PSY 101: Introduction to Psychology (ASU Summer Collegiate Academy)
Summer 2015
M-Th 9-11:00 AM, Location: SCOB 201
General Information
Instructors: Sarah Herrmann
Email: sarah.herrmann@asu.edu
Office: SCOB 305B (By Appointment)
Jake Patten
Email: kjpatten@asu.edu
Office: PSYN 320
Course Overview
WELCOME​
to Introduction to Psychology!​
Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Psychology is about you, the person sitting next to you, and the social world around us. The major emphasis of this course will be to apply psychology and critically evaluate human behavior and cognition. ​
This course will introduce you to what and how Psychology informs us about how we think, feel, and behave. There are many aspects to our behavior and Psychology studies biological, cognitive, development, social aspects of normal (and abnormal) behavior. In this course, you will learn Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to answer the above questions and gain a better understanding of the processes shaping how individuals think, feel, and behave. The information you learn and the critical thinking skills you develop are applicable to many careers. Specific goals for this class: 1. Gain a general understanding of psychology as a scientific discipline (research methods, major theoretical perspectives, main topics and concepts). 2. Develop critical thinking skills and communication skills regarding the body of knowledge, research findings, and underlying principles that currently exist in the field. 3. To stimulate thinking about the implications of the research for daily situations and use the knowledge gained from psychological research to benefit yourself and others. 4. Enjoy the class and get a good grade. Format
Class meetings will include lectures, demonstrations, exercises, and discussions. ​
Please be advised that some course content may be considered sensitive. ​
The class is small, so we will be able to talk about topics more in­depth than would otherwise be possible. To prepare for class, please read the assigned sections. Everyone should come to class willing and prepared to ask questions and discuss the class material. Make sure to log on regularly to Blackboard for important announcements and useful resources. We are most available and will respond as soon as we can via ​
email​
. We encourage you to use office hours to discuss class or exam material, to ask general questions, or provide comments. Textbook
​
Myers, D.G. (2010). ​
Psychology in Modules (10th​
edition​
). New York, NY: Worth Publishers. Supplemental readings will be posted to Blackboard under the relevant subject area. 1 Grading
Final grades will be calculated based on the following: Exams (60% = 4 x 75 pts) = 300 points Psychology in Action (20%)
= 50 points Activities/Assignments (20%)
= ​
50 points TOTAL: = 400 points 98 – 100%
A+
92 – 97%
A 90 – 91%
A­ 88 – 89%
B+ 82 – 87%
B 80 – 81%
B­ 78 – 79%
C+ 70 – 77%
C 60 – 69%
D all grades below 60% are failing grades Exams. ​
There will be five non­cumulative exams covering material presented in course lectures, class discussions, and reading assignments. Students must take all five exams but only the four highest exam points will be counted towards final grade. Exams will consist primarily of multiple­choice but may have matching, fill­in, short answer questions, and essay questions. As a general rule, ​
there will be no make­up exams​
. Under extraordinary circumstances (e.g., death of family member), or if you are seriously ill on the day of an exam, you must inform us the day of and must produce documentation of your circumstances (i.e., physicians note). We encourage students to meet with us to receive exam feedback and ways to improve one’s performance. Psychology in Action Presentations. ​
‘Psychology in Action’ presentations will take the form of in­class presentations in groups of 4­5 that demonstrate your ability to describe an actual event portrayed in the media (i.e., newspaper, internet, news cast, etc.) through the lens of psychology. You will be grouped on interests (e.g., cognitive, neuroscience, social, developmental, and clinical) and will present during the week we discuss that concept in class. Your analysis of the given event will be graded on whether it achieves one of the following goals: a) demonstrates a concept covered in class or lecture; b) illustrates an exception to the concept; or c) extends the empirical work to a new arena. Presentation Dates​
: Developmental (6/10), Cognitive (6/17), Neuroscience (6/23), Social (6/29), Clinical (6/30) Class Activities/Writing Assignments. ​
We will have various individual or group class activities (i.e., exercises, discussions) and/or writing assignments each week to give you feedback and help cement the material. ​
There are NO make­ups for in­class activities/quizzes. Course Policies
Attendance. ​
Attendance is ​
required​
.​
​
Even with an excused absence or arrive late/leave early, you will still be held responsible for knowing all materials and announcements covered in that class. If you are absent when an assignment is handed out, you will miss those points. 2 Classroom Atmosphere. ​
We encourage active participation in the classroom and asking questions to contribute to class discussions. Everyone needs to respect each other and refrain from any disturbances. ​
Cell phones need to be turned off. Laptops are permitted for course related work only. Specific Accommodations. ​
Students with disabilities should contact us privately​
​
at the beginning of the course to discuss confidential accommodations for which they have received authorization. If you have a disability, make sure to contact Disabled Resource Center (​
www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc/​
). Academic Integrity. ​
You are required to do your own work on everything (unless we explicitly say otherwise). If you cheat or plagiarize, you will be ​
dismissed​
​
with a failing grade ​
and further disciplined based on University policy (​
http://clas.asu.edu/policies/dishonesty/procedure​
). Course Timeline*
Date Lecture Topic Readings/Exams M 6/1 T 6/2 W 6/3 Th 6/4 M 6/8 T 6/9 W 6/10 Th 6/11 M 6/15 T 6/16 W 6/17 Th 6/18 M 6/22 T 6/23 W 6/24 Th 6/25 M 6/29 T 6/30 W 7/1 Th 7/2 Introduction and Research Methods The Biology of Mind Consciousness Recap & Review Development Nature, Nurture, & Diversity (​
Guest: Keelah Williams) Emotion (​
Guest: Alex Danvers​
), Health Recap & Review Memory Learning Thinking & Language Recap & Review Motivation Sensation & Perception Personality Recap & Review Social Psychology Psychological Disorders Therapy Recap & Review Modules 1, 3 Modules 4­6, ​
PIA Topic Selection Modules 7, 8, 10 EXAM #1 Modules 13­15 Modules 11­12 Modules 35­37 EXAM #2 Modules 23­26 Modules 20­22 Modules 27­28 EXAM #3 Modules 32­33 Modules 17­19 Modules 40­42 EXAM #4 Modules 43­44 Modules 47­51 Modules 52­54 EXAM #5 * This schedule is subject to change. We will post announcements about additional readings on Blackboard. 3