South Portland
, Maine04106
Title: Introduction to
Psychology Catalog
Number: PSYC 100
Credit Hours: 3 Total
Contact Hours: 45
Instructor: David Beseda, MSW Office : Meeting arranged upon
student request
Office Hours: Meetings arranged upon
student request Email :
dbeseda@
smccme
.edu
Course Syllabus Spring 2013
Course Description
This course is designed to provide a broad overview of the
field of Psychology. Special attention will be given to helping the student
become a better thinker, by learning to take charge of ideas one has about
psychology. The goal of this course is to think consciously, deliberately and
skillfully about human behavior. Topics such as physiological psychology,
perception, learning, cognition, emotions, health psychology, psychological
disorders, as well as others are included.
Prerequisite(s):
none Corequisite(s): ENGL-050,
ENGL-075
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, the
student will be able to:
1.
Define psychology as a discipline and explain its history, and how it is
distinct from and related to other disciplines.
2.
Explain how psychology is a science and become familiar with the
research methods used by psychologists, including different
research designs, limitations of research findings, and APA
ethical principles.
3.
Explore the subject matter of the field of psychology and become
familiar with the vocabulary, major concepts, theories, and
research findings of psychology.
4.
Further develop critical thinking skills by applying them to the field
of psychology
5.
Become a cautious and analytical consumer of psychological information
that is proclaimed to be scientific or based on research and
recognize the usefulness and limitations of research findings.
6.
Understandand apply psychological principles to personal,
social, and organization issues.
7. Become aware & respectful of diversity
issues which affect behavior & psychological processes and recognize that
sociocultural
contexts may influence the development and
application of psychological principles.
Learning Outcomes Competencies:
Critical Thinking:
Upon Completion of this course students will have:
1. Read
and demonstrated an understanding of complex ideas by identifying key concepts
in the field of psychology.
2. Applied
theory to practice using problem solving techniques and data analysis.
3. Analyzed
and evaluated research data to produce a well-reasoned argument or position on
an issue.
4.
Synthesize data from multiple sources to create and support a
solution
Global Citizenship:
Upon Completion of this course students will be able to
use psychology concepts to:
1. Explain
how social interactions are influenced by local, regional, national, and/or
global cultures.
2.
Recognize cultural and individual differences that underlie the
complexities of human behavior and social interaction.
3.
Demonstrate an understanding and knowledge of cultures that are diverse
from their own.
Text, Tools and / or
Supplies
King, L. A.,
The Science of Psychology,
2nd (2011).
New York,
McGraw-Hill
Online component:
www.mcgrawhillconnect.com
Topical Outline of Instruction
Introduction
and Research Methods – Chapter 1 & 2
After concluding this unit, students understand:
1.Contemporary perspectives used by psychologists to understand
behavior and mental processes in context
2. Major subfields and career opportunities that comprise psychology
3. Research strategies used by psychologists to explore behavior and
mental processes
4. Purpose and basic concepts of statistics
5. Ethical issues in research
6. Development of psychology as an empirical
science
Biological Basis of Behavior – Chapter 3
After concluding this unit, students
understand:
1. Structure and function of the neuron
2. Organization of the nervous system
3. Hierarchical organization of the
structure and function of the brain
4. Technologies and clinical methods for
studying the brain
5. Structure and function of the endocrine
system
6. How heredity interacts with the
environment to influence behavior
7. How psychological mechanisms are
influenced by evolution
Sensation
and Perception – Chapter 4
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1.
Basic concepts explaining the capabilities and limitations of sensory
processes
2.
Interaction of the person and the environment in determining perception
3.
Nature of attention
States
of Consciousness – Chapter 5
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1.
Nature of consciousness
2.
Characteristics of sleep and theories that explain why we sleep
3.
Theories used to explain and interpret dreams
4.
Basic phenomena and uses of hypnosis
5.
Categories of psychoactive drugs and their effects
Learning
– Chapter 6
After concluding this unit, students understand:
1.
Characteristics of learning
2.
Principles of classical conditioning
3.
Principles of operant conditioning
4.
Components of social, observational, and cognitive learning
5.
Roles of biology and culture in determining learning
Memory – Chapter 7
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1.Encoding,
or getting information into memory
2.
Sensory, working or short-term, and long-term memory systems
3.
Retrieval, or getting information out of memory
4.
Biological basis of memory
5. Memory constructions
6.
Methods for improving memory
Thinking,
Intelligence and Language – Chapter 8
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1.
Basic elements comprising thought
2.
Strategies and obstacles involved in problem solving and decision-making
3.
Influence and interaction of heredity and environment on intelligence
4.
Nature of intelligence and intelligence testing
5.
Structural features of language
6.
Theories and developmental stages of language acquisition
7.
Links between thinking and language
Life
Span Development – Chapter 9
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1.
Development as a lifelong process
2.
Research techniques used to gather data on the developmental process
3.
Theories of development
4.
Issues surrounding the developmental process (nature/nurture,
continuity/discontinuity,
stability/instability,
critical periods)
Motivation
and Emotion – Chapter 10
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1.
The role of biology and learning in motivation and emotion
2.
Major theories of motivation
3.
Interaction of biological and cultural factors in emotions and motivations
4.
Role of values and expectancies in determining choice and strength of
motivation
5.
Physiological, social cultural, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of emotions
6.
Effects of motivation and emotion on perception, cognition, and behavior
Personality
and Assessment – Chapter 12
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1. How to distinguish between personality and
personality constructs
2.
Personality approaches and theories
3.
Assessment tools used in personality
Social
and Cultural Dimensions of Behavior – Chapter 13
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1.
Social judgment and attitudes
2.
Social and cultural categories
3.
Social influence and relationships
Psychological
Disorders – Chapter 15
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1.
Characteristics and origins of abnormal behavior
2.
Classifying abnormal behavior
3.
Major categories of abnormal behavior
4.
Impact of mental disorders
Treatment
of Psychological Disorders – Chapter 16
After
concluding this unit, students understand:
1.
Prominent methods used to treat individuals with disorders
2.
Types of practitioners who implement treatment
3.
Challenges involved in delivery of treatment
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Intro to Psychology Core Requirements
·
Critical Thinking Requirement:
Introduction
to Psychology is designated as a Critical Thinking course. There may be
several critical thinking assignments during the semester. 25% of a
student’s grade must be derived from critical thinking assignments.
·
Information
Literacy –
One way to improve IL skills is through assignments. Students in this course must be able to
critically evaluate information and discern credible from non-credible
material. For example, an assignment
utilizing the pod casts that are located on the Library “On-line Tutorials” may
be included during the semester.
·
Metacognition
–
One
of the major goals of this class is to strengthen your ability to be an engaged
and motivated learner. An assignment involving
Attribution Theory and Locus of Control will be utilized during the semester.
·
Assessment of
Textbook Reading –
Students
should be able to locate and integrate information using advanced analysis of
the meaning and form of the text.
Students should be able to provide specific text support for inferences,
informative statements, and comparisons within and across readings.
·
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Course Requirements
If
there are any questions about this course or problems completing the course
requirements, please contact me. It is
most convenient for me to be contacted by email; My email address is DBeseda@smccme.edu or Dbeseda@aol.com. If you need to contact me by phone my cell
phone number is 651-1489 and it has a voice mailbox if I cannot answer the
phone.
This
course will utilize a combination of reading, lectures, discussion, videos,
interactive group work, written work and
tests to promote better understanding of human behavior. NO CELL PHONES OR COMPUTERS TO BE USED IN
CLASS
ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION (Worth 25% of final course grade)
Class
attendance, and participation are required to successfully complete this
course. Each class will consist of
discussion and group activities. It is
expected that each student will be prepared to actively participate during each
class. If you are absent for any reason, it is
your responsibility to contact me (and your group members if appropriate) about
your absence, missed assignments and any material covered. Late assignments or exams
will be graded down a half letter grade for each day late. If you miss three classes you may receive an
F for the course through the Attendance Fail process at SMCC .
Participation
goals/objectives
1.
Develop and
apply a work ethic
-
Use effective
problem solving/critical thinking approaches to tasks
-
Actively
participate in class and groups to complete tasks
-
Manage
multiple tasks
-
Accept
constructive feedback and act on that feedback
-
Be
prepared for class
2.
Communicate
effectively with peers and instructor
-
Interact
in class and be involved in topics
-
Listen to
gain information
-
Ask
questions
-
Seek
diversity and be considerate of other participants
-
Use
effective conflict resolution strategies when appropriate
WEEKLY
ARTICLES and WEEKLY QUIZES (Worth 10% of final course grade)
Each
student is expected to be prepared for classes. Homework will also consist of a weekly
assignment to hand in one article on the class topic, included with a short
personal reflection or summary. The
assignments will be further explained in class.
Please refer to the Course Outline
for the classes and topics that will be discussed. Additionally, one of the requirements of the
course is that students take an assessment of the assigned reading before
it is covered in class. There are two ways each student can choose to do this: 1)
Using the Connect Ed/Learn Smart component that comes with the textbook, or 2) A
quiz for each chapter with a 15 question test which will be administered at the start
of class. There can be no make-ups given once the material is covered in
class. Each student will be allowed to drop two of the lower scores for
the required chapters.
TESTS (Three
Test Grades Will Be Combined and In Total Will Be Worth 40% of final course
grade)
There
will be three tests major tests during this course. Each test will measure the student’s mastery
of the application/analysis of the topics and concepts of this course. Study
guides will be handed out before each test.
There will be no opportunities
for make-ups for missed tests without prior notification of the instructor and
test arranged to be taken later will be graded down on letter grade. The student is responsible for making
arrangements with the instructor. A
missed exam without prior notification will be counted as an F.
GROUP
PROJECT (Worth 25% of final course
grade)
Each
student will be part of a group that will plan, research and present a student
conducted project on a pre-approved topic.
This is a team project and the groups will be selected by the
instructor. This project will involve
each group in a more in-depth learning experience with a specific area of
psychology. The group project will be
presented to the class in a Power Point presentation. The process and standards for this project
will be explained in class.
See
student handbook for other academic policies.
In
order to gain access to final course grades, students must complete
evaluations for all courses. Students can now evaluate their SMCC courses online and anonymously by going to Academics
on the SMCC homepage and
choosing Course Evaluations. This feature is typically available the
last two weeks of every class (in most cases, this will be the last two weeks
of the semester).
ADA Syllabus
Statement
Southern
Maine Community College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action institution
and employer. For more information, please call 207-741-5798.
If
you have a disabling condition and wish to request accommodations in order to
have reasonable access to the programs and services offered by SMCC, you must register with the disability
services coordinator, Mark Krogman, who can be reached at 741-5629. There will be some documentation for your
teachers that must be supplied before accommodations can be given. Further information about services for
students with disabilities and the accommodation process is available upon
request at this number.
SMCC
Pay-for-Print Policy
Students can print 150 pages per semester free of charge. If you
print over 150 pages, you will be charged 10 cents per page to your student
billing account for tuition and fees.
Leftover pages from each semester will not be rolled over to the
following semester.
The College’s pay-for-print system monitors printing on all public
printers (i.e. those in general access labs, library printers, the Academic
Achievement Center, Noisy Lounge and technology labs). Each time you log-in to
the system, the print station displays the remaining print quota. Once the
printing quota has been exceeded, users will be charged $ 0.10 per page or $.05
per side if the printer prints on both sides on their student accounts on a
monthly basis. Color printouts will be charged at 11 page units. This means
each color printout will count as 11 pages toward the quota and will cost $1.10.
Add-Drop
Policy
Students who
drop a course during the one-week “add/drop” period in the fall and spring
semesters and the first three days of summer sessions receive a 100% refund of
the tuition and associated fees for that course. Please note any course that meets for less
than the traditional semester length, i.e., 15 weeks, has a pro-rated add/drop
period. There is no refund for
non-attendance.
Withdrawal
Policy
A student may
withdraw from a course only during the semester in which s/he is registered for
that course. The withdrawal period is the second through twelfth week of the
fall and spring semesters and the second through ninth week of twelve-week
summer courses. This period is pro-rated for shorter-length courses. To withdraw from a course, a student must
complete and submit the appropriate course withdrawal form, available at the
Enrollment Service Center (no phone calls, please). The designation “W” will appear on the
transcript after a student has officially withdrawn. A course withdrawal is an uncompleted course
and may adversely affect financial aid eligibility. Failure to attend or ceasing to attend class
does not constitute withdrawal from the course.
There is no refund associated with a withdrawal.
AF Administrative Failure
Administrative Failure (a final grade of AF) identifies
students who have stopped attending class and who have
had no contact with the faculty member for a period during
which the class has met three or more times. At
their discretion, faculty may reinstate students who
resume attending after the grade has been assigned.
No Show Grade
A student who enrolls in a class, and pays any part of the
tuition (even if through pending financial aid or
another agency), but doesn't appear in class will receive
a grade of WN (no show) on the faculty class list and
their transcript. They will receive no reimbursement for
the course or fees, the grade will be treated in the same
manner as a withdrawal for the purpose of determining the
number of credits attempted, and the grade will
contribute to any determination of probation or suspension
status.
Plagiarism
Statement
Adherence to
ethical academic standards is obligatory. Cheating is a serious offense,
whether it consists of taking credit for work done by another person or doing
work for which another person will receive credit. Taking and using the ideas
or writings of another person without clearly and fully crediting the source is
plagiarism and violates the academic code as well as the Student Code of
Conduct. If it is suspected that a student in any course in which s/he is
enrolled has knowingly committed such a violation, the faculty member should
refer the matter to the College’s Disciplinary Officer and appropriate action
will be taken under the Student Code of Conduct. Sanctions may include
suspension from the course and a failing grade in the course. Students have the
right to appeal these actions to the Disciplinary Committee under the terms
outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.