Manatee Community College
Department of Social & Behavioral Sciences
General Psychology / Spring 2009
CRN 20046 / T/TH 8:00- 9:20am
CRN 20048 / T/TH 11:00am – 12:20 pm
CRN 20049 / T/TH 12:30-1:50 pm
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Telephone:
E-Mail:
Semester:
Final exams:
Text:
Suzanne Tomasso
Building 9, Room 103
By appointment; MWF 7-8:00 am and 10-11 am/ T/TH 9:30-11:00am
752-5314
tomasss@mccfl.edu
January 12, 2009- May 1, 2009
May 4-7, 2009
The Science of Psychology, An Appreciative View (1st ed.) by Laura A. King;
McGraw-Hill Higher Education
COURSE DESCRIPTION PSY 2012 / General Psychology
This course meets Area III requirements for both the A.A./A.A.S./A.S. general education
requirements. This course is an introduction to the scientific study of human behavior with
emphasis on the processes of thinking and learning as the basis for individual adjustment to the
physical & social environment. It is a basic foundation course in psychology for transfer students
and is a prerequisite for enrollment in other psychology courses.
COURSE PERFORMANCE STANDARDS
Upon successful completion of this course, the student should be able to:
1. Define the term psychology & the basic vocabulary of the discipline.
2. Describe the major areas in the field & identify the parameters of the discipline.
3. Distinguish between differing perspectives on human thought & behavior.
4. Describe a variety of ways psychological data is gathered and evaluated.
5. Analyze human behavior and one’s own personality & personal relationships.
6. Explain how psychological theories are used to assess, predict or change human behavior.
7. Explain the nature and functions of emotions & motivations in one’s everyday life.
8. Explain the various theories of intelligence.
9. Describe the major approaches to memory, learning & their implications for development.
10. Describe examples of major psychological disorders & therapies.
11. Examine course content through reading, writing, speaking or listening.
12. Demonstrate a use of technology through class assignments and/or activities.
13. Demonstrate the ability to collect, analyze & organize information from a variety of
sources through classroom discussion or activities.
ATTENDANCE POLICY
Regular class attendance is expected. Common sense tells students that attending class is
the easiest way to learn the material that the instructor feels is central to the course. If students
choose to miss class, common sense also says that these students have no right to complain about
their performance in the course.
Students are expected to come to class prepared & to arrive promptly. ALL cell phones
should be turned “off” until students exit this class. No phones, ipods, etc. are to be visible
during class – these are unnecessary distractions. Failure to comply with this class rule will result
in loss of points from a student’s final grade (5 points for each offense).
Students are also expected to demonstrate active listening, to participate in class discussions
and in any related class activities.
Attendance will be taken at the start of each class. Please note that after 4 hours of missed
class, students may be asked to withdraw.
It is the student’s responsibility to access any missed lecture notes, classwork and
homework. Students will have one week to complete & submit any missed work for credit. Any
missed work not completed in the one week timeframe will count as a zero. It is the student’s
responsibility to be aware of the one week deadline and to adhere to it, if they wish to receive
credit for their work and maintain a passing grade in this class.
GRADING POLICY
A grade of “C” or better shall be considered successful completion in courses that are part of
an Associate in Arts or an Associate in Science degrees. The grade scale for this course will be
based on a 100 point scale as follows:
90-100 = A
80-89 = B
70-79 = C
60-69 = D
below 60 = F
Grades will be based on classwork & homework, one small group project, quizzes and exams.
 Scores from all classwork & homework assignments will be averaged together to yield
one exam grade.
 The small group project will yield one exam grade for all group members.
 Quizzes will be averaged together and will yield one exam grade.
 Exam grades will stand on their own.
Homework assignments consist of: jumpstart sheets pertaining to the text chapters and lecture
topics, and three written assignments related to various concepts throughout the course. The
jumpstart sheets are study guides that need to be completed and submitted on the day of the exam.
Jumpstarts have a true/false format and highlight major theories, concepts and terminology
central to this course. The written assignments will allow students to demonstrate their
understanding of key course concepts, while exploring related materials from the media, youtube
and popular movies.
Exams and quizzes will consist of a varying number of questions and various formats (i.e.
multiple choice, short answer, true or false, matching, etc.). Exam and quiz questions will be
taken from both lecture materials and from the assigned textbook reading for this course.
It is important that you read the textbook and attend class lectures in order to achieve
good grades in this class.
Students are expected to take each exam or quiz during the regular class period, on the
designated date. Make-up exams are given at the discretion of the instructor. Please contact the
instructor via e-mail or phone message in case of an emergency that will cause you to miss a
scheduled exam. The instructor reserves the right to refuse a make-up exam. Missed exams,
quizzes, projects or assignments will receive zero points, and will be averaged into the student’s
final semester grade.
Online Tutoring and Study Skills Support
A collection of Web sites to help students enhance their study skills & provide tutoring support
for coursework is available 24/7. Emphasis is on math, English & reading improvement. Support
for many other subjects is also available. Accessing these resources is easy:
a) Go to mccfl.edu/Title3.
b) Click Student Success Resources link.
c) Click Virtual Tutoring and Study Skills Support link.
EMAIL:
Students are required to communicate with their instructor using their official MCC email address.
EXTRA CREDIT
Students may earn a total of 5 extra credit points, a number of times throughout the semester.
To be considered for extra credit, students must find a recent article in print (magazine,
newspaper, journal, internet) which has to do with one of the topics discussed in our most recent
lecture. Students must submit: 1) an actual hard copy of the article you read
2) a short paragraph (no more than 10 sentences)
highlighting the major points of the article
3) 5-10 sentences relating your article to lecture or text
Students may earn a full 5 extra credit points, or some portion of these points, based on the
content of their paragraph. NO extra credit points will be earned if a hard copy of the article
is not submitted with the summary paragraph. Extra credit work must be submitted on the
date listed on the attached class calendar. There are NO exceptions. All earned extra credit
points will be added directly to the next exam grade. All extra credit paragraphs must be
typed.
SMALL GROUP PROJECT / “BUILD A BOARD GAME”
Students will actively work in a small group of 4-5 students, in order to prepare and complete a board
game based on a psychological concept. Throughout the semester, some class time will be allotted for
group project work. More to come on this assignment.
WITHDRAWAL POLICY
The Social & Behavioral Science Department cares about the success of all students. Students
may benefit from consulting with their instructor prior to withdrawing from a course. Often the
instructor can assist with challenges that arise during a semester; so withdrawal may be avoided.
In particular, scheduling problems (i.e. changes in work hours) may be resolved simply by
switching to another section of the course. Students may also be eligible for support services the
college provides, including tutoring & other academic support, as well as assistance with personal
problems. If however, it becomes necessary to withdraw, the following information will apply:
In accordance with the Manatee Community College policy as stated in the college catalogue,
students may withdraw from any or all courses without academic penalty of a WF, by the
withdrawal deadline as listed in the Manatee Community College academic calendar. This
semester, the date is March 23, 2009. The student must take responsibility for initiating the
withdrawal procedures. Students are strongly encouraged to talk to instructors first, before taking
any withdrawal action.
STATEMENT OF PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is the use of ideas, facts, opinions, illustrative material, data, direct or indirect
wording of another scholar and/or writer --- professional or student--- without giving proper
credit. Expulsion, suspension or lesser penalty may be imposed for plagiarism.
STANDARDS OF CONDUCT
Students are expected to abide by all Lancer Student Handbook guidelines. In addition, students
are expected to observe acceptable classroom behavior, which is behavior that fosters an
atmosphere of learning, free and open exchange of thought, and respect for the professor and
classmates within the learning environment. Inappropriate behavior, in any form, will not be
tolerated and may result in the student being asked to leave the classroom, make a course section
change, removal from the course, or suspension/dismissal from the college.
GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY – COURSE ASSIGNMENTS:
DATE
TOPIC
ASSIGNED READING
Week of 1/12
Syllabus review/ course overview
Research / Biological Perspective
Chapter 1
Chapters 2 & 3
1/19/09
Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
college closed
Week of 1/19
1/20 -& 1/27
Small Group Project Discussion
Form groups & choose topics
Human development
each member researches 2-3
sources for bibliography
Chapter 4
EXAM #1
1/29/09
*Extra credit due*
Sources due
2/3/09
Library work day for groups
2/5-2/10
Sensation & Perception
Consciousness
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
EXAM #2
2/12/09
*Extra credit due*
2/13/09
Faculty Development Day
No day classes
2/17/09
Library work day for groups
2/19-2/24
Learning
Memory
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
EXAM #3
2/26/09
*Extra credit due*
2/25-3/4
Cognition & Intelligence
Motivation & Emotion
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
EXAM #4
3/6/09
*Extra credit due*
3/3/09
Library work day for groups
3/5-3/12
Personality / Social Psychology
Chapters 11 & 12
3/16-3/22
SPRING BREAK
college closed
Week of 3/23
Psychological Disorders
Chapter 14
3/23/09
*** LAST DAY TO WITHDRAW WITHOUT ACADEMIC PENALTY***
Week of 3/30
Therapies
Chapter 15
EXAM #5
4/7/09
*Extra credit due*
4/9
LAST Library work day for groups
Week of 4/13
Industrial/Organizational Psychology
Health Psychology
Chapter 13
Chapter 16
EXAM #6
4/21/09
*Extra credit due*
April 23rd
ALL BOARD GAMES ARE DUE!!!----------NO EXCEPTIONS
Week of 3/27
Group board games are played & graded during this week of class