PSY100 General Psychology
Section 6
Fall 2008 Syllabus
MWF 1-1:50
Clark A104
TEACHING TEAM CONTACT INFORMATION
Please contact the teaching team using the emails listed below. Please note that you
should contact different members of the teaching team based on your questions. Much of
your email contact will be filtered through the TAs. The reason for this is so that you can
receive prompt responses from the team. When emailing, please include PSY100 in the
subject line.
Primary Instructor
Michele C. Baranczyk, M.S.
Email: mchapin@lamar.colostate.edu
Phone: 491-6091
Office: Clark B-207
Office Hours: W 2-4 and by appointment
 If you stop by my regular office hours, you do not need to set an appointment—you
can just come in. If you are not able to meet during scheduled office hours, we can
arrange another time to meet.
Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA)
Name: Adam Zaleski
Email: azaleski@lamar.colostate.edu
Office: Clark C-21
Office Hours: Monday 12:00-1:00
 Email the GTA with questions about grades, RamCT, course content, tests, or course
procedures.
Writing Graduate Teaching Assistants (WGTA)
Name: Danielle Sitzman (will be grading papers with last name A-L)
Email: Danielle.sitzman@colostate.edu
Office hours: By appointment
Name: Molly McLaren(will be grading papers with last names M-Z)
Email: Molly.McLaren@colostate.edu
Office hours: By appointment
 Email the WGTA with questions about writing assignments and grading of writing
assignments.
Undergraduate Teaching Assistant (UTA)
Amanda Hines
Email: ahines@simla.colostate.edu
 Email the UTA for questions on course content, tests, or book/lecture questions.
Please note that you are responsible for all material on this syllabus. If you have a
question that is clearly outlined in the syllabus, we will simply direct you to the syllabus.
TEXT
 Required
o Textbook: Meyers, D. G. (2008). Exploring Psychology: Seventh Edition
in Modules.
o iClicker—available at the bookstore
 Be sure to register your iclicker to receive credit in this course. To
register, go to http://cliker.colostate.edu/ and click on “Clicker
Registration.”
 Optional Text
o Study Guide to Accompany David G. Meyers Psychology Eighth Edition
o Video Toolkit
**There is a copy of the textbook and the study guide on reserve in the library**
COURSE OBJECTIVES
 Students will gain an appreciation for the breadth of topics, subfields, and
occupations within the field of Psychology.
 Students will be exposed to an overview of major findings and current thinking
about a broad range of topics in Psychology.
 Students will acquire a basic understanding of historically and currently important
theories in our field, and an increased ability to think critically about them.
 Students will acquire a basic understanding of the use of the scientific method in
historical and current psychological investigations.
 Students will acquire basic tools for becoming critical consumers of psychological
research as well as psychological information presented in the popular media.
SPECIAL NEEDS
 If you have special needs, please contact me early in the semester so that I can
accommodate you effectively. I am happy to work with Resources for
Disabled Students if necessary. I want to make sure you have every possible
opportunity to succeed in this course.
WHAT IS EXPECTED OF YOU
Student conduct
CSU students are expected to follow the guidelines for student conduct outlined in the
Colorado State University Student Conduct Code (see
http://www.conflictresolution.colostate.edu<http://www.conflictresolution.colostate.edu/
>). Violations of this code, such as inappropriate, disruptive classroom behavior and any
form of cheating (including plagiarism) will be reported to the Office of Conflict
Resolution and Student Conduct Services. A hearing may be required, and potential
sanctions may include grade penalties, loss of course credit, or expulsion from the
university. Please note that ignorance of what constitutes "plagiarism" or "cheating" will
not be an acceptable defense.
In addition, to the university guidelines, I also expect the following.
 Please make every effort to arrive on time and remain for the entire session. If you do
need to arrive late or leave early, please do so with as little disruption to the class as
possible.
 Please turn off and put away cell phones, pagers, etc. upon the start of class time.
This can be disruptive to me and the rest of the class.
 Refrain from talking, reading newspapers, or anything else that distracts you and
others from the class content.
Attendance
I expect that as a student who takes your education seriously, you will make every effort
to attend class. Attendance will be taken periodically via iClickers and in-class writings,
and will contribute to your participation grade.
In the event you do miss class, ask a classmate, the UTA, or the GTA for notes. I will not
give you notes or slides, though I am happy to discuss questions you might have during
office hours.
Participation
You will get more out of the class if you actively participate in discussions, ask questions,
and offer examples. I highly encourage you to participate in class discussions, as the
literature indicates that those students who actively participate in class tend to learn more and
perform better in class (i.e., receive higher grades).
Academic Honesty
While I encourage you to study collaboratively outside of class, each student is expected to
work independently on all assignments and exams, and to use only his or her iClicker.
Plagiarism involves representing another's work or ideas as your own, and/or representing
another's work or ideas as your own without full, clear, appropriate acknowledgement.
Plagiarism may occur whether or not you know the person, have found materials on the
Internet or another source, or have purchased them.
Students are cheating when they 1) plagiarize in any way, 2) look at another person’s exam or
any assignment, or use any unauthorized material to answer questions on exams or any
assignments, 3) allow another student to use their work on exams, papers, essays, or any other
assignment, 4) use another student’s iClicker or allow another student to use theirs, or 5) use
work that was prepared for another course without permission from the instructor. Any student
who is judged to be cheating may receive a failing grade for the assignment and in the course
(see CSU’s Policy on Academic Honesty in the General Catalog). Such students can also
expect that the Office of Student Conduct Services will be notified and the appropriate actions
will be taken.
ASSIGNMENTS AND GRADING
RESEARCH REQUIREMENT (9% of grade; 75 points)
 You will have the opportunity to participate in active research studies currently
running at CSU. Information and further instructions on participating in research are
located at the end of this document. Note that you must complete all research by
December 12, 2008.
 If you have questions about a particular study, your attendance at a study, etc., please
contact the RESEARCHER with your questions. Members of the teaching team do
not have any information about the research being conducted.
Option B
 If you do not wish to participate in active research, you can choose to complete
Option B to complete your research requirement. You must make your decision by
Tuesday, September 2, 2008, and you must follow the instructions for “Option B” at
the end of the syllabus. If you do not follow the instructions for Option B by the
deadline, you will be defaulted to Option A. Note that all Option B papers must be
submitted by November 21.
EXAMS (49% of grade; 400 points)
 There will be four exams. Each exam is worth 100 points and will consist of 50
multiple choice questions.
 All class content is fair game for test questions. This includes but is not limited to
information covered in (a) lecture material, (b) material in assigned chapters not
covered in class, (c) guest lectures, (d) videos, and (e) demonstrations.
 There is an optional cumulative exam at the end of the term. The questions on this
exam are taken primarily from previous exams.
 If you take all 5 exams, your lowest exam score will be dropped. If you miss a test
for any reason, you will need to take the cumulative final exam.
 Final exam date: Monday, December 15 7-9 AM.
 NO MAKE UP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN. The ONLY exception to this is for
university-sponsored events (i.e., athletics). If you will miss an exam due to a
university function, it is your responsibility to contact the GTA and/or instructor at
least two weeks in advance to make alternative arrangements.
WRITING (32% total; 265 points)
Papers (18% of total grade; 150 points)
 Three times this semester, you will write a paper 3-4 pages in length. Each paper will
be worth 50 points. Detailed paper topics and grading criteria will be distributed
throughout the semester.
 Papers must be turned in at the BEGINNING of class on the due date.
 Late papers will lose 5 points per day. This includes weekends. Thus, if a paper is
due Friday, and you turn it in Monday, you will have 15 points deducted as a late
penalty.
In-class writings (13% of total grade; 105 points)
 Throughout class, you will have 7 in-class writing assignments. These assignments
are in-class written responses of one-half to one page in length. They will not be
announced ahead of time. In-class writings will be worth 15 points each.
 There will be no make-ups for missed mini-writings. However, nine mini-writings
will be offered through the course. Thus, if you’ve completed the first seven miniwritings, you do not need to complete the last two.
PARTICIPATION (11% of grade; 90 points)
 Participation in this class will be assessed with iclickers. Nearly every day, you will
have the opportunity to answer in class questions using your iclicker. At the end of
the semester, I will randomly select 10 days to check for participation. You will
receive 9 points for each day that you participated in class by using your iclicker.
EXTRA CREDIT (47 points)
You may earn extra credit through your research participation in three ways:
 Completing ALL research as scheduled—i.e., you receive 0 no-shows (for Option B,
you complete all papers on time) will result in 15 extra credit points
 Completing up to four additional hours of research (writing up to four extra papers for
Option B) for up to 20 extra credit points (5 points per research hour/paper)
 You may complete additional mini-writings beyond the required 7. You will receive
6 extra credit points for each additional mini-writing (12 points total)
**Percentage totals may add up to slightly more that 100 due to rounding.
GRADING
A+(99-100%)
A (90-98%)
B (80-89%)
C (70-79%)
D (60-69%)
F (59% or less)
811 or more points
738-810 points
656-737 points
574-655 points
492-573 points
491 or fewer points
*Very Important Note: I do not give grades in this course; you earn them. Thus, your final
grade will reflect the total number of points you earn. Averages will not be calculated, nor will
grades be curved. For example, if your total points equal 736 at the end of the semester, you
will have earned a B for the course.
Schedule
Date
Aug 25
Aug 27
Aug 29
Sept 1
Sept 3
Sept 5
Sept 8
Sept 10
Sept 12
Sept 15
Sept 17
Sept 19
Topic
Introduction
Research Methods
Research Methods
LABOR DAY—NO CLASS
Neurology
Neurology
Nature/Nurture
Nature/Nurture
Sensation & Perception
Sensation & Perception
Sensation & Perception
EXAM 1
Assigned Modules
Sept 22
Sept 24
Sept 26
Sept 29
Oct 1
Oct 3
Oct 6
Development
Development
Development
Consciousness & Dreaming
Consciousness & Dreaming
Conditioning
Conditioning
Paper 1 Due
Conditioning
Learning by Observation
Memory
Memory
EXAM 2
7
8
9-10
15
17
18
19
Thinking
Language
Intelligence
Intelligence
I/O psych
I/O Psych
Stress & Health
Emotion
Paper 2 due
Emotion
Personality
Personality
EXAM 3
23
24
25
25
28
28
Oct 8
Oct 10
Oct 13
Oct 15
Oct 17
Oct 20
Oct 22
Oct 24
Oct 27
Oct 29
Oct 31
Nov 3
Nov 5
Nov 7
Nov 10
Nov12
Nov 14
2
3
4
5
6
11
13
14
20
21
22
29
30
33
34-35
Nov 17
Nov 19
Nov 21
Nov 24-29
Dec 1
Dec 3
Dec 5
Dec 8
Dec 10
Dec 12
Disorders
Disorders
Disorders
FALL BREAK—NO CLASS
Therapy
Therapy
Paper 3 Due
TBA
Social Psychology
Social Psychology
Social Psychology
36
37
38-39
40
41-42
43
44
45
DECEMBER 15
**EXAM 4 AND OPTIONAL CUMULATIVE EXAM
7-9 AM**
**Dates/topics subject to change by instructor. Changes will be announced in class and
posted to RamCT.