Psychology 102 Syllabus

Fall 2007

Columbia State Community College

Instructor: Humphrys

Instructor Contact Information
 

Instructor:

Gene E. Humphrys
 

Email:

ghumphrys@columbiastate.edu

Instructor Website:

www.ghumphrys.columbiastate.edu
 

Psychology  Website:

Academic Support Center

www.columbiastate.edu/psychology

http://academicsupport.columbiastate.edu/

Phone/Voice Mail:

931 540-2763 Columbia Campus 

Fax:

931 540-2370
 

Office Location:

Clement 127 (Columbia Campus)
 Room #147  (Lawrenceburg Campus)

Weather Information:

931  540.2515
 

Office Hours:

Office hours are located at http://www.ghumphrys.columbiastate.edu/Office_Hours.htm and on instructor's office door.

Course Information
 

A continuation of Psy 101 with topics that include: motivation and emotions, lifespan development, personality, social psychology, stress, health, and coping, psychological disorders, and therapies.

For the student to acquire…

• A working vocabulary of psychological terms and concepts.
• An understanding of theory and research pertaining to the areas of emphasis listed in course description
• An ability to write and oral discussion issues effectively
• critical thinking skills

Textbooks and Other Course Materials
 

Hockenbury, D. and Hockenbury, S. (2007).  Discovering Psychology 4^th Edition. New York: Worth Publishers. (required)

Rea, C. (2007) Study Guide for Discovering Psychology 4^th Edition. New York :Worth Publishers. (optional).

Email Access:

All students have access to an email account through Columbia State Community College. It is imperative that you access and check this email for  this course. In addition, your PVT Username and Password will be necessary to access any other course materials, such as WebCT and/or articles from the library. For assistance in looking up your PVT Username please go to http://helpdesk.columbiastate.edu. For more information on computer labs and student email accounts, please refer to: Student Email Accounts
 

Supplementary Materials:

Assigned articles are on reserve in the Columbia State Library. Instructions for accessing articles:

• You may access the articles online accessing the following link: http://www.columbiastate.edu/library.
• Under "Find Articles," click on "E-Reserves,"
• Enter the required information for accessing the article (course name, instructor name, etc).
• You must have a PVT username and password before you can access the articles.
• The articles can be read online or printed off for a copy.

General Course Information
 

American With Disabilities Act:

In compliance with ADA, students are encouraged to register with the Office of Counseling/Disability Services for possible assistance with accommodations. It is the student’s responsibility to voluntarily and confidentially provide appropriate documentation regarding the nature and extent of a disability. Students requesting special accommodations are strongly encouraged to contact the Office of Counseling/Disability Services (931.540.2572) at the beginning of the semester.

Cellular Telephone/Pager Policy:

The use of cellular telephones and pagers in the classroom is prohibited at Columbia State Community College. All phones and pagers must be either turned off or set to silent/vibrate mode.  Students are not excused from class to answer the telephone or a page unless there is an emergency that the student has notified the instructor of before the start of class.

Academic Misconduct:

Any student involved, either directly or indirectly, in the act of plagiarism, cheating, or other forms of academic dishonesty will be subject to receiving an “F” for the course.

Plagiarism:

The “borrowing” of another author’s words or ideas, without giving credit to the author, is considered plagiarism. All quotes from articles must be cited as well as any paraphrasing. Students should adhere to all citing and quoting guidelines when writing papers to prevent a charge of plagiarism. Plagiarism will result in a failing grade for the course or the assignment.

Emergency:

In case of emergency please follow all directions of instructor and refer to the Emergency Procedures Guide listed in each classroom.
(Columbia State Security-- 931.797-7669 (Lawrence County Center—931 766-1600 and Clifton Center --- 931 676-6966 )

Classroom Rules

• Courteous and respectful behavior should be demonstrated toward the instructor and fellow classmates
• Have an open mind during classroom discussions
• No pagers, cell phones, weapons, drugs, food or drinks
• Children are not allowed in the classroom.
• Do not leave during class
• Avoid coming in late
• No packing-up

Course Content
 

 Exams

Exams will cover psychological terms reviewed in class, assigned readings, and group discussions. Study guides will be given in order to guide the student in test preparation; however, the student is responsible for all chapter, lecture, and discussion information included on a particular exam.

There will be five exams, the last will be the Final Exam on December 13, 2007.

·         Tests will NOT be made up unless the student has notified the instructor in advance of the absence OR if there is a documented (e.g. doctor’s note) emergency for the absence. In the event of a makeup exam, the student will take a different test from the one given on the day of the original exam.

Cheating will not be tolerated!!!

Exam One   Chapter 8

Exam Two   Chapter 9 & 10

Exam Three Chapter 11

Exam Four  Chapter 12 & 13

Final Exam Chapter 14

• 100 points each
   
• 500 total points

 Oral Presentation

Each student in Psychology 102 will give an oral presentation to the class on a subject or issue in chapters 8-14.  There should be three sources of research and your presentation to the class should be between 10 and 15 minutes. A question and answer session with the class should be allowed after the presentation. Examples of subject matter and assigned date to give presentation will be announced.

Critical thinking exercises will be done as group activities.

• 100 points for oral presentation

Attendance is Required!!!

ATTENDANCE POLICY: The majority of learning occurs in the normal interchange of classroom activities. A student will be counted present only if he/she is present and awake during the entire class and is focused on in-class activities.

v     There are no excused absences except for a death in the family.

v      Student in a class that meets once a week:

(1)     You are allowed 2 absences (for any reason)

(2)     3 absences will result in 25 point reduction for attendance

(3)     4 absences will result in 50 point reduction

(4)     5 or more will result in an “F” for the course

v     You are expected to be in class the entire period . An attendance sheet will be signed every class period so that your presence can be recorded. If you come in late, it is your responsibility to make sure that you have signed the attendance sheet.

v     Tardiness: Please avoid coming late to class. Excess tardiness (more than two) will count as an absence. If more than four, two absences will result.

v     Please take care of personal business before coming to class such as bathroom breaks. Once a week classes will have a break about midway in the class.

v     Leaving in middle of class is very disruptive to the professor and fellow students.

v     It is extremely important that students adhere closely to the attendance policy. Students are urged to use cautious forethought when contemplating missing a class session throughout the semester.

v     Excessive absences will effect a student’s grade as well as the ability  to adequately learn the material. If you are going to miss more than 3 classes you should consider dropping the course and taking it in the future when adequate attendance can be maintained.   

v     LAST DAY TO DROP IS NOVEMBER 8, 2007.      

   ACTIVE PARTICIPATION: It is not enough to be present
in class—be alert, be respectful of others’ opinions, engage in discussion, ask questions, etc.
 

• 25 possible points

     **points will be deducted for
        excessive absences or
        unsatisfactory class
        participation

Grades
 

Final Grades:

Grades are not mailed to students. Students may access grades via Web for Students (www.columbiastate.edu) five (5) working days after grades are required in Admissions. Students may print a copy of their grades from Web for Students.

Grade Confidentiality:

The student's grades are kept in confidence. No disclosure of grades will be given to family members, employers, etc. In addition, grades cannot be provided to a student via email or phone.

Final Grade by Point Totals (625)
 

                                                                             A          562-625

                                                                             B          500-562

                                                                             C          437-499

                                                                             D          375-436

                                                                             F           374 -0