Course Syllabus

 

Richmond Campus                Supplement to Course Syllabus

 

COURSE:  PSYC 101- PSYCHOLOGY                            INSTRUCTOR: James T. Streett

Email: jstreett@bryantstratton.edu

 

TERM: Spring 2013                                                           DAYS/TIME: Tuesday 8:45am-11:30am

                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                         

Welcome to Psychology 101- Hello my names is James Streett, but due to professionalism you probably should refer to me as “Mr. Streett”, although I am not a huge pusher for titles, but still that’s the rule. Okay so a little about myself. I graduated Radford University in 2009 with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology and in 2011 with a Masters of Art in Experimental Psychology. I love research in general but have more of an interest in the clinical psychology/ mental health field. I will try my best to make this class as enjoyable and informational as possible.

Our course outcomes are stated on the course syllabus and mentioned below.  We will be exploring several psychological topics which consist of memory, stress reduction, mental disorders, personality, sensations and perceptions, various theorists and their theories along with the application of these theories in today’s world.  Our focus will be on viewing Psychology as a science and appreciating research and theory as well as practical applications. 

Student evaluations and grading will consist of attention to your oral and written communication skills by oral presentations and writings in the form of labs, class activities, three in class exams, as well as classroom discussions. I encourage and highly recommend full participation in class. I enjoy facilitating a fun learning experience, which may also involve some role-playing and debate to better understand the concepts of the textbook and theorists. While I enjoy constructive debates, I do require everyone to be respectful of one another’s opinion and ask all of you to attempt to not openly/knowingly offend anyone!!! During the course, LISTENING, becoming involved, taking initiative and completing assignments in a timely manner will help you meet the course outcomes.  We have 14 Chapters to complete.

 

ALL COURSE OUTCOMES for this course will be addressed.  Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Define Psychology and the various ways in which psychological theory is applied in daily life.
2. Articulate how research is utilized to study and evaluate human behavior and demonstrate its application within the workplace.
3. Describe and evaluate the mind/body connection by gaining an understanding of the brain and nervous systems.
4. Define the developmental stages of the human life cycle; from infancy to adulthood, and evaluate the viability of utilizing prominent stage theories to address human interaction in the workplace.
5. Explain and interpret how humans absorb, learn, process and store information and how this impacts the learning environment in the workplace.
6. Apply emotion and motivation theories to better understand human stress, individual interactions and group processes within a workplace environment.
7. Apply principles of psychology to understand the behaviors of people who are mentally ill and promote mental and emotional wellness.
8. Apply critical and scientific thinking to psychological issues and evaluate the significance of psychological issues in the workplace.
9. Respond knowledgeably to comments concerning Psychological issues.
10. Locate, evaluate, and communicate information gained from reference books relevant to psychological issues.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

COURSE FORMAT:

               This course will consist of lectures, discussions and activities related to the chapters covered in the text.  Students will be given a list of objectives to be covered from each chapter. Students are responsible for reading each chapter and are expected to participate in class discussions and to ask questions pertaining to text material and course objectives.   Lab activities will serve to reinforce the concepts taught in lecture. I tend to use power point for my lectures, but they are open at anytime you may feel free to jump in with a comment, questions or your own personal input (story). This allows us to have an active learning environment, which will help you to remember the information better, since we are applying it to events in our everyday lives.

 

 

REQUIRED MEDIA:  PSYCH, 2^nd Edition; Spencer A. Rathus, Cengage.

 

DIAGNOSTIC ASSESSMENT: An initial assessment of your comfort level with psychological knowledge will be given on the first day to help direct instruction for the semester. It is designed to give me an idea of what you are most looking forward to in this class, what topics you are interested in, your fears about this class, as well as you academic strengths and weaknesses. This will not be graded.

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS (Assessments):

 

EXAMS (outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9):  THREE Exams will be administered each worth 50 points. Equaling 150 points of your overall grade. Each Exam will cover 3 to 4 chapter and contain 47-50 multiple choice questions, as well as a short answer question. All Exams are open book and open notes, you just cannot talk or look at one another’s paper. If I catch you doing any of that then you will automatically fail and may be charged with cheating.

 

COURSE PROJECT (outcomes: 1, 2, 8, 9, 10): Students will be required to complete a project, which will be due by the end of the semester. This assignment is designed to help you utilize the skills from the classroom in the real world, it also allows you to use theoretical and practical knowledge when writing and researching your articles. Students are to obtain 3 newspaper, magazine, or scholarly journal articles relating to any of the chapters/units covered in the course. Please make articles relevant to class lecture. For each article, students are to complete a review that will include the following information:

Summary:  Summarize the article’s main points, ideas and research findings (5 points per article).

• Scientific relevance.  How does the article relate to or advance psychological theories or science in general?  Specifically, how does it relate to material covered in your text?  Try to make as many connections as you can between the articles and the material covered in the course (5 points per article).
• Practical /personal relevance. How, specifically, does the article relate to “the real world?   How does it relate to your life? How can the information in the article be practically applied to your everyday life or everyday life in general?  Did it give you insight into the many roles psychological concepts play in day to day living, problem-solving, and relating to others?  Can you use the information? (5 points per article).
• Impressions/critical review: What was your overall opinion of the article?  What did you like or dislike about the article?  What could have been included or excluded? (2 points per article).
• APA format: Title page, in-text citations, section headings, reference page.(5 points)
• Grammar writing style, sentence and paragraph structure: (10 points)

 

Once complete each student will present their findings to the class. The completed project will be worth a maximum of 60 points.

 

LAB ASSIGNMENTS (outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9):  Students will be required to participate in graded lab activities for each unit (chapter).  Labs will be graded based on completion. Basically they are not looked at for accuracy. Still doesn’t mean you should not work hard on them Some labs will require you to use the internet to find definitions, and or complete surveys or fun psychological tests. Some labs also involve supplemental reading and analysis of Psychological material. Please be sure to read the instructions on each lab carefully to ensure that you complete all of the assignments components. Some of these labs will be finished in class, others will need to be finished outside of class and returned the following class meeting. All of the labs will allow you to put what we learn (theory, practice, etc...) in the classroom into practice. Each lab holds equal weight. Basically these labs will help you study more for the exams.

 

Participation (outcomes: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9): I expect everyone to participate in classroom activities. These include class discussions, crossword puzzles, games, review questions, group work, and general back and forth debates. If you miss a class day when we are doing one of these activities you will not receive points for that day. Therefore, it is imperative that you attend class on a regular basis. (Please note: I do not deduct points based on attendance, only on in-class activities). Worth 10% of overall grade

                           

 NO MAKE-UPS WILL BE ALLOWED—NO EXCEPTIONS!  You will have an adequate window of time to complete all assignments. Thus, there is NO MAKE UP or LATE WORK ALLOWED. I DO NOT GIVE MAKE UP EXAMS. If you miss an exam you get a “0”. The only way to get me to consider giving make up work or collecting late assignments is if you have a Doctor’s note. Even when absent your labs and paper are still due, you can send them via email. By signing the student acknowledgement form you are adhering to these rules, and stating that they are understood.

 

Evaluation/ Grading:

PSY 101:  A student’s final grade will be determined as follows:

 

Three exams:                                       150 points (50 points each)

Project grade                                       60 points

Labs                                                    100 points                        

Participation                                         40 points

 

                                                                                                        Total:  350 points

 

The following grading scale will be used:

                                                                                                                        

• A = 90 – 100%
• B+ = 85 – 89%
• B = 80 – 84%
• C+ = 75 – 79%
• C = 70 – 74%
• D+ = 65 – 69%
• F = 64 – 0%

                                   

 

 

 

 

 

 

AUTHENTIC ASSESSMENTS:  Communication skills are essential to success in the workplace of today.  The ability to write clear, concise, complete, well-documented, attention-getting messages and reports will make Bryant & Stratton College graduates more effective in their chosen field.  The aforementioned research opportunity (Course Project), Exams, and Labs given during our Psychology 101 course will encourage the development and application of practical writing and research techniques, as wells as encouraging students to use their knowledge to solve everyday problems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

TIME COMMITMENT NECESSARY TO EARN COURSE CREDIT:  Bryant & StrattonCollege subscribes to a philosophy commonly held by institutions across higher education: achievement of success with college-level study will necessitate that the student devotes both scheduled in-class time as well as significant out-of-class time to meeting course outcomes.  In order to successfully achieve all outcomes for this 3-credit hour course, it is expected that each student will participate in the scheduled in-class hours (three 50-minute contact hours – 150 minutes – each week) and dedicate an approximate total of 90 hours during the term for out-of-class preparation and work time.  Out-of-class time will be necessary for completing textbook readings and related assignments, accessing and using additional resources as identified by the instructor and/or through student research, completing both non-graded and graded drafts and final writings, and preparing for an oral presentation.    

Tasks & Time Allocation for this 3-Credit Hour Course:

Tasks	Approximate Time*
Participating in the scheduled in-class hours	Three 50-minute contact hours (150 minutes) each week (required)
Completing textbook readings and related assignments	Approx. 2 hours per week = 30 hours over the term
Accessing and using additional resources as identified by the instructor and/or through student research	Approx. 20 hours over the term
Completing both non-graded and graded drafts and final writings	Approx. 2 hours per week = 30 hours over the term
Preparing for an oral presentation	Approx. 10 hours

*Though each student’s actual allocation of time to specific out-of-class activities will vary, he/she should anticipate that the overall time commitment, in class and out of class, will be necessary for successful completion of this course.*

 

 

 

USE OF TECHNOLOGY:  All final drafts of graded writing pieces must be computer typed and SUBMITTED TO THIS INSTRUCTOR IN A HARD COPY (NOT VIA-E-MAIL UNLESS PRE-ARRANGED WITH THIS INSTRUCTOR); additionally, computer research and use of the College’s Virtual Library will be essential to success in this class; however, the student does not need a computer at home to fully participate in computer research.  The computers in the computer labs and the library will be available for student use.    

 

CRITICAL WORKPLACE COMPETENCIES:  All of the assessments in Psychology 101, in addition to providing the student with opportunities to develop and then demonstrate reading, research, and writing skills, will also develop and assess the student’s success with critical workplace skills.  Crucial to success in Psychology 101 will be timeliness, effective use of research sources, careful planning and scheduling of research and writing tasks, thorough research procedures, writing that uses the writing process, and attention to detail in the development and production of effective written documents and oral presentations of findings, all of which are encompassed in the workplace competencies.  The critical workplace skills that will be emphasized in this course are communicating effectively, persisting toward reaching a goal, and striving for quality, all accomplished through the deliberate process of writing.

 

LIFELONG LEARNING AND INFORMATION LITERACY:  In completing the research and writing assignments for this class, the student will develop his/her ability to acquire, evaluate, synthesize, use, and document information.  This course will also lay more groundwork for increasingly more diverse and in-depth information literacy experiences in other classes, promoting the development of transferable communications skills that you will use within the academic community of the College and the larger community of the dynamic workplace. 

 

ATTENDANCE POLICY:  Regular class attendance is necessary to receive the maximum benefit from this course as well as to develop the professional work habits that are highly valued in the business community.  Attendance at every class meeting is required; definitely for participation grade; if a student must be absent; vacation/medical appointments, the student will be held accountable for class work and due dates missed; and will be handed-in PRIOR to this absence.  There is NO make-up for in-class assignments. IF the student arrives late on the morning of a test, the student will be allowed ONLY the remaining time for that test. IF the student has made arrangements with the Instructor to take the test at another time (due to extenuating circumstances), then the student has ONLY one week to make-up the said test.

 

Students are required to sign the attendance sheet at each class meeting.

 

STUDENT PORTFOLIO:  An important aspect of a Bryant & Stratton College education is participation in the Portfolio Process.  Students identify work(s) produced in each course that allow them to demonstrate, reflect on, and speak to the acquired knowledge, skills, and behaviors that will benefit them and their future employers.  The mid-term essay/final essay writing pieces produced in Psychology 101, paper utilizing research skills, can serve as an example of strong research and writing skills.

 

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE:  It is expected that all members of the class will contribute to a positive and active environment for learning.   Students are asked to keep the distraction of private conversations to a minimum and to turn-off all cell phones, personal pagers, and recording devices while class is in session. NO PHONE CALLS ARE TO BE TAKEN AT ANYTIME DURING THE CLASS.

 

Food and drink should not be brought into the classroom, BUT DUE TO THE  HOUR OF THIS CLASS (Monday), THESE ITEMS CAN BE TOLERATED “IF” THE STUDENT CLEANS THE AREA AROUND THEIR SEAT BEFORE LEAVING THE ROOM.  DO NOT LEAVE IT FOR THE INSTRUCTOR TO DO!!!

 

SKILLS ASSISTANCE/COURSE ENHANCEMENT:  The 15 minutes before and after that follow the class session should be considered time to work on class assignments.  The instructor will remain in the classroom to serve as a resource and will be available to work with individuals or small groups.

 

STUDENT SUPPORT SERVICES (SSS) TIME:  Specific blocks of time are set aside in the morning, afternoon, and evening when both students and instructors are available.  At these times students will have the opportunity to work individually or in groups in labs, classrooms, and the library with the guidance of the instructors.  Students may avail themselves of the services of any of the persons/resources on campus that would make them successful. 

NOTE: This instructor is NOT a full-time staff member therefore; one must make sure he/she communicates with this Instructor via e-mail, notes left in her mailbox at Bryant-Stratton, or telephone.

 

RESOURCES:  A dictionary, thesaurus, and reference manual, whether “hard copy” or online, will be useful for class work and assignments. 

 

The Bryant & Stratton College APA Style Guide will provide necessary guidance in correctly citing research references using the APA citation format.  Copies are available on reserve in the Library and on the campus Library Portal.

 

The libraries (both campus-based and virtual) will be valuable sources for research (books, periodicals, web-based resources).  The campus librarian(s) and the online 24/7 reference librarians (available through QuestionPoint™) will be invaluable resources for research help. 

 

Students also have access to SMARTHINKING, a resource that offers live online tutoring and writing lab. 

 

Additionally, the Learning Center on campus is a valuable source for both face-to-face and computer-aided tutoring in a number of specific areas that can impact success in this course.   

 

SELECTED REFERENCES:

 

On-site references (These books are on reserve in the campus library – instructor will assign specific readings to supplement the text and support completion of writing assignments):

 

Grammar Smart:  A guide to perfect word usage. (1993). New York: Villard.

Lester, J. D. (1993).  Writing research papers:  A complete guide (7^th Ed.).  New York: HarperCollins. 

Zinsser, W. (1998).  On writing well: The classic guide to writing non-fiction.  New York: HarperCollins.

 

Web-based references (Instructor will assign specific readings to supplement the text and support completion of writing assignments):

 

Krause, S. D. (2007). The process of research writing. Retrieved August 1, 2009, from http://www.stevendkrause.com/tprw/

 

Jewell, R. (2004). College writing. Retrieved August 1, 2009, from http://www.tc.umn.edu/~jewel001/CollegeWriting/home.htm 

 

APAstyleguide.org