Required: Wade, C., & Tavris, C. (2002).  Invitation to Psychology (2^nd ed).  New York:  Longman. 

Optional: Jackson, S. & Griggs, R. (2002).  Study Guide for Invitation to Psychology (2^nd ed).  New York:  Longman.

*****Please Note: This syllabus is a guide to the schedule and procedures for this class. It is subject to change, and all changes will be announced IN CLASS. Students are responsible for knowing any announcements made in class, whether they were present or not.

Students with Special Needs:

I have several objectives for this course. One is to introduce you to the field of psychology, and to demonstrate the incredible range of topics that are included within this field. Relatedly, I hope to provide enough of a sense of these topics that you will be in a good position to know which areas of psychology may interest you enough to take further classes. Most of the topics covered within this course are themselves topics of full-semester courses here. I also hope to demonstrate the science of psychology, and how it may be similar and different to the "pop psychology" that is often more familiar to students coming into these courses. Finally, I hope to encourage critical thinking about these issues and to increase your awareness of how topics in psychology permeate our lives.

Attendance:

Class attendance is expected, and class participation will be counted as part of your grade. There are no specific grade penalties for missing a class (i.e., it’s not like you automatically lose a point per class), but obviously if you’re not here, you can’t participate, and thus missing class will directly affect that portion of your grade. Also, you should be aware that class lectures will include material not in the textbook, and that exams will consist of both textbook and class material. Students are responsible for knowing everything presented in class, including lecture material, class discussions, responses to questions asked by other students, etc. In case of inclement weather, please call the CMU weather hotline at x7500 to see if classes are being held.

Academic Dishonesty:

As I’m sure you’re all aware, cheating is prohibited. Cheating includes (but is not limited to) looking at study materials during an exam, allowing others to copy your exams, taking someone else’s exam or allowing someone else to take yours, and failing to report cheating by others. Plagiarism, even if unintentional, is also a form of cheating. Thus, it is very important to make sure that you do not copy from other sources, that you attribute your ideas as needed, and that you use quotation marks when indicated. If you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism, please see me before your assignment is due. Cheating will result in automatic failure of the exam in question, as well as a report made to the college. A second incident will result in automatic failure of the course.  In May 2001 the CMU Academic Senate approved the Policy on Academic Integrity, which applies to all university students.  Copies are available on the CMU website at http://academicsenate.cmich.edu/noncurric.htm and in the Academic Senate Office in Room 108 of Bovee University Center.  All academic work is expected to be in compliance with this policy.

Classroom Civility:

Evaluation:

Your grade in this course is dependent on your exam grades and assignment grade. There will be four exams. You will also write four PsychLog assignments, each of which will be worth 20% of your assignment grade, with class participation counting for the other 20% of the assignment grade (each PsychLog is out of a maximum of 20 points, for a total Psychlog maximum of 80 points; participation is out of a maximum of 20 points, which gets added to the PsychLogs for your total assignment grade). Your grade for the course will be based upon the average of your four exam grades and your assignment grade:

Grade = (Exam 1 + Exam 2 + Exam 3 + Exam 4 + PL1 + PL2 + PL3 + PL4 + participation)/5

Your grade is determined by the average of your four highest exam scores and your assignment score, according to the following chart.  If your grade falls on the cusp of the next grade up (ie, a 93, NOT a 91 or 92), I may, at my discretion, bump you up.  This will happen if you regularly attend and participate in class, and, if you are having trouble in class, if you have come to my office hours and made specific efforts to improve your grade.  If you do not do these things, please do not expect your grade to be bumped up.

94-100: A                         80-83: B-                         67-69: D+

90-93: A-                         77-79: C+                         64-66: D

87-89: B+                         74-76: C                           60-63: D-

84-86: B                            70-73: C-                         <60: E

1. Exams

Exams consist of multiple-choice and short-answer questions, as well as occasional essay questions. No make-up exams will be given unless you notify me IN ADVANCE of a university-approved reason (i.e., funeral attendance, athletic meet), and you provide documentation of this reason. If you miss an exam due to an emergency (i.e., sudden hospitalization), you must notify me within 24 hours of the exam to be eligible for a make-up exam. Please note that make-up exams may differ in format from regular exams, and may be more difficult. If you miss an exam for a nonapproved reason and/or fail to notify me in advance, you will receive a zero for that exam. Please arrive for exams on time: no one will be allowed to enter the room after the first person taking the exam leaves.

Exams will not be reviewed during class, but you are encouraged to come to my office to review your exam, either with or without my assistance. If you feel that an answer you gave should have been counted as correct and was not, you may challenge that question by providing a written explanation that includes the question, your answer, and the reasons you believe your answer should receive credit. This explanation must include appropriate citations from the text and/or class notes, and must be turned in to me within one week of the class in which exams were returned. If your argument is persuasive, you will receive credit for that question.

2. PsychLog Assignment

Your assignment grade will come from writing assignments in the form of a PsychLog you will keep throughout the course, with one log due on each review class meeting. The purpose of the PsychLog is encourage an increasing awareness of how much we come into contact with the concepts in this class on a daily basis, by writing about everyday psychology encounters. These encounters may be of all sorts, including television shows and specials, movies, news stories and current events, magazine articles, songs, books, other classes, personal encounters, etc. Each PsychLog should focus on a topic covered in the unit just completed.

PsychLog entries should include:

1. A brief description of the event that triggered the entry

2. A review of the relevant psychology topics

3. An integration of the event itself and the course material related to it.

4. Your comments on the topic. These should NOT just recap the above, but should show original thinking on your part and put forth your own opinions.

There is no specific required length for these, but please keep in mind that you want to clearly demonstrate to me that you understand both the course material itself and how the material relates to the world around you. Sample PsychLogs are available in my office, and may be available on the course website during the semester.

One PsychLog is due in class on each of the following days:  Thursday 9/20, Tuesday 10/16, Thursday 11/8, and Thursday 12/6.  PsychLogs will be accepted without penalty if they are turned in to my office (or the main office of the psychology department) by 5 pm on the day due; five points will be subtracted for each day they are late.  All PsychLogs must be typed; handwritten logs will not be graded. You may get feedback on your PsychLogs, which can then be used to improve the log and your grade, by turning them in at least one week prior to the due date; this gives me time to provide feedback and gives you time to make any revisions.

Research Credit:

Most of the material covered in this course is a result of psychological research. Understanding how this research takes place can make the material much more interesting, since you will have a better idea of what the descriptions of research studies really mean. In addition to learning more about how research is conducted, participating in research studies also lets you contribute to the field of psychology as a subject in new studies. You may earn research credit by doing studies, journal reports, colloquium reports, or any combination of the three, for a maximum of six points. Studies and reports are worth one point each.

All studies conducted in the psychology department have been approved by CMU’s Human Subjects Review Board, which protects your rights as a participant in research studies. Each study also includes a debriefing, in which the researcher will discuss the study with you and answer any questions you may have about your participation. You will get a consent form to read and sign prior to your participating in a study, and you will be able to ask questions if there is anything you are unsure about. To participate in a research study, you must register with the online subject pool at http://www.experimetrix.com/cmich and follow the instructions for signing up for experiments and assigning credits to this course (PSY 100, crn 43320). Please note for yourself the date, time, and location of studies you sign up for, and make sure to appear promptly for each study. If you cannot keep your appointment, contact the researcher ahead of time. Students who do not show up for a study for which they have registered will be penalized one point.

Students may earn extra credit in two other ways as well. The first is to select a journal article describing a psychological experiment (NOT a literature review or theoretical article), and write a 2-3 page report on the study. This report should include a description of the researcher’s questions, a description of the study conducted to address these questions, and a summary of the findings, followed by your commentary on the study (i.e., did you feel the study addressed the questions appropriately? Are there other interpretations to the findings?). If you choose to write journal review reports, you may want to speak with me about the article you have chosen to make sure it fits the criteria before you start writing. Research reports must be turned in by the beginning of class on Thursday, November 30th (and will NOT be accepted at all after this date), but if you turn them in earlier you will have the opportunity to fix any problems that might preclude your getting credit if you didn’t do the assignment correctly. The other way to get extra credit is to attend an approved colloquium (research talk) and write a brief review of the talk that includes a summary of the presentation as well as your commentary on it. I will announce in class when these colloquia are scheduled as they come up.

If you are having any difficulties in this course, PLEASE come see me as soon as possible. I’ve found that many of these difficulties can be successfully resolved by meeting individually with students (i.e., to review note-taking, study habits, test-taking strategies, understanding concepts), but if you wait until the last minute it may be too late to help your grade. Of course, you’re all always welcome to come see me for other reasons (such as advising or other questions) as well.

Aug 28             Overview of Course; Review of Syllabus; Begin Chapter 1 (What Is Psychology?)

Aug 30             Continuation of Chapter 1

Sept 4               Chpt 2 – Theories of Personality

Sept 6               Continuation of Chapter 2

Sept 11             Chpt 3 – Development Over the Lifespan

Sept 13             Continuation of Chapter 3

Sept 18             Library Tutorial

Sept 20             Pre-Exam Review; PSYCHLOG 1 DUE

Sept 25             EXAM 1:  Chapters 1-3 and Library Information

 Sept 27             Chpt 4 – Neurons, Hormones, and the Brain (Tour of Brain Research Lab)

Oct 2                Continuation of Chapter 4

Oct 4                Chpt 5 – Sensation and Perception

Oct 9                Continuation of Chapter 5

Oct 11              Chpt 13 – Major Motives of Life

Oct 16              Pre-Exam Review; PSYCHLOG 2 DUE

Oct 18             EXAM 2:  Chapters 4, 5, and 13

 Oct 23              Chpt 6 – Thinking and Intelligence

Oct 25              Continuation of Chapter 6

Oct 30              Chpt 7 – Memory

Nov 1               Chpt 8 - Learning

Nov 6               Continuation of Chapter 8

Nov 8               Pre-Exam Review; PSYCHLOG 3 DUE

Nov 13             EXAM 3:  Chapters 6-8

 Nov 15             Chpt 9 – Behavior in Social and Cultural Context

Nov 20             Continuation of Chapter 9

Nov 22              NO CLASS – HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Nov 27             Chpt 10 – Psychological Disorders

Nov 29             Continuation of Chapter 10; DEADLINE FOR RESEARCH REPORTS

Dec 4               Chpt 11 –Treatment and Therapy

Dec 6               Chpt 12 – Emotions, Stress, & Health; PSYCHLOG 4 DUE

Date/Time TBA:  Optional Pre-Exam Review

Thursday, Dec. 13, 2 - 3.50 p.m.  - FINAL EXAM:  Chapters 9-12