COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY AND COUNSELING
SUMMER
SEMESTER 2008
PSYC
2500 (B)
FUNDAMENTALS
OF PSYCHOLOGY
3
HOURS
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
Pastorino, E., Doyle-Portillo, S.(2006).
What is Psychology ? Thomson Learning, Belmont, CA
94002
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This
course serves as an introduction to the concepts and methods that comprise the
science of psychology. The aim of the course is to familiarize you with
psychological terms and theories. (Course
Call Number: 50492)
VALDOSTA STATE UNIVERSITY GENERAL EDUCATION
OUTCOMES
2. Students will demonstrate
cross-cultural perspectives and knowledge of other societies.
3. Students will use computer
and information technology when appropriate.
4. Students will express themselves
clearly, logically, and precisely in writing and in speaking, and they will
demonstrate competence in reading and listening.
5. Students will demonstrate
knowledge of scientific and mathematical principles and proficiency in
laboratory practices.
7. Students will demonstrate the
ability to analyze, to evaluate, and to make inferences from oral, written, and
visual materials.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK
STANDARDS
II. KNOWLEDGE OF STUDENTS AND
THEIR LEARNING: Teachers support the intellectual, social, physical, and
personal development of all students.
III. LEARNING ENVIRONMENTS: Teachers
create learning environments that encourage positive social interaction, active
engagement in learning, and self-motivation.
COURSE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES FOR B.A. /B.S. PSYCHOLOGY DEGREE
12. Use appropriate
computer technology (e.g., statistical software, word processing programs,
internet resources, etc.) to complete relevant assignments.
13. Communicate and
present psychological concepts, principles, and theories clearly and
effectively, both in oral and written form.
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Positively Impacting
Learning Through Evidence-Based Practices
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Date Last Modified: 2nd July 2008
OTHER GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES
To become acquainted with a variety of
psychological terms and theories, as
well as to learn methods of scientific inquiry and to explore novel ways of
perceiving one’s own behavior and that of the world as a whole. After
completing this course, students will demonstrate knowledge of:
1.
applications of scientific research methods in
behavior & mental processes
2.
various methods of
scientific inquiry.
3.
theoretical perspectives
4.
biological factors influencing behavior and
mental processes
5.
approaches in
psychology: psychoanalytic, learning/behavioral, and cognitive.
6.
social factors influencing behavior and mental
processes
7.
development across the physical,
social-emotional, and cognitive domains
8.
major principles of and approaches to learning
9.
memory processes
10.
theories of personality
11.
psychological disorders
12.
interplay of
biological and psychological factors, which affect personality,
social, and cognitive psychology.
OTHER SPECIFIC COURSE OBJECTIVES
Specific
objectives will be available each week as they are posted to the website and
linked to the quiz schedule portion of this syllabus.
COURSE FORMAT
Class
meetings will in most cases be group discussions with some brief media
presentations, etc. Class discussion occurs regularly and participation is
expected as outlined in greater detail below. Lectures will cover material from
the text as well as outside resources and are available at least 24 hours (and
usually at least 48 hours) before discussion. Reading
the chapters assigned "prior" to class discussion is critical.
Tests will contain material covered in the book, in class, and/or both. Some additional information may be
presented via WebCT.
COURSE
REQUIREMENTS/ASSIGNMENTS
Class
Lectures -You will be required
to download course lectures which have been podcast. If students do not have an MP3 player,
students may listen directly to each podcast episode at the library, or other
suitable computer. Linking to the
podcast server may be accomplished through any computer with internet access and
this
link in this syllabus or with WebCT Vista. The
podcast location for downloading MP3 files is the same location that may be
used for your itunes software and is linked to this
statement. If you already have an ipod, you may add the location for this course’s lectures
to your itunes listing, so that podcasts will be
automatically downloaded (at no cost) through your itunes
software. Individual links will also be
available for each podcast episode and will be listed with each unit of
instruction in WebCT Vista. MP3 podcasts
are typically 12 to 20 minutes in length and two to five podcast episodes
usually form the basis for each lecture.
If students do not have an ipod they can still
easily download the lectures on their MP3 players. Lecture downloads are listed
in the schedule below and represent the dates when all episodes for that
lecture will be available. Each
individual MP3 podcast episode forms the basis for question card assignments
described on the following pages.
Class Discussions
- Students will be required to attend
small group discussions and, as a member of the small group, prepare one
question card in a given lecture assignment (described under class
assignments); one card per podcast lecture (not podcast episode) for this
course. There are generally three to
five podcast episodes per lecture.
Students should then typically have their question card per each group
meeting. There are approximately four
smaller groups within the two schedules that make up this course’s divided
schedule (either Schedule A or Schedule B). Scheduled meetings are found in
separate schedule links (A and B) to this syllabus. Combined class schedules
are found at the end of this syllabus.
Once you are assigned a schedule (Schedule
A or Schedule
B) you must adhere
to that particular schedule for the semester. Class time will NOT change; only
the number of times we meet since lecture time is available through podcast and
attendance monitored through each group's schedule, and an occasional common
lecture time, quiz and exam.
1.
WebCT Vista On-line
pre-quiz credit - A
total of 10 percent of a student's grade will be based on completion of on-line
“pre-quizzes” available in WebCT Vista.
It may be
necessary to "tune-up" your browser via the link found in the web
version of this syllabus. On-line pre-quizzes may be taken as
often as necessary to receive their percentage correct wanted prior to covering
that unit in class. Eleven of these online quizzes will be made available
with the lowest online quiz dropped (ten used for the grade). Each on-line quiz
completed will count as one percent of a student's grade with the highest
quiz score used as the “grade” for that quiz.
As is the case with WebCT Vista, it
may be necessary to "tune-up" your browser via the link found in the
web version of this syllabus if you plan to use the Thompson Learning materials. Thomson on-line
quizzes completed will not count as part of a student's grade; however,
students may wish to complete the Thompson Companion site quizzes. The companion website is located through this link
2. Question Cards
–
Students are required to complete a 3” x 5” card placing their name (last name,
first name) in the upper left hand corner of the lined side of the card,
followed by the letter Q and episode
number for that lecture and the date of the discussion. The question is then placed on the opposite
(usually unlined) side of the card in legible printing (not cursive). Failure to follow this very basic format will
result in the card being immediately returned to the student. ONLY 3” x 5” cards will be accepted.
Cards larger than 3” x 5” will be returned. Paper stock substitutes for
the 3” x 5” cards will also not be accepted.
One card for one of the 12 to 20 minute MP3 recordings should be turned
in for one of the 2 to 5 episodes within each of the ten lectures during
the related discussion sessions of the class.
There are approximately ten (10) question cards due (11 possible) across
all course content for this semester. Question cards are not to be turned in
late and a schedule is provided (below).
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3 x 5
QUESTION CARD
FRONT
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Last Name, First Name – Lecture 1 (Episode 2)
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Schedule A (or B) Discussion Group
Name
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June 7, 2008 (Date
of Discussion Group)
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BACK
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Question: What is the APA?
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3. In class puzzle assignment credit – Aside from puzzle assignments and
question cards other in class assignments are typically not added to
this course. However, additional assignments
may be added to the course based on need and instructor’s approval. Any additional assignment must be made
available to all students to avoid any inequities. Puzzle
assignment credit - A total of 10 percent of a student's
grade will be based on completion of ten “puzzles” available through class
schedules A or B.
4. Article
assignment credit
– This
is a written assignment -You will be required to prepare one article review assignment for this course. The assignment will
be worth up to 100 points and will be averaged in your grade with the same
value as the midterm or final examination. The article
assignment should be typed double-spaced and, yes, spelling and grammar
are important. The article review assignment is DUE
ON July 8th, while the
question cards are due at each meeting for the appropriate podcast episodes/lecture. Late
cards will not be accepted. The article review is described on the
following page.
Article review credit -The
article review form used is for article reviews are provided via website link
to this syllabus schedule and at the beginning of class. Assignments are to be turned in by
midterm (see calendar). For each day a paper is late, a five-point penalty will
be imposed. Assignments turned in more than four days late will not be
accepted, and a score of zero will be assigned. After the initial grading of
the assignments, a second opportunity for returning a revised version of this
paper will be provided. Revised papers are due at the beginning of the final
week of class (see calendar).
A review of an article from a
psychology website or journal (for example: Psychological Bulletin, Journal of
Abnormal Psychology, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, etc.) You
may use Psych. Lit., or see me, or a librarian to help you find appropriate
journals. Psychology Today is NOT an
appropriate journal. This review should summarize and comment on the content of
the article. Note that rewriting the abstract or lifting passages from the
article is not summarizing. A copy of the first page of the article must
accompany the paper upon submission, or five points will be deducted from your
score. An example of a completed form is provided via this link.
If you are a teacher education
student you should submit your article review through LiveText. A LiveText form will also be made available
through your LiveText account. LiveText
may be purchased online for $89.00 (3 year subscription) and at the VSU
Bookstore for $110.00 (6 year subscription) The address for LiveText is: http://college.livetext.com/college/index.html
5. IN CLASS QUIZZES -
A class roll will be distributed prior to the beginning of each inclass
quiz. Once the attendance sheet is returned, students are given an
inclass quiz (either forms A, B, or C, and a scantron form. Five 25-item quizzes
will be given during the semester. Points from the quizzes will be
averaged with the LOWEST QUIZ dropped from the grade. Students
answer on both the scantron from and on the quiz. Scantron forms and
quizzes are returned; however, only the scantron forms collected are used
as the basis for your score. Answering on the quiz will allow time to
review the quiz items without the scantron forms and provides a document that
may be used to substantiate attendance and in some cases the scantron
form. If students do not return both the exam and scantron form with
their name on each, a score of zero will be given for that quiz. Missed
quizzes will not be identical to the inclass version. A missed quiz will
not follow the linked objectives and may be more difficult, since the student
has had additional time to study
6. MIDTERM EXAMINATION - The midterm examination will be
given as scheduled (7/08). If you miss the midterm, due ONLY to serious
illness or jury duty, you may make up the midterm exam after the final
exam. This 7/30/08 midterm will not be
identical to the earlier scheduled midterm and may be more difficult since you
have had additional time to study. If you miss this
second opportunity, you may take the midterm during the final examination period. A third completely different midterm will be
administered that may not correspond to the objectives given in class (your
attendance is required on this occasion: the final exam).
7. FINAL EXAMINATION - If you miss the final
examination for any cause other than illness, per
VSU policy, you could receive an F on this exam. The final examination time will not
change.
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Evaluation (based upon criteria below):
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1. WebCT Online Pre-quizzes
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10 %
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2. In class puzzle assignments
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10 %
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3. Question Cards
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10 %
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4. Article Assignment
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10 %
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5. In Class Quizzes
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40 %
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6. Midterm Examination
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10 %
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7. Final Examination
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10 %
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TOTAL
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100 %
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CLASS ATTENDANCE POLICY
VSU policy requires class
attendance. Class attendance will be important in doing well and will be
documented via question cards and completion of in-class material (common group
demonstrations and puzzles/exams). We
have 30 class meetings that will be reduced to approximately 20 meetings
because of requirements that include podcast question cards for lectures,
puzzle learning assignments, and prequiz WebCT assignments. Since it is imperative that you attend class
discussion/ puzzle assignments, it is important that you pay close attention to
the attendance policy for this class as it is stated in this section of the
syllabus. No exceptions will be made,
since this is a policy based on the Georgia Board of Regents standards. If you miss too many classes before midterm,
you will be dropped from the class. If
you miss too many classes throughout the semester, you will receive a “WF” for
your grade, so pay close attention in class and do your best to adhere to the
class schedule. Changes to the class
calendar may be announced in class and you will be expected to be aware of
them. In addition, quizzes will not be made up; if you miss more than 10
CLASS HOURS beginning JUNE 16 2008 will receive a FAILING grade. On the
positive side those students missing only TWO CLASS SESSIONS, beginning JUNE 16, 2008 (inclusive), will automatically receive
2 EXTRA points added to their FINAL examination scores. Also, on the positive
side those students missing ONLY ONE
CLASS or less, beginning JUNE 16, 2008 (inclusive), will
automatically receive 2 more EXTRA points (for a total of 4 EXTRA points) added
to their FINAL EXAM
.OTHER EXTRA CREDIT
A TOTAL of 4 points may be granted on the Midterm Examination (2 POINTS) for each participation in a project agreed upon by the
student and instructor, prior to completion of a project. Other extra credit must be earned prior to
the last class period.
COURSE WITHDRAWAL POLICY
Students
withdrawing from the course BEFORE mid-term will be assigned a non-punitive W. After midterm, a W or punitive WF, based on
course performance, is assigned by the instructor and forwarded to the
Registrar's Office for processing. Please note that if you stop
attending class, this does not constitute withdrawing from the course.
PLAGIARISM AND CHEATING POLICY
Students are required to be
familiar with Valdosta
State University’s Policy on plagiarism and
cheating (see VSU 2006-07 Student Handbook, Appendix A, p. 39).
Excerpts from this policy follow:
1. No student shall receive or give or
attempt to receive or give assistance not authorized by the instructor in the
preparation of any essay, laboratory report, examination, or other assignment
included in any academic course.
2. No
student shall take or attempt to take, steal, or otherwise procure in an unauthorized
manner any material pertaining to the conduct of a class, including but not
limited to tests, examinations, laboratory equipment, and roll books.
3. No
student shall sell, give, lend, or otherwise furnish to any unauthorized person
material which can be shown to contain the questions or answers to any
examinations scheduled to be given at any subsequent date in any course of
study offered by the University, without authorization from the University.
4. Plagiarism
is prohibited. Themes, essays, term
papers, tests, and other similar requirements must be the work of the student
submitting them. When direct quotations
are used, they must be indicated, and when the ideas of another are
incorporated in the paper they must be appropriately acknowledged.
Academic
dishonesty is taken very seriously and the range of academic actions that can
be taken range from a much lower letter grade to expulsion. The full text of this policy is also available in
the College of Education Dean’s Office, EC room 227. The following penalties will be enforced, as
stated in the Policy:
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First Offense:
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The student
will earn “0” on the assignment, test, project, etc.
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Second Offense:
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The student
will earn the letter grade “F” for the course.
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Third Offense:
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The student
will earn the letter grade “F” for the course, and
further action involving referral of the matter (with documentation) to the
appropriate college (university) officials within the administrative
structure will be taken.
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Grading Criteria: 90
- 100% = A, 80 - 89% = B, 70 - 79% = C, 60 - 69% = D, < 59% = Failing
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INSTRUCTOR:
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Larry Hilgert, Ph.D., Associate Professor,
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Department of Psychology and Counseling
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Office: Psychology Building,
Room 1, Voice: 333-5616 or 5930
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Office Hours: Monday and Wednesdays from
3 until 6 pm,Tuesdays from 3 until 4:30 pm, or by appointment
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E-MAIL:
lhilgert@valdosta.edu
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Special Needs Statement:
Valdosta State University, in accordance with the
Americans with Disabilities Act, will make arrangements for students who require special
assistance due to a disability. If you require some assistance, do not
hesitate to advise the instructor.
Additionally, if you are not registered with Special Services Program,
you must contact the Special Services Office in Nevens
Hall, or call 245-2498.
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CLASS
HOURS: Monday through
Thursday, 12:45 - 2:10 p.m., additional hours as per final exam
schedule.
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COMBINED SCHEDULE
This
class meets in– Room
EC 81 (Course Call
Number: 50492)
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Date
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Event
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TIME
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Chapters
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Topic for PSYC
2500 (PODLINKS)
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6/11/08
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EC 81
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12:45 - 2:10
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Sample Puzzle
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Syllabus,
& Psychological Research (Group Membership
Assigned)
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6/12/08
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Lecture (EC 262 / 272)
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One
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Introductory Psychology Video Available (via WebCT)
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6/16/08
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Library 3270
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12:45 - 2:10
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Chapter 1
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LAB FOR PRACTICING DOWNLOADS - Puzzle Handout
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6/17/08
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EC 81
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12:45 - 2:10
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Chapter 1 Q Card
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Group A - Field Characteristics of
Psychology – Puzzle One*
(Card 1 Due)
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6/18/08
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EC 81
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12:45 - 2:10
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Chapter 1 Q Card
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Group B - Field Characteristics
of Psychology – Puzzle One* (Card 1 Due)
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6/19/08
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EC 81- QUIZ 1
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12:45 - 2:10
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Chapter 1
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Quiz One - First Quiz
and Objectives Hyperlink
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