HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WEST LOOP CAMPUS
FALL 2010
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE: PSYC 2301 (9:00am-12:00pm Sat.)
CRN: 50308
TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
Instructor’s Name: Ryan Crawford, M.S.
Instructor’s Phone Numbers: (713) 449-7903 **before 9:00pm**
Instructor’s Email: Ryan.Crawford@hccs.edu
***Office Hours: by appointment before or after class
TEXTBOOK AND SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Both the textbook and the Student Supplementary Handbook listed below are required in
this course. The Student Supplementary Handbook contains Learning Objectives and Key Terms
for each of the core chapters and required topics as well as the Learning Objectives and Key
Terms for the comprehensive Departmental Final Exam. It is a guide for your preparation for
class.
Hockenbury, D. H., & Hockenbury, S. E. (2010). Psychology (5th ed.). New York: Worth.
Student Supplementary Handbook to Accompany Psychology (5th Edition) (Online at the dept.
learning website or instructor homepage)
Recommended Readings:
American Psychological Association (2000). Publication Manual of the American Psychological
Association. (5th ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
**Students are to review the student version of the model PSYC 2301 Course Syllabus
online located at the following online address:
http://learning.swc.hccs.edu/courses/social-behavioral-sciences/psychology/sample-model-coursesyllabi/PSYC2301ModelSyllabus%20Student%20Version.doc/view
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
PSYC 2301 is a survey course of the basic principles underlying human behavior.
Emphasis is placed on major areas of study in the field of psychology, such as learning, memory,
personality, health and stress, child and adult development, and psychological disorders. This
course transfers as three (3) hours of credit to most other colleges and universities. Upon
completion of this course, you should:
(1) Recognize the key role that psychology plays in our everyday lives.
(2) Have a better insight into the behavior of individuals with whom you have frequent
contact in your life.
(3) Have a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of human behavior in
general.
(4) Be more aware of the major issues in at least nine subject areas of psychology.
(5) Have some understanding of the scientific method and how it applies to psychological
research.
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HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WEST LOOP CAMPUS
FALL 2010
MEANS OF ASSESSMENT
Assignment
Quizzes
Homework
Assignments
Writing
Assignments
Final Exam
Description
Each quiz will consist of twenty (20) multiple
choice questions from each chapter. Students are
responsible for BOTH material from reading the
chapters and discussed in class.
Students will be given ten (10) homework
assignments to be completed outside of class that
are designed to expand learning the information
from the textbook and discussed in class.
Assignments are to be turned in by the beginning
of the next class for students to receive a grade
for the assignment.
Students will chose a topic from their textbook
and find a peer-reviewed research article to write
a critical analysis paper (5-7 pages) evaluating the
research method use in the research study in the
chosen article. * Students will be required to
discuss specific questions related to research
methods for the research article that will be
discussed in class. **Students will be required to
use APA guidelines to write their papers and use
their textbook and research article as references.
Final exam will consist of 100 multiple-choice
questions. This will be a COMPREHENSIVE
exam.
TOTAL
POSSIBLE
Points
200
100
100
100
500
GRADE SCALE (Percentages): A = 90-100; B = 80-89; C = 70-79; D = 60-69; F = 59 or below.
Grades are calculated by dividing total number of points earned by total possible points and
multiply by 100.
**Assignments must be turned in by the beginning of the class specified in the class
schedule. Late papers will be accepted up to one week late, but 2 points will be deducted
for each day (including weekends) the assignment is late. Papers are considered late at the
end of class on the due date. Proof of submission date is the responsibility of the student.
** Writing assignments are required to be written according to APA guidelines. A copy of
the APA Manual will be on reserve in the library for students to use.
** All make-up quizzes are to be taken at the beginning of the next class. There will be no
make-ups for the final exam.
** Students will be required to purchase scantron forms for all exams and final exam.
Please take care of these forms! If your scantron cannot be scanned, your test will not be
graded. Students will also need to use a #2 pencil when taking each exam and the final
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HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WEST LOOP CAMPUS
FALL 2010
exam. Students should make sure that each answer is marked correctly and erasures to
make corrections must be made clean and complete.
BASIC INTELLECTUAL COMPETENCIES
1. READING: Students are expected read the textbook and any additional materials passed
out in class.
2. WRITING: Students are expected to demonstrate college level writing skills through the
writing and homework assignments. Students will be expected through these
assignments to develop and organize ideas and phrase it effectively for an educated
audience.
3. SPEAKING: Students are expected to participate in class discussions and demonstrate
the ability to communicate verbally in a clear and coherent manner while being respectful
of various points of view.
4. LISTENING: Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to listen, analyze, and
interpret various oral, written and visual forms of information.
5. CRITICAL THINKING: Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to evaluate and
analyze arguments and research methods by critically reviewing a peer-reviewed journal
article.
6. COMPUTER LITERACY: Students are expected to demonstrate ability to use computers
through online database searches and use of word processing programs.
CLASSROOM ACTIVITY:
There will be a variety of learning activities scheduled for the classroom. Although the
topic for each day will reflect material included in the assigned readings, the format will differ from
session to session, and it will focus on active learning. The possible classroom activities include
the following: lectures, discussions, small group work, experiential exercises, films,
demonstrations, and individual reports. You may be asked to write reviews of films, participate in
a role play, research answers to items missed on a test, or share personal examples which relate
to textbook material. Active participation in class will be helpful primarily in relation to determining
borderline grades. The instructor will subjectively evaluate the quality and quantity of your in-class
work.
Sometimes the instructor will lecture on particularly complex topics, but at other times you
may be asked to master sections of the text on your own. Use the Learning Objective Questions
and the Key Terms in the Student Supplementary Handbook as your guide to determine which
material is most important. The instructor will provide class time for asking and answering
questions about material that will appear on tests. Course objectives will help you determine
which material you will need to study and master. Please note that the instructor may require
modules or topics other than those in the Student Supplementary Handbook.
INSTRUCTOR RESPONSIBILITIES:
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Prepare class activities, discussions, and lectures.
Facilitate an effective learning environment.
Prepare class assignments and exams.
Evaluate and provide prompt feedback on exams, assignments, and activities.
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HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WEST LOOP CAMPUS
FALL 2010
STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

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Attend class, be on time, and participate in class discussions and activities.
Read and comprehend the textbook.
Complete the required assignments and exams.
Ask for help when there is a question or problem.
Keep copies of all paperwork, including this syllabus, handouts, and all assignments.
ATTENDANCE AND DROP POLICY:
Attendance Policy: Final drop date is Thursday, November 18th, 4:30 pm. Please see policy
below for dropping a class. Students who do not follow this policy will receive the grade earned.
HCC Course Withdrawal Policy (updated 7/26/2010)
Beginning Fall 2007, the State of Texas imposes penalties on students who drop courses
excessively. Students are limited to no more than SIX total course withdrawals throughout their
educational career at a Texas public college or university.
To help you avoid having to drop/withdraw from any class, contact your DE professor regarding
your academic performance. You may also want to contact your DE counselor to learn about
helpful HCC resources (e.g. online tutoring, child care, financial aid, job placement, etc.). HCC
has instituted an Early Alert process by which your professor may “alert” you and DE counselors
that you might fail a class because of excessive absences and/or poor academic performance.
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Students should check HCC’s Academic Calendar by Term for drop/withdrawal
dates and deadlines.
If a student decides to drop or withdraw from a class upon careful review of other
options, the student can drop online prior to the deadline through their HCC
Student Service Center:
https://hccsaweb.hccs.edu:8080/psp/csprd/?cmd=login&languageCd=ENG
Classes of other duration (mini-term, flex-entry, 8-weeks, etc.) may have different final withdrawal
deadlines. Please contact the HCC Registrar’s Office at 713.718.8500 to determine mini-term
class withdrawal deadlines.
According to HCC policy, an instructor may drop a student who has missed 6 or more hours of
instruction. I will not drop a student who has missed class before the drop date or stopped
attending. It is my policy that students are responsible for communicating with counselors or the
professor problems that arise during the semester. Students who stop attending classes will be
given a grade according to assignments turned in during the semester.
NOTICE: Students who repeat a course for a third or more times will face significant tuition/fee
increases at HCC and other Texas public colleges and universities. Please ask your instructor /
counselor about opportunities for tutoring / other assistance prior to considering course withdrawal
or if you are not receiving passing grades.
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HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WEST LOOP CAMPUS
FALL 2010
SEXUAL HARRASSMENT
It is a violation of HCC policy for an employee, agent, or student of the College to engage in
sexual harassment as defined in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
guidelines. Any student who has a complaint concerning this policy has the opportunity to seek
resolution of such a complaint in accordance with procedures set forth in the Student Handbook.
Report any complaints immediately to College Administration or call the Institutional Equity &
Compliance Office 713.718.8271.
AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT (ADA) COMPLIANCE
Any student with a documented disability (e.g., physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.)
who needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Support Services
Office (DSSO) of their respective college at the beginning of each semester. Faculty is authorized
to provide only the accommodation(s) requested by the DSSO. For information and services at
HCC Southwest, contact Dr. Becky Hauri, ADA Counselor, at 713.718.7910.
SCHOLASTIC HONESTY:
I expect academic honesty. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating on
tests, plagiarism, and collusion. See the current HCCS Student Handbook for definitions of each
of there terms. I will not hesitate to apply the appropriate instructor options in the case of
scholastic dishonesty. These options range all the way from a warning for more minor offenses to
a "ZERO" on the test or other assignments, or under certain circumstances, an "F" for the course.
I expect application of this provision to be unnecessary.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR:
Students are expected to act in a manner befitting appropriate social behavior for an adult.
Students are expected to be considerate of the instructor and other students while in class.
Disruptive behavior may result in the student(s) being asked to leave the classroom. All cellular
phones and pagers are to be turned off if not placed on silent or vibrate.
CLASS SCHEDULE
August
8/28/10
Orientation, Discussion of Writing Assignment
September
9/4/10
Discussion of Writing Assignment, Chapter 1
9/11/10
Chapter 1 and 2
9/18/10
Quiz 1, Chapter 2
9/25/10
Quiz 2, Chapter 5
October
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HOUSTON COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WEST LOOP CAMPUS
FALL 2010
10/2/10
Quiz 3, Chapter 6
10/9/10
Quiz 4, Chapter 8
10/16/10
Quiz 5, Chapter 9
10/23/10
Quiz 6, Chapter 10
10/31/10
Quiz 7, Chapter 11 (Rough drafts due for feedback)
November
11/6/10
Quiz 8, Chapter 13
11/13/10
Quiz 9, Chapter 13 and 14
11/20/10
Chapter 14 and 15, Papers are due!!
December
12/4/10
Quiz 10, Chapter 15
12/11/10
Bonus Quiz, Final Exam Review
12/18/10
Final Exam
IMPORTANT DATES:
11/18/10
LAST DAY TO DROP (by 4:30pm)
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