Introduction to Psychology
Psychology 101
Sample Syllabus
Course Description: What could be more important and interesting to learn about than people? At least that’s
what I thought when I began studying Psychology back when computers only existed in science fiction novels
and the Internet was something fishermen used. And I still think that. In this course we will present a broad,
general survey of the vast field that is Psychology. Because the field is so vast, we will not cover everything,
and we will not be able to go into a lot of depth on any particular topic—that will be the work of later
psychology courses, if you choose to take them. The main goals of this course are to acquaint you with the
different areas contained within psychology, to provide you with some of the major concepts of each area, and
to teach you how to think like psychologists. By this, I do not mean that you’ll walk around figuring out what’s
wrong with all of your friends and then present them with a large bill for telling them. Actually, only a small
subset of psychologists does this, and it’s not a good way to make or keep friends. I do mean that you’ll learn to
think more critically and scientifically about what makes people think, feel, and behave in the ways that they
do. I hope that you’ll work hard, learn a lot, and find much of what is covered interesting.
Required Textbook: Psychology: Themes and Variations, Briefer Version 9thedition (2014 Wayne Weiten,
Cengage Wadsworth)
This course and all related materials, powerpoints, quizzes, grades, etc. will be on SAKAI
Class Format/ General Info: Many people have an assumption that an Introductory Psychology course should
be pretty easy. This one is not. In some ways, it is actually more difficult than some of the 500 level courses I
teach. This is partly due to the fact that there is A LOT of information to master in this course. It is also due to
the fact that I really want students to leave this course having mastered the basic concepts of the many subfields of psychology. Please don’t make the mistake of believing that you can do well in this course by using
common sense. Much of what science has taught us about how people work is counter-intuitive.
The class will consist of large lectures three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Some of
what I lecture on will be in the book. Some of the material I present will not be in the book. You will be
responsible for everything that is presented in class, and there will be test questions on material that’s not in
your book. (In other words, if you want a good grade you have to come to class and either take notes or have a
very good memory). I will not go over everything in the book that I expect you to know. You will be tested on
material from the assigned reading that was not touched on at all in class. (In other words, you also have to read
the book). If you’re looking for a fairly easy class, there are probably much better options than this one.
Expectations: You are expected to come to class and take notes on material as necessary.
You are expected to do all of the assigned reading (before the relevant class) and to master and memorize all the
major concepts contained in it. The assigned textbook I think is a pretty good one. One advantage that it has,
being the “Briefer” version, is that there is a little less overall reading to do than would be the case with most
Intro Psych texts. However, because of its’ condensed format, there isn’t a lot of “filler” –the text is pretty
information-dense and most of what’s in the book is considered important.
This is a large class, so we will not be able to have many full on discussions; however questions and
comments during class are encouraged and will always be most welcome. Please try and word any
comments you wish to share in a way that is respectful to all.
Be polite. This means things like making every effort to arrive in class on time almost all the time, and staying
until the lecture is over (I know I’m going to). TURN OFF CELL PHONES BEFORE ENTERING CLASS.
Please don’t read the paper, text your friends, check Facebook, or do other things that may be a distraction
to those around you. Also, see above about being respectful.
There is an experimental requirement for all PSYC 101 courses, designed to provide all students taking their
first course in psychology some knowledge of the procedures and conduct of psychological research. A
principal aim of the requirement is for students to gain an appreciation of how psychology experiments work,
while simultaneously acquiring new knowledge about areas of psychology that students may not encounter in
their general PSYC 101 course. To satisfy this requirement, students must complete five hours of experimental
work. This requirement can be fulfilled by participating in actual psychology experiments (Option 1) or by
writing research critiques (Option 2). Students must be 18 or older in order to participate in experiments.
Those under 18 may only do Option 2 (research critiques) unless they submit a consent form signed by a parent
(available on the door of room 325 Davie Hall). More information about this requirement will be distributed in
class and posted on Sakai.
Grading:
Your grade will be based upon the following components:
Quizzes……………………………………………………….90 points
Reaction Papers .....................................................................100 points
Exam #1 .................................................................................250 points
Exam #2 .................................................................................250 points
Final Exam .............................................................................310 points
Exams: All exam questions will be multiple-choice, fill in the blank, matching, etc. Exam #1 will cover
material presented in class and Chapters 1-4 in your textbook. Exam #2 will cover material presented in class
and Chapters 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 in your text. The final exam will focus on material covered since Exam #2, and
will also include some cumulative questions (no more than 30% of the exam) addressing concepts from the
whole course. No make-up exams will be given and no excuses for missing an exam short of being in the
hospital at the time of the exam will be accepted.
Quizzes: There will be 6 online quizzes during the semester (approximately 1 after every 2 chapters). You will
complete these quizzes on Sakai, and they are open book. See the course schedule for the due dates for each
quiz. The purpose of these quizzes is to help you to learn and review the material. You are expected to complete
each quiz on your own—using any outside help other than your textbook is considered an Honor Code
violation. Each quiz is worth 15 points.
If you miss an online quiz, there is no make-up. If you anticipate some conflict with a quiz deadline, then
submit it EARLY. Because we are using an online quiz program, it is your responsibility to deal with any
computer, internet, or power problems that might interfere with your completion of the quiz. If your own
computer is broken, then go to a computer lab on campus and use Sakai there. I strongly encourage you to
submit each quiz at least 12 hours BEFORE the final deadline. If you have some computer problem, then
this should give you enough time to get to a computer lab and submit the quiz by the deadline. Once that
deadline passes, the quiz is automatically removed from Sakai and is no longer available. These quizzes must be
completed and submitted online. No paper or emailed copies will be accepted.
Reaction Papers: 4 times during the semester you will be asked to write a paper in response to prompt
presented on Sakai. The due dates and general topics for these papers will be announced in class, the specific
prompt will appear on Sakai. It is your responsibility to be in class to know that a paper has been assigned. Each
paper will be awarded one of 3 possible grades: A for good to excellent work; C for fair to poor work; F for no
paper submitted on time, or grossly inadequate work.
Date
Wed, Aug 20
Fri, Aug 22
Mon, Aug 25
Wed, Aug 27
Fri, Aug 29
Mon, Sept 1
Wed, Sept 3
Fri, Sept 5
Mon, Sept 8
Wed, Sept 10
Fri, Sept 12
Mon, Sept 15
Wed, Sept 17
Fri, Sept 19
Mon, Sept. 22
Topic
Introduction/Course Overview
History of Psychology
History/What is Psychology?
What is Psychology?
Scientific Approaches
NO CLASS-LABOR DAY
Scientific Approaches
Scientific Approaches
Biological Bases
Biological Bases
Biological Bases
Biological Bases
Sensation and Perception
Sensation and Perception
Sensation and Perception
Wed, Sept 24
Fri, Sept 26
Mon, Sept 29
Wed, Oct 1
EXAM 1-BRING SCANTRON
Consciousness
Consciousness
Consciousness
Reading Due
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
-
Quiz Due
-
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
-
QUIZ 2 DUE
-
QUIZ 1 DUE
-
SCHE
DULE
Fri, Oct 3
Consciousness/Learning
-
-
Mon, Oct 6
Learning
Chapter 6
-
Wed, Oct 8
Learning
-
-
Fri, Oct 10
Learning
-
QUIZ 3 DUE
Mon, Oct 13
Learning
-
-
Wed, Oct 15
Stress, Coping, and Health
Chapter 13
-
Fri, Oct 17
Stress/Cognition
Chapter 8
-
Mon, Oct 20
NO CLASS-FALL BREAK!!!
-
-
Wed, Oct 22
Cognition/Motivation/Emotion
-
-
Fri, Oct 24
Motivation/Emotion
Chapter 9
-
Mon, Oct 27
Motivation/Emotion
-
QUIZ 4 DUE
Wed, Oct 29
Development (Part 1)
Chapter 10
-
Fri, Oct 31
EXAM 2-BRING SCANTRON
-
-
Mon, Nov 3
Development (Part 2)
-
-
Wed, Nov 5
Social
Chapter 12
-
Fri, Nov 7
Social
-
-
Mon, Nov 10
Social
-
-
Wed, Nov 12
Personality
Chapter 11
-
Fri, Nov 14
Personality
-
QUIZ 5 DUE
Mon, Nov 17
Personality
-
-
Wed, Nov 19
Disorders
Chapter 14
-
Fri, Nov 21
Disorders
-
-
Mon, Nov 24
Disorders/Treatment
Chapter 15
QUIZ 6 DUE
Nov 26, 28
NO CLASS THANKSGIVING
Mon, Dec 1
Treatment
-
-
Wed, Dec 3
Treatment/Last Class
-
-
**Bri
ng a
SCAN
TRON
to all
EXA
MS**
**Qui
zzes
are
compl
eted
on
Sakai
Sat, Dec. 6 FINAL EXAM-BRING
8AM
SCANTRON- 8AM
and must be completed by the deadline. Late quizzes will not be accepted.
**Please note – There is a good chance that this schedule will be modified. Announcements will be made
in class.