COLLIN COLLEGE

FALL 2018
COURSE SYLLABUS

PSYC 2301--GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY
Sections: S10, S12, S14, S15, S17 

Course Description: 

General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Course Credit Hours: 3
Lecture Hours: 3

Prerequisite:  Meet TSI college-readiness standard for Reading and Writing; or equivalent

Student Learning Outcomes: 

• State Mandated Outcomes:  Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to do the following:

1. Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology.  (Empirical and Quantitative Skills)
2. Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.  (Critical Thinking)
3. Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.
4. Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.  (Communication Skills)
5. Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation.  (Social Responsibility)
6. Identify factors in physiological and psychological processes involved in human behavior.
                            
Course Resources: Textbook: 

Lilienfeld, Lynn & Namy (2018).  Psychology: from Inquiry to Understanding, 4th edition, Pearson Publications, ISBN-13: 9780134637716. 



You are purchasing an access code for this electronic text.  This access code will also lead you to a link that will provide you with the option to purchase a paper copy of the text for an additional $20.00 directly from the publisher.  Access codes for each section of General Psychology that I teach will be provided the first week of class.
*Please note that a limited number of hard copies of the text will be on reserve in the library for a two-hour check-out period.

Supplies: 

Course textbook, supplemental readings, student ID, Scantrons

Attendance Policy:

Class attendance is critical to your success in this course. My lectures and our class discussions will go beyond the required readings.  Taking good class notes and participating in these discussions will help you learn and remember this material.

You will sign in to document your attendance every class period.  Signing in for another student is considered a breach of academic ethics and will be handled as such. I will allow students--with legitimate reasons presented to me--to arrive late or depart early on a very limited basis. Attending for only one-half of a class on a given day is better than not attending at all. If you need to either arrive late or depart early, please do so unobtrusively with a minimum of disruption.  You will still be required to sign-in.

EXCESSIVE unexcused absences or frequent partial attendance (missing 10 hours or more of class time) will very likely cost you at least one letter grade and will certainly affect credit related to your participation, as well as credit related to your performance on tests and quizzes.

Religious/Holiday days:  Please refer to the current Collin Student Handbook.

The last day to withdraw and receive the grade of "W" is Friday, October 19, 2018. (Withdrawal Policy:  See the current Collin Registration Guide for last day to withdraw.)

Method of Evaluation:

UNIT Exams and values:

• Two unit exams each valued at 100 points
• A final comprehensive examination valued at 125 points
• Exams may consist of multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and/or essay questions. 
• Reviews for each exam will be posted on my course calendar, which is a link on my webpage (http://faculty.collin.edu/bstern).  Go to the Calendar link that can be found by following links on my webpage. A link to my webpage will also be on Canvas.

Quizzes AND VALUES:

• Five short quizzes valued between 10 and 15 points each will be given during the course of the semester, typically covering one to two chapters (65 points total).  Quizzes may or may not be announced in advance. All quizzes are taken in class. There are no posted quiz reviews.

Homework AND VALUES:

• Four written assignments valued at 15 points each (60 points total) will be given. The purpose of this work is to enhance communication and critical thinking skills, as well as social responsibility.  All homework must be typed.  A hard copy of each homework assignment must be turned in on the due date--at the beginning of the class session. 
• Homework assignments are posted on my course calendar, which is a link on my webpage ((http://faculty.collin.edu/bstern). Go to the Calendar link that can be found by following links on my webpage. A link to my webpage will also be on Canvas.
• Make-ups FOR MISSED QUIZZES, HOMEWORK AND EXAMS:
  
  No make-ups are allowed for missed quizzes or homework. 

Make-ups for major unit exams are allowed with appropriate documentation. The student is responsible for contacting me to start the process of making up a unit exam. 

Extra Credit
Extra credit is built in to my exams in the form of additional questions.  I may also add questions to quizzes or incorporate an additional quiz for extra credit.  No individual student will be given a special option to do additional extra credit work. 

Participation

• When any student’s accumulated point total is very close to the next higher letter grade, I may take into consideration attendance and participation as data for assigning the higher grade.

 

Points required for each letter grade

A = 403 – 450 B = 358 – 402 C = 313 – 357 D = 268 - 312 F = 267 and below

Academic Ethics:

Every member of the Collin College community is expected to maintain the highest standards of academic integrity.  Collin College may initiate disciplinary proceedings against a student accused of scholastic dishonesty. Scholastic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, statements, acts, or omissions related to applications for enrollment or the award of a degree, and/or the submission of one’s own work material that is not one’s own. Scholastic dishonesty may involve, but is not limited to, one or more of the following acts: cheating, plagiarism, collusion, use of annotated texts or teacher’s editions, use of information about exams posted on the Internet or electronic medium, and/or falsifying academic records. While specific examples are listed below, this is not an exhaustive list and scholastic dishonesty may encompass other conduct, including any conduct through electronic or computerized means:

Plagiarism is the use of an author's words or ideas as if they were one's own without giving credit to the source, including, but not limited to, failure to acknowledge a direct quotation.

Cheating is the willful giving or receiving of information in an unauthorized manner during an examination, illicitly obtaining examination questions in advance, copying computer or Internet files, using someone else's work for assignments as if it were one's own, or any other dishonest means of attempting to fulfill the requirements of a course.

Collusion is intentionally aiding or attempting to aid another in an act of scholastic dishonesty, including but not limited to providing a paper or project to another student, providing an inappropriate level of assistance; communicating answers to a classmate during an examination; removing tests or answer sheets from a test site, and allowing a classmate to copy answers.

Consequences of violations of academic ethics:

Students violating academic ethics on homework, quizzes, and exams will receive a zero for that assignment, quiz, or exam and may be referred to the Dean of Students for further disciplinary action.
 
(Collin College Academic Policies:  See the current Collin Student Handbook)

Americans with Disabilities Act Statement: Collin College will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations as required to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the ACCESS office, SCC-D140 or 972.881.5898 (V/TTD: 972.881.5950) to arrange for appropriate accommodations. See the current Collin Student Handbook for additional information.   
                            

House Rules:

(1) Please refer to your Student Handbook for the complete student code of conduct.

(2) Smartphones and other electronics are to be turned off and put away during the class period.  Clearly, there will be exceptions made for certain students with particular circumstances; I will discuss exceptions to this rule with any student who wishes to talk with me.
District policy on cell phone/electronic device use - From the current Student Handbook:
"It is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct to engage in the disruptive use of electronic, telecommunication, digital media, and/or wearable devices during class, labs, or other Collin College learning environments. This includes, but is not limited to, social networking activities such as texting, talking on the phone, and web browsing from laptops, smart phones, or any other electronic devices during class time. Consult the professor for specific guidance. If there is a need to monitor any outside communication for emergency purposes during a specific class, a student should set the device on vibrate and inform the professor before class begins, so as not to disrupt the class and interfere with the academic classwork of other students. In addition to individual course guidelines, students should review the Student Code of Conduct located in this student handbook." (p. 16)
The Student Code of Conduct is located in Chapter 6 of the Student Handbook, pages 96-98.
Website for Handbook:  http://www.collin.edu/studentresources/personal/studenthandbook.html

(3) Email me using your Cougarmail account. I will not respond to any emails with a personal email account.

(4) If you choose to bring in snacks and beverages while attending my class, please clean up after yourself upon leaving.

(5) Come to class prepared--refer to the class calendar for the readings, homework, and material you should have reviewed; bring pen/pencil for notetaking; have a pencil and Scantrons with you.

(6) If you are arriving late or leaving early, do so without disrupting the class.

(7) Above all, students—and the Professor—will conduct themselves in my classroom in a civil manner. Students who violate this rule will be asked to leave that single class session, and I will report the incident to the Dean of Students.