Student Syllabus Cover Sheet
Revised 4/8/14
Semester and Year – Spring 2015
CRN (Course Reference Number), Course Prefix, Number and Title –
CRN: 20433; PSYC 2301, General Psychology, Section 902
Course Meeting Days, Times and Location (Campus, Building, and Room number) –
MWF – 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. Sugar Land Room 164
Instructor’ Name - Lesley Snow Blanks, M.A.
Instructor’s Telephone number(s) – 281-243-8571
Instructor’s email address – blanksl@wcjc.edu
Instructor’s webpage – http://facultyweb.wcjc.edu/lblanks
Instructor’s Office Hours and Office Location–
Sugar Land, Faculty Suite 224
MWF – 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
TTh – 8:20 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. and 12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Course Catalog Description – General Psychology is a survey of the major
psychological topics, theories and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and
mental processes.
Instructor’s Grading System –
Course Grade:
Tests
Final Exam
Article Review Assignment
Total Points
Points each
100
Total
400
100
100
600
A = 600 – 540, B = 539 – 480, C = 479 – 420, D = 419 – 360, F = 359 – below
Instructor’s Attendance Policy – Attendance is taken daily. If a student misses more
than 10% of the class lecture days, points will be deducted from the student’s total score for
each subsequent absence.
Last day to “Drop” course with grade of “W” – April 24th, 2015
* The college will make reasonable accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students wishing to receive
accommodations must contact the Office of Disability Services at (979) 532-6384; located in the Pioneer Student Center, Room 313,
at the Wharton campus Students must request accommodations from the Office of Disability Services prior to each semester. Please
note that accommodations provided are not retroactive.
** Misconduct for which discipline may be administered at WCJC includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly
furnishing false information to the college (plagiarism and cheating refer to the use of unauthorized books, notes, or otherwise
securing help in a test, copying tests, assignments, reports, or term papers).
Syllabus for PSYC 2301 – General Psychology – Spring 2015
Schedule:
MWF – 9:00 – 9:50 a.m.
CRN#: 20433
Section number: 902
Room: 164
Required Materials: Huffman, K. and Sanderson, C. (2014). Real World Psychology. New Jersey: Wiley.
Instructor:
Lesley Snow Blanks, M.A.
Website: http://facultyweb.wcjc.edu/lblanks/
Office: SL, Faculty Suite 224
Phone: 281-243-8571
Email address: blanksl@wcjc.edu
Office Hours:
MWF – 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
TTh – 8:20 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. and 12:15 – 1:15 p.m.
Catalogue Description:
General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories and approaches to the scientific study of
behavior and mental processes.
Prerequisite:
TSI satisfied in Reading and Writing.
Credit:
Three credit hours.
Objectives:

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

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Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology.
Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.
Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.
Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.
Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation.
Identify factors in physiological and psychological processes involved in human behavior.
ADA Statement:
Students with documented disabilities seeking accommodations should contact the ADA Coordinator in the Office of
Student Services. The student should provide current medical and/or psychological documentation verifying their
disability. (WCJC Student Handbook 2014-2015)
Evaluation:
Test Schedule: Tests will be multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, or short-answer, so students will need to bring
their own scantron sheets. Each test will cover 3 chapters (except final which is comprehensive). All tests will include
relevant lecture material that may not be in your textbook. Tests will be worth 100 points. All make-up exams will be
given the day of the final exam. Students are only allowed one make-up, and must inform the instructor prior to the final
exam.
Test #
Test #1
Test #2
Test #3
Test #4
Final
Date of Test
Wednesday, February 11th
Monday, March 16th
Friday, April 10th
Monday, May 4th
Wednesday, May 13th
Chapters covered (+ lecture material)
1, 2 and 3
4, 5 and 6
7, 8 and 9
10, 11 and 12
Comprehensive
APA Article Review and Analysis Assignment: Students will select a research article from an online database, conduct
a thorough review of the article in order to identify important aspects of the study, and will be tested for comprehension
of this material in class. For example, students should be able to answer the following questions about the selected
article:





What was the purpose of the study?
What was the hypothesis?
What were the variables (i.e., independent and dependent)?
Which research method was utilized in the study?
Who were the participants (define the population and sample)?
The article review assignment is worth 100 points. NO make-up assignments will be accepted. Students must complete
the assignment in class on March 4th. More detailed instructions and guidelines will be given in class and on website.
Attendance: Attendance is very important in this class in order to understand the theories and concepts evaluated on
exams. The instructor does NOT drop students from the course – this is the student’s responsibility. Attendance is taken
daily. If a student misses more than 10% of the class lecture days, points will be deducted from the student’s total score
for each subsequent absence.
Course Grade:
Tests
Final Exam
Article Review Assignment
Total Points
Points each
100
Total
400
100
100
600
A = 600 – 540, B = 539 – 480, C = 479 – 420, D = 419 – 360, F = 359 – below
Viewing Class Information:
Students are able to view class notes, syllabi and other announcements using my faculty webpage:
http://facultyweb.wcjc.edu/lblanks/
Class Disruptions/Policies:
Class disruptions will not be tolerated and will result in the student being expelled from the class. This includes any
disrespectful behavior to the instructor and/or other students. Examples of unacceptable classroom behaviors are listed
below:
 Being consistently late to class or leaving class early
 Talking while the instructor or classmates are speaking
 Talking, texting, playing games on cell phones, cell phones ringing during class, using laptops/tablets for activities
unrelated to class
 Monopolizing class discussions
Please refer to the Wharton County Junior College Student Handbook for general policies.
Academic Integrity:
Misconduct for which discipline may be administered at WCJC includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, or
knowingly furnishing false information to the college (plagiarism and cheating refer to the use of unauthorized books,
notes, or otherwise securing help in a test, copying tests, assignments, reports, or term papers). Students found cheating
on exams/assignments will receive a grade of “0” on the given exam/assignment. See WCJC 2014-2015 Student
Handbook for college regulations.
Tentative Course Schedule: Below is the tentative schedule of chapter reading assignments, exams, and other important
dates occurring during the semester.
Date
Reading & lecture material
Requirement _______
January
19th – Monday
No class – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
21st – Wednesday
Introduction, Syllabus
23rd – Friday
Chapter 1
26th – Monday
Chapter 1
28th – Wednesday
Chapter 1
30th – Friday
Chapter 2 and article review assignment information
February________
2nd – Monday
Chapter 2
4th – Wednesday
Chapter 2
6th – Friday
Chapter 3
9th – Monday
Chapter 3
th
11 – Wednesday
Test #1 – Chapters 1, 2 and 3
13th – Friday
Chapter 4
16th – Monday
Chapter 4
18th – Wednesday
Chapter 5
20th – Friday
No class – TCCTA conference
23rd – Monday
Chapter 5
25th – Wednesday
Chapter 5
27th – Friday
Chapter 6
March
___
2nd – Monday
Chapter 6
4th – Wednesday
Article Review Assignment
6th – Friday
Chapter 6
9th – Monday
No class – Spring Break
th
11 – Wednesday
No class – Spring Break
13th – Friday
No class – Spring Break
16th – Monday
Test #2 – Chapters 4, 5 and 6
18th – Wednesday
Chapter 7
20th – Friday
Chapter 7
23rd – Monday
Chapter 7
25th – Wednesday
Chapter 8
27th – Friday
No class - UIL
30th – Monday
Chapter 8
April
_______
__
1st – Wednesday
Chapter 9
3rd – Friday
No Class – Easter holiday
6th – Monday
Chapter 9
th
8 – Wednesday
Chapter 9
10th – Friday
Test #3 – Chapters 7, 8 and 9
13th – Monday
Chapter 10
15th – Wednesday
Chapter 10
17th – Friday
Chapter 10
20th – Monday
Chapter 11
22nd – Wednesday
Chapter 11
24th – Friday
Chapter 11
Last day to drop with grade of “W”
27th – Monday
Chapter 12
29th – Wednesday
Chapter 12
May
1st – Friday
Chapter 12
4th – Monday
Test #4 – Chapters 10, 11 and 12
th
6 – Wednesday
Chapter 14
8th – Friday
Review
11th – Monday
No class
13th – Wednesday
Final Exam 8:00 a.m. – Comprehensive
* For exam purposes, focus on the topics discussed in class, as well as those covered in the textbook This is a tentative schedule and
may change at any time.