Gen+Psych+Syllabus

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ST JOHNS RIVER STATE COLLEGE
Summer 2014

Course Title
General Psychology

Course Number
30076 PSY 2012 - D2 MTWR 8:00-9:35 am

Credit Hours
3 Credits--3 Hours

Instructor Contact Information
Matthew C. Barrett matthewbarrett@sjrstate.edu (904) 699-6034 (call or text is fine)

Required Text
__Mastering the World of Psychology__ by Samuel E. Wood, Ellen Green Wood, and Denise Boyd, 2011, Pearson Learning Solutions, Second Custom Edition for St. Johns River State College (Taken from: Mastering the World of Psychology, Fourth Edition)

SJR State Catalog Description
An introduction to psychology designed especially for transfer students. Major areas include: the nature of man, human development, motivation, abnormal behavior, personality, learning perception, social behavior, brain - behavior, relationships, physiology and animal behavior.

Course / Student Learning Outcomes
Students who complete this course shall obtain, interpret, and apply academic principles from diverse sources to explain, evaluate, and analyze topics relevant to General Psychology. Specifically students will:
 * 1) Describe, define, and recall critical factual information concerning theories, concepts, paradigms, and operational principles relevant to General Psychology.
 * 2) Explain and interpret the above (theories, ...etc.) and their relevance within the context of the science of developmental psychology.
 * 3) Apply psychological constructs validly and accurately.
 * 4) Analyze, contrast, and infer ideas that challenge and/or support current theories, concept, paradigms, and operational principles.
 * 5) Synthesize acquired material and use it to predict, hypothesize, and/or generate new ideas germane to current psychological thinking.
 * 6) Evaluate and assess established and/or novel psychological paradigms consistently, systematically, and contextually.
 * 7) Substantiate a grasp of the fundamental principles of learning theory through their factual recognition and subsequent application and synthesis.
 * 8) Substantiate a grasp of the fundamental principles of Freudian theory through their factual recognition and subsequent application and synthesis.
 * 9) Substantiate a grasp of the fundamental principles used in the classification of mental disorders through their factual recognition and subsequent application and synthesis.

Academic Integrity
Students in this class must know, observe, and not compromise the principles of academic integrity. It is not permissible to cheat, to fabricate or falsify information, to submit the same academic work in more than one course without prior permission, to plagiarize, to receive unfair advantage, or to otherwise abuse accepted practices for handling and documenting information. The grade for this course includes the judgment that the student’s work is free from academic dishonesty of any type. Violations or infractions will be reported to the Vice President for Student Affairs and may lead to failure of the course and other sanctions imposed by the College.

Some assignments in this class will rely on the use of an anonymous grading number. This number must be kept confidential at all times. Sharing this number with another student is considered cheating, and will be treated accordingly.

Communication
In the first week of class you will be set up with an account on the class wiki. Watch for an email from wikispaces.com with your username and password (it is very important that you DO NOT change your username!). The class wiki is a powerful tool for class communication, and offers many opportunities for participation. You may also use the wiki to submit homework or study. See the Online Resources Handout for more info.

Grading
The final grade will be based on earning points in three main categories:

Quizzes
150 pts (10 pts each) You will have 15 quizzes. These are timed, multiple-choice, open-book quizzes that you need to take on Blackboard outside of class time (see Online Resources for help accessing quizzes on Blackboard). With each chapter, you’ll receive core concept questions to research as you study the textbook. Understanding these concepts will prepare you for the quizzes.

All quizzes will available from the start of the semester and will usually close before the Chapter is scheduled to be covered in class. Quiz closures occur every week on Wednesday at 10 pm. See your Course Outline for details. If you miss a quiz or get a low score (below 50%), you may write Quiz Replacement Paragraph (see below) to replace or improve the quiz grade—in addition to replacing your quiz score, I award participation points for Quiz Replacement Paragraphs because of the extra effort required.

Exams
150 pts (50 pts for Midterm and 100 pts for Final) Just as understanding the core concept questions prepare you for the quizzes, the quizzes will prepare you for the midterm and final exams. You will take these in the classroom, as shown on the course outline. If you miss an exam or get a low score, you may write an essay (see below) to replace or improve the exam score.

Participation
300 points Class participation comes in many forms, but everyone needs to actively participate—merely sitting in class is not enough. Participation is required both in class and as homework.

** In Class **
(60 points) At least 60 points may be earned by participating in structured in-class activities. Come to every class, show up on time, and turn in the assigned work to make sure to get these points.

** Homework **
(see Course Outline to stay on track) Five paragraphs worth up to 20 points each are due throughout the semester. See the Course Outline below for due dates. Prompts and assignment details are found on the class wiki. Academic paragraphs will be submitted on the class wiki (see Wiki Assignment 3 for more info). The paragraphs you write will be graded by your peers, which means you will need to do some grading. You should grade at least 5 paragraphs for every one that you write, which works out to be 25 paragraphs. You earn 3 points for every paragraph that you grade (see Wiki Assignment 2 for more info). Peer Grading Max: No more than 105 points may be earned by doing peer grading without instructor approval. Early in the semester, you will have a set of wiki assignments to help you learn how to navigate the class wiki. As part of our study of research methods and assessments, you’ll have the opportunity to take one or more personality assessments, and comment on the results. See the class wiki for more details.
 * Academic Paragraphs (100 points)
 * Peer Grading (75 points)
 * Wiki Assignments (45 points)
 * Personality Assessments Activity (20 points)

Participation Points
Alternative ways to earn participation points can be found on the wiki, and additional ones may be announced. See Participation Points Handout for more info.

Quizzes and Exams
The make-up policy on quizzes and exams is to write an essay. Essays entered after the due date (see Calendar) will lose 10% (one letter grade). See Essay Instructions for more info.

**Quiz Replacement Paragraphs**
These small essays are an alternative to quizzes. If you prefer not to take a quiz (some people just don’t test well), OR if you miss a quiz, OR if you score below 50%, you may submit a Quiz Replacement Paragraph to replace or improve the grade. These paragraphs are worth 10 participation points in addition to replacing your quiz score because of the extra effort involved.

**Academic Essay**
This medium size essay may be used to replace the midterm exam or for making up participation points.

**Term Paper**
This larger size essay may be used to replace the final exam or for making up participation points.

Extra Credit
If you “max out” in participation points (earn over 300 points), you have the option of earning up to 50 more points which will count as extra credit. Any points beyond that will not be counted.

Grading Scale

 * = Points ||= Percent ||= Grade ||
 * = >540 ||= 90% or above ||= A ||
 * = 480-539 ||= 80-89% ||= B ||
 * = 420-479 ||= 70-79% ||= C ||
 * = 360-419 ||= 60-69% ||= D ||
 * = < 359 ||= Below 60% ||= F ||

Final Grade Calculation
Final grades will be calculated by adding the number of points earned in the three categories detailed above and dividing by the total points possible ( 60 0).

Note: Grades are not rounded up (for example: 539/600 points = B). Make-up work and extra credit are available as outlined above.

Attendance Policy
Ten minutes prior to class start time, there will be a sign-in sheet near the door. Make sure to sign in or you will not be counted as present. When class begins, I will collect the sheet. If you arrive after the sheet has been collected, make sure to sign in on the late arrivals sheet.

As stated in the student handbook you may receive an instructor warning when you have missed the equivalent of three 50-minute class periods regardless of the reason and may be withdrawn from the course by the instructor after the fourth 50-minute absence. It is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from class. Do not assume that the instructor will withdraw you. Do not stop coming to class without withdrawing officially – protect your GPA. Withdrawals are done on-line at My SJRstate.

Disability Statement
Accommodations are available for students with disabilities; please visit the Counseling Center.

Students with disabilities who require a note taker or other accommodations should notify their instructor as soon as possible so those accommodations can be coordinated with the appropriate office.

Students who would like to be a note taker should notify their instructor as well.