PSYC 100 INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY
Course Syllabus
Fall 2009
Instructor: Nazli Baydar, PhD
Office: SOS 256
Class Schedule: Tuesday – Thursday 11:30 AM – 12:20 PM
Classroom: ENG Z50
Office Hours: Thursdays 3:30 - 4:30 pm
Phone: (212) 338 1513
Email: nbaydar@ku.edu.tr
Discussion Sessions: will be held on Fridays throughout the semester – you will need to check with the
registrar’s office to learn when and where your group meets.
Course Description and Objectives:
The purpose of this course is to provide you with a broad introduction to psychology as a science of human
behavior, cognition, emotions, and relationships. We will explore various areas of psychology, including
biological, learning, cognitive, developmental, social, personality and clinical psychology. We will also
discuss the history of psychology as a science and the kinds of methodologies used in psychological
research.
The course has two components. The first component consists of lectures on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The
second component consists of Discussion Sessions (DS’s) on Fridays. The DS’s will meet in groups of about
25 students and will complement the lectures of each week. You will have a chance to engage in group
discussions and activities with your DS leaders. DS’s are not for reviewing or repeating the lectures. Certain
topics may be covered only in DS’s. You are expected to attend both the lectures and the DS’s. Exams
will include all materials covered in the lectures and DS’s.
Course Requirements and Procedures:
A. Text: Myers, D. G. (2008). Exploring psychology in Modules (7th edition). Worth Publishers.
B. Important electronic resources:

Relevant course materials such as the syllabus, handouts, and other announcements will be
maintained in the KUAIS course website.

There is a companion website to your textbook. This website can be accessed at:
http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/exploring7einmodules
We highly recommend that you make use of this website. The website will be a great help to you in
preparation for the exams.

All correspondence about your PSYC100 coursework will be done via your KU email.
B. Exams: There will be two mid-terms (25% each) and a final (30%). The final exam will be
comprehensive. All exams are multiple-choice tests. Exam dates are set by the registrar’s office and are not
negotiable.
1
C. DS assignments and pop quizzes: You will be given 4 pop quizzes during DS’s. These quizzes will
include two short-answer questions pertaining to the topics covered during that week. The quizzes will
account for 10% of your final course grade. There will be no make-ups for the pop quizzes. If you are
absent for a quiz, you will receive zero credit for it even if you have a medical excuse.
Course Policies:
A. Attendance & Participation: You are expected to attend all lecture and discussion sessions, do all
readings on time, participate in class activities, and participate in the exams as scheduled. Attendance will be
regularly taken in the DS sessions. Switching lecture or DS sessions is not allowed.
We will not be taking attendance during classes. Since class discussions include explanations, examples, and
expansions of the materials covered in the text book, we expect that students who choose not to attend will
not be successful in the midterm and final examinations. Nevertheless, it is your responsibility as a
student to attend classes in order to ensure optimal learning.
B. Make-up for missed exams: Make-up exams are given only when you have an approved medical
excuse. Make-up exams will be scheduled within 2 weeks of the original exam date. You will be notified of
this date via email.
C. Extra Credit: You will have an opportunity to earn up to 3 points of extra credit by participating in
research studies conducted by Department of Psychology students and faculty members. Whenever there is a
new study that you can participate, you will receive an e-mail from the research coordinator (Melis Yavuz,
email: meyavuz@ku.edu.tr). Extra credit is not an entitlement, and all students may not be able to find
research studies to participate. Students who engage in any misconduct such as cheating on exams and/or
attendance forms, or misbehaving in the classroom will not be able to receive any extra credit.
D. Academic Honesty: Honesty and trust are fundamental values to Koç University students and faculty. I
will enforce Koç University code of ethics to its fullest extent as outlined in the Policies and Procedures
section of the University Catalog.
Summary of the basis for grades:
Source of credit
Midterms
Final
Discussion session attendance-participation
Pop quizzes
Total credit
Extra credit
% contribution to course grade
50 (2x25)
30
10
10
100
3
Your final letter grade will be assigned according to the following scale: Over 90 = A; 87-90 = A-; 83-86 =
B+; 79-82 = B; 75-78 = B-; 71-74 = C+; 67-70 = C; 63-66 = C-; 59-62 = D+; 55-58 = D; 54.4 and below =
F.
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SCHEDULE FOR PSYC 100 LECTURESDS SCHEDULE WILL BE DISTRIBUTED SEPARATELY
September 29 Tuesday
Introduction to the course
October 1 Thursday
The History and Science of Psychology
October 6 Tuesday
Research Strategies
October 8 Thursday
Research Strategies
October 13 Tuesday
Biology and Behavior
October 15 Thursday
The Brain
October 20 Tuesday
Behavior Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology
October 22 Thursday
Behavior Genetics and Evolutionary Psychology /
Environmental Influences on Behavior
October 27 Tuesday
Developmental Issues, Prenatal Development and the
Newborn; Infancy and Childhood
October 29 Thursday
Holiday (No Classes)
November 3 Tuesday
Developmental Issues, Prenatal Development and the
Newborn; Infancy and Childhood
November 5 Thursday
Infancy and Childhood
November 10 Tuesday
Waking and Sleeping Rhythms
M1
M2
M2
M3
M4
M5
M5 + M6
M7
M7 + M8
M8
M15
November 12 Thursday
November 17 Tuesday
November 19 Thursday
Waking and Sleeping Rhythms
Classical Conditioning
Operant Conditioning
M15
M18
M18 + M19
November 24 Tuesday
November 26 Thursday
December 1 Tuesday
December 3 Thursday
Learning by Observation
M19 + M20
December 8 Tuesday
December 10 Thursday
December 15 Tuesday
December 17 Thursday
December 22 Tuesday
December 24 Thursday
December 29 Tuesday
December 31 Thursday
January 5 Tuesday
January 7 Thursday
Holiday (No Classes)
Information Processing (Memory)
Information Processing (Memory) and Forgetting,
Memory Construction and Improving Memory
Memory Construction and Improving Memory and
Intelligence
Intelligence
Intelligence
The Psychoanalytic Perspective and the Humanistic
Perspective
The Humanistic Perspective and Contemporary
Research on Personality
Contemporary Research on Personality
Social Thinking
Social Influence
Introduction to Psychological Disorders
Introduction to Psychological Disorders
3
M21
M21+M22
M22+M25
M25
M25
M33+M34
M34+M35
M35
M43
M44
M36
M36