PSY 201
Introduction to Psychology
I.
COURSE INSTRUCTOR:
Siyuan Chen, Adjunct Faculty
schen@mc.edu ; 601-842-4957 (cell); http://www.mc.edu/faculty/schen
MC Home Page --> Faculty Web Page --> Siyuan Chen --> download syllabus/ PowerPoint
II.
III.
PREREQUISITES: None; approved for core curriculum
COURSE DESCIPTION
The course provides a survey of the fundamental processes and concepts of human
behavior. Topics include research methods, physiological bases of behavior, sensation,
learning, emotion, motivation, psychological measurement, abnormal behavior and social
psychology.
IV.
RATIONALE
The purpose of this course is to inform the student of the many differing influences on an
individual’s behavior and mental processes. The course is designed to enable the student to
better understand oneself and others.
V.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
General Core Objectives:
A. Learn how to conduct research and present research findings orally and in writing.
B. Learn how to work in teams to conduct research and solve problems.
C. Learn and apply information related to personal development, such as stress
management and behavior modification
Specific Course Objectives:
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A. Understand the history of psychology and the important research methods used.
B. Be familiar with the importance of the physiological bases of behavior.
C. Understand the importance of our senses and how they affect behavior.
D. Be aware of the different methods of learning.
E. Be familiar with what constitutes intelligence and how it is measured.
F. Understand the nature of emotions and motivation.
G. Understand personality and its development.
H. Understand the nature and scope of abnormal behavior.
I. Understand the stages of child development.
J. Understand the influence of social groups and situations on an individual’s
behavior.
VI.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Mississippi College expects all students to be scrupulously honest. Plagiarism and other
forms of cheating will be dealt with in accordance with the policies of the university. Further
details on the school’s honesty policy are found in the undergraduate catalog, on the M.C.
web page and in the office of Student Affairs.
VII.
COURSE TOPICS
A. Research methods
B. Brain and behavior
C. Life-span development
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D. Sensation and perception
E. Learning and intelligence
F. Thinking and language
G. Consciousness
H. Personality
I. Stress and health
J. Psychological disorders
K. Social psychology
VIII.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
Instructional procedures will include lectures, group discussions, written and oral
presentations by the student.
IX.
ASSIGNMENTS
Careful reading of assigned textbook chapters and supplemental materials is expected of
each student. Each student will participate in classroom discussions. Each student will also
complete various outside papers and projects. These assignments are listed with their
deadline on the schedule portion of the syllabi; further details will be given closer to due
dates.
X.
LEARNING MATERIALS
The textbook for the course is The World of Psychology (7th ed.) by Wood, Wood, and
Boyd. Other materials may include videos, library readings, handouts and the text’s
companion website.
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XI.
METHODS OF EVALUTION
There will be FIVE non-comprehensive chapter Tests given this semester. Test dates will
be announced well in advance. Each quiz will comprise 10% of the student’s final grade. No
make-up tests will be allowed.
There will be FIVE outside assignments this semester. Due dates are as listed on the
course schedule. Each assignment will comprise 8% of the student’s final grade. Any assignment
turned in after the listed deadline will be considered late; late work will be docked one letter
grade for each school day it is late. The final 10% of the student’s final grade will be based on
class attendance and participation.
The grading scale for this course is as follows:
A= 100%-90%;
B= 89%-80%;
Five tests: 50% totally (10% each);
C= 79%-70%;
D= 69%-60%;
F= 59%-0%
Attendance and participation: 10%
Five assignments: 40% totally (8% each)
XII.
OTHER COURSE INFORMATION
Accommodation --- if the student needs accommodation for a disability, please contact
Dr. Ward in the Career and Counseling Center, Lowery Hall 116. Please also inform the
instructor of this contact and the necessary arrangements.
Attendance --- the school policy will be followed concerning absences. Excessive
absences will result in a lower final grade. Students whose absences exceed 25% of the class
meetings (8 class meetings) will receive a grade of an F for the course. Further information on
the school’s absence policy can be found in the undergraduate catalog.
Tardies will not be excused. If a student is late to the class and is marked absent during
the roll-call, it is that student’s responsibility to inform the instructor that he/ she was in class;
otherwise the absence will remain on the roll. Two tardies will be considered equal to one
absence. A student who is more than 15 minutes late to class will be considered absent.
All papers need to be typed clearly in Double-Space.
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XIII.
SCHEDULES
Date
Chapters
Jan. 9~13
Syllabus
Due
Jan. 16~20
Introduction to Psychology
Jan. 23~27
Biology and Behavior
Jan. 30~ Feb. 3
Sensation and Perception
Feb. 6~ 10
States of Consciousness
Feb. 13~17
Learning
Feb. 20~24
Memory
Feb. 27~ March. 2
Adolescence and Adulthood
March 26~30
Motivation and Emotion
Apr. 16~20
Test 3
Spring Break! 
March 19~23
Apr. 9~13
Test 2
Child Development
March 12~16
Apr. 2~6
Genogram
Photo Album Essay
Cognition, Language, and Intelligence
March 5~9
Test 1
Test 4
Personality, Career Assessment
Human Sexuality and Gender
Health and Stress
Movie Analysis
Psychological Disorders
Apr. 23~27
Wrap it Up
Presentation
Test 5
Note:
Assignments in Mon.&Wed.&Fri. class all due Monday; Tue.&Thur. 8AM class’s homework
due Tuesday, while the 9:25AM class due Thursday. Test Day for MWF class are on Fridays and
for TF class are on Thursdays.
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XIV.
ASSIGNMENTS DETAILS
♫ Genogram (Your Family Map)
The first step to know yourself starts from your family tree. You are about to draw a map of
your family and your extended family on paper. The detailed instructions will be told by
instructor in class. You can use color pens or any kind of tools/decoration to show your special
style on your map. No paper size requirement, but your responsibility is to make it clear enough
to understand. In addition, please also write 2-pages paper to explain how these family
structures or environments influence your development or your life.
See due date in schedule. Read the DO and DON'T below.
Do

Don't

Do NOT turn in your draft work;
and mental relationships;

Do NOT write/draw on your

notebook paper;
Draw out the biological, emotional,
Explain the meaning of your symbols
in the map with footnotes;


Use a ruler to draw straight lines;
handwriting, even you may do good.

Describe how the family structures

Do NOT write your paper by any
Do NOT only describe the biological
and dynamic systems influence your
relationship with your family in the
value and your life in your paper;
paper;

Print out your paper and turn in your 
whole assignment on time
Do NOT list all the random
relationships which are not essential/
significant to your life;

Do NOT have bad attitude
Scoring:
The Genogram drawing and its paper will count 50 points separately, under the scoring
categories of language, content, insight, creativity, and attitude.
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♫ Photo Album Essay
You are to describe how you see yourself and tell something about who you are. To do this,
you need to take (or have someone else take) 20 photographs, which can be anything just as long
as they tell something about who you are. You may be in the photography. Ideally, the
photographs depict your various parts of facets. Your skill or technical ability as a photographer
is not of interest in this project. When you have compiled the 20 photographs you are to make a
book about yourself. Label each photograph with 2-3 words. At the back of the book, write a
One page reflection on what you learned from auto-photography and how you were affected by
the experience. Creativity will be your bonus!
See due date in schedule. Read the DO and DON'T below.
Do
Don't

Make your own photo album book;

Do NOT turn in USB flash drive;

Label each photo with 2-3 words;

Do NOT email me PowerPoint;

Print out your reflection paper, and

Do NOT print your photos in A4
Turn in with your photo book together
paper black and white;
on time

Do NOT have bad attitude
Scoring:
The Photo Album and its paper will count 50 points separately, under the scoring
categories of language, content, insight, creativity, and attitude.
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♫ Personality and Career Assessment
Each student will complete various psychological batteries focusing on appropriate career
options and personality assessment. The student will then use these measures, normative results,
and other resources to conduct a self-analysis. For example:
Do you agree with what the measures report?
Does the tests career suggestion align with what you see yourself doing?
Does the personality measure seem to match with your future career options?
Does it fit your choice for major in college? …
You need to write a 4 pages paper for this project.
See due date in schedule. Read the DO and DON'T below.
Do

Don't
Read Chapter Personality Theory and 
Do NOT do your assessment while
Assessment as your reference;
you are in class;


Take your time to complete all
Do NOT turn in your assessment
assessment fully;
result sheet;


Think about some questions before
you write your essay;

Do NOT copy and paste the
assessment explanation in your paper;
Print out your paper and turn it in on 
Do NOT have bad attitude
time
Scoring:
The Personality and Career Assessment paper will count 100 points totally, under the
scoring categories of language, content, insight, creativity, and attitude.
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♫ Movie Analysis
Current major-motion pictures provide the introduction to psychology student with a wealth
of case studies for examining psycholopathology and social psychology. For this project you are
to select one movie that you believe depicts some aspect of psychology covered in this course
(psychopathology and social psychology may be the topics most easily covered in this project,
but any covered topic may be used). You are to watch and discuss the movie, showing how
this movie illustrates there principles of psychology in a 3-pages critique paper.
Use quotes from the movie, input from directors, and your textbook and class materials. This
project is not to simply report back to the instructor what has been taught in the class; it is to
interact with the material and to how a case study (the movie) illustrates the principles of
psychology. Have FUN with this assignment; you may find illustrations the instructor would not
have found, but as long as you can argue you care you are doing the assignment.
See due date in schedule. Read the DO and DON'T below.
Do

Don't

Read Chapter Therapies and Chapter
Do NOT read any movie review
Social Psychology as your reference;
before watching the movie if possible;


Take your time and have fun to
Do NOT copy and paste the movie
watch the movie fully;
brief description, movie analysis or

review in your paper;
Think and discuss with your friends

before you write the essay;

Do NOT have bad attitude
Print out your paper and turn it in on
time
Scoring:
The Movie Analysis paper will count 100 points totally, under the scoring categories of
language, content, insight, creativity, and attitude.
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♫ Group Presentation
In the week which we talk about Psychological Disorders, students will be divided into
different groups. Each group is about to pick one kind of mental disorders and prepare a
presentation in class for 15 minutes. The definition, symptoms, treatments, and application in
life shall be included in your content. Every student should be involved in team work and
contribute to the whole process. The ones who have no contribution will be scored differently
from other group members.
See due date in schedule. Read the DO and DON'T below.
Do

Don't

Read Chapter Psychological
Do NOT only read your PowerPoint
Disorders as your reference;
materials during the presentation;


Search library, internet or mental
Do NOT act like a outsider while your
health agencies for resource;
teammates are speaking;


Do NOT be late or absence;
group as a team;

Do NOT present without enough

preparation;
Have regular meetings with your
Prepare PowerPoint, handout, and
speech for presentation;


take less responsibilities;
Show up on time, dress

appropriately, be a team player
Do NOT make up excuses to skip or
Do NOT have bad attitude
Check the scoring requirements:
 Content (definition, symptoms, treatments, applications, your opinions)
 Languages (verbal & non-verbal: words, tones, speed, posts, gestures, facial expression)
 Materials (handout)
 PowerPoint (appropriate stimulus to audiences)
 Cooperation (sense of team-work, appropriate task distribution, smooth presentation)
 Time management (regular meetings, task distribution, personal contribution)
 Active group discussion in class (effective communication, openness for sharing)
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XV.
Suggested Lists of Psychological Films
Names of Movies
Key Words/ Topics
A Beautiful Mind
Schizophrenia
A Walk to Remember
Faith and love
Amélie *
Romance and isolation
American Beauty
Midlife developmental crisis
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence and love
Ann Frank
Life in the World War II
Away From Her
Alzheimer’s patient
August Rush
Music, family, and dream
Bacheha-Ye Aseman (the Children of Heaven)*
Love of Siblings
Beauty and the Beast
Appearance and heart, love, wisdom
Brokeback Mountain
Gay
Butterfly Effect
Butterfly Effect
Clean*
Drug, mother and son, love, survive
Courageous
Faith, family, justice
Crash
prejudice
Dancer in the Dark*
Blindness and mother’s love
Forrest Gump
Intelligence
Fireproof
Faith and Marriage
Harry Potter series (any of 1st to 7th)
Magic, Fate, Friendship and Love
Letters to God
Courage, family, death, cancer, faith
Life is Beautiful
Find meanings of life
Juno
Teen pregnancy
Narnia Series
Faith, adventure, love
Nell
Wide language learning
Notebook
Memory and Love
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
Abnormal psychology, mental disorders
Overboard
Money vs. Love
Passion of Christ
Faith, history, God, Jesus Christ
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Peter Pan
A boy never grown up, wonderland
Pay it Forward
Connections among people
Rain Man
Autism
Remember the Titans
Racial integration
Radio
Intelligence
Titanic
Love, frame, money, reputation, disaster
The Sisterhood of the traveling pants 1or2
Friendship, life changes, love
The Miracle in the 34th Street
Time, life, Christmas, family
The Blind Side
Life changes, football, family, faith
The Help
Mississippi history, racial conflict
Sound of Music
Music, children, love, war, and loyalty
Sleepless in Seattle
Single parents and love
Spider-Man
Justice, self-image, love, family
Step Up (1 or 2)
Find and be yourself
The Joy Luck Club
Chinese immigrants, mother and daughter
Wall-E
Love, human future, earth protection
When a Man Loves a Woman
Love, alcoholic recovery, family life
When Nietzsche Wept
How psychoanalysis developed
When Harry met Sally
Friendship and love
Note:
If you have some other movies in mind which are not on the list, please CONTACT me
FIRST before writing your paper and welcome any discussion friendly.
“*” represents foreign movie in the list.
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