Ocean County College
Professor's Syllabus
PSYC 172 General Psychology
Spring 2013
E-mail: kmccormick@ocean.edu
Dr. K. McCormick
Office: Bartlett 314
Phone: 255-0400 x2212
Catalogue Description: A study of the behavior of the individual
in terms of maturation, learning, emotion, motivation,
perception, thinking and individual differences; basic to all other
courses in psychology. 3 s.h.
Required Text: Exploring Psychology, 8th Ed. David Myers, Worth,
2009. ISBN: 978-1-4292-3825-7
Other Materials (e.g. test review sheets, assignment directions,
viedos) may be downloaded from your Ocean Cruiser page.
Course Outline & Reading Assignments:
1/24 or 25 Introduction & History (Chp. 1)
1/28-2/1
Psychological Methodology (Chp. 1)
1/31-2/1
Nature & Nurture of Behavior (Chp. 4)
(Film: Twins)
2/4-8
Learning (Chp. 7)
2/11-15
Memory (Chp. 8)
2/18
President’s Day (no classes)
2/19-21
Test 1 (Chps. 1, 4, 7 & 8; all films and handouts)
2/22-28
The Nervous System (Chp. 2)
(Film: The Brain)
3/1-8
Sensation & Perception (Chp. 6)
3/11-15
States of Consciousness (Chp. 3)
(Film: Dreams)
3/18 or 19 Test 2 (Chps. 2, 3 & 6; all films and handouts)
3/22
Writing Assignment due
3/25-29
Spring Break (no classes)
3/21-4/2
Thinking, Language & Intelligence (Chp. 9)
4/4-9
Developmental Psychology (Chp.5)
4/4
Submit all requests for W grades to professor for
processing in order to meet 4/5 deadline
4/5
Last date Ws may be issued by Admissions
4/11-16
Personality (Chp. 12)
4/18 or 19 Test 3 (Chps. 5, 9 & 12; all films and handouts)
4/22-24
Motivation (Chp. 10)
4/22-26
Emotions, Stress & Health (Chp. 11)
Film: Emotions
4/26
All writing assignment rewrites due (Rewrites can be
submitted any time before this date.)
4/29-5/3
Abnormal Psychology and Therapy (Chps. 13 & 14)
5/6-7
Final Exam Review (Chps. 1-14)
5/9 or 10
Final Exam (Chps. 1-14; all films and handouts)
5/13-14
Test Make-up dates
5/13-14
Office Consultations (Grades will be posted on your
Ocean Cruiser class page in your My Grades)
Evaluation of
Tests (3)
75% (300 pts.)
Students: (Writing Assignment Average replaces lowest test grade)
Final Exam + attendance points
Grading Scale:
25% (100 pts.)
A = 90-100 (358-400 pts.)
B = 80-86 (319-345 pts.); B+ = 87-89 (346-357 pts.)
C = 70-76 (278-305 pts.); C+ = 77-79 (306-318 pts.)
D = 60-69 (238-277 pts.)
F = below 60 (0-237 pts.)
Office Hours: M &Th: 9:30 -- 10:45 am; T & F: 12:30-1:45 pm .
Other times can be arranged by appointment. (See
below.)
Contact Information: You also may call (732-255-0400 ext. 2212)
or e-mail (kmccormick@ocean.edu) with questions or to arrange an
appointment if you are unable to be on campus. If you are unable to
reach me, you may leave a message with the Social Science Dept.
secretaries (732-255-0381).
My e-mail address can be found at the top of this syllabus;
please use this address for all class related business that needs
a fast response as I check this e-mail account first ; also please
identify yourself in the e-mail (as many e-mail addresses do not do
so). Please mention your class (so that I know that you are a
student) and indicate the purpose (e.g. question, etc.) of your e-mail
in the topic statement because I answer messages from students
regarding course issues first when I check my e-mail (usually within
24-48 hrs.). If you miss a class, you do not need to request
assignment or test review sheets; they may be downloaded from
your Ocean Cruiser class page.
Accommodations:
If there is any student in this class who has special needs
because of learning disabilities or other kinds of disabilities,
please feel free to come and discuss this with me or a staff
member for Disability Services (at the Center for Academic
Services, Library, 2nd floor).
Course Requirements:
Basics: You need to keep up with the reading assignments in your
textbook (see course outline above), attend class, complete 3 tests
and a final exam and submit an essay assignment.
Test questions will be drawn from class lectures and discussions,
films and material in your text. All questions will be multiple choice or
true/false.
PSYC 172 General Psychology is classified as a writing intensive
course by the college; such courses often will be looked upon more
favorably by transfer institutions. During the semester you will
complete a writing assignment that will require you to research a topic
and apply what you have learned regarding behavioral applications
and theory. The due date for this assignment is listed in the
preceding course outline and you will find a direction sheet for the
assignment on your Cruiser class page under Assignments at the
appropriate time. Essays will be submitted in class or to my mail box
(Bartlett Rm 310). Your writing assignment average will replace
either your lowest test grade or a missed test (0 being the lowest
average). This assignment is a course requirement. If no writing
assignment is submitted, your course grade will be reduced by
one letter grade (e.g. a B will become a C). You may rewrite and
resubmit (see course outline for resubmission due date) an
assignment that receives a grade of D or F. You will find a Rubric
for Writing Assignments accompanying your Syllabus in Shared Files
on your Cruiser page.
Extra-credit attendance points: 5 pts. for perfect attendance or 3
pts. for missing 3 or fewer classes during the semester will be added
to the final exam test grade.
An assignment direction sheet or test review sheet may be
downloaded from your Ocean Cruiser class page. Please do not
submit assignments through Ocean Cruiser. Assignments may
be submitted in class or left in my mailbox (Rm 210 in the
Bartlett Building).
In order to download class materials from Ocean Cruiser: go to
the OCC web page (www.ocean.edu) and click on Ocean Cruiser on
the top tool bar. Follow the log in directions. (Please go to the open
lab in the Library if you do not know how to use Ocean Cruiser or
have difficulty logging in and they will assist you.) Clicking on “log in”
will take you to your Cruiser page where you will see all your classes
listed; click on your class title (e.g. PSYC 172 01) to go to your class
page.
I will post a copy of your syllabus under Shared Files; you will
find assignment directions and test review sheets posted under
Assignments. You will find both of these categories in the left sidebar menu. For example, scroll down the left margin menu to
Assignments and click to see a menu of assignments (e.g. Test 1
Review Sheet, Writing Assignment). Click on the assignment that
you want. The URL for any Internet links required for an assignment
will appear in the direction sheet; if you have difficulty with a link, try
copying it into your browser. Please notify me anytime a link is not
working. Please read the directions before you begin an
assignment so that you will know what you should pay attention
to and the criteria for your paper. Other materials that may be of
interest (e.g. Learning Styles Test) but are not required will be posted
under Shared Files during the semester.
Course Standards:
W grades: You may drop the course and receive a W grade by
submitting a drop form to the professor prior to completing 60%
of the course (Monday 4/5/13). If you feel that you are behind in
your work and in danger of failing the course, please consider asking
for a W before this date. After that date if you wish to drop the
course, you will be assigned an F grade rather than a W; this is
College policy. Students with excessive absences can receive only
an F grade after 4/5/13 under this policy. A student who does not
complete the course work and does not request an I grade may be
assigned an F grade automatically; the professor cannot assign a
W grade after 4/5/13 for any reason. This is the date that
withdrawal paperwork must be in the Admissions office. If you
wait until 4/5/13 to request a W, there may not be sufficient time
to process your request, so please make such requests before
that date to ensure that your paperwork is processed in time.
Make-up Policy: A student who misses a test may request a makeup. Make-ups may be taken in the College Testing Center during
the semester; all make-up tests will be removed from the Testing
Center on 4/5; after that time see your course outline for makeup dates. See the professor when you return to class to arrange a
make-up. No make-ups will be given without extenuating
circumstances (e.g. illness, a court appearance, a funeral); makeups are at the discretion of the professor and will not automatically be
granted. If you need a review sheet, you may download it from your
Class page on Ocean Cruiser. (Click on your Class title and then
scroll down the left margin menu to Assignments. Click on
Assignments to see a menu that includes Test Review Sheets.) One
missed test also may be replaced by the writing assignment
grade (instead of it replacing the lowest grade). If you must miss
the final exam, please contact the professor regarding a make-up or a
possible I grade; see the Final Exam section below for more
information on this.
Final Exam: The Final Exam is a comprehensive exam. If you will
miss the final exam, you must notify the professor of your reason
prior to the exam and make arrangements to take it at another time
(e.g. test make-up date—see course outline). You may do this by email or phone if you are not on campus. If you are unable to do so
before the semester ends, you must submit a request in writing
(e-mail is acceptable) for an Incomplete (I) grade. The
Incomplete must be resolved (e.g. make up missing test, etc.) by
mid- September 2012; at this time I grades become F grades
automatically. It is your responsibility to make arrangements to
complete missing work prior to this deadline.
Plagiarism Policy: Please refer to Policy #5180 described in the
Student Handbook. Plagiarism is the presentation of the work of
others as your own; it is the use of another writer’s words or ideas
without disclosure of the source. All essays and papers submitted by
students for credit in courses at Ocean County College must make
honest and full disclosure of any sources used, including but not
limited to books, print articles, films and other media, the Internet, and
professional or non-professional co-writers. Failure to make full
disclosure of sources will subject students to penalties prescribed by
Plagiarism Policy #5180. See the current student handbook-planner,
for the complete text of this policy.
Examples of how to avoid accidental plagiarism follow. Copying from
Encyclopedias or texts and cutting and pasting the work of others
from Internet sources often are not considered plagiarism by many
students; these are forms of plagiarism. You must paraphrase
such material in your own words and cite the source of such
information in your paper. You must also paraphrase material from
a text in an open book exam rather than copying sections into an
answer. If you do present someone else’s work verbatim, you
must frame it in quotation marks and cite the source in a
footnote. Such quotations should be used sparingly as a paper
should be primarily your work rather than a string of quotations.
Attendance Policy: See Attendance Policy in the Student
Handbook. It is unnecessary to notify the professor when you
will miss one class; however, if you will be absent for several
days, please e-mail or telephone the professor. There is no need
to request “homework” as your reading assignments are listed in the
Course Outline (Syllabus). Test review sheets and writing
assignment directions can be downloaded from your Ocean
Cruiser page. (See directions under Make up Policy.) Please
mention your class so I know which class you will be missing and
indicate the purpose (e.g. missing classes) of your e-mail in the topic
statement. When I check my e-mail, I respond first to messages from
students regarding course problems or questions.
Civility Policy
Ocean County College defines civility primarily as the demonstration
of respect for others, basic courtesy, reciprocity (treating others as we
wish to be treated), and behaviors that create a positive environment
in which to learn and to work. [See www.ocean.edu/civility.htm]
Class Etiquette:
You are expected to attend class unless you are ill or have a
family or work related emergency. It is unnecessary to call me if
you miss a class. You are adult learners and responsible for you
learning so I will assume that you have a good reason for missing a
class. However, if you will miss several classes, please let me know.
You also are expected to come to class prepared to discuss the
topic of the day (see course outline) and to take notes; please
complete reading assignments prior to class and bring whatever
supplies (e.g. a notebook, pen, pencil, etc.) you will need. Please
staple or clip all multi-page assignments before you submit
them.
Please respect your classmates by: coming to class on time or
entering quietly if you are occasionally a few minutes late; refraining
from private conversations during class; and by turning off you cell
phone, pager, etc. or setting them on voicemail or vibrate. If your
cell phone rings during the class period or during a test, you
may be asked to leave the class and not return that day.
Videos will be shown during class periods on occasion and you
should treat them like lectures: pay attention and take notes as
the content will be covered on tests. Reading your text or
completing homework for another course during class is not
appropriate and is a waste of your time. Use class time to explore
material that you may find difficult or confusing on your own. Ask
questions. Listen to your classmates’ questions and discussions.
You are expected to be an active adult learner so use the few
hours you spend in class wisely.
Text messaging and other forms of private communication
should not take place during class; you should concentrate on the
class material during class periods, and you should respect the right
of your classmates to learn from lectures, filmd, class or small group
discussions and the questions and comments of other students
without background noise from your private conversations. Private
communications should take place before and after class.
Contrary to popular belief, you really can’t really “multi-task”
(i.e. do more than one thing at a time); instead of doing 2 things at the
same time (e.g. texting and listening) you are switching attention
channels between two or more activities very rapidly, but in doing so
you miss something from each activity. This is similar to switching TV
channels with a remote; while you are focused on one channel, you
are missing what is happening on the other channel. You will try to fill
in these gaps in attention with what you think happened
(psychologists call this closure), but such guessing frequently doesn’t
work as well as you assume it does. (This is why people are more
likely to have accidents while driving and trying to do something else
such as talking on the phone, texting, or eating. That slight gap in
attention can result in a fender bender that makes you realize you
missed something important. Such warnings usually aren’t as
dramatic in other areas of our life.)
If you have concerns about your progress in this class or
questions about the course material, please speak to me; you are
encouraged to bring up a simple question before or after class or to
come to my office to discuss a more lengthy issue or one requiring
more privacy. It is best to discuss problems early in the semester
when there is time to benefit from tutoring, to try a different study
technique, join a study group, make an appointment with the writing
lab, etc. If you wait until the end of the semester, you may find that it
too late to overcome problems that you have neglected or put off. If
you do not do well on the first test, your method of study isn’t working.
Continuing to use the same approach is unlikely to get you any better
results. You need to make changes if you want the results to change.
Campus Resources
Tutoring is available in the Writing Lab (first floor Russell
Building – R124) if you require help with writing a paper. The
Center for Academic Services (second floor library) provides
testing and counseling if you think that you may have a learning
problem. The Multipurpose Computer Lab (third floor Library) is
available for writing papers and has many specialized programs
(e.g. text enlargement) as well. These computers also have
Internet access. If you do not have a computer or your
computer crashes during the semester, you can complete all
computer assignments in the Multipurpose Lab. If you
encounter difficulty with a program, please ask the MPL staff for
help; they often can determine whether your problem is due to
hardware or software and will move you to another machine in
the case of a hardware problem. They won’t know that there is
such a problem unless you tell them.
More information on campus resources and services, e.g.,
student success seminars or tutoring in other subject areas, can
be found by using the A-Z index on the college website
(www.ocean.edu).
Online Resources
Worth, your text’s publisher, provides online resources for your text
at: www.worthpublishers.com/myers . Please bookmark this site on
your computer for easy access as you will find a variety of activities
and study aids for each chapter on this web site. Publishers’
websites have taken the place of workbooks and study guides.
The OCC web page also offers free software. If you need antivirus protection you can download a free version of Kaspersky from
the OCC web page. (Check the Announcements section.) You can
access course materials through Ocean Cruiser on your Cruiser
page; Cruiser also provides free e-mail accounts for students.
Logging on to Ocean Cruiser will take you to your Cruiser page where
you will find all your classes listed. Click on the course title to go to a
course page; you will find a menu on the left side. For example,
clicking on Assignments on this menu will bring up course
assignments and review sheets. You also may find some items in
Shared Files. I will place a copy of this Syllabus under Shared
Files on your course page so that you will always have access to it.
This course addresses the following OCC General Education
Goals:







Communication – Written and Oral
Technological Knowledge and Reasoning
Society and Human Behavior
Historical perspective
Global and Cultural Awareness
Ethical Reasoning and Action
Independent/Critical Thinking
Course Learning Objectives (from the Official Course Description)
 Acquire and use psychological vocabulary.
 Apply the scientific method in the formation of hypotheses
and in the application of various research methods.
 Acquire of basic knowledge of the history of psychology
including major schools and trends.
 Comprehend and discuss the complex interaction of
heredity and environment in determining behavior and its
development.
 Describe the structure and function of the nervous
system.
 Comprehend and describe the human maturation process
encompassing sensory, motor, personality and cognitive
development.
 Compare and contrast the major learning theories.
 Understand and compare/contrast major theories of
memory and forgetting.
 Explain the organization and measurement of sensation
and perception.
 Understand and discuss the major theories of motivation
and the basis of emotional expression.
 Describe the anxiety response and effects of stress on
behavior.
 Discuss current theories of cognition that may include
thinking, problem solving, creativity, language and
consciousness.
 Evaluate various psychological tests and measurements,
their uses and their limitations.
 Discuss the major theories of personality.
 Describe various manifestations of abnormal behavior
and their treatment.
Disclaimer:
The schedule and procedures described in this course outline are
subject to change depending upon the needs of the class. The
professor may make reasonable changes to this course syllabus by
announcement in class.
Rubric for Writing Assignments:
Each assignment will be graded in two general areas: (1) how well
you apply the material in the assigned articles in developing an essay
that answers the questions posed in the assignment and in
formulating and expressing your own opinions regarding theories that
explain behavior or suggestions for improving or changing behavior
and (2) the written presentation of your paper (e.g. correct spelling
and grammar, correction of typographical errors, complete sentences,
appropriate length paragraphs, etc.) and it’s organization (e.g. an
introductory paragraph, logical sequence of paragraphs, and
conclusion). Extra points may be given for creativity and insightful
comments. The content (#1) will comprise 70 % of your grade;
presentation (#2) will comprise 30% of your grade. However, if
spelling and grammar errors are so serious or numerous that they
impair your ability to express and explain the content clearly and
cohesively, presentation will have a greater affect on your grade; this
means if I can’t understand what you are trying to say because of
poor writing skills, your presentation affects the content and lowers
that part of the grade. If you have difficulty with writing, please take
advantage of the tutoring provided by the Writing Lab (Russell 124)
and make an appointment for assistance.
Content (70 pts.)
A few points will be deducted for minor omissions or incomplete
content; more points will be deducted for more serious problems. For
example, if you answer only half of the questions posed in the
assignment sheet, you may lose 50% of your content points. Failure
to answer a part of one question or to provide a required example
may cost only a few points (e.g. 2-5). In order to receive a full 70
points use the check list below.
All questions should be answered and answered completely (i.e. all
parts of questions should be answered).
If requested in the assignment directions, examples must be
provided. Examples also are a good way of explaining something by
offering a prototype of a concept that may be abstract or difficult to
describe.
If an assignment requires you to apply a theory or to compare
theories, that application or comparison must appear in your paper.
Personal experiences and opinions should be part of your paper only
when they are relevant to the topic you are discussing. Sometimes
the assignment will ask you for an opinion; other times you may wish
to add a personal experience in order to clarify or elaborate on a topic
or issue. However, make sure that the content required by the
questions posed in the assignment sheet is not overwhelmed or
replaced by personal views. Getting overly involved in a personal
experience or opinion is the easiest way to get off track and may be
responsible for forgetting to finish a section or complete a conclusion.
Your essay should be a balance of the two, and the assignment
direction sheet will help you to do this.
Avoid repeating the same statement or slight rewordings of the same
statement multiple times in your essay. This often limits the content
of your essay and it suggests that you keep repeating yourself
because you can’t think of anything else to say.
Do not fill your paper with quotations from assigned articles. An
occasional quotation that makes a point or is used to cite an authority
backing up a point is OK. Using too many quotations suggests that
the person who wrote the article also wrote your paper, not you.
There are many comments in articles that can be paraphrased (e.g.
put into your own words) and this gives your essay better flow and
shows that you understand the topic that you are discussing.
Your paper should provide a substantial discussion of the topic
assigned. Do not write a “book report” describing the article you
read. Instead answer the questions in the direction sheet
thoughtfully; use information from the article, your own experiences
and other sources if appropriate to formulate and support ideas or
theories. I will usually ask you to analyze information or data in the
article or apply information to a new or different situation; I will ask
you “why”, “how does it work” or “how could you use this or apply it”
questions rather than “what”, “when” or “where” questions. Your
assignments focus on critical thinking skills, not description.
Presentation: 30 pts.
Your paper should be clearly written using good grammar and correct
spelling. Use the spell check and grammar check in your word
processing program to avoid such errors. Also proof-read your paper
carefully before submitting it; your spell check can’t tell that “food”
was supposed to be “good” or that “to” should be “too”. Sometimes
we miss errors in our own work and it may be a good idea to have a
friend or family member proof read a paper for you.
A paper with very good content may miss an A if it contains more
than a few spelling errors or typos or if you forget to finish sentences
or mismatch nouns and verbs. These types of mistakes detract from
the quality of your paper (i.e. it’s no longer an A paper) and such
errors may cost you as much as10 pts.
More serious grammatical errors such as several incomplete
sentences (e.g. a sentence that lacks a verb or has missing words),
numerous grammatical errors (incorrect verb tense, mismatched
nouns and verbs, missing pronouns or articles, incorrect punctuation,
etc.) or is garbled (e.g. a sentence doesn’t make sense) will cost
between 10 and 30 pts. The amount will depend on the frequency of
errors and their effect on the readability of your paper. This means:
can I understand what you are trying to communicate? When I don’t
know what you are trying to say, you may lose up to 30 pts. If the
problem occurs only in one section of your paper, you may lose 10
pts.