Psychology 101
General Psychology
Spring 2015
(CRN 21606, section 007, 3 credits; Tuesday & Thursday 5:00-6:15pm; Kinard 308)
Instructor Information
Name: Tara Collins, Ph.D.
E-mail address: collinstj@winthrop.edu
Office Location: Kinard 121
Office Phone: 803-323-2469
Office Hours: TR 2:00-3:15pm; W 2:00-4:00pm, and by appointment
Required Text
Myers, D. G. (2011). Exploring Psychology w/ DSM 5 Update, Ninth Edition. Worth Publishers. ISBN:
9781464163364
This book is also available in different formats at
http://www.macmillanhighered.com/Catalog/product/exploringpsychologywithupdatesondsm-5ninthedition-myers
Additionally, our course textbook has a companion website with flashcards, quizzes, and other useful
resources, at: http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/exploring9e/#t_837228____
Additional required materials:
 Stapler! Assignments that exceed 1 page must be stapled, otherwise they will not be accepted.
Blackboard, Email, and Listserv
Blackboard (https://bb-winthrop.blackboard.com/) will be used for announcements as well as for other
relevant materials pertaining to the course. Thus, it is recommended that this site as well as your e-mail
account be checked on a daily basis. Info about Blackboard and university email is available from
Information Technology (323-2400; helpdesk@winthrop.edu).
Students are automatically added to the course email listserv. However, students who add the course
late (a week before classes begin or later) may not automatically be added. It is your responsibility to
make sure you are added to and receiving emails from the course listserv. Please see the following
website for instructions regarding how to add/remove yourself from course listservs:
http://www.winthrop.edu/technology/default.aspx?id=7081
Our course designator is: PSYC101007
Student Learning Goals
Touchstone/General Education Goals
PSYC 101 counts toward the social science component of Winthrop’s Touchstone (General Education)
Program. At a minimum, the course will meet the following University Level Competencies:
Competency 1: Winthrop graduates think critically and solve problems.
• Winthrop University graduates reason logically, evaluate and use evidence and solve problems. They
seek out and assess relevant information from multiple viewpoints to form well-reasoned conclusions.
Winthrop graduates consider the full context and consequences of their decisions and continually
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reexamine their own critical thinking process, including the strengths and weaknesses of their
arguments
Competency 3: Winthrop graduates understand the interconnected nature of the world and the time in
which they live.
• Winthrop University graduates comprehend the historical, social, and global contexts of their
disciplines and their lives. They also recognize how their chosen area of study is inextricably linked to
other fields. Winthrop graduates collaborate with members of diverse academic, professional and
cultural communities as informed and engaged citizens.
Global Learning Initiative
PSYC 101 is also included in Winthrop’s Global Learning Initiative. The global learning component to be
addressed in this course includes: understanding cultural influences on perceptions of normal and
abnormal behavior.
Student Learning Outcomes
The successful student in PSYC 101 will:
 Gain a general understanding of the field of Psychology
o Develop an understanding of various psychological perspectives, including cultural
influences (GLI goal).
o Understand the science of psychology including methodologies and the utility of
quantitative approaches (Competency 1).
 Be able to apply the course knowledge to everyday life (Competency 3).
o Be able to not only learn the course material, but to learn how apply it to
personal/social issues.
 Develop skills that will facilitate further learning and reasoning (Competencies 1 & 3)
o Develop critical thinking skills
o Learn how to search the library/literature
o Develop arguments
o Communicate effectively verbally and through written work
o Integrate course knowledge and skills with other courses and fields of study
Writing Requirement and Assistance
I encourage you all to seek help from as many sources as you can to help improve your written work. I
am available during my office hours (and by appointment) to provide you with additional help. Also, the
Winthrop University Writing Center is an excellent resource that can help you improve the clarity and
power of your writing. The Writing Center is located in 242 Bancroft and offers 30 and 60 minute
sessions (they accept walk-ins, but you can call 323-2138 to make an appointment). To get the most out
of your session at the Writing Center, have a draft of your paper ready along with a specific question or
issue you want to address. They are especially helpful for issues related to developing a thesis,
improving flow, and incorporating references into your paper.
Academic Success Center
Winthrop’s Academic Success Center is a free resource for all undergraduate students seeking to
perform their best academically. The ASC offers a variety of personalized and structured resources that
help students become effective and efficient learners. The services available to students are as follows:
peer tutoring, academic skill development (test taking strategies, time management counseling, and
study techniques), group and individual study spaces, and academic coaching. The ASC is located in
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University College on the first floor of Dinkins Hall, Suite 106. Please contact the ASC at 803-323-3929 or
success@winthrop.edu. For more information on ASC services, please visit www.winthrop.edu/success.
Lecture Notes
Partially completed lecture notes are also available on blackboard. Please print them for each chapter
prior to the lecture for that chapter. The course schedule explicitly lists what chapter(s) we will be
covering during each class period.
Use of Turnitin
The issue of digital plagiarism has raised concerns about ethics, student writing experiences, and
academic integrity. Winthrop subscribes to a digital plagiarism detection program called Turnitin.com,
which may be used to check papers submitted in this course. You may be asked to submit your papers in
a digital format so that your paper can be checked against web pages and databases of existing papers.
Although you may never have engaged in intentional plagiarism, many students do incorporate sources
without citations; this program can alert me to your academic needs. Additional information will be
provided regarding the submission of your work to turnitin.
Grading
Final course grades will be out of 480 total possible points, including four exams (100 points each; 400
total) and eight short application papers (10 points each; 80 points total). Final letter grades will be
determined as follows:
Grade earned
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
Minimum Percentage
93.50%
90.00%
86.50%
83.50%
80.00%
76.50%
73.50%
70.00%
66.50%
63.50%
60.00%
59.9% and below
Minimum Points needed
448.8
432
415.2
400.8
384
367.2
352.8
336
319.2
304.8
288
287.99 and below
Exams
There will be a total of four exams. Each exam will only cover new material, therefore none of the exams
will be cumulative per se. However, a great deal of this material in this course builds off of previous
concepts, therefore a greater understanding of the earlier material will aid in the understanding of later
concepts.
Application Papers (APs)
You will be required to write eight short (1-1 ½ page) papers for this course. You will be asked to turn in
these eight APs throughout the semester that are derived from your observations outside of class (e.g.,
experiences, concepts from other courses, examples from the media) that illustrate psychological
principles. APs should consist of (a) an observation or event, (b) the principle—from the assigned
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chapter-- that it illustrates, and (c) the justification for identifying this occurrence as illustrative of the
principle.
Please note that each AP will cover material that has not yet been discussed in lecture. Therefore, you
are expected to read the chapter corresponding to the AP assignment and write your paper based on
the information provided in your textbook. If you need assistance in writing your AP/clarification of the
concepts, please visit me during office hours!
We will be covering 13 chapters throughout the semester, you will need to submit an AP for 8 out of
these 13 chapters in order to receive up to the maximum 80 points possible for this portion of the
course. Each AP is worth up to 10 points. APs should be typed in 12-point Times New Roman font,
double-spaced, and at least 1 page in length. Note that the page requirement does not include the
heading (e.g., name, title, class, etc.), so be sure that your APs are a full page of text! Also please note
that you must turn in at least 4 APs prior the mid-point of the semester (February 24th). If you have
turned in fewer than 4 APs by 2/24, you will receive a zero for each AP that you did not turn in.
Completing more than 4 APs in the first half of the semester is completely acceptable and is
encouraged!
For each AP submission you must:
 Submit the AP for the appropriate chapter on the date indicated on the course schedule.
 Submit the AP via:
o electronic copy to turnitin through Blackboard (must be submitted before 4:00pm on
due date)
o hard (printed out) copy in class (if you are late to class, your paper will not be accepted)
 Staple your AP if it exceeds 1 page
APs that do not meet the above requirements will not be accepted and will result in a grade of zero.
There are NO exceptions to these rules! You are HIGHLY encouraged to start turning these papers in
early. Excused absences do not excuse you from these rules, so plan your semester accordingly. If you
look at the calendar, you will see that you have 13 possible class periods in which you can turn in your 8
APs. Do not wait until the last minute to complete these assignments. Please do not ask me to make
exceptions to these rules; if you do, I will refer you back to this portion of the syllabus.
Attendance
Daily attendance will be taken; however, it will not formally be factored into final grades. However,
attendance will be used to help me make decisions regarding borderline grades. For example, if you
have a borderline grade (i.e., within 0.5% of the next highest grade) and you have near perfect
attendance (no more than one class missed) then your grade will be rounded up to the higher grade. In
addition, perfect attendance will be rewarded with an additional 3 bonus points that will be added to
your final total points.
It is extremely important that you attend each and every lecture. Regular attendance is necessary for
you to fully understand the material in class. You will be best served if you complete the reading
assignments before coming to class, that way lecture topics will make more sense and you’ll have the
opportunity to ask questions while the reading is on your mind. If you do miss a particular lecture, it is
your responsibility to read the relevant chapter(s) covered for that day. I do not share my slides/notes
with students, so, if you miss please contact a classmate to get the missed notes.
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PSYC 101 Buddy #1 (name, number, email):
_____________________________________________________
PSYC 101 Buddy #2 (name, number, email):
_____________________________________________________
Late/Make-up policies
Make-up exams will only be permitted if proper documentation of extreme circumstances is provided.
Please review the course schedule and take note of all exam dates and let me know as soon as possible
if you foresee a conflict. If circumstances can be foreseen, you must talk to me before the exam date to
discuss arrangements, please contact me regarding such conflicts ASAP and no later than one week
before the scheduled exam. If you do happen to miss an exam you must contact me within 24 hours to
discuss the missed exam. It is your responsibility to contact me to schedule a time to make-up the exam
(only if you have documentation for your absence). Make-up exams must be taken within one week of
the missed exam.
No late assignments will be accepted and no assignments will be accepted via e-mail. In general,
computer issues are not an excuse for missing an online (turnitin- through Blackboard) or in class
submission. I have built flexibility into the assignment submissions (i.e., you only need to submit 8 of 13)
to allow for extreme circumstances that may lead to missed assignment submissions (e.g., illness,
computer issues, transportation issues, etc.). Therefore, no assignments will be accepted late for any
reason! All assignments will be due electronically by 4:00pm to turnitin.com (through the link provided
on Blackboard) and as hard copy at the beginning of class on the dates mentioned in the course
schedule.
Cell phones and Laptops
Please be respectful and ensure that cell phone ringers are turned off and put away during class. Also,
no matter how much you try to hide it, I can see you texting, again, please be respectful. Based on
research involving the potential negative impact of laptops on student learning in the classroom, I would
prefer for students to not use laptops in class, unless an assignment requires it. However, if you feel you
need to use a laptop in class please come speak with me during office hours. Please see the CAS policy
found at: http://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/artscience/PolicyForHandHeldTech-April2014.pdf
for more information regarding the appropriate use of electronics.
If you are finding others’ use of technology distracting, please inform me of the issue ASAP.
Special Needs
Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you require specific
accommodations to complete this course, contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 323-3290.
Once you have your official notice of accommodations, please see me before the first class assignment.
Student Code of Conduct
As noted in the Student Conduct Code, “Responsibility for good conduct rests with students as adult
individuals.” Any form of academic misconduct, including cheating, plagiarism and/or attendance fraud,
will not be tolerated and will result in a failing grade for the assignment and/ or the entire course as
appropriate. You are expected to do your own work and give credit to others as appropriate when you
include it in your own work. The policy on student academic misconduct is outlined in the “Student
Conduct Code Academic Misconduct Policy” online
http://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/studentconduct/StudentHandbook.pdf and advice for
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avoiding plagiarism may be found at
http://www.winthrop.edu/uploadedFiles/writingcenter/centerHandoutAvoidingPlagiarism.pdf. All
students are bound by the Student Conduct Code at Winthrop, which contains information about
academic misconduct and may be found at
http://www2.winthrop.edu/public/policy/fullpolicy.aspx?pid=252
Syllabus Change Policy
If we need to make modifications to the syllabus, I will post them on Blackboard and announce them in
class.
Tentative Course Schedule
Friday, January 16th – Last day to add/drop.
Wednesday, March 11th – Last day to drop a course (W will be awarded).
Day
Date
Topic
Assigned
Reading
Assignment Due
Tuesday
Jan-13
Syllabus, introduction
Thursday
Jan-15
Thinking Critically with
Psychological Science
Chapter 1
AP 1 (Chapter 1)
Tuesday
Jan-20
Thursday
Jan-22
Biology of Mind
Chapter 2
AP 2 (Chapter 2)
Tuesday
Jan-27
Consciousness
Chapter 3
AP 3 (Chapter 3)
Thursday
Jan-29
Tuesday
Feb-3
Exam 1
Thursday
Feb-5
Development
Chapter 4
AP 4 (Chapter 4)
Tuesday
Feb-10
Gender and Sexuality
Chapter 5
AP 5 (Chapter 5)
Thursday
Feb-12
Tuesday
Feb-17
Sensation and Perception
Chapter 6
AP 6 (Chapter 6)
Thursday
Feb-19
Learning
Chapter 7
Tuesday
STUDY!!!
AP 7 (Chapter 7)
Note: you must have
submitted at least 4 APs
by this date!
Feb-24
Thursday
Feb-26
Tuesday
Mar-3
Exam 2
Thursday
Mar-5
Memory
Tuesday
Mar-10
No Class- SPSP conference
STUDY!!!
Chapter 8
AP 8 (Chapter 8)
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Day
Date
Topic
Assigned
Reading
Assignment Due
Chapter 10
AP 9 (Chapter 10)
Chapter 11
AP 10 (Chapter 11)
Thursday
Mar-12
Motivation and Emotion
Tuesday
Mar-17
Spring Break
Thursday
Mar-19
Spring Break
Tuesday
Mar-24
Thursday
Mar-26
Tuesday
Mar-31
Stress and Health
Thursday
Apr-2
Exam 3
Tuesday
Apr-7
Personality
Chapter 12
AP 11 (Chapter 12)
Thursday
Apr-9
Tuesday
Apr-14
Social Psychology
Chapter 15
AP 12 (Chapter 15)
Thursday
Apr-16
Tuesday
Apr-21
Psychological Disorders
Chapter 13
AP 13 (Chapter 13)
Thursday
Apr-23
Saturday
2-May
Final Exam 11:30am
STUDY!!!
STUDY!!!
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