Psychology 1010 – Spring 2014 – Section 9
Course:
Psychology 1010, Section 9, CRN: 24157
Title:
Introduction to Psychology
Class Schedule:
3:05 - 4:20 p.m., TTR, Holt Hall 307
Credits:
Three (3) hours
Instructor:
Matt McCurdy
Office: 105A Collins Street Annex
Office Phone: 425-5846
Office Hours: 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. T,TR, or by appointment
E-mail: matthew-mccurdy@mocs.utc.edu
ADA Statement:
Attention: If you are a student with a disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric,
vision, hearing, etc.) and think that you might need special assistance or a spec
accommodation in this class or any other class, call the Disability Resource
Center (DRC) at 425-4006 or come by the office, 102 Frist Hall
http://www.utc.edu/disability-resource-center/ .
If you find that personal problems, career indecision, study and time management
difficulties, etc. are adversely affecting your successful progress at UTC, please
contact the Counseling and Career Planning Center at 425-4438 or
http://www.utc.edu/counseling-personal-development-center/index.php .
Texts:
Kowalski, R., & Westen, D. (2011). Psychology. Sixth Edition. New York: John Wiley
and Sons. (ISBN 978-0-470-64644-1)
Web based Study Guide – Psychology. Sixth Edition. New York: John Wiley and Sons. This study
guide is available to you at the following web site:
http://bcs.wiley.com/he-bcs/Books?action=index&itemId=0470646446&bcsId=5810
COURSE SCHEDULE
SECTION 1: Introductory Considerations and the Nature of Persons
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Jan.
Feb.
Feb.
7
9
14
16
21
23
28
30
4
6
Introduction to Course/Syllabus
Chapter 1- Psychology: The Study of Mental Processes and Behavior
Chapter 1 - Continued
Chapter 2 - Research Methods in Psychology
Chapter 2 - Continued
Chapter 3 - Biological Bases of Mental Life and Behavior
Chapter 3 - Continued
Chapter 9 - Consciousness
Chapter 9 - Continued
Exam #1
SECTION 2: The Nurture of Persons and Processes within Persons
Feb.
Feb.
Feb.
11
13
18
Chapter 5 - Learning
Chapter 5 - Continued
Chapter 6 - Memory
Psychology 1010 Syllabus
Feb.
Feb.
Feb.
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
20
25
27
4
6
11
13
18
2
Chapter 6 - Continued
Chapter 8 - Intelligence
Chapter 8 - Continued
Chapter 10 – Motivation and Emotion
Chapter 11 – Health, Stress, and Coping
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
SPRING BREAK – NO CLASS
Exam #2
SECTION 3: Persons and Persons Interacting with Other Persons
Mar.
Mar.
Mar.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
Apr.
20
25
27
1
3
8
10
15
17
Chapter 17 - Interpersonal Processes
Chapter 13 - Life-Span Development
Chapter 13 - Continued
Chapter 12 - Personality
Chapter 12 - Continued
Chapter 14 – Psychological Disorders
Chapter 15 - Treatment of Psychological Disorders
Exam # 3
Class Discussion/Review for Final
Make Up/ Optional Exam:
Section 9 – Saturday, April 26, 3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Psychology 1010 introduces contemporary psychology as a basic and applied social science. The focus of the course is
on an analysis of biological, mental, and social determinants of human behavior from the standpoint of psychological
theory, research, and practice. This course fulfills a general education requirement in Social and Behavioral Science.
During this semester we will focus on accomplishing the following course objectives:






Develop a knowledge base in psychology – You will gain familiarity with major concepts, theoretical
perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology
Understand research methods – You will be introduced to psychology as a basic and applied science and
will begin to see how psychologists design their studies, analyze their data, and interpret their results.
Encourage critical thinking – You will enhance critical thinking skills by learning to examine the issues of
psychology from the diverse and sometimes incompatible perspectives that operate within the discipline
and by seeing examples of how psychologists use the scientific method to answer their questions.
Gain insight into the applications of psychology – In the text and in the lectures, you will see how
psychological principles can be applied to personal, social, and organizational issues.
Appreciate the role of values in psychology – You will have opportunities to understand how values affect
perspectives in psychology and vice versa, and also how ethics is an important consideration in
psychological research.
Expand socio-cultural and international awareness – You will have opportunities to recognize, understand,
and respect the complexity of socio-cultural and international diversity.
Tests:
A total of four exams will be given. The first three will occur during the term before the final exam, and each will consist
of 50 multiple choice questions worth a total of 100 points.
At the end of the term, during the period for the final exam, a make-up/optional exam will be given. This exam will
consist of 50 multiple-choice questions covering the entire course and will be worth 100 points. If you miss one of the
first three exams, you must take this final make-up exam if you want to avoid receiving a zero for one of your exam
Psychology 1010 Syllabus
3
grades. For students who do not miss a previous section exam, this final exam will be an optional opportunity and cannot
be made up if it is not taken at the regularly scheduled final exam time.
For students who take the final plus all three previous section exams, course grades will be based on the best three out of
four exams. If the lowest grade is made on the final exam, then that grade will be dropped without penalty. Half of the
items on the final make-up/optional exam will be taken from multiple-choice questions for these 14 chapters that are
found on the web site Study Guide. The remainder of these 50 items will cover material in the text.
Grading:
Total points earned in the course will determine grades. Total points will be computed by adding up your three best exam
grades and any extra credit you may have earned and then by subtracting any points you may have lost because of poor
attendance.
Criteria for assigning grades are as follows:
Grade
Total Points
% of Possible Points
A
B
C
D
F
270-300
240-269
192-239
156-191
0-155
90%-100%
80%-89.9%
64%-79.9%
52%-63.9%
0%-51.9%
These criteria are fixed and will not be changed during the semester.
Make-Ups:
With one exception, there will be absolutely no make-ups for the first missed exam. The first missed exam will be scored
as a “zero,” and you will have to take the make-up exam scheduled for the end of the term. The “zero” then will be
dropped as the lowest test grade. Any student who misses more than one exam must contact the course instructor in order
to determine if making up the second missed exam is appropriate. If this second make-up is allowed, it will consist of 25
short-answer essay, identification questions. It is your responsibility to take care of arrangements for making up exams,
and these arrangements should be completed within two days of the missed exam or as soon as you return to school,
whichever comes first.
The one exception to the make-up exam policy as reviewed above is for students who are forced to miss any exam
because of an activity required of them by the University. Such students will be able to take the missed exam either
before or after the activity, which might include such events as athletic competitions, choir and band tours, etc. Students
who will miss an exam for one of these reasons should contact the instructor before the exam and make arrangements
then for taking the test at a different time.
Psychology 1010 Syllabus
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Extra Credit:
You may earn up to 21 extra credit points on the 300-point scale of this course by participating in authorized experiments
conducted by the Psychology Department. Points will be allocated for participation according to the following schedule:
2 points for the first half hour of any experiment
1 point for each additional half hour
You must be aware that there are no guarantees you will be able to receive any extra credit in this manner. The research
activity of Psychology Department faculty and students varies; so, projects will not necessarily be available to you.
When available, research participation is a chance for you to gain at least some insight into the psychological research
process. You are strongly encouraged to take advantage of these learning opportunities.
During some semesters and in some sections of 101, other kinds of extra credit opportunities may also be made available
to you. These might include extra class work, attendance at a presentation on some aspect of Psychology, or some
service activity approved by your instructor (e.g., contribution to a university-wide blood drive) to mention a few of the
possibilities.
Attendance:
Attendance will be taken during the term and will influence your grade if you miss more than five (5) classes. For each
absence after the first 5, regardless of any excuse you might have including those having to do with University
sponsored activities, you will lose two (2) points. For example, if you miss eight classes, you will lose six points on the
300-point scale of this course. The purpose of this procedure is to prompt you into coming to class, and it is based on the
assumption that consistent class attendance will help you make as good a grade as you possibly can.
Using the Web:
The internet is an increasingly valuable tool for those who are interested in learning. Kowalski and Westen acknowledge
this fact by offering a web site that goes along with their textbook. This web site should help you study for exams and
identify useful and interesting information on the web that is relevant to the chapters. Instructions on how to gain access
to this site are presented at the front of your textbook (see page xi or see the web address at the beginning of this
syllabus). Take advantage of this potentially valuable resource!
Also, questions associated with each lecture will appear on the On-Line web site that is associated with this course. You
should try to answer these questions to make sure that you have appropriately understood the most important lecture
material.
General Considerations:
We have a number of objectives in this course. Of greatest importance is our goal to help you gain a broad, basic
foundation in psychology. We would like you to enjoy the class and to do well in it. While we will be demanding, we
also will make every effort to be fair. For example, we will computer score the multiple-choice questions and examine
the class performance on each exam. If statistical analyses reveal an item to be grossly unfair, that item will be dropped
and your exam score increased.
In another attempt to be fair to serious students, we also have had to establish a number of rules concerning class
behavior. Please do not talk or write notes to each other in class, nor get up and leave the class once the lecture has
begun. Remember that a certain percentage of your exam will cover the lecture material, and it is difficult to concentrate
on the lectures when these distractions occur. If you know that you must leave the class after the lecture begins, you
should make arrangements with the lecturer before the class begins. Students who repeatedly violate these rules of
class behavior may be counted absent even though they are in attendance. Remember that absences can have a
negative impact on your grade if you get too many of them. We apologize for having to establish these rules. We are not
interested in giving anyone a hard time. However, we are strongly committed to our goal of having you learn basic
psychology. In the past, some students have complained about the disturbing behaviors of other nearby students. For that
reason, we will work hard to ensure that the classroom environment promotes your efforts to learn.
Psychology 1010 Syllabus
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These days, part of maintaining a productive class environment also requires some basic rules about the use of
electronics. Please turn off your cell phones during the class. You should also remember that coming to class should be
an opportunity for you to learn the lecture material. This means that “texting” during class and the use of computers for
any purpose other than taking notes is incompatible with course objectives. Especially if your use of electronics becomes
a distraction to the instructor and thus potentially to other students, you may be asked to stop such activities. Also,
during exams, absolutely no electronics can be used. In other words, you cannot listen to music during exams, nor use
computers or cell phones in any way.
The Psychology Department is very interested in maximizing library resources that you might find useful in this and its
other courses. During the semester, you might discover books that would have helped you had they been available in the
UTC Library. If that happens, would you please let us know? Just send the title and the author of the book to the head of
the Psychology Department at brian-o’leary@utc.edu. He will compile a list of books requested by students and will
order as many as possible, given the budget that the Psychology Department has available for that purpose.
Feel free to contact me if you have any problems during the semester. I will help in any way I can. Good luck! Work
hard! We encourage you to seek out each other in order to study together and to discuss the material. Help each other in
any way you can except during the exams. We sincerely hope that you learn a lot and that you have a good time doing
so. Have a great semester!
Finally, please note that this syllabus is subject to change, and it is the responsibility of the student to keep informed of
changes, new materials, and missed content.