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PSYC100: INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE Fall 2009
Section 2: 9:05 – 9:55 AM MWF, Robinson 318 Section 3: 10:10 – 11:00 AM MWF, Robinson 318
Instructor: Dr. Susan Boland Office: Robinson 320B, 484-2239 E-mail: sboland@lhup.edu; webpage: www.lhup.edu/sboland Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 9:00-11:00 AM, Wed 2:30-4:00 PM and by appointment
TEXT Required:
Invitation to Psychology (4th ed.), 2008, by Carole Wade and
Carol Tavris.
Supplements: There are several resources available to help you review the material covered in the chapters.
· My web page: http://www.lhup.edu/sboland
COURSE DESCRIPTION A comprehensive overview of what psychological science has discovered about human behavior and mental processes. Students will be introduced to many areas of academic and applied psychology as well as persistent themes that characterize the field (e.g., nature vs. nurture). The practical applications of psychological knowledge will be discussed. Students will gain an understanding and appreciation of the psychological phenomena that occur in their daily life. In addition, a habit of thinking clearly about the relationship between knowledge claims and evidence will be fostered.
Getting to know you
I try to learn all of my students' names, but because I have over 150 students in a semester, it can be difficult. To make the task easier, I will give each of you a 3 X 5 card on which you will write some personal information. The sample card below indicates what information I want. For most of you, I also have a photo provided by the University (taken for your student ID). For a few of your, I made need to either take a photo or have you supply me with one.
Sample card
E-mail: Every student should set up an e-mail address through LHU. I will occasionally send messages about the course to your LHU e-mail account. If you have not activated your account and/or do not check your LHU e-mail, you may miss important messages. You can get help setting up your account from the computing center, 484-2286, Robinson 506.
HOW TO STUDY Here are some tips for studying for this course. On my web page www.lhup.edu/sboland I have some links to other internet sites with advice on how to develop better study skills. It's been estimated that college students need about 2 to 2-1/2 hours outside of class for reading and studying for every hour of class time. That means that for this 3-hour class, you can expect to spend 6 to 7.5 additional hours each week doing course work outside of class. College is a full-time job!
1) Read the textbook Sometimes my lecture will review text material, but some material will be covered only in the text and not in lecture. Thus, it is essential that you read and study the textbook. You do not read a textbook in the same way that you would read a novel. A textbook is too technical to be read in big segments. Instead read only a part of a chapter at one sitting. A good practice might be to ready 10 pages each night before a class period. Each exam will cover two or three chapters or about 60-75 pages of material. There is no way you can read that many pages for the first time, the night before an exam, and expect to do well on the exam. The authors of your textbook have several suggestions to help you get the most out of your reading.
a) Start by doing a preview of what is in the section you will be reading. Read the headings to see what topics are going to be covered and to get an idea of how the section is organized. Having an outline in your head before you read will help you organize and remember the information you read. b) Read the "What's Ahead" questions at the beginning of each section. Look for the answers to these questions as you read. c) You may need to read a chapter more than once before you truly understand the information and can remember it. The studying you do the night before an exam should be a review, not a first time reading. d) As you read try to restate the information in your own words. After you read a major section try to write down the major points in that section. Could you explain what you just read to a friend? Pay special attention of key terms. e) Take the quick quizzes at the end of each section. There are also multiple choice quizzes on-line on the text’s web page. f) Read the summary at the end of the chapter. Finally consider the "Looking Back" questions, can you answer them? (These are the same as the "What's Ahead" questions that appear at the beginning of chapter sections.)
2) Use the learning objectives For each chapter in the Lecture Outlines booklet there is a list of learning objectives. I try to pinpoint the most important concepts you'll need to know from textbook and lecture in these objectives. Review the learning objectives before reading the text, so you know on what to focus. Also use the learning objectives as a study guide for the exam. I base exam questions on these learning objectives.
3) Spread out your learning Spread out your reading and studying for this course. Studying for three 1-hour sessions is a more effective study technique than studying for one 3-hour session. If you try to cram, you'll just burn yourself out.
4) Make material meaningful You'll remember information better if you make it meaningful to you. There are several ways you can do this. For example, is the information in any way relevant to your life? Can you think of an example that illustrates a concept? Can you form a visual image that helps you remember a concept?
5) Take practice quizzes One good way to prepare for an exam is to test yourself. The web site for the text also has practice tests you can try. These self-tests are an excellent way to become familiar with taking multiple-choice exams. They are also a great way to help you determine if you are ready for the exam. After you've taken self-test, calculate your score. Getting 15 out of 20 correct may seem great, but that's only 75% correct or a "C". If you're hoping to score better than a C on the exam, you may need to do more review.
6) Your text book also has tips for improving you memory on page 292-293.
Student Support Services Students with disabilities are encouraged to discuss requests for reasonable accommodations with me at the beginning of the semester. In order for accommodations to be provided, your disability must be verified by Dr. Reynol Junco, Director, Disability Services, 104 Russell Hall, 484-2926, rjunco@lhup.edu
Tutorial Services The Tutorial Center provides trained peer tutors for selected 100 and 200 level courses and is available to all students. The director is Dr. Pamela Czapla, pczapla@lhup.edu . You can sign up for tutoring on the Center’s web page: http://www.lhup.edu/ad_c/TutorialServices/
EVALUATION and GRADING Periodically I will post student grades on exams and quizzes, organized by student LHU ID number, on the bulletin board outside my office (Robinson 320B). If you do not want your grades posted, let me know. You can change your mind about having your grades posted by ID number at any time in the semester – but you must contact me about the change.
1) Exams There will be 5 semester exams (50 points each). Each exam will have approximately 50 questions and will cover material from two or three chapters. Exams will be primarily multiple-choice, but may also include diagrams, true/false, matching, and fill-in-the-blank items. Exams will cover concepts presented in the text, lectures, videos and class demonstrations.
What if I miss an exam? (Makeup exams) · If you know in advance about an unchangeable event (e.g., sporting event, field trip) that conflicts with a test day, discuss the conflict with me at least 1 week before the exam. By following this procedure you will be given a make-up exam near the original test day. · If an unforeseeable event (e.g., serious illness, family emergency) causes you to miss an exam, bring me written documentation that verifies your excuse (e.g., a doctor’s note that you should be excused from class). By following this procedure, you will be given a make up exam near the original exam day. · If you miss an exam for a questionable (e.g., “My alarm didn’t go off”) or unverified reason (e.g., “I was sick but didn’t go to the infirmary”) and/or do not talk to me before missing an exam, you will be given a retake test during the last week of classes. A “retake” will cover the same material as the original exam, but will consist of different questions. See the next section about retake exams. Keep in mind that you are better off taking an exam near the time the exam material was covered in class; so make sure you can verify your reasons for missing an exam.
What if I do poorly on exam? (Retake exams) · Each student will be allowed to retake one exam during the last week of classes. The retake will cover the same material as the original exam, but will consist of different questions. The highest of the two exam scores (original or retake) will count in the final course grade. · The exact date, time and location of the retake exams will be announced in class and via LHUP e-mail. Makeup will NOT be given during regular class time. You must inform me at least one week prior to the make-up date of your intention to make up an exam. · You are allowed one retake exam. This is voluntary; you are not required to retake an exam. · If you missed an exam for an unexcused reason, you can retake the exam you missed. This will count as you one allowed retake.
2) Reading Quizzes Almost EVERYDAY in class, starting the second week of classes, there will be a 2-point quiz on the reading material assigned for that day. Occasionally, there will be a bonus question on a quiz. Your highest 27 out of 32 quizzes will count toward your final grade. The purpose of the quizzes is two-fold. One purpose is to reward reading the textbook and the other purpose is to encourage class attendance.
Be on time! Quizzes will usually be given at the beginning of the class period at the discretion of the instructor. Students who arrive to class after a quiz has been given or leave class early without my permission will receive a 0 for the quiz.
NO MAKE-UP QUIZZES: You will not be allowed to makeup a missed quiz. You best 27 quizzes out of 32 are counted. In other words, your five lowest quizzes will be dropped. That means you can earn a 0 on some quizzes or even miss some quizzes, with no effect on you grade. You can think of it as a built in sick leave policy. Only in cases of extreme, prolonged illness or personal hardship will exceptions to this policy be made. You must speak to me personally about any possible exceptions.
3) Cheating Acts of academic dishonesty such as cheating on exams or quizzes are wrong and will not be tolerated. Violations of academic honesty will result in grade penalties, perhaps even a failing grade. Cheating includes any practice that gives a student an unfair advantage on an examination such as using a cheat sheet, copying answers from another student, and obtaining test questions or answers in advance. Cheating involves both getting and giving help on graded tasks (exams, quizzes) that are supposed to be done independently. It is NOT cheating for students to study together or to share class notes or to discuss course material -- but such cooperation must end at the moment an exam begins. If you wish to read the entire Lock Haven University policy on academic honesty, it is printed in the LHU student handbook.
Students caught cheating on quizzes by either getting or giving help will lose ALL of their quiz points for the semester. Don’t cheat – it’s not worth it.
4) Attendance "Eighty percent of success is showing up." (Woody Allen)
the day. Ask me for any handouts you may have missed. If there are concepts from the notes that are not clear to you or you have questions about, please come see me during office hours or set up an appointment.
5) Extra Credit: You may earn up to six extra credit points toward your final course grade. You can earn extra credit by participating as a subject in research projects being conducted by Psychology faculty or students. You generally have a number of different projects from which to choose. I will let you know when these projects are being conducted. You will receive three points for each research project in which you participate. You can earn up to six extra credit points total (so you can participate in two projects). If you object on moral or ethical grounds to being a research participant, please see me, and I will provide you with an alternative extra credit exercise.
6) Final Course Grades: Grades will be based on the number of points earned on exams, homework and quizzes. Extra credit points are added to your total points at the end of the course. The lowest 5 quizzes will be dropped at the end of the semester.
The percentage of the total points you earn determines your final course grade.
LHU does not recognize the grades of A+ or D-. “E” (as in “Egad, that's bad) is a failing grade.
Course Calendar You should come prepared for class by reading the pages of the text listed for that date. The daily quiz will cover the material from the sections covered on those pages. Sections start with “What’s Ahead” questions and end with the “Quick Quiz”. Occasionally, unforeseen events may cause a change in the course calendar and grading points. I will inform you of any changes in class and/or via LHUP e-mail.
CLASSROOM BEHAVIOR Here is a list of some behaviors that are appropriate and inappropriate for the classroom. In general, behaviors that show respect for and consideration of the instructor and fellow students are appropriate. Behaviors that show disrespect and a lack of consideration are inappropriate.
Keeping Track of Your Grades: These charts are designed to help you keep track of your points.
Posting grades
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Periodically I will post student grades on exams and case
studies on the bulletin board outside my office (Robinson 320B)
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