PSY150 -- General Psychology
Spring 2003
Instructor: David M. McCord, Ph.D.
Office:
327 Killian Building
Office Telephone/Voice Mail: 227-3361
Office Hours: Posted on course web page (or by appointment)
Email: mccord@email.wcu.edu
Course WEB Page: http://paws.wcu.edu/mccord
Text: Myers, D. C. Psychology
(6th Edition).
Study Guide (Optional) can be purchased in the Book Store
Text WEB site: http://www.worthpublishers.com/myers/
Course Description: Psychology150 serves as an introduction to the psychology curriculum and satisfies a P1 perspectives course in liberal studies. The course includes a general overview of major areas in psychology. The purpose of this class is to provide the student with a background in general psychology as preparation for more advanced coursework in psychology.
Expectations: Your objective in this course is to learn about approaches, findings, and theories in the field of psychology. Exams will assess comprehension of material as well as memory of facts and definitions. Comprehension requires that you adopt an active, inquisitive, problem-oriented, and critical study strategy in addition to listening, note-taking, reading, and review. You will be responsible for materials in the textbook, lectures, and videos shown in class. This class is not designed in the traditional lecture format. Each class will consist of a short lecture with the majority of class time dedicated to in-class activities, discussions, and/or demonstrations of key concepts. I will NOT be going over all the textbook material in depth. Class time is dedicated to additional information and clarification of key concepts through class activities and discussion. YOU MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR LEARNING THE MATERIAL IN THE TEXTBOOK AND ALL OF IT IS IMPORTANT. You are expected to attend class regularly and be prepared to actively participate which means reading the textbook material assigned for that day (see schedule) prior to class time. The course WEB page contains important information about the class. You are expected to access the page for this information, and also read any announcements that are posted regularly.
Practice Quizzes: On line practice quizzes for each chapter are available through the TEXT WEB SITE (see above). I strongly encourage you to access these quizzes and use them for review prior to the exam.
Exams: There will be four (4) tests during the semester, each one covering three chapters in your text. The tests will be composed of 50 multiple choice questions, worth 100 points each. The lowest semester test grade will be dropped in determining the final grade. NO make-up exams will be given for any reason. If you must miss a test, that test will be the one dropped in calculating the final grade. Tests will cover material from classroom lecture and discussion and the textbook, and information from any video shown in class. The final exam will consist of two parts: Part I will cover information from the last 2 chapters, similar to the semester tests; Part II is a comprehensive test composed of questions from the 4 semester tests. The final exam is worth 200 points. The final exam will NOT be given at any time other than the scheduled final exam time.
Weekly Essays: We will generally cover one chapter each week. I will post on the
website an essay question, or several short essay questions, that cover an
issue in that week’s chapter. You should write a thorough, detailed, response.
A good answer will usually require 3-5 pages. These may be handwritten, though
I would strongly advise you to do these on a word processor and turn in typed
essays. As with the RNQ’s, there will probably be 12
essays in all, worth 20 points each, allowing the opportunity to get as many as
240 points in this 200-point category. Essays will only be accepted at the
beginning of the class period in which they are due. Because of the built-in
bonus, late assignments will not be accepted.
Research participation requirement: The Department of Psychology requires that all students in Psychology150 obtain direct experience in the research process. Therefore, all students are required to earn 2 research credits for research participation during the semester. Each credit represents approximately a 1-hour commitment. The credits may be earned in a number of ways. You can access the Guidelines for satisfying the research participation requirement via the course web page. Be sure to review these guidelines. These research credits are NOT calculated in your final grade, but you MUST satisfy this requirement to obtain your grade in the course, if not you will receive an Incomplete(I) in the course. If you do not satisfy the requirement by the end of the following semester, the Incomplete will automatically revert to an F regardless of the grade you earned in the class.
Grades: Your final grade will be based on the following:
Major
tests (4 tests, 100 pts. ea., drop lowest) 300
Final
Exam 200
Reading
Notes Quizzes (10 pts. ea.) 100
Weekly Essays (20 pts. ea.) 200
TOTAL Possible = 800 points
Grading Scale:
A = 95 - 100% 760-800 points
A- = 90 -
94
720-759
B+ = 87 -
89
696-719
B = 83 -
86
664-695
B- = 80 -
82
640-663
C+ = 77 -
79
616-639
C = 73 -
76
584-615
C- = 70 -
72
560-583
D+ = 67 -
69
536-559
D = 63 -
66
504-535
D- = 60 -
62
480-503
F = <
60%
< 480 points
Extra Credit: There will be in-class
activities throughout the semester, some of these will be offered for extra
credit. These activities will be worth 3-5 points each. There will be NO
make-up of extra credit activities. Those who are absent will simply lose the
option of extra credit.
In addition, there will be an opportunity to earn 25
bonus points through either of two outside voluntary activities. (1) You may
volunteer to participate in a full psychological evaluation by a graduate
student. The battery of tests will include intellectual and achievement
testing, personality assessment, and extensive interviewing. The total testing
time is about 6 hours; you will meet with the evaluator to go over the test
results in detail, and you will be given a copy of the final written report.
(2) You may participate in a group run by the staff of the WCU Counseling and
Attendance policy:
Class
attendance is required. I will take attendance in class beginning the class
after drop/add is over. From then until the last day of class, you have 3 free
absences. I will deduct 20 points from your point total for all other absences.
I know that people get sick, have family emergences, cars break down, and so
forth, so for that reason I am allowing the 3 unpenalized
absences. Use these wisely, as all other absences, regardless of the reason,
will result in the 20-point penalty. If you are absent you should obtain the
class notes from someone in class. Also, the attached schedule lists the due
dates for out-of-class assignments and dates for tests. If you are absent, you
are still responsible for checking the course web page for posting of
assignments and turning the assignment in on the due date, and checking the
Announcements link on the web page for any additional class information. Tests
will cover material from classroom lecture/discussion/activities in addition to
the textbook, and information from any video shown in class. Please note NO
make-ups are allowed, hence no excuses, for tests,
quizzes, and extra credit activities completed in class. If you know you must
be absent, turn the assignment in early so points will not be deducted. If you
are involved in any organized University activity, e.g., varsity sport, please
see me if there is a conflict.
