Dr. Launius Psy 1101 Intro to General Psychology
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Psychology 1101 - Introduction to General Psychology Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Margaret Launius
OFFICE: South Hall 408
PHONE: 662-4391
E-MAIL: mlaunius@mnsfld.edu
WEB PAGE: http://faculty.mansfield.edu/mlaunius
OFFICE HOURS: Mon/Wed/Fri: 12:00 – 1:30; Thur: 2:00 - 3:00 or by appointment
Course Description: Designed to familiarize students with the application of scientific
psychology to human life. Emphasis is on "normal" behavior and its antecedents. Includes
the study of broad categories of human behavior through various psychological models.
Relevance to Curriculum:
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This course is a required core course for psychology majors and minors.
For non-major students, this course fits in the Social Science block of the General
Education program.
For some majors, this course will be required by your department. See your program
evaluation form or talk with your advisor for more information.
General Education Portfolio Artifacts: The extra credit assignments may also be used
in your GE portfolio as a Social Science artifact. You will need to turn in the completed
assignment with cover sheet by the due date noted in the course schedule. I will sign the
cover sheet after evaluating your assignment. All artifacts must be signed off before the
last class period of the semester.
My Teaching Philosophy: Please follow this link to read my philosophy of teaching. We
will be discussing this in the first week of the course. You can also find this information from
the course web site by following the About Me link from the Home Page.
Course Management and Etiquette: This handout is included in your Course Binder or you
can follow this link to read a description of what I consider acceptable student behavior in the
college classroom. We will be discussing this in the first week of the course. You can also
find this file by following the link from the Course Home Page.
The 4 P’s of College Success: This handout is included in your Course Binder or you can
follow this link to read a discussion of how to be successful in this course and your college
career. We will be discussing this in the first week of the course. You can also find this file
by following the link from the Course Home Page.
Objectives of the Course
Teaching Objectives: I hope to share with you in the next 15 weeks some of the wonders
and variety of the field of Psychology. In addition, I hope to help you get off to a good start
on your own personal academic journey. With these two goals in mind, I have set forth the
following objectives for this course:
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To provide you with an overview of the major areas in the field of psychology.
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To help you learn how to critically evaluate and think about the content of the course.
To provide you the opportunity to apply psychological concepts to your life.
I will accomplish these objectives by using a variety of teaching methods including large class
discussions, small group work, videos, outside writing assignments, lectures, quizzes and
exams.
Student Objectives and Competencies: At the completion of the course, students should
be able to:
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Identify individuals important in the field of psychology and their contributions.
Discuss knowledgeably the major theories and areas covered in the course.
Critically evaluate material related to the course content.
Conduct a literature search using both internet and library sources.
You will accomplish the above objectives by attending class, participating in discussions and
group exercises, reading course materials, completing assignments, attending to videos,
asking questions, and studying for and taking quizzes and exams.
Text & Supplies
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Fundamentals of Psychology: The Brain, The Person, The World; (2005) by Stephen
M. Kosslyn and Robin S. Rosenberg. Publisher: Allyn & Bacon.
o This book will be shrink-wrapped with support materials and must be purchased
from the campus bookstore to insure you receive all the required support
materials.
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CourseCompass: Along with your textbook will be information about how to access
the on-line support for this class. This site is similar to Black Board. There is an online textbook with links to numerous web-based activities for each chapter as well as
practice quizzes and exams and your study guide. Set up your id name and number
and explore these resources immediately!
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Course binder with support materials (You will purchase this at the campus
bookstore.)
Small stapler
#2 Pencils for scantron exams
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Course Requirements
Chapter Quizzes: A 10-item quiz will be given in class prior to our discussion of that
chapter. We will review and answer the quiz items during the next class period. Each quiz is
worth 10 points and there are no make-up quizzes. If you know you will miss a quiz class,
you may arrange to take the quiz early by contacting me at least 3 class days before the
scheduled quiz. The first quiz will be a practice quiz to give you an opportunity to
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experience the quiz format. I will use this practice quiz score to replace your lowest quiz
score (if needed) at the end of the semester.
Exams: There will be 3 exams covering the assigned readings and in-class material
covered prior to the exam. Exams will consist of objective items. Each exam is worth 65
points. If you miss an exam and have a university approved absence (verified illness, family
emergency, or university sponsored extra-curricular event), you may make up the missed
exam within 1 week of your return to class. It is your responsibility to arrange this make-up
exam with me and it will be done at a time of my convenience, typically during or right after
my office hours, so please plan accordingly.
General Education requirement: This course is designated an Information Literacy (I)
course. In order to meet the criteria for an I course, you will need to successfully complete
the Information Literacy Assignment which includes successful completion of the Search
and Find It tutorial available on the MU Library home page. This assignment is graded
pass/fail. Late papers will be penalized 1 point for each class period past the due date. The
total points lost due to handing the assignment in late will be deducted from your total points
at the end of the semester. The instructions for this assignment as well as the Extra Credit
assignments can be found in your course binder. More information on this assignment will
be given in class.
Participation: Regular and consistent attendance is necessary to do well in this
class. Much of what you will learn will come from experiences we have in class and
much of the learning will require your participation. Attendance will be taken during
each class period and arriving late or leaving prior to the end of the class may result in
your having an absence recorded for that class period. You are allowed 3 absences
without penalty, after which each absence will result in a 3 point per absence
deduction from your final point total at the end of the semester. Student athletes
may bring in a copy of their game schedule and identify class periods that will be
missed due to travel or games. These absences will not be counted against your
point total but will count against perfect attendance.
Mansfield University Attendance Policy – 2005 If a student must miss a class due to
documented illness or other excusable reason, the student must:
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inform the faculty member that a written excuse is coming from a physician,
coach or other authority prior to the absence if possible, but no later than the
first class period after the excused absence;
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provide each faculty member with a copy of the signed excuse; (The original
must be available for faculty review.)
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make up missed graded assignments or exams as soon as possible as outlined
by the faculty member
In order to avoid prolonged delay of make-up of the work, a faculty member may, at
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her/his discretion, give the make-up work and hold it for grading until after the written
excuse is received.
You will receive 5 bonus points if you have perfect attendance. Perfect attendance is not
missing any class session for any reason. NOTE: Any student having 8 or more
absences will receive an "F" grade regardless of their performance on quizzes and exams.
Extra Credit: To help you make up for missed quizzes, lost participation points, or poor
performance on an exam, I offer you the opportunity to earn extra credit points. You may
earn up to 10 points in extra credit by any of the following:
1) Earning 5 bonus points for perfect attendance (see above).
2) Completing the assignments found on the Assignments web page site. Points will vary
depending on the quality of your assignment. The maximum points allowed for a given
assignment is 5 points.
3) There may be additional opportunities to earn bonus points by participating in research projects
that are being conducted by psychology students or faculty, attending faculty lectures, film
series, etc. These opportunities will be announced by me in class. You will be required to
write a 1 ½-2 page summary of your experience. Experiences will range from 2-5 points each,
depending on the amount of time involved in the experience and the quality of your summary.
Academic Honesty: Students are expected to submit original work. Where resources and
sources of information are used, credit must be given to the original source. Incidents of
plagiarism or cheating will be forwarded to the Provost for disciplinary action. The
Psychology Department has adopted an Honor Code, and you are expected to be familiar
with it. Additional information concerning academic honesty can be found in the Password.
Learning Support: The University offers a wide variety of support services including
tutoring, resources for improving your study and writing skills, and services for students with
learning disabilities. Contact the Learning Center (2nd floor of South Hall) or Ms. Lou
Labuski-Brown. For more information about using these resources. For information about
learning disabilities and resources contact Mr. William Chabala.
GRADE POINT BREAKDOWN
Chapter Quizzes (9 x 10)
90
Exams (3 x 65)
195
Total
285
GRADE SCALE:
A 100 - 93%
A - 92 - 90%
B + 89 - 87%
B 86 - 83%
B - 82 - 80%
C + 79 - 77%
C
76 - 73%
C - 72 - 70%
D+
D
DF
69 - 67%
66 - 63%
62 - 60%
59% >
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Please feel free to come talk with me during office hours or by appointment anytime during
the semester concerning your progress in class. I welcome the opportunity to assist you in
your academic endeavors. I would very much like to know each of you, at least by name and
face, and your taking some time to visit me during my office hours or by appointment will
greatly increase the likelihood of that happening!