Psychology 105 Introduction to Psychology

Psychology 105 Introduction to Psychology

Fall Semester 2004

Caroline Clements, Ph.D. Office: SBS 211D

PSY 105- 120 TR 11:00-12:15 Phone: 962-4297

Office hours: TTH 12:30-1:30 and by appointment

Required Texts:

Franzoi, S.L. (2004). Psychology: A Journey of Discovery (2nd ed.). North Carolina: Atomic Dog Publishing.

Course Objectives and Expectations:

You are enrolled in this course as part of a larger learning community. You will learn about psychology in this class and apply what you learn to a better understanding of religious experience. The interface between psychology and religion is not new. Psychologists and their predecessors the philosophers have been interested in the relationship between the “psyche” and the “soul” for thousands of years. One of the first psychologists, a man named William James, wrote a book called The Varieties of Religious Experience on this very issue. This course is an exciting opportunity to address human thought and behavior from two very distinct but complementary disciplines.

This course is designed to be an undergraduate level overview of current topics in psychology. We will consider the field of psychology from both an empirical and an applied standpoint. The course will be research oriented in emphasis. Using your UNI 101 course we will help you learn to address scientific and applied issues as a psychologist might view them. Major schools of thought will be reviewed as they address the study of human behavior. Students will be encouraged to develop a scientifically critical frame of reference as it relates to the understanding of concepts is psychology and religion. This course is not designed to help students gain proficiency in any form of psychotherapy or in the diagnosis of mental illness.

Internet Access to Course Materials

Help with the textbook materials and copies of my class notes can be found on my home page located at:

http://www.uncwil.edu/people/clementsc/Dr_Clements.htm Class notes will be made available after each class session in which attendance is at least 97%. Class notes will not be available for those sessions in which attendance is below 97%. For this class this means that class notes will not be available when more than one student misses class with an unacceptable excuse. THINK before you miss! Not only will you be missing vital material but you are likely to cause your classmates to miss vital material.

Course Evaluation and Grading:

Students will be evaluated on their performance on two midterms and a final examination. The midterm examinations will each count 25% of the total grade and the final examination will count 30% of the total grade. Exams will be multiple choice in format. Students are responsible for material presented in the text that is not discussed in class.

Students will participate in four interclass assignments. Two of these assignments will be based in Dr. Berg’s class and graded by him. Two will be based in this class and graded by me. The two assignments based in this class will count 20% towards the total grade. Assignment number one is a two- three pages essay based on a video Dr. Berg will show in class. Assignment number two is a written case study asking you to describe a religious figure in either the Old or New Testament, the Koran or other major religious text. Further details about these two assignments will be provided in class. You will have time to work on these assignments with Ms. Hogan during your UNI 101 class.

Active discussion is encouraged in class, especially as it pertains to the topic. Students may obtain extra credit up to 5 percent of their total grade for exemplary participation. Please note that extra credit will be given for quality as compared to quantity of contribution. It may also be worth noting that one must be present in class on a regular basis to participate in class on a regular basis.

Examination Dates:

Exams will be given on the dates noted on this syllabus. Dates for exams will not change. Makeup examinations will be given only in the case of a medical illness requiring bedrest the day of the examination or a death in the immediate family. A doctor’s note or a funeral director’s note will be required to verify these circumstances. If you do not obtain such a note, you will not be permitted to make up an examination.

I will not call your doctor’s office and verify your illness for you. You must get a note. I am aware that the Wellness Center does not give out notes excusing students from class. You should make other arrangements to document your illness if you are unable to obtain a note from the Wellness Center.

Please bring a scantron sheet and a #2 pencil to each examination.

Midterm Examination One: 9/25

Midterm Examination Two: 11/4

Final Examination: Thursday, December 11^th at 11:30 am.

Attendance:

You should know that I have zero tolerance for unexcused absences or tardiness. Every student is expected to be in class on time for every scheduled class session. Your participation is a vital part of the class experience. If you are not in class, both you and your classmates miss the opportunity to gain from your experience. If you are too sick to come to class you should inform me that you will be absent before the class session that you will miss. You can do this by calling me at 962-4297 or

e-mailing me at clementsc@uncwil.edu. Please bring a doctor’s note the next class period verifying your illness (if you are too sick to come to class I expect you to go to the doctor for treatment). I will not call the doctor to verify your illness for you. You must obtain the doctor’s note.

The following is a partial list of unacceptable reasons for tardiness or absence:

1) I have a court date.

2) My boyfriend/roommate/girlfriend and I are having problems.

3) I have an appointment.

4) I have to work.

5) I have a job interview.

6) I have an admission’s interview for another college.

7) I got locked out of my apartment.

8) I overslept.

9) I couldn’t find my car keys.

10) My dog/cat/bird etc. got out.

11) I couldn’t get a parking spot.

12) I was hungover/I was out late the night before .

13) My alarm/roomate/friend did not wake me up.

14) Traffic was bad.

15) I was having one of those days so I went back to bed.

Students’ who do not respect this attendance policy can expect to have their exam grades docked a half a grade for every class period they are tardy or miss. If you think this view is too restrictive or unreasonable, have another class that will make you late, or simply don’t believe me, you should take this class another semester.

Course Topics:

Topics will be covered in approximately the order listed on this syllabus. I will make every effort to cover the topics listed on the dates listed. It is my experience that some topics stimulate a great deal of discussion and others only stimulate a lot of discussion. Therefore, we may have to adjust the syllabus as the course progresses. You will be informed of any changes in the syllabus in class.

9/16 Chapter Eight

Memory

9/23 Midterm Examination One

9/28 Chapter Nine

Cognition

10/5 Chapter Ten

Intelligence

10/12 Chapter Eleven

Motivation

10/19 Chapter Four

Development

10/26 Chapter Twelve

Personality

10/28 Midterm Examination Two

11/2 Chapter Fifteen

Health Psychology

11/09 Chapter Sixteen

Social Psychology

11/16 Chapter Thirteen

Abnormal Psychology

11/23 Chapter Fourteen

Psychotherapy

Final Examination Schedule:

Thursday, December 9^th at 11:30 am.

Some Points to Ponder:

1. Students are expected to become familiar with assigned class readings before coming to class. This expectation is designed to allow each student to participate in class discussion in an informed manner.

2. Students are strongly encouraged to purchase the study guide that accompanies the text. Though no study guide can substitute for a through reading of the actual course material, it can help organize thought processes in any review of facts and ideas. Sample questions included in the guide may or may not be strikingly similar to some exam questions.

3. Please read UNCW’s position on academic dishonesty carefully (as covered in the UNCW Student Handbook). Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated in this class.

4. Please be especially familiar with UNC-W’s position on plagiarism as outlined on page 90 of the UNCW Student Handbook. Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty in which you take someone’s else’s ideas and represent them as your own.

Here are some examples of plagiarism:

a. You write about someone else’s work in your paper and do not give them credit for it by referencing them.

b. You give a presentation and use someone else’s theoretical ideas and do not state that the ideas are the other persons.

c. You get facts from your textbook or some other reference material

(e.g., DSM-IV) and do not reference that material.