Student Syllabus Cover Sheet
Revised June, 2006
Semester and Year – Spring 2014
CRN (Course Reference Number), Course Prefix, Number and Title –
CRN: 20433; PSYC 2301, General Psychology, Section 902
Course Meeting Days, Times and Location (Campus, Building, and Room number) –
MWF – 9:00 – 9:50 a.m. Sugar Land Room 164
Instructor’ Name - Lesley Snow Blanks, M.A.
Instructor’s Telephone number(s) – 281-243-8571
Instructor’s email address – blanksl@wcjc.edu
Instructor’s webpage – http://facultyweb.wcjc.edu/lblanks
Instructor’s Office Hours and Office Location –
Sugar Land, Faculty Suite 224
MWF – 9:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
TTh – 8:20 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. – 1:05 p.m.
Course Catalog Description – General Psychology is a survey of the major
psychological topics, theories and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental
processes. Major topics in the science of the mind and behavior, such as personality,
emotions, thinking and learning, reasons for behavior, abnormal behavior and its treatment,
and how psychology can improve people's lives.
Instructor’s Grading System –
Course Grade:
Tests
Final Exam
Article Review Assignment
Total Points
Points each
100
Total
400
100
100
600
A = 600 – 540, B = 539 – 480, C = 479 – 420, D = 419 – 360, F = 359 – below
Instructor’s Attendance Policy – Attendance is taken daily.
Last day to “Drop” course with grade of “W” – April 25th, 2014
* Any student with a disability or other special circumstance requiring academic accommodations or other consideration in order to
successfully complete the requirements of this course should identify himself or herself individually to the instructor to discuss the
matter in a private and confidential manner.
** Misconduct for which discipline may be administered at WCJC includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly
furnishing false information to the college (plagiarism and cheating refer to the use of unauthorized books, notes, or otherwise
securing help in a test, copying tests, assignments, reports, or term papers).
Syllabus for PSYC 2301 – General Psychology – Spring 2014
Schedule:
MWF – 9:00 – 9:50 a.m.
CRN#: 20433
Section number: 902
Room: 164
Required Materials: Huffman, K. and Sanderson, C. (2014). Real World Psychology. New Jersey: Wiley.
Instructor:
Lesley Snow Blanks, M.A.
Website: http://facultyweb.wcjc.edu/lblanks/
Office: SL, Faculty Suite 224
Phone: 281-243-8571
Email address: blanksl@wcjc.edu
Office Hours:
MWF – 9:50 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
TTh – 8:20 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. – 1:05 p.m.
Catalogue Description:
General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories and approaches to the scientific study of
behavior and mental processes. Major topics in the science of the mind and behavior, such as personality, emotions,
thinking and learning, reasons for behavior, abnormal behavior and its treatment, and how psychology can improve
people's lives.
Prerequisite:
THEA reading and writing requirements met.
Credit:
Three credit hours.
Objectives:
 Describe the historical development of the study of human behavior including current theoretical perspectives
prominent in the field of psychology.
 Introduce terminology unique to the study of psychology.
 Encourage critical analysis of research findings through application of the scientific method and a basic
understanding of research design.
 Examine, compare and contrast factors contributing to development and individual human experience. Include
for study accepted approaches and ideas of perception, memory, emotion and personality.
 Explore the ways in which humans create their realities including those experiences, which deviate from the
mainstream of accepted experience and behavior.
ADA Statement:
Students with documented disabilities seeking accommodations should contact the ADA Coordinator in the Office of
Student Services. The student should provide current medical and/or psychological documentation verifying their
disability. (WCJC Student Handbook 2013-2014)
Evaluation:
Test Schedule: Tests will be multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the-blank, or short-answer, so students will need to bring
their own scantron sheets. Each test will cover 3 chapters (except final which is comprehensive). All tests will include
relevant lecture material that may not be in your textbook. Tests will be worth 100 points. All make-up exams will be
given the day of the final exam. Students are only allowed one make-up, and must inform the instructor prior to the final
exam.
Test #
Test #1
Test #2
Test #3
Test #4
Final
Date of Test
Friday, February 14th
Wednesday, March 19th
Monday, April 14th
Friday, May 9th
Wednesday, May 14th
Chapters covered (+ lecture material)
1, 2 and 4
5, 6 and 7
8, 9 and 10
11, 12 and 14
Comprehensive
APA Article Review and Analysis Assignment: Students will select a research article from an online database, conduct
a thorough review of the article in order to identify important aspects of the study, and will be tested for comprehension
of this material in class. For example, students should be able to answer the following questions about the selected
article:




What is the hypothesis?
What are the variables (both independent and dependent if experimental)?
Which research method was utilized in the study?
Who were the participants (define the population and sample)?
The article review assignment is worth 100 points. NO make-up assignments will be accepted. Students must complete
the assignment on February 26th. More detailed instructions and guidelines will be given in class and on website.
Attendance: Attendance is very important in this class in order to understand the theories and concepts evaluated on
exams. The instructor does NOT drop students from the course – this is the student’s responsibility.
Course Grade:
Tests
Final Exam
Article Review Assignment
Total Points
Points each
100
Total
400
100
100
600
A = 600 – 540, B = 539 – 480, C = 479 – 420, D = 419 – 360, F = 359 – below
Viewing Grades and Class Notes:
Students are able to view class notes, grades, syllabi and other announcements using my faculty webpage:
http://facultyweb.wcjc.edu/lblanks/
Class Policies:
Please refer to the Wharton County Junior College Student Handbook for general policies.
Class Disruptions:
Class disruptions will not be tolerated. This includes any disrespectful behavior to the instructor and/or other students.
Examples of unacceptable classroom behaviors are listed below:






Being consistently late to class or leaving class early
Talking while the instructor or classmates are speaking
Talking, texting, playing games on cell phones or cell phones ringing during class
Monopolizing class discussions
Students are not allowed to copy the instructor’s notes
Late work will not be accepted under any circumstance
Academic Integrity:
See WCJC 2013-2014 Student Handbook for college regulations.
Tentative Course Schedule: Below is the tentative schedule of chapter reading assignments, exams, and other important
dates occurring during the semester.
Date
Reading & lecture material
Requirement _______
January
20th – Monday
No class – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
22nd – Wednesday
Introduction, Syllabus
24th – Friday
Chapter 1
27th – Monday
Chapter 1
29th – Wednesday
Chapter 1
31st – Friday
Chapter 2
February________
3rd – Monday
Chapter 2
5th – Wednesday
Chapter 2
7th – Friday
No class – TCCTA conference
10th – Monday
Chapter 4
th
12 – Wednesday
Chapter 4
14th – Friday
Test #1 – Chapters 1, 2 and 4
17th – Monday
Chapter 5
19th – Wednesday
Chapter 5
21st – Friday
Chapter 5
24th – Monday
Chapter 6
26th – Wednesday
Article Review Analysis Assignment
28th – Friday
Chapter 6
March
___
3rd – Monday
Chapter 6
5th – Wednesday
Chapter 7
7th – Friday
Chapter 7
10th – Monday
No class – Spring Break
th
12 – Wednesday
No class – Spring Break
14th – Friday
No class – Spring Break
17th – Monday
Chapter 7
19th – Wednesday
Test #2 – Chapters 5, 6 and 7
21st – Friday
No class - UIL
24th – Monday
Chapter 8
26th – Wednesday
Chapter 8
28th – Friday
Chapter 9
31st – Monday
Chapter 9
April
_______
__
2nd – Wednesday
Chapter 9
4th – Friday
No Class
7th – Monday
Chapter 10
th
9 – Wednesday
Chapter 10
11th – Friday
Chapter 10
14th – Monday
Test #3 – Chapters 8, 9 and 10
16th – Wednesday
Chapter 11
18th – Friday
No class – Easter Holiday
21st – Monday
Chapter 11
23rd – Wednesday
Chapter 11
25th – Friday
Chapter 12
Last day to drop with grade of “W”
28th – Monday
Chapter 12
30th – Wednesday
Chapter 12
May
2nd – Friday
Chapter 14
5th – Monday
Chapter 14
th
7 – Wednesday
Test #4 – Chapters 11, 12 and 14
9th – Friday
Review
12th – Monday
No class
14th – Wednesday
Final Exam 8:00 a.m. – Comprehensive
* For exam purposes, focus on the topics discussed in class, as well as those covered in the textbook This is a tentative schedule and
may change at any time.