Dr. Don S. Christensen
Fall Quarter 2016
Shoreline Community College
Psychology
PSYC 209: Fundamentals of Psychological Research
Mini-Syllabus
The full version of the syllabus (which you are strongly encouraged to read) and all handouts
for the course are available at the following web site: http://shoreline.edu/dchris/psych209
Basic Information
Instructor:
Office:
Phone:
E-mail:
Office Hours:
Class Location:
Meeting Time:
Dr. Don S. Christensen
Room 5368 (FOSS Building)
(206) 546-5885
dchriste@shoreline.edu
Mondays: 9:30 – 10:20 & 1:45 – 2:45
Wednesdays: 1:45 – 3:00
Thursdays: 1:45 – 2:20
Fridays: 9:30 – 10:20 & 12:30 – 1:30
And by appointment
Room 2904
Monday – Thursday: 12:30 – 1:35
Textbook
Pelham, B. W., & Blanton, C. J. (2007). Conducting research in psychology: Measuring the
weight of smoke (3rd Ed.). Belmont, CA: Thompson Wadsworth. (Required)
Course Web Site
http://shoreline.edu/dchris/psych209
Exams, Assignments, & Grading
There are 3 formal tests in the course and each test is worth 40 points. After each of these exams,
there will be an extra credit session offering students the chance to add extra points to their exam
score from the previous day. There are 4 formal assignments for this class: a Microsoft Excel
assignment, the “jealousy” assignment, a library assignment, and a research article analysis
assignment. These assignments are worth between 20 and 26 points. There will also be three
short quizzes: a statistics quiz, a between-subjects design quiz, and a complex design quiz.
Quizzes are worth between 10 and 20 points. I grade on a percentage scale which ranges from
96% = A (4.0) to 60% = D- (0.7). Additional details on exams, assignments, and grading can be
found in the full syllabus.
Important Dates in This Class
10/17
11/2
11/8
12/7
10/3
10/26
11/21
Exams and Deadlines
Exam 1
Last day to drop classes with a W
Exam 2
Exam 3 (11:30 – 1:20)
Quizzes
Statistics Quiz
Between-Subjects Design (BSD) Quiz
Complex Design Quiz
10/13
10/31
11/7
11/17
11/28
Homework
Homework #1 (Excel) Due
Homework #2 (Jealousy) Due
Homework #3 (Library) Due
Homework #4a (Article Selection) Due
Homework #4b (Article Analysis) Due
Just In Case This is the Last Day You Come to This Course…
If you have already registered for this course but later decide not to take it, PLEASE BE SURE
TO OFFICIALLY DROP THE COURSE. Each quarter, a number of students get a grade of 0.0
(V) in this course because they forget to drop the class after they have stopped attending it.
Please don’t let this happen to you.