This course provides a fundamental treatment of the basic research findings and theories comprising the science of psychology; exploration of the nature, scope, and methods involved in the scientific investigation of human behavior, stressing such topics as learning, emotions, personality, assessment, psychopathology, sensation, perception, and psychological therapies.
There are two main methods typically used for assigning grades in courses. Most students are familiar with the method that compares a student's performance to that of the other students in a course in a given semester. Sometimes this method is called "grading on a curve." Another method of student evaluation is based on "criterion-referenced testing." This method compares a student's performance against a set of standards or criteria. Grades in this course are criterion referenced. This method of grading makes it possible for every students in class to earn the same letter grade providing everyone demonstrates the same level of mastery of the material, whether that grade be an A or an F.
The number of points earned out of 1000 possible points determines the final letter grade assigned at the end of the semester. Mid-term grades will be computed as a percentage of the total possible points by that week in the semester. Please take time now, early in your academic career, to read all of Marist College's grading policy. In part it says this:
"Grading is an objective measure of a student's mastery of a selected body of knowledge contained in a specific course. This mastery involves the elements of memory, understanding and expression. Memory refers to retention of certain items of information. Understanding implies insight into the interpretation of these facts. This insight would include the meaning of the thing itself, its relationship with other things or data and the ability to apply this information or data to new situations and problems. Expression is the ability to convey this assimilated knowledge to others."
Translated this means that you are expected to remember material presented in this course, that you are expected to understand the material in addition to just recognizing or recalling it, and expression means that you are expected to be able to communicate your knowledge of the course material.
Three exams @ 200 points = 600
Final paper @ 200 points = 200
Experimental write-up @ 200 points = 200
1000 points
940 - 1000 A 910 - 939 A - 880 - 909 B + 840 - 879 B 810 - 839 B - 780 - 809 C + 740 - 779 C 710 - 739 C - 640 - 709 D 0 - 639 F
Please keep a record of your grades in this course.
Psychology is a science, hence it is important for students to understand the scientific method.To get you thinking in experimental terms, you will be writing a paper comparing the methods used in any three papers cited in your text. In this paper you will briefly discuss the three papers and explain the methodology that was used to conduct the experiment. You will find this paper easier to write if you choose one case study, one experimental study, and one correlational study. This paper will require you to spend time in the library learning how to use the journal collection, WHICH IS, OF COURSE, THE OBJECTIVE OF THE ASSIGNMENT. Save this paper and photocopies of the science aritcles for future reference and you will find yourself ahead in your reserach methods course.
I expect that you are in the best position to make decisions about priorities in your life and that you will choose wisely. Spending time at the bedside of a dying grandparent is certainly more important than any of my classroom lectures in the overall scheme of the universe. But realize that the freedom to set priorities in one's life carries with it accepting responsibility for the consequences. If you are absent from a lecture you will miss part of the material being presented in this course--and this will almost certainly influence your performance on exams for this course. Perform this mental calculus before you miss a class: does your reason justify missing information that might mean losing up to 33 points off of your final grade? If you must miss a class, it is your responsibility to get notes from at least two of your peers. This is not an adequate substitution for being present during class. Other people are simply not capable of thinking about a particular topic the way you do. I hope you are all wise enough to realize that your final grade point average will make a difference to you on graduation day. At my discretion you may be able to make up an exam. However, I will automatically deduct 40 points from the score for any exam taken late.
In college courses students who attend lectures without having first read assignments hurt themselves. It will be difficult for you to follow the lectures and do well in this class unless you read and study the assignments before you come to class. You should come to each class prepared to pass a quiz over the day's reading assignment.
My lectures are not a substitute for reading and learning the material in the textbook. Please do not write on the course evaluation form at the end of the semester that you had to learn the material in the textbook. Yes, you will need to learn a great deal of information from your textbook on your own initiative in this course. A course syllabus is a kind of contract between the professor and the student. This course syllabus is designed to inform you about the nature of this course before you pay for it. If you do not like the product and do not wish to accept the terms outlined in this syllabus, either change into another section of introductory psychology, withdraw from the course entirely, or negotiate to have the syllabus changed before the drop/add deadline has passed.
Typically, lectures will provide only a very general overview of the principles and concepts presented in much greater detail in the reading assignment. Lectures are a vehicle for presenting the newest findings on topics, for presenting alternate perspectives, for considering applications of the material and for raising values issues. Lectures need to accomplish quite a lot in addition to summarizing material in the textbook.
Your textbook should be viewed as a kind of gateway into a new body of knowledge. You are responsible for learning this material in your textbook and also material presented in lectures. If you have trouble understanding the textbook, get help! Textbooks are highly condensed information. It takes active effort to assimilate the information presented in the textbook. Applying optimal study methods such as using the SQ4R and the Cornell note taking system will facilitate learning that material in the textbook.
The work load for a college course is a function of the number of academic credits which will be awarded for the course. By long standing tradition, faculty presume that students will work two hours outside of class each week for every academic credit they receive for a course. A student taking 12-15 credits has a full time job just being a scholar if you consider they are also studying 24-30 hours a week in addition to attending classes.
If you that you are having difficulty keeping up with the workload for your courses, the first question you need to ask yourself is whether you are really putting in 25-30 hours each week studying in addition to attending lectures. If you are honestly putting in this much time and still having trouble, you might benefit from learning better study skills. You will have to develop these skills to perform well in upper level courses. If you need help, please come see me, or make an appointment at the learning center. Please don't wait until you are failing to seek help.
I am primarily interested in assessing what you have learned in this course (operationally defined as the information permanently stored as an engram in your brain) and not in how fast you can retrieve information. Take all the time you need to complete any exam. If you need to, you can stay after the class period to finish. There are no timed tests for this course.
The American Psychological Association, in evaluating graduate programs in professional psychology requires that each student demonstrate competence in four substantive areas and the first of these areas is the "biological bases of behavior." This course will prove valuable to you not only in getting into a graduate program in psychology but also in doing well once you are enrolled!
Knowledge Objectives for this course: The student will be able to demonstrate that he/she understands: career possibilities available at the different levels of training in psychology and related fields academic requirements for the psychology major the development of the science of psychology in an historical context the relationship between foundational courses in history and philosophy and this major the importance of research and statistics the role of biology in shaping human behavior, including the fundamentals of information processing in the brain how motivation and emotion influence behavior major concepts from classical, operant, and social learning paradigms the broad outlines of the major theories of human development approaches used to conceptualize and measure intelligence characteristics which cause behaviors to be classified as abnormal main approaches to psychotherapy how behavior is influenced by other people and by social context factors which impact health.
Skill Objectives: During the course of the semester the student will develop scholarly skills, including the ability to locate primary sources in the scientific literature, to cite references in standard style, to write scientifically, and to compute basic statistics computer literacy, critical thinking and self-management skills ability to use technology to find and analyze information, including library data bases, the internet and statistical analyses ability to successfully work with others. Retention is the ability
Comprehension is the ability
Expression is the ability to verbalize
Examinations and written productions provide feedback about the students' level of mastery of the material presented in the course. This feedback can help motivate and guide students to achieve higher levels of mastery and it can help to maintain the quality of the program. Feedback on the long-term relevance of course content comes after the semester ends.
We've arranged a global civilization in which most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster. We might get away with it for a while, but sooner or later this combustible mixture of ignorance and power is going to blow up in our faces.... Carl Sagon, Demon Haunted World