Course Syllabus – Introduction to Psychology

INSTITUTIONS: Great Falls College MSU / Great Falls High School

COURSE TITLE: Introduction to Psychology

COURSE NUMBER: PSYX 100

NUMBER OF CREDITS: 3

SEMESTER/YEAR: 2017-2018

INSTRUCTOR: Joan Dailey; Phone: Class room (406) 268-6367; Email:

joan_dailey@gfps.k12.mt.us

OFFICE HOURS: GFHS Room 206; Monday-Friday: 3:10-3:40 p.m. or by appointment

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is an introduction to the nature and scope of the field of psychology as a scientific and human endeavor. Major topics include historic development of the field; biological and developmental processes; consciousness and perceptions; learning, remembering and thinking; motivation and emotion; personality and individuality; social behavior; normal stress and coping, and abnormal psychology and treatment methods.

II. COURSE MATERIALS:

TEXT: Thinking About Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behavior. 3rd ed. Charles T. Blair- Broeker and Randal M. Ernest. New York: Worth Publishers, 2013.

III. COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be prepared to:

Define scientific psychology and what psychologists do;

Identify the major fields of study and theoretical perspectives within psychology and know their similarities and differences;

Define the scientific method and its application to psychology;

Differentiate between observational, correlational, and experimental research design and articulate the advantages and limitations of each;

Describe how the brain and biological factors influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors;

Describe how psychology is applied in real world situations.

IV. COURSE OUTLINE:

1. Scientific Inquiry: History and Perspectives of Psychology, Research Strategies

2. Biopsychology: Nervous System, the Brain, Sensation, Perception, Consciousness

3. Development and Learning: Life-Span Development and Learning

4. Sociocultural Domain

Social Psychology, Nature vs. Nurture 5. Cognition: Memory, Thinking, Intelligence 6. Individual Variations: Motivation,

Emotion, Personality 7. Abnormal Psychology:

Psychological Disorders and Treatment

8. Stress, Health, and Positive Psychology

V. COURSE CALENDAR

This schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the course instructor to accommodate instructional and/or student needs.

Week One: August 30-Sept. 1

Orientation and Introductions

Module 22: Information Processing

Week 2: Sept. 5-8

Module 22: Information Processing

Note-taking and textbook-reading strategies

Module 1: History and Perspectives in Psychological Science

Week 3: September 11-15

Module 2: Research Strategies

Module 3: Psychology’s Statistics

Quiz on Modules 1-3

Week 4: September 18-22

Module 4: The Nervous System and the Endocrine System

Module 5: The Brain

Week 5: September 25-29 Homecoming Quiz on Modules 4-5

Module 6: Sensation

Week 6: October 2-6 Module 6: Sensation

Module 7: Perception

Week 7: October 9-13

Module 7: Perception

Quiz on Modules 6- 7

Module 30: Introduction to Psychological Disorders

Week 8: October 16-18; Teacher’s Convention

Module 30: Introduction to Psychological Disorders

Schizophrenia and Dissociative Identity Disorder

Week 9: October 23-27

Schizophrenia and Dissociative Identity Disorder

Module 8: Sleep, Dreams, and Body Rhythms

Week 10: October 30-Nov. 3 Module 9: Psychoactive Drugs

Quarter Test

Week 11: November 6-10 Addictions

Module 10: Hypnosis and Other States of Consciousness

Week 12: November 13-17 Module 10: Hypnosis and Other States of Consciousness

Quiz on Modules 8, 9, 10

Module 20: Nature vs. Nurture

Week 13: November 20-21 Module 11: Prenatal and Childhood Development

Week 14: November 27-Dec. 1 Autism

Quiz over Modules 20, 11

Module 12: Adolescence

Projects due--presentations

Week 15: December 4-8 Module 12: Adolescence

Tourette’s Syndrome

Week 16: December 11-15 Module 13: Adulthood and Aging

Alzheimer’s

Quiz over Modules 12-13, 20

Week 17: December 18-22 (Christmas Break Dec. 25-Jan. 1) Module 14: Classical Conditioning

Week 18: January 2-5 Module 15: Operant Conditioning

Week 19: January 8-12 Module 16: Observational Learning

Quiz over Modules 14-16

Week 20: January 16-19 (No class Jan. 15) Finals Week

Final Test

Week 1: January 22-26 Module 18: Social Thinking and Social Influence

Stanford Prison Experiment Film

Week 2: January 29-Feb. 2 Module 18: Social Thinking and Social Influence

Module 19: Social Relations

Week 3: February 5-9 Module 19: Social Relations

Brown eyes/blue eyes Film

Quiz Over Modules 18- 19

Week 4: February 12-16 Module 21: Psychology of Culture and Gender

Module 22: Information Processing Review

Week 5: February 20-23 (No Class Feb. 19) Module 23: Forgetting and Memory Construction

Week 6: Feb. 26-March 2 Quiz Over Modules 22-23

Module 24: Thinking

Module 25: Intelligence

Week 7: March 5-9 Module 25: Intelligence

Quiz Over Modules 24-25

Week 8: March 12-16 Quiz over Modules 24-25

Anxiety Disorders

Module 26: Motivation

Week 9: March 19-23 Module 26: Motivation

Module 27: Emotion

Week 10: March 26-28 (No School March 29-30) Quiz over Modules 26-27

Quarter Test

Week 11: April 3-6 (No School April 2) Module 31: Mood Disorders

Positive Psychology

Week 12: April 9-13 Positive Psychology

Quiz over Mood Disorders and Positive Psychology

Module 28: Psychodynamic and Humanistic Perspectives on Personality

Week 13: April 16-20 Module 28: Psychodynamic and Humanistic Perspectives on Personality

Module 29: Trait and Social-Cognitive Perspectives on Personality

Week 14: April 23-27 Module 29: Trait and Social-Cognitive Perspectives on Personality

Projects due--presentations

Week 15: April 30-May 4 Module 32: Personality Disorders

Quiz over Modules 28-29, 32

Module 33: Psychological Therapies

Week 16: May 7-11 Module 33: Psychological Therapies

Module 34: Biomedical Therapies

Week 17: May 14-18 Module 34: Biomedical Therapies

Quiz Over Modules 33-34

Final Test Week 18: May 21-25

Stress and Health

Week 19: May 29-June 1 Finals Week—Seniors Gone

VI. COURSE EVALUATION:

An overview of assignments in this class is given below. Additional instructions will be provided in class for specific projects.

Quizzes: There will be a series of short quizzes throughout the semester. All quizzes are open-note /open- book and will consist of multiple choice, matching, and short-essay application questions.

Quarter and Final Tests: Tests will be given at mid-term (i.e. end of first/third quarters) and at the end of the semesters. No outside materials are allowed when taking these tests (i.e. these are NOT open-note/open-book). The mid-term and final tests will consist of multiple-choice, matching, and short-essay application questions. Since the final test is a requirement for dual-credit, students will not be exempt from taking it.

Projects:

Additional instructions for the two projects will be provided in class. Students will have a variety of options from which to choose and will either complete a three-page typed reflection or a brief class presentation.

Course Activities, Participation, and Attendance: Attendance and participation are worth five points per class. Participation consists of (but is not limited to) participating in discussion, taking notes, and completing class activities. Attendance includes (but is not limited to) arriving to class on time, having needed materials, and being present for the entire class. Students who miss class will have the opportunity to make up the class discussion or activity for up to ten missed classes.

VI. MIDTERM GRADES:

A midterm grade will be posted using the letter grade scale or “S,U, or NA”. Some instructors will use the traditional letter grades as well “A, A‐, B+, B, B‐,C+, C, C‐, D+, D, D‐ and F or P (Pass)”.

S ‐ Satisfactory Progress U ‐ Unsatisfactory Progress NA ‐ Not Applicable

X ‐ Not Attending Please talk to the instructor if you have any questions regarding your midterm grade. The midterm grade isn’t posted to your official transcript.

VII. STUDENT SUCCESS ALERT:

This course is participating in the Student Success Alert program designed to support students in their Great Falls College MSU experience. You are encouraged to approach your faculty member directly if you are experiencing any challenges related to the class or any other aspect of your college life. As a student, you may receive an Alert notice via email (D2L, college or personal) or phone call at any point during the semester from the Advising & Career Center if the faculty member teaching the course has concerns about your class attendance, academic performance, or any other issue related to your success as a student.

VIII. ATTENDANCE AND TARDINESS:

This course is participating in the Student Success Alert program designed to support students in their Great Falls College MSU experience. You are encouraged to approach your faculty member directly if you are experiencing any challenges related to the class or any other aspect of your college life. As a student, you may receive an Alert notice via email (D2L, college or personal) or phone call at any point during the semester from the Advising & Career Center if the faculty member teaching the course has concerns about your class attendance, academic performance, or any other issue related to your success as a student.

IX. OUTCOMES ASSESSMENT ALIGNMENT 210.1 ATTENDANCE & NO SHOW

Attendance Policy Great Falls College recognizes the correlation between attendance and both student retention and achievement. Any class session or activity missed, regardless of cause, reduces the opportunity for learning and may adversely affect a student’s achievement in the course.

Class attendance and/or participation is required in all courses, regardless of the method of delivery (face‐to‐face, hybrid, or online) and students are expected to attend all class sessions for which they are registered. Instructors may establish absence policies at their own discretion within their courses to conform to the educational goals and requirements of their courses; however, policies will be clearly detailed in the course syllabus, which must be provided to each student enrolled in the course. It is the responsibility of the student to arrange make up work missed because of legitimate class absences and to

Grading Scale: Grading: A 90-100% Quizzes 30%

B 80-89% Projects 15%

C 70-79% Mid-term and Final 35%

D 60-69% Course Activities, Participation, & Attendance: 20%

F 59% and Below Total 100%

notify the instructor when an absence will occur. The instructor determines the effect of the absences on grades.

For Financial Aid purposes, faculty are required to take attendance in order to report a last known date of attendance for any student receiving a failing final grade.

No Show Policy In order to receive any letter grade, a student must have attended a minimum of one class meeting or the equivalent in the case of a distance learning course. In a distance learning course, initial student attendance is determined by course participation as measured by accessing and using course materials, completion of a class assignment, participation in a course discussion, or other evidence of participation.

Students who enroll in a course but do not attend a minimum of one class meeting or the distance learning equivalent by the end of the 15th day of fall and spring semesters (this deadline is pro‐rated for the summer term(s)) will be administratively deleted from the course by Great Falls College administrative personnel. This process will only be carried out after proof of multiple attempts to contact the student is documented by faculty.

Students who do not attend a class prior to the end of the 15th day of fall and spring semesters (this deadline is prorated for the summer term(s)) and do not drop themselves from the course will not receive a refund of tuition in the course and will not be allowed to attend/participate in the class or submit assignments. Failure to attend or participate in a course will adversely impact a student’s financial aid award and bill with the college.

Please see the link below for more information and the entire policy

http://www.gfcmsu.edu/about/policies/PDF/200/210_1.pdf

X. ACCOMMODATIONS

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti‐discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact Kathy Meier., M. Ed., Director of Disability Services, in R 261, or call 406‐771‐4311 to schedule an appointment.

XI. ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTER

The Academic Success Center helps students successfully complete their courses by providing free tutoring to GFC MSU students in a variety of areas, including writing, math, science, anatomy and physiology, chemistry, accounting, computers and more. The Academic Success Center also helps students improve their study skills, holds academic events intended to help student performance a n d increase student success. No appointment is necessary. Tutoring is available on campus in R263 and online. For more information, including a current tutoring schedule, go to http://students.gfcmsu.edu/asc , email us at academicsuccess@gfcmsu.edu, or call 406‐771‐5121.

XII. PLAGIARISM AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY 300.14 ACADEMIC HONESTY

The integrity of the academic process requires credit be given where credit is due. Accordingly, it is academic misconduct to present the ideas or works of another as one's own work, or to permit another to present one's work without customary and proper acknowledgment of authorship. Students may collaborate with other students only as expressly permitted by the instructor. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of their work, the appropriate citation of

sources and the respect and recognition of others' academic endeavors.

300.42 DESCRIPTIONS AND EXAMPLES

D. Plagiarism

This is presenting the work of another as one's own without proper acknowledgment. Examples of plagiarism include submitting as one's own work the work of another student, ghost writer or commercial writing service; directly quoting from a source without acknowledgment; paraphrasing or summarizing another's work without acknowledging the source; or using facts, figures, graphs, charts or information without acknowledging the source. Plagiarism may occur orally or in writing and may involve computer programs and files, research designs, distinctive figures of speech, ideas and images or any other information that belongs to another person and is not acknowledged as such. Inadvertent or unintentional misuse or appropriation of another's work (such as relying heavily on source material that is not expressly acknowledged) is still considered plagiarism.

Please see the link below for more information and the entire policy. http://www.gfcmsu.edu/about/policies/PDF/300/300.pdf

XIII. GFC MSU – College Learning Outcomes:

All graduates will engage in learning activities that enhance their professional and personal lives, as well as their communities. During their academic careers at Great Falls College Montana State University, students will engage in learning activities that demonstrate: CLO 1 – Effective Communication: The active expression and exchange of ideas through listening, speaking, reading, writing or other modes of non-verbal or artistic expression.

CLO 2 – Technical Literacy: The ability to form strategies to locate, evaluate, and apply information, and know the ethical issues surrounding information and technology.

CLO 3 – Critical Thinking and Quantitative Reasoning: The ability to analyze data, arguments, assumptions, and problems in order to draw conclusions.

CLO 4 – Workforce Readiness: The ability to exercise the skills, competencies and behaviors necessary to succeed in the workplace or at a transfer institution.

CLO 5 – Citizenship: The ability to apply the knowledge, skills and values individuals utilize to be effective, active citizens.

Course Objectives Aligns with the Following Program/

Degree/Division Outcomes

Type of Course Objective:

Introductory, Reinforce, or Emphasize

Assessment Tool Used to

Determine if Course Objective

Has Been Achieved

MSU – Great Falls

Abilities

Define scientific psychology and what psychologists do.

Analyze how institutions and traditions develop, evolve, and shape the lives of individuals, social and cultural groups, societies, and nations.

Introductory Quizzes, Course

Activities, Tests

CLO: 1, & 3

Identify the major fields of study and theoretical perspectives within psychology and know their similarities and differences.

Analyze how institutions and traditions develop, evolve, and shape the lives of individuals, social and cultural groups, societies, and nations.

Introductory & Reinforce

Quizzes, Course

Activities, Tests

CLO: 1,3, & 4

Define the scientific method and its application to psychology

Use factual and interpretive data to support hypotheses based upon appropriate inquiry methodology.

Introductory Quizzes, Course

Activities, Tests

CLO: 1, & 3

Differentiate between observational, correlational, and experimental research design and articulate the advantages and limitations of each.

Use factual and interpretive data to support hypotheses based upon appropriate inquiry methodology.

Reinforce & Emphasize

Quizzes, Course

Activities, Tests

CLO: 1,3, & 5

Describe how the brain and biological factors influence our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors

Analyze human behavior, ideas, and social institutions for historical and cultural meaning and significance.

Gather information, analyze data, and draw conclusions from multiple hypotheses to understand human behavior.

Introductory & Reinforce

Quizzes, Course

Activities, Tests, Projects

CLO: 1,3, & 5

Describe how psychology is applied in real world situations.

Analyze human behavior, ideas, and social institutions for historical and cultural meaning and significance.

Gather information, analyze data, and draw conclusions from multiple hypotheses to understand human behavior;

Reinforce & Emphasize

Quizzes, Course

Activities, Tests, Projects

CLO: 1,3,4,& 5