Student Syllabus Cover Sheet
Revised June, 2006
Semester and Year – Spring 2014
CRN (Course Reference Number), Course Prefix, Number and Title –
CRN: 20429; PSYC 2301, General Psychology, Section 905
Course Meeting Days, Times and Location (Campus, Building, and Room number) –
TTh – 9:25 – 10:40 a.m. Sugar Land, George Building 101
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:
TTh – 9:25 – 10:40 a.m.
CRN#: 20429
Section number: 905
Room: George Building 101
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
Tuesday, February 11th
Tuesday, March 18th
Thursday, April 10th
Tuesday, May 6th
Thursday, May 15th
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:



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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 27th. 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
21st – Tuesday
Introduction, Syllabus, Chapter 1
23rd – Thursday
Chapter 1
28th – Tuesday
Chapter 1
th
30 – Thursday
Chapter 2
February
4th – Tuesday
6th – Thursday
11th – Tuesday
13th – Thursday
18th – Tuesday
20th – Thursday
25th – Tuesday
27th – Thursday
March
4th – Tuesday
6th – Thursday
11th – Tuesday
13th – Thursday
18th – Tuesday
20th – Thursday
25th – Tuesday
27nd – Thursday
April
1st – Tuesday
3rd – Thursday
8th – Tuesday
10th – Thursday
15th – Tuesday
17th – Thursday
22nd – Tuesday
24th – Thursday
29th – Tuesday
Chapter 2
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Test # 1 – Chapters 1. 2 and 4
Article Review Analysis Assignment
Chapter 7
Chapter 7
No class – Spring Break
No class – Spring Break
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Test #2 – Chapter 5, 6 and 7
Chapter 10
No Class
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
No class – Easter Holiday
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Test #3 – Chapters 8, 9 and 10
May
1st – Thursday
Chapter 14
6th – Tuesday
Test #4 – Chapters 11, 12 and 14
th
8 – Thursday
Review
13th – Tuesday
No Class
15th – Thursday
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.