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PSYCHOLOGY 100-014: General Psychology
Fall, 2013
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION:
Name: Dr. Paul C. Quinn
Office: Wolf 230
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. and by appointment
Office Phone: (302) 831-1701
Email: pquinn@psych.udel.edu
TA INFORMATION:
Name: Emily Stanley
Office: McKinly 113
Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday, 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and by appointment
Office Phone: (302) 831-1041
Email: estanley@psych.udel.edu
REQUIRED TEXT:
Psychology, 9th Edition (2012). Authors: Bernstein, Penner, Clarke-Stewart, and Roy
COURSE WEB SITE: http://www.udel.edu/sakai
COURSE OBJECTIVES, EXAMS, AND GRADING:
Psychology 100 is designed to give the student a broad overview of the field of psychology. It
will consist of assigned readings in the text, class lectures, and exposure to the research methods
employed by psychological scientists. The lectures will not merely repeat what you can read in
the text, but will attempt to present you with a clearer understanding of concepts and issues, why
the issues are considered important, and how the research worker attempts to resolve them. You
will thus be able to obtain a more up-to-date and integrated view of the various areas of inquiry
within contemporary psychological science.
The course is divided into four (4) parts. Part I will introduce you to psychological science, the
nature of research in psychological science, the biological bases of behavior, and the study of
sensory processes. Part II will cover the topics of perception, consciousness, learning, and
memory. Part III will explore the topics of cognition, development, intelligence, motivation, and
emotion. Part IV will focus on stress, personality, abnormal psychology, and psychotherapy.
Your understanding of the material in each part of the course will be tested with a multiplechoice exam. Each exam will count 25% toward your final grade. The exam dates during the
semester are September 23, October 16, and November 8. The final exam date is still to be
determined and will be announced as soon as is possible. Your course grade is based on
performance on the four exams.
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If you miss an exam for one of the three reasons listed below, you will have to take a make-up;
otherwise, a score of 0 will be recorded for that exam. It is your responsibility to contact the
teaching assistant to schedule a make-up exam. Make-up exams are written exams (essays),
rather than multiple-choice in format. Make-up exams are given ONLY under the following
circumstances:
1. Absence from an exam due to athletic participation or other extracurricular activities, in which
the student is an official representative of the University, shall be recognized when the student
informs the instructor in writing during the first two weeks of the semester of these planned
absences for the semester.
2. Absence from an exam due to serious illness or death within a student's family. To validate
such absences, the student should present evidence to the Dean's Office of his or her college. The
Dean's Office will then provide a letter of verification to the student's instructor.
3. Absence from an exam due to serious illness (e.g., hospitalization, surgery, or protracted
medical illness or convalescence). To validate such absences, the student should present
evidence of the illness to the Dean's Office of his or her college. The student will need to request
that the Student Health Service provide supportive evidence directly to the respective Dean.
If you miss an exam for a reason other than the 3 exceptions noted, no make-up exam can be
provided, and your score for that exam will be entered as a 0 when final grades are computed.
RESEARCH PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENT:
The course does have a requirement for research participation or research readings, one that
applies to all Psychology 100 sections. Guidelines for completing the research participation
requirement may be found at: http://fleen.psych.udel.edu/newdoc.php. I encourage you to
become familiar with the research participation website as soon as possible. Should you have
questions, please contact the Research Requirement Teaching Assistants, Matthew Deegan and
Adam Stivers. Their contact information is as follows:
202 Wolf Hall
PSYC100RR@psych.udel.edu
Office Hours: TBA
CLASS ATTENDANCE:
Obviously, regular class attendance is essential for a good grade in this course. Class attendance
is mandatory during exams.
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CLASS BEHAVIOR POLICIES:
For the sake of clarity and fairness, to me and to your classmates, I ask the following of all
students in this class:
1. Please do not conduct private conversations with classmates while class is in session, no
matter how low you think you can keep your voices. I reserve the right to ask you to change your
seat if talking in a particular location in the room becomes disruptive.
2. Please let me know if/when you would like to bring guests to class, so we can be sure there is
room.
3. Please do not use time in class to read the text (or any other text); use time outside of class to
do the reading.
4. Arrive to class on time.
5. I respect your needs to use the lavatory, but kindly limit these visits to emergencies.
ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Students who are caught cheating will be treated in accord with the Official Policy of the
University of Delaware as prescribed by the Office of Student Conduct, 218 Hullihen Hall. You
are encouraged to become familiar with the policies that govern academic integrity at the
University of Delaware at http://www.udel.edu/studentconduct/
PROBLEMS:
This class meets for about 14 weeks. Time will fly by, believe it or not, and you may put off
important work until you have little time to do a good job. If you are having difficulty with the
work, reading, schedule, or other problems, kindly see the teaching assistant or me immediately
so we can work together on solutions. Please don't wait until you have earned a painful grade or
until the semester is almost over before you take the first step.
A FINAL NOTE:
We are dealing with a discipline that is often mishandled by the media, mythologized by culture,
and misinformed by casual gossip. Therefore, we will have to read more, study harder, and think
more critically, in order to overcome the cumulative effects of these biases and propaganda. If
you are looking for an easy course, this is not it! However, with hard work and a genuine
intellectual commitment, you can earn a good grade and gain professional grounding in the
science of psychology.
Words to remember during the semester:
FOCUS!
COMMITMENT!!
INTENSITY!!!
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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
DATES
TOPICS
TEXT
Aug. 28
Review of Syllabus, Research Participation
Aug. 30
Introduction, Origins, Current Views
1
Sept. 4, 6
Research Methods
2
Sept. 9, 11, 13
Brain & Behavior
3
Sept. 16, 18, 20
Sensation
4
Sept. 23
EXAM 1
______________________________________________________________________________
Sept. 25, 27
Perception
5
Sept. 30, Oct. 2
Conciousness
9
Oct. 4, 7, 9
Learning
6
Oct. 11, 14
Memory
7
Oct. 16
EXAM 2
_____________________________________________________________________________
Oct. 18
Cognition
8
Oct. 21, 23, 25
Development
12
Oct. 28, 30
Intelligence
10
Nov. 1, 4, 6
Motivation and Emotion
11
Nov. 8
EXAM 3
_____________________________________________________________________________
Nov. 11, 13
Stress
13
Nov 15, 18, 20
Personality
14
Nov. 22, 25
Abnormal Psychology
15
Dec. 2, 4
Psychotherapy
16
TBA
FINAL EXAM