PSYC 101 – INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
Course Syllabus
Instructor Information
Instructor:
E-mail:
Office:
Phone:
Dr. R. Nathan Pipitone
npipitone@adams.edu
MCD 352
587-7286 (e-mail is the easiest way to contact me)
Course Delivery
Online, Semester-based
Credit Hours
3 Semester Hours
Course Prerequisites
None
Course Time Limits
All Semester-based courses follow a 16-week calendar as detailed in the Course
Schedule.
Course Materials
Textbooks can be purchased from the Adams State University Bookstore. To order
textbooks or obtain information about book titles, you may go to exstudies.adams.edu
and click on the "Bookstore" link. Select "DISTLEARN" from the department menu.
(http://adams.edu/students/sub/bookstore/)
Use Section Number: 1392 to order books from Bookstore site. This should provide
the correct textbook information and ordering options.
If you have questions, you can contact the Bookstore at 719-587-7981, email at
asubookstore@adams.edu or by mail to Adams State University Bookstore, 208
Edgemont Blvd., Suite 3140, Alamosa, CO 81101.
Required Text:
Myers D. G. (2008). Exploring Psychology seventh edition in modules. Worth
Publishers, New York, NY ISBN-13: 1-978-1-4292058-9-4.
Adams State University – Extended Studies©
Page 1 of 6
December 2013
PSYC 101 – INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
Additional Class Requirements:
This course is delivered via Blackboard. You must have access to a computer that is
capable of running all Blackboard programs and access to the internet in order to
complete the course.
Course Description
This course is an introduction and overview of the field of psychology. Students will
investigate the research, theory, and history of the science of psychology. Primary goals
of the course are to teach the students critical thinking skills, increase their awareness
of diversity and multiculturalism, and expose them to the science behind psychological
practices. The topics covered will include research methods, neuroscience, sensation
and perception, life-span development, learning, memory, personality, psychological
disorders, and social psychology.
Student Learning Outcomes/Course Objectives
Students will be able to:






Explain the terminology and theories associated with psychology.
Examine how the science of psychology is shaped by ongoing research.
Develop critical thinking and problem solving skills that will assist them in life
outside of the classroom.
Examine psychology from a multicultural perspective
Examine the role of biology and neuroscience as it applies to psychological
phenomena.
Investigate the historical, current, and future role of psychology and its various
divisions.
Class Communications
I will attempt to answer emails as soon as possible. However, I will not be online at all
hours of the day. You must give 24 hours for response time before sending a request a
second time. While this is a virtual classroom, the rules of respect are the same. I, as
your professor, will respond to your inquires as soon as possible. You, as student, will
need to show an understanding of the limits of an online classroom. If for any reason I
will not have internet access for an extended time I will post an announcement on
Blackboard and will send emails letting you know in advance.
Course Organization
Inside Blackboard you will find a number of tools to help you learn the materials for this
course. Not all of them are required. Specifically, your book, and thus the course is
organized by modules. If you click on the link "Learning Modules" you will be taken to a
page that shows four "section links". You will start this course with "Section 1" and move
Adams State University – Extended Studies©
Page 2 of 6
December 2013
PSYC 101 – INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
forward through each subsequent section. If you click on the "Section" link you will see
a number of other links that take you to various resources. We have organized these
resources into "Presentations," "Assignments" and "Assessments." You are required to
complete any work that is listed under "Assignments" and "Assessments". However, all
of the materials listed under "Presentations" are there for you to use to study. You will
note that some modules have more study materials than others. You are not required to
use any of those resources, and may ignore them if you wish. I believe they will be
helpful to you in learning the material, but you are a better judge of your learning style
and may select to either use those resources or not.
To recap:
Required to use:
 All PsychSim assignments
 All Quizzes
 All Exams
Optional to use:
 Powerpoint Lecture notes in .pdf
 Powerpoint Handout
 Flashcards
 Extra Weblinks
Course Requirements
As your instructor it is my job to deliver to you all the tools you need to succeed in this
course. However, you are, in the end, responsible for your own achievement. It is my
hope you will enjoy the course and find the topics as exciting as I do. Listed below are
the specific assignments and requirements of this course. Given the nature of this
online course, you are one step removed from the face to face learning environment.
Please make sure you manage your time well and send any questions you have as
soon as you have them.
PsychSim Tutorials
Many of the modules in this book have additional PsychSim tutorials. You will be
completing 15 of these PsychSims assignments. Please be sure to be thorough and
elaborate in your responses – no one word answers. Also, use your own words; do
not just duplicate the words used in the tutorials. Each PsychSim has an .rtf question
sheet you will need to download, fill out, and resubmit the assignment to the dropbox. A
total of 150 points (10 per assignment) will be given for these activities. Late
assignments will receive ½ a point deduction for each day late. Any late assignments
must be turned in by the last day of final exams.
Note: PsychSims are online, web-based activities. The final screen for each assignment
gives you the option to "submit" the answers; do not click on this option. Instead, fill your
Adams State University – Extended Studies©
Page 3 of 6
December 2013
PSYC 101 – INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
answers in on the downloaded answer sheet and submit that .rtf following the
instructions listed under each assignment
Quizzes
Prior to each exam you will take two quizzes. Each quiz will be worth 30 points and will
test you on half of the modules for that section of the course (Quiz 1 = first half of
modules, Quiz 2 = second half of modules). You will get two chances to take each quiz
and your highest score will factor into your grade
Exams
There will be four - 100 point exams throughout this course. Each exam will cover only
the modules that you are responsible for during that section of the course. You will only
have access to the exam once you have completed both quizzes and the PsychSim
assignments for that section of the course. Once you have completed the exam, the
next section of the course will open
Semester Paper
This paper is meant to give you practice at reading and summarizing scientific research.
It is due at any time during the semester. Do not save this paper until the last minute.
You will be required to submit a 2 to 3 page summary of a psychological study in APA
format (a guide to APA format is seen at this link
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/). You must include a title page and
a reference page for your summary. You will be able to retrieve a copy of a published
scholarly article from the Nielsen Library. Use the link provided in Blackboard and
search the Psychology databases for an article of your choice. The only limitations are
that this article must be from a peer reviewed scientific journal (not a book chapter,
dissertation, or magazine article) and that the topic of the article must be one that ties to
this course (any psychology article you find should work for that piece). The assignment
is worth 50 points. Late papers will receive a 5 point deduction for every day late. This
assignment should be saved in .rtf and submitted via the assignment dropbox. Please
make sure and use the following format when saving the assignment (assignmentnameyourlastname).
A summary paper should include an introduction, body, and conclusion. The
introduction will introduce the article you are reviewing and how you will be presenting it.
The body of the paper should summarize the article in your own words (refer to the
“How to Avoid Plagiarism” handout under the Syllabus and Information link). Finally, the
conclusion should include some critical thoughts. What did you think? What did you
learn? What were some limitations of the study? What are some future implications?
Adams State University – Extended Studies©
Page 4 of 6
December 2013
PSYC 101 – INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
Grade Distribution and Scale
Grade Distribution
8 quizzes (30 points each)
240 points (28%)
4 Exams (100 points each)
400 points (48%)
Paper
50 points (6%)
15 PsychSims (10 Points each) 150 points (18%)
Total
840 points
Grade Scale
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
840-781 points
780-756 points
755-731 points
730-697 points
696-672 points
671-647 points
646-613 points
612-588 points
587-563 points
562-504 points
503 points and below
100 - 93%
92 - 90%
89 - 87%
86 - 83%
82 - 80%
79 - 77%
76 - 73%
72 - 70%
69 - 67%
66 - 60%
59% and below
ADA Statement
Adams State University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section
504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Adams State University is committed to achieving equal
educational opportunities, providing students with documented disabilities access to
university programs. In order for a course to be equally accessible to all students,
different accommodations or adjustments may need to be implemented. The Office of
Disability Services (ODS) is located in Richardson Hall, Suite 3-100, by mail at 208
Edgemont Blvd., Suite 3-100, Alamosa, CO 81101, by email at odsd@adams.edu, or by
calling 719-587-7746. They are your primary resource on campus to discuss the
qualifying disability, help you develop an accessibility plan, and achieve success in your
courses. Please communicate with them as early as possible; this can be in person, via
email, or by phone. The Disability Services Coordinator shall either provide you letters
to give to your professors for accommodations or email these letters out to you and your
professors.
Adams State University – Extended Studies©
Page 5 of 6
December 2013
PSYC 101 – INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
Academic Integrity
In accordance with Academic Policy 100-03-01, Adams State University, to preserve
academic integrity, does not tolerate academic dishonesty (misconduct). Every student
is required to practice and adhere to the principle of ACADEMIC INTEGRITY while
undertaking studies at Adams State University. Students and faculty at Adams State
University value academic honesty as a virtue essential to the academic process.
Cheating, plagiarism, unauthorized possession or disposition of academic materials, or
the falsification or fabrication of one’s academic work will not be tolerated.
Any offense may result in a zero for the exam, lesson, or exercise in question and may
result in failure of the course. Please refer to the ASU Extended Studies Academic
Integrity website for more information including the student handbook: Academic
Integrity at Adams State University.
All written work is subject to plagiarism detection software review.
Student Identity Verification
Adams State University utilizes a variety of methods to verify the identity of students
enrolled in courses, including but not limited to: secure logins and pass codes,
proctored exams, security questions, and other technologies and practices that are
effective in verifying student identity. Some of these methods may incur an extra cost to
students; associated costs will be outlined in the course syllabus, other University
documents, and on the University website. Adams State University reserves the right to
request additional government-issued documentation of identity from students for the
purpose of ensuring that the person enrolled in the course is the person completing
assignments, exams, and all other course requirements. Any student engaged in
incidents of student identity fraud may face reprimand, disciplinary warning, a lowered
or failing grade(s), and/or probation, or suspension from the course, academic program
or University, or expulsion from the University.
Adams State University – Extended Studies©
Page 6 of 6
December 2013