attention will be given to helping the student
become a better thinker, by learning to take charge of ideas one has about psychology. The goal of this course is to think consciously,
deliberately and skillfully about human behavior. Topics such as physiological psychology, perception, learning, cognition, emotions,
psychological disorders, as well as others are included. Prerequisite(s): none Corequisite(s): ENGL-050, ENGL-075
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Define psychology as a discipline and explain its history, and how it is distinct from and related to other disciplines.
2. Explain how psychology is a science and become familiar with the research methods used by psychologists, including different
research designs, limitations of research findings, and APA ethical principles.
3. Explore the subject matter of the field of psychology and become familiar with the vocabulary, major concepts, theories, and
research findings of psychology.
4. Further develop critical thinking skills by applying them to the field of psychology
5. Become a cautious and analytical consumer of psychological information that is proclaimed to be scientific or based on research and
recognize the usefulness and limitations of research findings.
6. Understandand apply psychological principles to personal, social, and organization issues.
7. Become aware & respectful of diversity issues which affect behavior & psychological processes and recognize that sociocultural
contexts may influence the development and application of psychological principles.
Learning Outcomes
Critical Thinking: Upon Completion of this course students will have:
1. Read and demonstrated an understanding of complex ideas by identifying key concepts in the field of psychology.
2. Applied theory to practice using problem solving techniques and data analysis.
3. Analyzed and evaluated research data to produce a well-reasoned argument or position on an issue.
4. Synthesize data from multiple sources to create and support a solution
Global Citizenship: Upon Completion of this course students will be able to use psychology concepts to:
1. Explain how social interactions are influenced by local, regional, national, and/or global cultures.
2. Recognize cultural and individual differences that underlie the complexities of human behavior and social interaction.
3. Demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of cultures that are diverse from their own.
Text, Tools and / or Supplies
Textbook: Psychology 7th Edition. Sdorow, Rickabaugh, & Betz (2015)
Blackboard: You can access Blackboard through http://blackboard.smccme.edu. You can utilize Blackboard in this class
for the purpose of downloading an updated copy of the syllabus and accessing class assignments.
Calendar of Topics and Assignments
Date
Topic
Monday, August 31st
“Why Should We Care About Psychology?”
Readings and Assignments Due For
This Class
If you have the book:
-Coverage of syllabus, expectations, and class work
-Why this class will be interesting (even if you were
only required to take it)!
-What is psychology and is it even important?
Familiarize yourself with the
textbook, skim through the chapters
and get a sense for how they’re
organized.
“Why Do We Still Talk About Freud?”
Chapter 1: Read pages 1-12
-How we came to study human thought and
behavior—(notice how I didn’t say historical roots of
psychology, because that sounds incredibly boring).
In class assignment: fill out timeline
(pass in at end of class)
“Psychology isn’t just for shrinks?”
Chapter 1: Read pages 13-21
Wednesday, September 2nd
Friday, September 4th
-We explore the tons of options one has to study in
this field
-Primarily, we talk about how we use our knowledge
to help people
Monday, September 7th Labor
Day/No Class
Wednesday, September 9th
Friday, September 11th
“Is Psychology a Science?” (Spoiler Alert: Yes)
Go enjoy what little warm weather we
have left!
Chapter 2: Read pages 25-32
-We will carefully navigate this question through
discussion of psychological research
-In class assignment: grouping the
(somewhat) confusing research topics
into a meaningful visual chart
“How Do We Avoid Traumatizing Humans While
Still Getting Cool Data?”
Chapter 2: Read pages 33-46
(this is a bland section of the text but
do your best to get through it because
it will be really helpful—bring any
questions you have to class)
-How we conduct research in the field and why
studying humans and animals can get messy
Monday, September 14th
“Part II: How Do We Avoid Traumatizing Humans
While Still Getting Cool Data?”
Chapter 2: Read pages 52-55
Wednesday, September 16th
-Famous ethical dilemmas in psychological research
“Part III: How Do We Avoid Traumatizing Humans
While Still Getting Cool Data?”
Chapter 3: Read pages 60-65
-Research articles and how to interpret them
Friday, September 18th
“Why the Brain is Ridiculously Awesome: Part I”
Monday, September 21st
-The Nervous System
-The Endocrine System
-How it all ties into our moods, thoughts, and
behavior!
“Why the Brain is Ridiculously Awesome: Part II”
Assignment Handed Out: Research
Article Assignment
Chapter 3: Read pages 66-77
In class assignment: We draw
pictures to make sense of the nervous
system
Chapter 3: Read pages 82-90 (starting
with Functional Organization of the
Brain)
In class assignment: Art class part II,
more drawing to make sense of the
Handout: Take-Home Quiz for Chapters 1-3
brain
Chapter 3: Catch up on any parts of
the reading you missed/review for
take-home quiz
Friday, September 25th
“Are We Born Evil?”
Due Today: Research Article
Assignment
Chapter 4: Read pages 105-115
Monday, September 28th
-Why do we study lifespan development?
-What we can learn from Piaget
“Are We Born Evil?” Continued
Wednesday, September 30th
-Erikson and social development theories
-Gender roles and development
“The War Zone: Adolescence and Puberty”
Chapter 4: 115-123
Chapter 4: 127-133
Friday, October 2nd
-Why adolescents act ridiculous
-Puberty, social development, identity development,
“Adulting”
Chapter 4: 133-145
Wednesday, September 23rd
“Why the Brain is Ridiculously Awesome: Part III”
Due: Take-Home Quiz for Chapters
1-3
-Physical and cognitive development (and some
decline!)
Monday, October 5th
“The Complexities of Pain”
Chapter 5: 150-154
-Sensation and perception
-Why we experience pain—and the significant
challenges of chronic pain
Wednesday, October 7th
Friday, October 9th
“I See Dead People.”
Chapter 5: 154-163
-Why vision is one of the most amazingly complex
systems in the body
In class assignment: Let’s label the
eye
“I See Even More Dead People.”
Chapter 5: 164-173
-Visual perception
-Illusions
Monday, October 12th Columbus
Day/No Class
Wednesday, October 14th
“Eyes and Ears and Mouth and Nose…”
Ponder the strange reasons we
actually still have a holiday about an
over-privileged white guy who
committed horrible atrocities against
other humans.
Chapter 5: Pages 173-182
-The other senses and why they’re important to the
study of psychology
Friday, October 16th
“It’s like I have ESPN or Something”
We finish up Chapter 5 (and debate extra-sensory
perception)
Monday, October 19th
Wednesday, October 21st
We will spend the rest of class prepping for the quiz.
In Class Quiz on Chapters 4-5
“Why Do People Suck at Texting While Driving?”
-Attention and consciousness
-Sleep
-Dreaming
Chapter 5: 186 (Start at Body senses)191
Review the sections of Chapters 4 and
5 and come to class with questions for
review.
Chapter 6: 197-209 (finish at The
Functions of Sleep)
Friday, October 23rd
“Why Are All College Students Tired?”
Chapter 6: 209-218
-Sleep disorders
-What is the purpose of dreams?
Monday, October 26th
“Don’t Do Drugs, Kids.”
Chapter 6: 224-231
-Psychoactive drugs and why so many people use
them.
-This is your brain on drugs.
Wednesday, October 28th
“How Do We Get People To Do What We Want?”
Chapter 7: 236-242
-Learning, conditioning, and reinforcement.
Friday, October 30th
“What Happens in Vegas Doesn’t Stay There.”
Chapter 7: 248 (start at Schedules of
Reinforcement”)-258
-Reinforcement
-Why do people develop addictions to gambling or
the internet?
Monday, November 2nd
“I Drink To Forget”
Wednesday, November 4th
-The Complexities of Memory
“I Drink To Forget” Part II
Chapter 8: 282-297
Friday, November 6th
-Can we trust our memory?
-How understanding memory can make you a better
student
“I Drink to Forget” Part III
Chapter 8: 298-303
-We finish up our discussion on memory
Assigned: Paper on False Memories
“Why Have I Already Forgotten Everything from
that Spanish class?”
Chapter 9: 324-334
Monday, November 9th
Chapter 8: 269-280 (finish at
Retrieval)
-Why studying language is awesome.
-How do we learn languages? Why do children pick
up language so easily?
-“Why doesn’t everyone just learn English?”—why
this is a risky assumption!
-Why we should care about languages (even dying
ones)
Wednesday, November 11th
Veterans Day/No Class
Friday, November 13th
“Why the SATs/ACTs are a Bad Measure of
Intelligence.”
Chapter 10: 343-351
Due: Paper on False Memories
-Intelligence: how do we get it, how do we know
how much we have?
-You get to enjoy my rant on why standardized
testing is a bad measure of intelligence.
-The many forms of intelligence (why everyone has
it)
Monday, November 16th
“Yo Mama is So Dumb…”
-Are people born intelligent or not?
-What are multiple intelligences
Chapter 10: 361-370
Wednesday, November 18th
Friday, November 20th
“Why I Skipped Your Class Last Week.”
Chapter 11: 375-398
-Motivation: what makes us want to do stuff?
-We will study basic motivations for survival
Handout: Take-Home Quiz for
Chapters 6-11
“Thrill Seekers and Over-Achievers”
Chapter 11: 399-408
-We will also look at extremely motivated people
(how does an athlete make it to the top of their
sport?) Why do some people seem so motivated
where others don’t achieve anything at all?
Monday, November 23rd
“I’m So Emotional Right Now.”
Chapter 12: 413-426
Wednesday, November 25th
-The physiological basis of emotion
-Theories of emotion
“I’m So Emotional Right Now.” Part II
Chapter 12: 427-438
-The physiological basis of emotion
-Theories of emotion
Friday, November 27th No
Class/Thanksgiving Break
Monday, November 30th
Wednesday, December 2nd
Friday, December 4th
“Why Are People So Annoying: Personality Theory”
Part I
“Why Are People So Annoying: Personality Theory”
Part II
No Class
Monday, December 7th
“Why Are People So Annoying: Personality Theory”
Part III
Wednesday, December 9th
Psychological Disorders and Therapy
Friday, December 11th
-What are the causes of psychological disorders?
-Types of Psychological Disorders
Psychological Disorders and Therapy
Types of Psychological Disorders
Monday, December 14th
Psychological Disorders and Therapy
Review for Final Quiz
Wednesday, December 16th
Final Quiz (in class) on Chapters 12-15
Friday, December 18th
Freedom!
Due: Take-Home Quiz for Chapters
6-11
Chapter 13: 443-450 (finish at
Assessment of Personality)
Assigned: Take the Myers-Briggs
Personality Test
Chapter 13: 450-459
Chapter 13: 460-474
Due: Reflection on Myers-Briggs
Personality Test
Assigned: Locus of Control Paper
Psychological Disorders and Therapy
Chapter 14: 479-488
Chapter 14: Read sections on Anxiety,
Depression, Bipolar Disorder,
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and
Schizophrenia
Due: Locus of Control Paper
Chapter 15: 528-541
Review Chapters 12-15 and come to
class with questions for the quiz
Course Requirements:
Intro to Psychology Core Requirements:
Critical Thinking Requirement: Introduction to Psychology is designated as a Critical Thinking course. There may be several
critical thinking assignments during the semester. 25% of a student’s grade must be derived from critical thinking assignments.
Information Literacy – One way to improve IL skills is through assignments. Students in this course must be able to critically
evaluate information and discern credible from non-credible material. For example, an assignment utilizing the pod casts that are
located on the Library “On-line Tutorials” may be included during the semester.
Metacognition – One of the major goals of this class is to strengthen your ability to be an engaged and motivated learner. An
assignment involving Attribution Theory and Locus of Control will be utilized during the semester.
Assessment of Textbook Reading – Students should be able to locate and integrate information using advanced analysis of the
meaning and form of the text. Students should be able to provide specific text support for inferences, informative statements, and
comparisons within and across readings.
Course Assignments: 35 points (fulfills the Critical Thinking Requirement)
All course assignments will be distributed (see class schedule) approximately a week before they’re due. In-depth instructions will be
provided in class and on Blackboard (where copies of the instructions will be posted).
1. Research Article Review: (10 points possible) You will be given a psychology research article to interpret. You will be graded on
your ability to put the material into your own words and think critically about the results (fulfills the Information Literacy Core
Requirement)
2. Opinion Paper (False Memories): (10 points possible) We will learn about the debate over False Memory Syndrome. You will
write a short paper using references from the book to formulate your opinion on this debate (fulfills the Assessment of Textbook
Reading Requirement).
3. Myers-Briggs Personality Type: (5 points possible) You will take the Myers-Briggs Personality Test (instructions will be given
in class) and write a short (~1 page) reflection on the results.
4. Locus of Control: (10 points possible) You will write a paper (2-3 pages) on our discussion of locus of control (fulfills the
Metacognition Requirement)
Quizzes: 40 points (10 points per quiz)
There will be 4 quizzes given during the semester. Two of the quizzes will be in-class format (multiple choice and short
answer) and the other two quizzes will be take-home quizzes (see schedule for due dates).
The class time before each quiz will provide the oppourtunity to review important concepts. Please see the missed quiz
policy below.
Participation/Attendance/Classwork: 25 points
There will be several in-class assignments that you will need to complete and pass in (to receive a check mark and
returned back to you)—your completion of these activities will count towards your total participation grade.
Participation is not just speaking in class but also being respectful of your classmates and the professor (for example: not
having side-conversations, not leaving the classroom repeatedly, not text messaging during class). The more you
participate, the more everyone gets out of the class (and the more interesting it becomes). Please see the cell phone/laptop
policy below.
Total: 100 points possible
A
93-100
B- 80-82
D+ 67-69
A- 90-92
C+ 77-79
D 63-66
B+ 87-89
C 73-76
F Below 62
B
C- 70-72
83-86
Late Assignment Policy: Critical Thinking Questions are to be turned in as a hard copy (printed) or via Blackboard by
the beginning of the class due date. If you are going to be absent, you are responsible for submitting your assignment via
Blackboard before class time begins. Assignments submitted late will be deducted half a letter grade for each day late.
Quiz Policy: Please contact the instructor as soon as possible if there is an emergency that would cause your absence on
one of the quiz days. It is your responsibility to contact me if you miss a quiz, which will need to be completed as soon as
possible.
Cell Phone/Laptop Policy: Out of respect for the instructor and your classmates, cell phone use is not permitted during
class time. This includes text messaging. If you have an important call to respond to, please let the instructor know before
class and leave the room to respond. Laptop computer use is allowed, however the instructor reserves the right to change
this rule if student laptop use creates too many distractions. Please be respectful to your classmates.
Attendance Policy: Attendance is a required component of this course. Failure to attend classes regularly will result in a
lower course grade. If you miss the first three classes you will be reported as a NO SHOW to the administration and
dropped from the class. Missing 3 consecutive classes without notifying the instructor will result in you being dropped
from the class and receiving an AF for the course grade. Please note that repeated tardiness without notifying the
instructor will be counted as an absence (more than four incidents of showing up after formal attendance is taken will
count). If you need to leave class early please inform the instructor before class. If something comes up and you need to
leave class unexpectedly, please contact me within 24 hours or you will be marked as tardy/absent (at instructors
discretion).
Grading: If you have concerns about your grade in the class throughout the semester, please see me. It will become much
easier for us to address any issues as early as possible (rather than waiting until receiving your final grade). We can work
together to find out how to achieve your goals for this course. If you do not let me know of any concerns, I will assume
that you are content with your performance in the course. It is my goal to see everyone succeed and have a positive
experience in this class. Please always feel free to contact me before/after class or by email to talk about your progress.
SEE STUDENT HANDBOOK FOR OTHER ACADEMIC POLICIES.
End-of-Course Evaluation
In order to gain access to final course grades, students must complete evaluations for each course attended at SMCC.
Evaluations are submitted online and can be accessed through the student portal site. Students can access the course
evaluation report beginning two weeks before the end of classes. The deadline for submission of evaluations occurs 24
hours after the last day of classes each semester. Instructors will announce when the online course evaluation is available.
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): Southern Maine Community College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action
institution and employer. For more information, please call 207-741-5798. If you have a disabling condition and wish
to request accommodations in order to have reasonable access to the programs and services offered by SMCC, you
must register with the Disability Services Coordinator, Sandra Lynham, who can be reached at 741-5923. Further
information about services for students with disabilities and the accommodation process is available upon request at this
number. Course policies about online testing are modified to suit each individual’s accommodations.
SMCC Pay-for-Print Policy
In an effort to control the escalating cost of supplies and to encourage students to conserve resources, SMCC charges for
printing. Students receive a $20 credit every semester. This credit resets for each semester and extra credit is not rolled
over to the next semester. Per page costs are as follows:

8.5"x11" black and white: $0.10 per page

8.5"x11" color: $0.50 per page

8.5"x14" and 11"x17" black and white: $0.20 per page

8.5"x14" and 11"x17" color: $1.00 per page
Duplex (two-sided) pages are discounted 50% from the listed page costs.
Students can monitor their remaining credit and number of pages printed by visiting the IT Help tab on MySMCC or by
checking the Printing Information icon in the lower right corner of the screen while logged in to an SMCC computer.
More information about the Pay-for-Print Policy is available on the IT Help tab on MySMCC.
Add-Drop Policy
Students who drop a course during the one-week “add/drop” period in the fall and spring semesters and the first three days
of summer sessions receive a 100% refund of the tuition and associated fees for that course. Please note any course that
meets for less than the traditional semester length, i.e., 15 weeks, has a pro-rated add/drop period. There is no refund for
non-attendance.
Withdrawal Policy
A student may withdraw from a course only during the semester in which s/he is registered for that course. The
withdrawal period is the second through twelfth week of the fall and spring semesters and the second through ninth week
of twelve-week summer courses. This period is pro-rated for shorter-length courses. To withdraw from a course, a student
must complete and submit the appropriate course withdrawal form, available at the Enrollment Service Center (no phone
calls, please). The designation “W” will appear on the transcript after a student has officially withdrawn. A course
withdrawal is an uncompleted course and may adversely affect financial aid eligibility. Failure to attend or ceasing to
attend class does not constitute withdrawal from the course. There is no refund associated with a withdrawal.
Plagiarism Statement
Adherence to ethical academic standards is obligatory. Cheating is a serious offense, whether it consists of taking credit
for work done by another person or doing work for which another person will receive credit. Taking and using the ideas or
writings of another person without clearly and fully crediting the source is plagiarism and violates the academic code as
well as the Student Code of Conduct. If it is suspected that a student in any course in which s/he is enrolled has knowingly
committed such a violation, the faculty member should refer the matter to the College’s Disciplinary Officer and
appropriate action will be taken under the Student Code of Conduct. Sanctions may include suspension from the course
and a failing grade in the course. Students have the right to appeal these actions to the Disciplinary Committee under the
terms outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.