Advanced Placement Psychology
Course Expectations and Syllabus
Instructor: Mr. John Krause
Phone: 822-6770
E-mail: jwkrause@pulaski.k12.wi.us
“Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart. Who
looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens.”
- Carl Gustav Jung
Purpose of the Course
This course is a detailed study of Psychology. The AP Psychology course is designed to
introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of
human beings and other animals. Students are exposed to the psychological facts, principles, and
phenomena associated with each of the major subfields within psychology. They also learn about
the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. (Taken from the
Advanced Placement Course Description in Psychology by the College Board)
This course is very challenging and demanding. It is meant to be the equivalent of a college survey
course in Psychology, and therefore we will be using college level textbook and supplementary materials.
By taking and scoring well on the Advanced Placement Examination offered in May, you have the
opportunity to earn college credit for this course (more on the AP exam later).
The AP program in Psychology is designed to provide students with the analytic skills and factual
knowledge necessary to deal critically with the problems and materials in Psychology. The program
prepares students for intermediate and advanced college courses by making demands upon them equivalent
to those made by a semester introductory college course. Students should learn to assess psychological
material – their relevance to a given interpretive problem, their reliability, and the importance – and to
weigh the evidence and interpretations presented in psychological scholarship. An AP Psychology course
should thus develop the skills necessary to arrive at conclusions on the basis of an informed judgment and to
present reasons and evidence clearly and persuasively in essay format.
You will be expected to do a large amount of reading both in the textbook and in additional assigned
readings. Evidence of this reading is shown in class discussions, questions asked by you the student,
questions asked by the teacher, and answers to the teacher’s questions, as well as in unit tests which consist
of multiple choice and essay questions. You will be assessed in this class on your understanding and
analysis of the major events, people, concepts and trends of Psychology. Since 33% of your score on the
AP exam is based on essays, you will be expected to demonstrate your understanding and analysis of
Psychology through frequent essay assignments and examinations.
Textbook
Main Text:
Meyers, David G. Psychology, 9th ed. New York: Worth Publishing, 2010.
Supplementary Materials:
1. Hock, Roger R. Forty Studies that Changed Psychology: Explorations into the History of
Psychological Research, 5th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice Hall, 2005.
2. Straub, Richard. Study Guide to accompany- Psychology - by David Myers. New York: McGrawHill, 2010.
3. Additional readings as assigned by the instructor.
Course Objectives
1. Students will prepare to do acceptable work on the Advanced Placement Examination in
Psychology.
2. Students will study the major core concepts and theories of psychology. They will be able to
define key terms and use these terms in their everyday vocabulary.
3. Students will learn the basic skills of psychological research. They will be able to devise
simple research projects, interpret and generalize from results and evaluate the validity of
research reports.
4. Students will be able to apply psychological concepts to their own lives. They should be able
to recognize psychological principles when they are encountered in everyday situations.
5. Students will develop critical thinking skills. They will become aware of the danger of blindly
accepting or rejecting any psychological theory without careful, objective evaluation.
6. Students will build their reading, writing, and discussion skills.
7. Students will learn about psychology as a profession, and become aware of the educational
requirements, which must be met to pursue such careers. They will learn about the ethical
standards governing the work of psychologists.
Expectations of students:
1. Students are to listen/take notes during lectures. Students are expected to regularly
participate in class discussions/activities/assignment review, etc.
2. Students are expected to be in class, and to take the experience seriously.
3. Students will show respectful & courteous behavior toward peers and the instructor.
4. Students are expected to complete all work and reading(s) on time.
5. Late assignments will be accepted only for credit of points equivalent to an F letter grade.
6. If absent on the day of a test, the test must be made up the next day, or the first day that the
student returns to school. See the teacher during the morning, preferably before school, to set
up the time for the test. The test is to be made up prior to class time on that day. Missing class
to make up a test is not allowed.
7. Work must be completed in pen or be word-processed. If the teacher finds the work to be
illegible, it will not be accepted, and must be redone (with late penalty).
8. Students must be on time to, attend, and participate in class.
Required Materials
1. At least two large three-ring binder with tab dividers for units, handouts, notes and study materials
2. Notebooks
3. Loose leaf paper
4. Agenda
5. Lots of pens
6. An open and inquisitive mind!
“EvErything that irritatEs us about othErs can lEad us to an
undErstanding of oursElvEs.”
- Carl Gustav Jung
3 Ring Binder
It is highly recommended that you maintain an AP Psychology binder. Extra Credit will
be given for an organized binder (eight points maximum). In order to receive this credit
you will have the responsibility of showing the instructor their binder at a time l – 2 weeks
prior to the end of each grading period/quarter.
The three ring binders will allow you to keep track of all course materials, and will prove to
be an excellent resource as you prepare for the AP Exam. You will probably need a
separate binder for each semester. Your binder should be broken down into an organized
scheme. Two recommendations follow:
Scheme A:
l.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Scheme B:
Lecture/discussion notes and class activities
Study guides and reading notes
Primary Source Readings/Articles
Handouts
Review materials
1. Divide according to the Units of Study
Within each unit divide as follows:
A. Lecture/discussion notes and class activities
B. Study guides and reading notes
C. Primary Source Readings/Articles
D. Handouts
E. Review materials
2. Other review materials
Recommended
Student purchase of an AP-Psychology Review Book is recommended. Available at book stores like
Walden Books or Barnes and Noble.
Take advantages of “psychological moments”. These include events where any two people gather,
protests, club meetings, organizational meetings, political rallies, movies, etc…(be careful – Hollywood
movies are for entertainment and profit – not necessarily psychologically accurate but useful for analysis),
programs on the History Channel, A & E, and Discovery Channel, etc...
Note
Instructor may at any time make changes and modifications to any and all aspects of class
instruction, material, and course requirements.
Grade Distribution:
Your grade will be based on the following components:
60% Tests: Tests will be made up of a combination of Multiple Choice and Free Response Questions.
10% Quizzes: Quizzes will be predominately multiple choice, but may include matching, short answer,
and/or true and false questions.
20% Daily Work/Homework Assignments/ Article Summaries:
10% Book Review and stranger paper (first semester) term paper (second semester)
AP Grading Scale
93-100
A
90-92
A88-89
B+
83-87
B
80-82
B78-79
C+
73-77
C
70-72
C68-69
D+
63-67
D
60-62
D59 and less F
Unit Overview
Semester I:
Semester II:
Methods and Approaches Unit
Biological Influence on Behavior Unit
Sensation and Perception Unit
States of Consciousness Unit
Learning Unit
Memory Unit
Cognition Unit
Intelligence Unit
Developmental Psychology Unit
Personality Unit
Motivation Unit
Emotions and Stress Unit
Abnormal Psychology Unit
Treatment of Abnormal Unit
Social Psychology Unit
Semester Final Exam
AP Psychology Exam Preparation