Psych 120
General Psychology
Christopher Gade
Office: TBA
Office hours: MW 4:30-5:30
Email: gadecj@gmail.com
Class MW 1:30-4:30 Room 1434
General Psych Specifics
• Required Text:
Introduction to Psychology, James W. Kalat, 9th Edition (8th
edition also works)
• Website for Course Postings:
http://napavalley.edu/people/cgade (NVC - Intro - Summer
2010 link on the left hand corner)
• Alternative Website of Use:
http://www.learner.org (supplementary informative videos
on topics covered in this class)
Syllabus (cont.)
Your grade is based on:
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3 exams (no cumulative final)
Two written assignments
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Literature review paper
DSM-defined disorder paper
Other responsibilities:
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Attend classes
Arrive on time
Pay attention in class
Keep up with the readings
General Psych Syllabus (cont.)
Grading Policy
Final grades will be calculated on the basis of 200 points
distributed as follows:
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Requirement
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
Pop. Press vs Peer Paper
Mental Disorder Paper
Points
50
50
50
25
25
% of grade
25% of your grade
25% of your grade
25% of your grade
12.5% of your grade
12.5% of your grade
• Final grades will be based on a standard 100% scale: A=90%-100%, B=80%90%, C=70%-80%, D=60%-70%, with + and – for the upper and lower extremes
of those ranges (e.g. B+ = 87-89.9%).
Why Take this Course?
• To understand, explain and predict behavior.
• To be the happiest, smartest, most balanced, creative,
efficient, constructive and beneficial contributors to the
world that you can be (psychology can help you do this…
maybe)
• Enjoyment: The world of psychology is so diverse and
interesting, you not only can benefit from knowing
information about the field, but you also will have a lot of
interesting stories to tell.
• To recognize a number of misperceptions in our world
that we consider “obvious”, or “common knowledge”.
What Will General Psych Classes Entail?
• Information on both the text and other topic
related information found in each section.
• Several videos that bring to life several of the
most groundbreaking psychological experiments
and theories in history.
• A hands-on opportunity to participate and/or
witness several of the most entertaining and
interesting psychological studies and topics of
our time.
How to Thrive in this Class
• Check the syllabus in advance of every lecture to see what
readings are related to the topic that will be discussed
during that day.
• Do the readings!
• The lecture slides will be posted prior to the class, and
should be printed out in order to better understand lecture.
• There is no black lightning for this course, so come to
class attentive and ready to take notes in order to
understand what’s on the slides.
Admittance into the Class
• This class is extremely full. There are no more spots available.
Admittance was be handled based on waiting list status
automatically for this week, and then by my manual
admittance of waitlist students after that.
• I will try to get as many
students as I can into the
class, please be patient
and on top of things if
you’re not in the class.
Now Its Your Turn
• On a 3 x 5 card, please write your:
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Name
Best contact email
Area/focus of study at NVC
Intended use for this class
Expected grade in the class
Additional information that you’d like to
convey to me