PSYCHOLOGY 101: GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY: Monday Fall 2021
Instructor: Toni M. Blake Phone: 619.234.8664
E-mail:tblake@sdccd.edu (put "101 student" in the subject line).
Office Hours: Held in class 30 minutes after every class, except for test
night. Test nights, I will have office hours 30 minutes before class.
Text:
Introduction to Psychology, 10th Edition, Plotnik
Materials: Lecture Outlines and Review Sheets
Student Learning Objectives:
Students that complete Psychology 101 will be able to: Think critically in reading, writing,
and speaking about the concepts, principles, and terminology of psychology as a science,
with emphasis on introducing students to the diverse areas that make up the field of
psychology, preparing students for further study in the behavioral sciences, and providing
students with greater insight into human behavior, thereby identifying problems, theses,
arguments, evidence, and conclusions. Write or speak about the concepts, principles, and
terminology of psychology as a science, with emphasis on introducing students to the
diverse areas that make up the field of psychology, preparing students for further study in
the behavioral sciences, and providing students with greater insight into human behavior,
thereby addressing problems, formulating theses, making arguments, analyzing and
weighing evidence, and deriving conclusions. Demonstrate an ability to apply
psychological concepts and theories to understand diverse personal and social issues,
understand one's role in society, take responsibility for one's actions, and make ethical
decisions in complex situations. Analyze one's actions, see others' perspectives, and work
effectively with others in groups.
Exams:
There are four exams in this class: three 50-question unit exams and a 50-question
cumulative final. Each unit exam will count 50 points, but you will be permitted to drop
one exam (for a total of 150 points). There are no makeup exams in this course; if you
miss an exam, it will be considered your dropped exam. Exams are open notes, but they
are timed. Students should be very familiar with their notes from lectures and the text.
You will not have enough time to look up the information on the web or in your text.
Canvas does not allow you to start a test and save it, so be aware that once you start an
exam, if you click out of it, your score will reflect whatever you completed before you
logged out. All tests will be given online on the night scheduled.
Projects:
Project 1 - Group Oral Presentation and Individual Short Paper (50 Points) – This
project has two elements, each worth 25 points. Students should submit all papers and
PowerPoints on Canvas, not by Email. Presentations and papers are due on the day the
topic is presented. You will be assigned an experiment and 1-2 partners based on your role
number. Students will be required to:
1. Write a 1-2-page paper summarizing the famous psychological experiment
or theory assigned to you. Each student should do their paper individually.
All papers must be typed, 12-point font, one-inch margin, double spaced.
2. Students will present a 10-15-minute PowerPoint presentation on the
experiment in class as a group.
Project 2 - Individual Presentation on DSM 5 Disorders 50 Points: Students will be
required to pick a disorder from the list on the google doc form. Students will present a
PowerPoint presentation on the DSM Criteria for the disorder, prevalence, gender
differences, and treatment. Students will also be asked to present a biography of a famous
individual real or fictional, living or deceased, who has that disorder or show a short,
captioned video with an example of the condition. Presentations should be 10 minutes or
less.
Class Participation (25 points):
The points in this rubric are designated to how often you attend, participate, turn on your
cameras, do extra, etc. Students will be evaluated on the quality, nature, and
appropriateness of class participation. I try to make my courses a soft place to land and
share, but some topics get more emotional and passionate than others. So, I encourage you
to ask questions in a thoughtful manner that will allow fellow students to feel safe and
comfortable discussing topics and doing presentations—niceness matters in this rubric.
Extra Credit:
There are several assignments during the semester designated as extra credit assignments.
By the end of the semester, there will be 25 or more points available in extra credit. These
assignments are often given in class and due during the next class session. Extra credit
assignments cannot be made up or handed in late, nor can they be emailed. All
projects should be typed and submitted on canvas before the beginning of class to
receive credit.
Attendance:
I will be taking role in some fashion at each of our first three class meetings. Students who
arrive late or leave early may be counted as absent. After the first three sessions, you don't
need to inform me if you will miss a class unless it is an excused absence or an exam night.
Please refer to the Mesa College catalog for the college's policy on attendance. Zoom keeps
an accurate count of who attends each class; when they entered the room and left. Those
who fail to attend the first meeting(s) may be dropped at the instructor's discretion.
However, be advised that you are responsible for dropping yourself if you intend to
drop this class. Students who wish to withdraw, but fail to do so by the deadline, will
receive an evaluative letter grade at the end of the semester.
Note Taking:
PowerPoints will not be available for the exam or for studying, so you will need to take
good notes. Because of this course’s nature and my hope for open and frank discussions,
I do not record the Zoom classes and ask that you do not either. Students who have missed
classes are responsible for collecting the information or handouts they missed. Students are
asked to make contact with a classmate early in the semester to share notes in the case of
an absence. Please utilize your classmates notes to brief yourself on the material presented
in class before emailing me with questions about information covered in your absence.
Electronic Materials:
The Syllabus, Lecture Outlines, and Review Sheets are available on Canvas under the
Modules section and on the course home page. Review Sheets may be supplemented for
content the week before the exams. Students can find exams under either the quizzes or
assignments tab. Assignments and Extra Credits can be found under the Assignments tab.
For help with Canvas, go to: Student Canvas Support: Chat with Canvas Support
(Student) or 24/7 Canvas Support for Students: 1-844-612-7421
A Bit About Students Responsibilities and Resources:
The San Diego Mesa Journeys tool provides free access to over 30+ support programs and
services to help you succeed. The "Your Mesa Journey" tool is a short survey asking
various questions about your demographics and educational goals. Based on your
responses, the application will then provide you a list of recommended programs and
services that may help you with your academic journey at Mesa College. You can find it
at http://www.sdmesa.edu/mesa-journeys/
Finally, a Disclaimer About Cheating and Disruptive Behavior:
Students are expected to be honest and ethical at all times in the pursuit of academic goals.
Please review the Mesa College Administrative Procedure 3100.3 Honest Academic
Conduct policy and be advised that I take cheating very seriously. Students who are caught
cheating on a test or plagiarizing written material will be failed and reported to the campus
authorities and dealt with under Administrative Procedure 3100.2, Student Disciplinary
Procedures.
Though it is rare at this level of education to encounter disciplinary problems, a short
warning about chatting and class behavior may be appropriate. Students are expected to
adhere to the Student Code of Conduct at all times. Students who violate the Student Code
of Conduct may be removed from class by the faculty for the class meeting in which the
behavior occurred and the next class meeting. Makeup assignments will not be permitted
in the circumstances. Incidents involving removing a student from class will be reported
to the college disciplinary officer for follow up.
Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who may need academic accommodations should notify the
professor within the first two weeks of instruction. All information will be kept
confidential. Students that need evacuation assistance during campus emergencies should
also meet with the instructor as soon as possible to assure the health and safety of all
students. For more information, you may contact the DSPS Office on your campus or the
website at http://dsps.sdccd.edu/
Introductory Psychology: Fall 2021
Date
Lecture Topic
August 23
Introduction to Introduction to Psychology
1
August 30
Scientific Method
2
Sept 3
Module
Last Day to Add/Deadline to Drop without a W
Sept. 6
Labor Day – Legal Holiday
Sept 13
Biological Basis of Behavior (5 pts EC –1 pg "cheat sheet" summary
of module 3 & 4 for an extra credit Quiz)
3, 4
Sept 20
Consciousness
Sept 27
Test 1 and Intelligence lecture
October 4
Learning (1st group presentations)
October 11
Cognition
October 18
Motivation and Emotion (2nd group presentations)
Stress and Coping
15, 16
21
October 25
Test 2 and Child Development lecture
17, 18
October 29
7, 8
9, 10
11, 12
Last Day to Withdraw and not receive and letter grade
November 1
Personality
19, 20
November 8
Psychological Disorders
23
November 15
Psychological Disorders
23
November 21
Legal Holiday
December 3
Last day to file Petition for Pass/No Pass
December 6
Social Psychology and Therapy (3rd group presentations) 24, 25
Test 3
December 13
Cumulative Final Examination