The purpose of this course is to introduce you to psychological processes that occur at the individual and social level. An overview will be provided of developmental psychology, personality, social psychology, maladaptive behavior, individual differences, and selected other topics. Please note: this course requires three hours of participation as a research subject in the Psychology Department. It also meets 3 units of the G.E. requirement for Area D1. You will need a Saclink account immediately as portions of this course will occur online via WebCT beginning the first week of class.
1. To familiarize students with key terms and their relevance
to psychology.
2. To provide a basic understanding of different perspectives in psychology.
3. To encourage students to apply what they learn to the real world.
4. To foster the ability to communicate the concepts we discuss in this course.
5. To foster critical thinking and a reflective style of learning.
6. To gain practice working as part of a team to create a project that is fun,
interesting and applies some of the concepts we use in this course.
Baron, R. A. (2002). Essentials of Psychology (3rd edition). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Note: If you want access to practice quizzes, resources, and other materials the publisher of the text provides online you will need to purchase a new book and use the pin number on the inside front cover of your textbook. This is not a course requirement.
(click to see Schedule)
1. Attend class and complete reading assignments prior to class.
2. Participate on a weekly basis in 15 online discussion group activities.
3. Function as the leader of one discussion activity.
4. Complete a paper as a result of the discussion group activity you lead.
5. Complete 2 tests and one final exam.
6. Complete a group project that will be presented during the last week of class.
At the beginning of
the semester, each student will be randomly assigned to a 4-5-person discussion
group for the entire semester. You will need to work together as a learning
team to complete several assignments during this class.
On 4 Thursdays, you will participate in a group online discussion of a critical
thinking question posted by your instructor (see section entitled “Critical
Thinking Questions”). You will either post your discussions on a discussion
board or you will use an assigned chat room. This activity will be in lieu of
attending class on that Thursday. If you do not participate in this activity,
you will not receive credit for the activity.
Credit for the discussion board or chat room activities will be based on level
of participation; to receive full credit, you need to actively participate in
the discussion. In terms of the discussion board, I would expect one posting
on the discussion board of 1-2 paragraphs that fully answers the question being
asked by the instructor and a minimum of one additional posting that is in response
to another group members posting. The live chat will occur at the time of
the scheduled class; the discussion board posting will be due by noon of the
Thursday it is scheduled to occur. Your second posting is due before the next
Tuesday class. No credit will be given for assignments turned in after the due
date; there is no exception to this rule.
The following questions are to be answered during your Thursday
online group discussions. The questions are listed by the week they need to
be answered; please refer to the schedule for specific information concerning
whether you will be answering the question in the chat room or on the discussion
board.
|
Date
|
Critical Thinking Questions |
| 9/12 | 1) Most psychologists view their field as being scientific in nature. Your book has an interesting discussion about why common sense often leads us astray (p 19). Think of a situation where you let common sense lead you astray and answer this question: how could you have used the scientific method and critical thinking to better assess the situation? Choose a situation you are willing to discuss in your group, briefly share the situation and then answer the question. |
| 10/3 | 2) At present, existing evidence suggests that group differences in intelligence are due primarily to environmental factors. What kind of evidence would be needed before we could conclude that genetic factors also play a role? Think in terms of research or scientific evidence in formulating your answers. |
| 10/24 | 3) Suppose that in a given society cannibalism is viewed as fully acceptable, is practiced by most members of the culture, and causes persons who engage in it no distress. Would it still constitute a mental disorder? Why? Why not? Your answer should reflect understanding of what constitutes a mental disorder. |
| 11/21 | 4) The topic is prejudice; you saw a movie in class on the topic. What was your impression? What has been your experience of prejudice, personally or otherwise? How would a Social Psychologist explain prejudice? Discuss the explanation from your textbook that you believe is most accurate based on your personal experience or what you observed in the movie, "How biased are you?" |
The group project is an opportunity for you to have fun and be
creative. The objective will be for your group to create some type of product
that you will share with the class that will advance our understanding of some
aspect of psychology. You may pick a question, a topic, a person, an event,
or any combination of these factors to create something tangible you will share
with the class. For example, you might choose to create a videotape, a website,
a game for us to play in class, a PowerPoint presentation, a short skit or any
other product that you can imagine that will provide us with some knowledge
or experience related to psychology. To see more information about this project,
go to the homepage and select "Project Criteria".
Credit will be given for assignments based upon the following:
| Quiz 1 | 50 points |
| Quiz 2 | 50 points |
| Final | 50 points |
| Critical Thinking Question Participation (discussion board and chat room) |
10 points each; 40 points total |
| WebQuest Activity, part 1 | 15 points |
| WebQuest Activity, part 2 | 10 points |
| WebQuest Activity, part 3 | 10 points |
| Research Activity | 5 points (2 for in-class activity) |
| Group Project | 30 points (10 points awarded by group) |
| Attendance | 40 points |
| Total Points | 300 points |
This instructor believes that attendance and participation is an important element of this class. You will receive 2 points for each class you attend.
Your final grade will be based on the following:
| A | 90-100% of total points |
| B | 80-89% |
| C | 70-79% |
| D | 60-69% |
| F | 59 & or below |