Psych 100 Dr. Chuck Hill
Introductory Psychology Fall 2008
COURSE MEETS: 11:00 or 1:30 Tuesdays and Thursdays in Science 302
OFFICE HOURS: 3:00-4:00 TuTh in Science 205, or by appointment
(email chill@whittier.edu or call 562-945-6051 or ext. 4805)
COURSE GOALS:
The psychology department has identified specific goals for the psychology curriculum. Since Psych 100 is the initial course in the curriculum, it is designed to begin the process of achieving these goals. Further progress toward these goals will be made in other psychology courses, and as well as in courses offered by other departments and in extra-curricular activities throughout your Whittier College experience.
The primary goal is to help you to think like a psychologist. More specific goals include the following:
(1) Knowledge of psychology: research methods, theoretical approaches, research findings, interdisciplinary connections, and historical and philosophical roots.
(2) Critical thinking: analysis, synthesis, problem solving, writing, oral communication, and listening skills.
(3) Experience in using the methods and resources of psychology: observation, research design, handling subjects, analyzing data, using the library, using computers, and using laboratories.
(4) Individual development: self-awareness, understanding others, self-confidence, responsibility, and clarification of values.
In addition, freshmen whose writing seminar is linked to Psych 100 or another course to meet the Liberal Education Community I requirement have the additional goal of learning to become part of an academic community.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: To achieve the goals of the course, students are expected to do the following:
a. Attend class regularly.
The goals of the course are much broader than the material in the textbook, so class attendance is crucial. Since not all of what is gained in class can be measured in an exam, course credit will be given for attendance. Two points will be awarded for each day that you attend. Be sure to sign the attendance sheet on any day that we do not have a class exercise form. If you are ill, let me know as soon as possible by email or phone.
b. Actively participate in class sessions.
Classes will include lectures, class exercises, discussions, demonstrations, and films. To get the most out of class sessions, you need to listen carefully, take good notes, raise questions, and participate in class discussions. Since the class is large, to facilitate discussion you will often be asked to form a Discussion Group of four persons. You may select either the same or a different Discussion Group at each class session.
c. Complete all class exercise forms assigned in class.
Often we will answer brief questionnaires (such as the Love Scale) or do other class exercises to help achieve the goals of the course. Sometimes you will do this in collaboration with a Discussion Group. You will record your responses on a class exercise form. Each form handed in on time will count 2 points for the exercise in addition to the 2 points for attendance. If you are absent, you may still obtain the form the next class period, complete it with classmates outside of class, and turn it in for 1 point credit (or full credit if you were ill).
There will also be two class exercise forms that will be done outside of class, for 2 points each.
d. Keep up with the assigned reading.
The text we will be using is the fourteenth edition of Atkinson and Hilgard's Introduction to Psychology by Edward E. Smith et al. The text should be available at the college bookstore. If the bookstore runs out of texts, more will be ordered, and in the meanwhile you and a classmate could share a book.
The lectures in class will highlight points in the text, but they will not cover all of the text material. Indeed there is so much material in the text that it is impossible to learn all of it in a single course. Moreover, there is no need to memorize all of it. To help you decide which material to focus on in studying for exams, sets of Study Questions will be distributed in class.
e. Study for exams prior to the review session.
There will be two midterms and one final exam. Part of the class session before each exam day will be devoted to a review. To gain maximum benefit from the review session, you should WRITE OUT answers to the Study Questions PRIOR to the review session. Mark the answers that you are uncertain about and the questions which need further clarification. Ask about those questions during the review session. Hand in the Study Question answers on the day of the exam; each set of answers is worth 10 course points if it is complete. You are encouraged to discuss your answers with your classmates, but you must write out the answers yourself. Xeroxed answers or multiple computer printouts of identical or very similar files will receive zero points.
f. Hand in the Journal Article
paper on time.
To help you appreciate some of the ways in which psychological research is conducted, and the style in which it is written for publication, you are to read and react to a professional research article. You will then practice your writing skills and computer skills by writing a brief paper.
Go to the Wardman library and browse through various psychology journals. Do NOT use the Internet for this assignment.
Find a recent article (published in the last six months) in a professional psychology journal (or in a professional journal of a related discipline such as sociology, anthropology, or education) which is relevant to any of the topics discussed in the course. Do NOT use Psychology Today or any popular magazine. A popular magazine article is written by a journalist who interviews Òexperts,Ó while a professional journal article is written by researchers who describe their research methods in detail.
When you have found an article, check the sign-up sheet at the checkout counter on the first floor of Wardman library. If no one else has signed up for it, sign your name and write the article's reference. No two students can use the same article, so whoever signs up first claims the article.
Xerox the article (including ALL of the references) in the library and then leave the journal in the library so that others may use it. Do not tear or cut pages out of the journal. If a journal is found damaged or missing by the library staff, those who used that journal issue for this assignment will be charged the cost of replacing that journal issue.
Read the article carefully. You may not understand all of the statistics presented, but you should be able to follow the key ideas in the introduction and conclusions. If you can't, find another article! Then find some discussion in the text (or in your class notes) to which the article relates.
Write a brief (1 to 2 page) paper in which you do the following:
(i) Give the citation for the article [author(s), year, title, journal, volume, pages] using the same format as the following example:
Hill, C.T., Rubin, Z, & Peplau, L.A. (1976) Breakups before marriage: The end of 103 affairs. Journal of Social Issues, 32:147-68.
(ii) Identify the page number in the text, or the date of the class session, in which there is a discussion relevant to the article.
(iii) Then explain how the article updates the information given in the text or class. First summarize what is stated in the text, next summarize what is concluded in the article, then spell out the way in which the article relates to the text. The article may add additional support for a theory, may contradict previous findings, or may specify conditions under which something does or does not occur. Indicate which of these the article does, and how.
Your paper should be double-spaced, and should use the following side headings: Citation for Article, Reference to Textbook, Discussion. No cover sheet is needed. Put your name and the course name at the top of the paper.
Save your paper on a computer disk or flash memory drive.
Before handing in your paper, proofread it carefully and make any necessary revisions. Also have a friend proofread the paper, to help you spot grammatical and typing errors as well as wording that may be unclear. Psychologists always have colleagues react to their papers, and then revise their papers (usually several times), before submitting papers for publication. Rewriting your papers is the best way to improve your writing skills as well as the grades that you receive on your papers in all classes.
Attach your xerox copy of the journal article to your paper by stapling in the upper left-hand corner only. Do not use a report cover, and do not fold the paper lengthwise. Hand in your paper in class on the due date indicated in the course schedule below. Your Journal Article paper will be returned, but not the xerox copy of the article. Quite often students find very interesting articles, which the instructor would like to read and save for possible use in updating future lectures or conducting research.
Points will be awarded for the completeness of the reference to the article (1 point), the reference to the text or class session (1 point), the description of how the article updates the text (3 points), writing technique (organization, clarity, grammar, spelling, typing; 3 points), and attaching the xerox copy of the article (2 points).
GRADING POLICIES:
Course grades will be based on the total number of points accumulated. Your grade will take into account the percentage of the points you earned out of the total possible points, as well as the distributions of points earned by the entire class and by previous classes. If the class distribution is low, the top students will still get good grades; if the class distribution is high, then many students will get good grades.
The possible points for each activity, and their percentage of the total possible, will be approximately as follows:
Midterm #1 60 points 18% of total
Midterm #2 60 points 18% of total
Final exam 100 points 29% of total
Attendance 48 points 14% of total
Class exercise forms 32 points 9% of total
Study questions 30 points 9% of total
Journal Article paper 10 points 3% of total
340 points total possible
Attendance will count 2 points for each class session. If you turn in an exercise form on time, you will automatically be given attendance points for that day. But on any day on which there is not a class exercise form (such as review days), you need to sign the attendance sheet before you leave.
Try to arrive on time. Late arrivals distract the instructor and interrupt the class. Note that the total of the attendance points counts almost the same as one of the midterms. So poor attendance is equivalent to flunking an exam.
If you have a cell phone. turn it off before class begins. If it does ring during class turn if off immediately. Also, respect others in the class by not talking when you are not called upon or in your Discussion Group. Violators may be asked to leave the class.
If
you bring a laptop computer to class you may only use it for taking
notes, not for email, surfing the web, or other computer activities. If you use a laptop for other
activities you will not be allowed to use it at all.
There will be sixteen class exercise forms. Each class exercise form will be worth 2 points if it is handed in on time, 1 point if it is late. The Journal Article paper will earn variable points up to 10. Late papers will have points taken off. Note that the points for attendance and the class exercise forms total almost as much as the final exam. Therefore, missing half of the class sessions and exercises is equivalent to flunking the final exam.
Make-up exams will ordinarily be given only in cases of medical emergency (bring a note from the doctor). Email or phone me as soon as possible.
The final exam will be accumulative, with about two-thirds based on new material and about one-third based on the material covered on the two midterms.
Ordinarily, no early final exams will be given. So do not make airplane reservations for departure times earlier than your last exam. Check your exam schedule and make your reservations NOW, in order to have more choice of flights.
Studying together is strongly encouraged. Indeed you should meet with classmates outside of class to go over the Study Questions together after you have answered them individually. However, copying papers or cheating on exams will result in disciplinary action, which could include a zero on the paper or exam, an F in the course, or sanctions by the College Hearing Board.
If you are having any kind of problem with the course, see the instructor as soon as possible. If you need a tutor, free tutoring is available at the Center for Academic Success on the first floor of the Science Building. If you have a learning disability or any other kind of disability, see the office of Student Disabilities to arrange for appropriate accommodations.
If you are having any kind of personal problem, help is available from the following: your instructor, your mentor or advisor, the Counseling Center, and other faculty, students, and staff. Get help early -- we want you to succeed, and will do what we can to help you succeed.
READING ASSIGNMENTS AND COURSE SCHEDULE:
Week
Tuesday
Thursday
.
#1 9/4 Ch. 1 Nature of Psychology
(no class) FORM: Communication
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#2 9/9 Ch. 1 (continued) 9/11 Ch. 2 Biological Foundations
FORM: Study Design of Psychology
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#3 9/16 Ch. 2 (continued) 9/18 Ch. 3 Psych. Development
VIDEO: Enlightened Machine FORM: Self Concept
FORM: Enlightened Machine
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#4 9/23 Ch. 3 (continued) 9/25 Ch. 4 Sensory Processes
GUEST: Dr. Camparo
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#5 9/30 Review #1 10/2 MIDTERM #1
Study Questions Ch. 1-3 Ch. 1-3
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#6 10/7 Ch. 5 Perception 10/0 Ch. 6 Consciousness
FORM: Person Perception FORM: Blood Alcohol
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#7 10/14 Ch. 7 Learning 10/16 Ch. 8 Memory
GUEST: Dr. Volckmann Ch. 9 Language & Thought
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#8 10/21 Ch.10 Motivation 10/23 Ch.10 (continued)
FORM: Experiences FORM: AIDS awareness
JOURNAL ARTICLE DUE
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#9 10/28 Ch.11 Emotion 10/30 Review #2
FORM: Dating Partner Study Questions Ch. 4-11
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#10 11/4 MIDTERM #2 11/6 Ch.12 Intelligence
Ch. 4-11 FORM: Intelligence
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#11 11/11 Ch.13 Personality 11/13 Ch.14 Stress and Coping
FORM: Personality FORM: Life Events
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#12 11/18 Ch.17 Social Influence 11/20 Ch.18 Social Cognition
FILM: Obedience
FORM: Obedience
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#13 11/25 Ch. 15 Psychological Disorders 11/27 THANKSGIVING BREAK
VIDEO: MADNESS
GUEST: Dr. Shaikh
FORM: Abnormal
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#14 12/2 Ch.16 Treatment 12/4 Review #3
Study Questions Ch.12-19
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FINAL EXAM Thursday, Dec. 11, 10:30-12:30 or 3:30-5:30