Student Syllabus Cover Sheet Revised 4/8/14 Semester and Year – Spring 2015 CRN (Course Reference Number), Course Prefix, Number and Title – CRN: 20429; PSYC 2301, General Psychology, Section 906 Course Meeting Days, Times and Location (Campus, Building, and Room number) – TR – 9:25 – 10:50 a.m. Sugar Land, George Building Room 101 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 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: TR – 9:25 – 10:50 a.m. CRN#: 20429 Section number: 906 Room: George Building Room101 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 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: 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 Tuesday, February 10th Tuesday, March 3rd Tuesday, April 7th Thursday, April 30th Thursday, May 14th 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 19th. 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 20th – Tuesday Introduction, Syllabus, Chapter 1 22nd – Thursday Chapter 1 27th – Tuesday Chapter 1 th 29 – Thursday Chapter 2 and article review assignment information February 3rd – Tuesday 5th – Thursday 10th – Tuesday 12th – Thursday 17th – Tuesday 19th – Thursday 24th – Tuesday 26th – Thursday March 3rd – Tuesday 5th – Thursday 10th – Tuesday 12th – Thursday 17th – Tuesday 19th – Thursday 24th – Tuesday 26nd – Thursday 31st – Tuesday April 2nd – Thursday 7th – Tuesday 9th – Thursday 14th – Tuesday 16th – Thursday 21st – Tuesday 23rd – Thursday 28th – Tuesday 30th – Thursday May 5th – Tuesday 7th – Thursday 12th – Tuesday 14th – Thursday Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 No class – Spring Break No class – Spring Break Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 9 No class – Easter Holiday Test # 1 – Chapters 1. 2 and 3 Test #2 – Chapter 4, 5 and 6 Article Review Assignment Test #3 – Chapters 7, 8 and 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Test #4 – Chapters 10, 11 and 12 Chapter 14 Review No Class 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.