When we venture into knowledge and science, we do so only to return better equipped for living. (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe) Psychology 200-01: “General Psychology” Spring 2023 Monday-Wednesday-Friday (1:00pm - 2:05pm) (TO Campus: Swenson 101) Instructor: Dr. Rainer Diriwächter Office: Swenson 241 Office Hours: MWF 11:40-12:40; Thursdays 1:35-4:00pm Email: rdiriwae@callutheran.edu (email is the best way to contact me); Tel: x3442 Welcome to a journey through the wonders of psychology… This course presents a survey of the field of psychology where we shall visit a wide range of disciplines & schools of thought. Each topic we cover in a given week could be the basis for an entire course, or a lifetime of research! Thus, while it is impossible to cover this vast array of information in-depth, you will come out of this course knowing what psychology actually entails. We will dispel several misconceptions often found in pop-psych literature and examine some of the classic findings in a broad range of psychological research. COURSE DESCRIPTION This course covers the concepts and principles pertinent to psychological processes as social behavior, development, perception, thinking and symbolic processes, physiology, personality and psychological disorders. Furthermore, the course introduces students to the empirical foundation of the discipline of psychology. This course is a prerequisite to all courses in psychology except PSYC 203, PSYC 207, and PSYC 215. There are no prerequisites for taking this course. COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES The primary objective of this introductory course is simply that: to introduce you to the subject matter and to familiarize you with the vocabulary and concepts. In this course you will see how research has been applied to test intuitive assumptions about people’s experiences. You will find that many of your beliefs about human existence are scientifically supported; but you will also find that many beliefs are refuted by the evidence. As a student in this course, you will receive a more comprehensive understanding of yourself. A further aim is that you will develop greater skills of critical thinking that will make you a better consumer of psychological information. There is a lot of “pop” psychology practices in our culture and popularized by the media. At best, these pseudo-sciences are a harmless diversion; at worst, they are million-dollar industries that exploit the ignorance and gullibility of the populace. By the end of the course you should be able to differentiate between legitimate psychology and the “pop” pretenders. Page 1 of 7 At the end of this course, students should be able to: 1. Understand basic psychological terms and concepts (Information Literacy: measured via quizzes, exams, and homework assignments). 2. Develop greater skills to test claims about human psychology, and how to critically think about the evidence stemming from such tests (Creative and Critical Thinking: measured via Homework Assignments on LaunchPad) 3. Will gain a better understanding of themselves (Identity and Values: measured via Homework Assignment Activities on LaunchPad) REQUIRED TEXTBOOK & ONLINE PACKAGE (LaunchPad) Myers, David, & Deval, Nathan (2021). Psychology IN MODULES (13th Edition). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Bundled with LaunchPad! Publisher’s Companion Web Site (LaunchPad) When you log-in to MyCLU, click on the course link to get to Blackboard; under Home Page on blackboard, scroll down to the LaunchPad link. LaunchPad will contain many required Assignments (worth 5-10 points each) that will be posted throughout the semester. It also offers a wide range of helpful items for each chapter, such as critical thinking exercises, quizzes, study aids, links, and demonstrations. Regular visits to this site should prove beneficial. Help Desk Students may contact the Help Desk about telephone, network, wireless network, software questions password problems, hardware problems, and general consultation (i.e. you cannot log into your MyCLU portal, or you are having problems with Blackboard). Please email specific details about your problems to helpdesk@callutheran.edu, click on the following link for more information http://www.callutheran.edu/iss/technology_services/helpdesk.php or call: 805.493.3698 Note: For Problems with LaunchPad you must contact TechSupport (available 24/7) directly on LaunchPad. CLASS FORMAT Face-to-Face CLASS ATTENDANCE Class attendance is required! Often, lectures will include material not covered in the textbook. Furthermore, there will be questions on the exams that are taken directly from the class discussions. Not coming to class will make it difficult to grasp the material adequately. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to obtain the notes from one of your fellow students Important Note: Students who miss more than six class periods will not be able to pass this course! BEHAVIORAL EXPECTATIONS Arrive to class on time. Arriving late can be extremely distracting. Turn off cell phones before entering class (no texting or similar activities during class time)! It is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet at the beginning of every class session. MINIMUM TECHNICAL SKILLS REQUIRED FOR THIS COURSE Students should have basic computer skills Page 2 of 7 Technology Requirements Hardware & Software Windows Mac OS X Operating System Windows 10 OS X 10.12 or later version Java Most recent version Most recent version Browser Your browser must always be up to date. We recommend Firefox and Chrome for all Blackboard functions. If you are experiencing problems on another browser, please switch to Firefox or Chrome. To check your browser and system compatibility with Blackboard, please use the Blackboard Browser Checker below to view your functionality. Please note that checkmarks on all functions does not guarantee a seamless experience. Click here: Blackboard Browser Checker Internet • • • • • Bandwidth: recommended requirement is 5 Mbps per device or higher; anything less will cause potential issues. • Note: Bandwidth is affected by distance from the wireless router or access point, use of Netflix video streaming and number of users on the wireless network. Streaming services: Sites or applications that use the internet like YouTube, Netflix, P2P, Spotify, or Pandora must be closed before starting a Zoom session. Connection: You must be connected to the internet via an ethernet cable or Wi-Fi. Hotspots do not have the bandwidth to handle Zoom sessions. Wi-Fi: Be as close to the router access point as possible to get the best connection. Be aware that locations with free Wi-Fi, i.e. Starbucks or Barnes & Noble, cannot provide enough bandwidth for Zoom sessions and should not be used. Use the following link to check your speed. Click here: http://speedof.me Additional • • • Audio and Video: Your audio and video need to be checked before starting your session in your computer settings. Check volume levels for microphones and test the webcam for video streaming. Headset/Headphones: Headphones with an attached microphone are best for hearing and corresponding in the chat. If not available, the user must find a quiet space where there will not be audio interference. (Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, etc. are not appropriate) Zoom Requirements: To find more information about system requirements for Zoom, please see the link below. Click here: Zoom Requirements Page 3 of 7 CLASS ASSIGNMENTS LaunchPad & READINGS (= Homework!) It is essential that the assigned readings are done BEFORE each class. You will learn the material better if you first critically engage with the topic on your own; prior to attending class. The key to solidifying your newly acquired knowledge is active engagement (rather than just passively absorbing what I tell you in class). Furthermore, all of the readings will be accompanied by LaunchPad Assignments (each worth 5-10 points). These assignments must be completed before the posted deadline. Since deadlines are posted at the start of the semester, no extensions will be given. EXAMS Over the course of the semester, there will be 4 exams (see schedule below) to test students’ knowledge of the text and class discussions. Each exam is worth 50 points and will consist of multiple-choice, true/false, and/or fill in the blank questions. The exams are not cumulative. Exams are timed at 55 minutes (1 minute per question, plus 5 extra minutes as “cushion”). You may not use any aids (e.g., textbook, personal notes, internet, etc.) while taking the exam! MAKE-UP EXAMS Make up exams will be allowed only with prior permission from the instructor. If you do not contact your course instructor PRIOR to the exam, you will not be allowed to make up the exam! The only acceptable excuses for missing an exam are verifiable illness, verifiable religious holiday, documented family emergency, or representing CLU in certain university activities (e.g., athletics). Make-up exams may differ significantly in format (e.g., fill-in-the-blanks, essay, oral, etc.). Student Workload/Carnegie Hours Consistent with, and compliant with, the expectations of Carnegie Instructional Hours, the expectation is that you spend about 8 hours per week (i.e., 2 hours for every 1 hour of class time) studying for this course. Included in these hours are weekly readings, LaunchPad activities and other homework assignments, and general study time. Course Requirements Reading Goal and/or Format The goal is familiarizing yourself with the new material. Hours Per Week 3 LaunchPad & other The goal is strengthening the material that was Assignments read 4 General Study Time/Review Review of the material and preparation for exams 1 Class Time Attendance and active participation required 4 Total time requirement for this class is 12 hours a week; 4 hours of instruction and 8 hours of student preparation Page 4 of 7 Psychology Department Statement on Academic Honesty The Cal Lutheran University Department of Psychology has a zero-tolerance policy towards academic dishonesty. Any student who is caught committing acts of plagiarism, cheating, or other forms of academic dishonesty will be expelled from the course and receive an unforgivable F as Final Grade (this means that the F-Grade will remain on the student transcript and count towards the overall GPA, even if the course is repeated at a later point in time). All cases of Academic Dishonesty will be reported to Academic Affairs, who may determine additional disciplinary sanctions, including expulsion from the university. Academic Dishonesty is a serious offence and “not knowing” about the policy or what constitutes academic dishonesty will not be considered as an excuse. It is therefore important that you inform yourself about what academic dishonesty entails, and when in doubt, to contact your course instructor BEFORE taking a test or submitting your work. For more information, please see the “Statement on Academic Honesty” under “University Policies” on your course Blackboard page. Research Participation Requirement – 8 Units Required. At Cal Lutheran, we place a heavy emphasis on experiential learning. One of the ways we include experiential learning in the Psychology Department is to include a research experience in many of our courses. Courses include this experiential learning by asking students to participate in research conducted by faculty and undergraduates, and by giving advanced students an opportunity to design and run their own studies. In this course, you are required to earn 8 units of research credits (2 hours of experiment participation). If, for any reason, you do not want to participate in a study, you may complete the experiential learning research component in an alternative assignment. In the alternative assignment, you’ll be asked to read and answer questions about a recently published journal article. The detailed instructions and form for the alternative assignment are located in the Psychology Department Assistant (DA) office in Swenson 239. Each article response (with completed form) is worth 2 units of research credits. Please note that you may not “double dip” your research units. Each unit you earn may only be applied to one course. For example, if you are in two 200 level PSYC classes, you will have a total of 16 units (4 hours of experiment participation) to complete this semester. You will use the Sona Systems website to view available studies, sign up to participate, and track your completed units. You must create an account on this site, even if you plan to earn your units through the alternative assignment. The website is: https://callutheran.sona-systems.com/. A participant guide with detailed instructions on how to use this website can be found on Blackboard or in the DA office in Swenson 239. Please use this guide as a reference throughout the semester. All research units (earned through experiment participation or alternative assignments) are due by Friday, April 28, 2023 at 1:30pm. If you have questions, please email the Sona Systems and Psychology Subject Pool Administrator, Dr. Amanda ElBassiouny, at aelbassiouny@callutheran.edu or stop by the DA office in Swenson 239. Page 5 of 7 GRADING Your Final Grade will be comprised as follow: Attendance, Participation, Research Requirement, & Other Assignments (NOT including LaunchPad) Attendance & Participation: This means you must arrive on time, participate, and not leave early in order to receive full credit. If you miss more than 6 class periods you will not be able to pass this course. 15% LaunchPad Assignments/Activities Exams 45% 40% Grading will be on a straight scale (not curved) based on the following percentages: 94 – 100 = A 90 – 93.99 = A- 88 – 89.99 = B+ 84 – 87.99 = B 80 – 83.9 = B78 – 79.9 = C+ 74 – 77.9 = C 70 – 73.9 = C- 68 – 69.9 = D+ 64 – 67.9 = D 60 – 63.9 = D< 60 = F CLU Health and Safety Protocols All students must comply with the University’s current and required policies regarding health and safety at all times; otherwise, they may not be allowed on campus and/or unable to attend classes. Please see Campus Compact, Daily Health Check, and policies/updates at https://www.callutheran.edu/know/. Additional Notes • Please be sure to carefully go over the general university policies that govern this course. You will find these policies, and references to other important resources, under the “University Policies” link that is posted on Blackboard (left side of screen). • This syllabus is subject to change. Every effort will be made to alert students to changes that occur in a timely manner. Page 6 of 7 Tentative Schedule DATE TOPIC READING 01-18 01-20 Time Management: pp. xxxiii-xxxv 01-23 01-25 01-27 01-30 02-01 02-03 02-06 02-08 02-10 02-13 02-15 02-17 02-20 02-22 02-24 02-27 03-01 03-03 03-06 03-08 03-10 03-13 03-15 03-17 03-20 03-22 03-24 03-27 03-29 03-31 04-03 04-10 04-12 04-14 04-17 04-19 04-21 04-24 04-26 04-28 05-01 05-03 05-05 05-08 Organization & Prospectus Introduction to the topic The History and Scope of Psychology Research Strategies (Part I) Research Strategies II Social Psychology Social Psychology II (1-31: Last day to drop course without W) Social Psychology III EXAM 1 Ganzheitspsychologie (GP) GP & Structural Theory of Emotions Understanding Emotions II The Brain Nature & Nurture Nature & Nurture II Presidents Day Holiday! (No Class) The Developing Person The Developing Person II The Developing Person III Stress & Health Stress & Health II EXAM 2 Learning Learning II Learning III Memory Memory II Memory III (3-24: Last day to withdraw from class) Thinking, Language, and Intelligence Thinking, Language, and Intelligence II & Völkerpsychologie Thinking, Language, and Intelligence III EXAM 3 Introduction to Sensation and Perception Spring Break! (No Class) Perceptual Organization Perceptual Interpretation & Psychology at work: The Human Factor Personality Personality II Personality III Psychological Disorders Psychological Disorders II Psychological Disorders III Psychological Disorders IV (4-28: Research Requirement is due) Therapies Therapies II Reflections and Critical Review EXAM 4 – Time: 1:30pm (FINALS WEEK) in Swenson 101 Module 1 & Handout 1 (Download from Blackboard) Module 2 (up to p. 35) Modules 2-3 Modules 40-41 Modules 40-41 Module 42 & pp. 511-515 Modules 1-3; 40-42 & pp.s Handout GP (Blackboard) Module 37 Modules 35-36 Modules 5-6 Modules 10-11 & Handout Module 12 Modules 13-14 Module 15 Module 16 Modules 38-39 Modules 5-6, 10-16 & 35-39 Module 20 & pp. 278 – 280 Module 21 & pp. 280 – 282 Module 22 Module 23 Module 24 & pp. 311 - 312 Module 25 Module 26 Module 27 & Handout VP Modules 28 - 29 Modules 20 – 29 Module 17 Module 18 (pp. 229 - 238) Module 19 (pp. 250 - 256) & Appendix C: C-12 – C-14 Module 44 Module 45 (pp. 528 - 532) Modules 45 – 46 Modules 47 - 48 Module 49 Module 51 Module 50 Modules 53 - 54 Module 55 Modules 17-19, AC, & 44-55 Please note that because of unforeseen events that inevitably occur during the semester, some changes in this schedule may become necessary. 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