INTERNET COURSE SYLLABUS Psychology For The Third Millennium   INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY  (PSY1113)  Second 8-weeks Section (February 28 - April 25) Spring, 2008

COURSE PREREQUISITE:  None

NEXT COURSE(S) IN SEQUENCE:
Introduction to Psychology (PSY1113) is the prerequisite for most other psychology courses.  In general, other psychology courses can be taken in any order.  The TCC course numbering systen suggests those courses that are more appropriate for first and second year students, but it is a very loose system.  Your specific major may require that you take a specific sequence of psychology courses.

TEXTBOOK AND OTHER MATERIALS:
Required:  Franzoi, Stephen L.  (2007).  Psychology: A Journey of Discovery, (3rd ed).  Cincinnati, OH:  Atomic Dog Publishing.
Bookstore price: $65.95 (New print version with access to the online version only)  (This price is NOT current.)
Atomic Dog price: Online version only:  $44.91; Printed and Online version:  $62.01, plus shipping.  (As of February 24, 2008)
eCampus price:  Print version: $44.95 (Access to required online version NOT assured.), plus shipping.  (This price is NOT current.)
 

Note: This textbook is available as both an online textbook and as a traditional, printed textbook.  The online version is REQUIRED.  The printed version is optional.  Purchase of a NEW printed version, however, includes the online version.

Note:  Local textbook purchases for this course may be made only at the NorthEast Campus Bookstore.  This textbook is not available at any other TCC bookstore.  Only the print version (with access to the required online version) is available at the NorthEast Campus Bookstore.  You may also purchase the textbook(s) online, directly from the publisher.  Instructions for purchasing the textbook(s) online, or for accessing the online version purchased through the bookstore, are available here.  The textbook is also available online from eCampus, however, I am not sure it includes access to  the required online version.  Access eCampus from http://www.tulsacc.edu/dl/, click on "Online Bookstore".
 

Recommended Reference Material (for Majors, Minors and Continuing Students):
    Dictionary of Psychology, J.P. Chaplin, Dell Publishing, $7.99.
    Dictionary of Psychology, Penguin Press, $12.95.
    The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Psychology, Dushkin Publishing Group, $16.60.
    The Psychology Problem Solver, Research and Education Association, $23.95.
    Psych OnLine, Patricia Wallace, McGraw-Hill, $10.00.
    Any good Dictionary, $23.95 -up.

Note — The Recommended Reference Material (for Majors, Minors and Continuing Students) is NOT required for this course. It is intended and recommended primarily as reference material for courses taken in the future.  It might, however be a benefit to current students experiencing difficulties understanding the information covered in this class.

"Continuing Students" is used to describe students who are going to be taking three or more psychology courses over the course of their academic career.

CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
A survey of the major areas of study in psychology such as: motivation, learning, physiology, personality theories and treatment, social psychology, psychological disorders, perception, memory, and cognition/thought.  Lecture 3 hours.  No laboratory.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

• Define the term psychology and demonstrate command of the basic vocabulary of the discipline.
• Describe the major areas in the field, and identify the parameters of this discipline.
• Distinguish between the major perspectives (behavioral, psychoanalytic, cognitive, physiological, and sociocultural) on human thought and behavior.
• Appreciate the variety of ways psychological data are gathered and evaluated.
• Gain insight into human behavior and into one's own personality or personal relationships.
• Explore the ways that psychological theories are used to describe, understand, predict, and control or modify behavior.

TEACHING METHODS:
"Teaching" might be stretching the point a bit.  Particularly in the context of the Internet course, I will be functioning more as a "Facilitator" than a traditional "Teacher".  I have searched the Internet for sites that provide information that is relevant to this course and will provide you with the URLs for those sites.  It is my hope that you will better learn the subject matter of psychology as a result of visiting those sites.  In addition, I think you will find that visiting those sites will be an enjoyable experience.

The textbook will still be the primary source of information about psychology.  The Study Guide should help you to master the psychological concepts, theories, and findings presented in the textbook.  The sites you visit are intended to expand on the material in the textbook, provide further explanation of that material, and introduce you to material that the textbook does not cover — much as I would do in the classroom.
 

Use the online study guide!  It is an invaluable aid to your success in this course.  It contains the following for each lesson:
1.	Key Terms — the terms, concepts, and names you should know after studying each unit.
2.	Suggested Websites — links to additional information related to material covered in the chapter.
3.	Psychological Applications — tips and examples of how to put the information covered in the chapter to work in real life.
4.	Chapter Quiz -  an opportunity to determine how well you have mastered the material in the chapter (before I get my shot).

EVALUATION TECHNIQUES:
Site Visitations —  There will be some sites that you will be required to visit.  You will also be required to visit some sites selected from a list of optional sites.  You will write and post a brief report based on the content of some of these sites.

Written Assignments — One or more written assignments exist for each topic covered in this course.  Some of these assignments are based specifically upon the site visitations, while others will be based principally on material from the textbook.  In some cases, information from both the textbook and the visited sites will be used to complete the assignments. Written assignments will be submitted to the instructor via email. See the "Rules" page for more specific requirements.  Some assignments are required of all students, but in most cases, students will select the assignments they wish to complete.  See the "Assignments" page for specifics.    15 points per exam unit = 45 total points for the semester.

Participation — Your active participation is required in this course. A regularly scheduled chat session, a Question of the Week (QoW) on the BlackBoard Discussion Board, and the Psych3K8-2 email discussion list may be used for participation.
Chat —  Participation involves attending the chat session and discussion of the course material, the sites visited, administrative matters, and the assignments.
Discussion List —  Participation will involve sending email to the class members asking substantive questions, providing answers, or discussing answers provided by others.
Discussion Board —  Participation involves responding to questions posted on the BlackBoard Discussion Board for each exam period by the professor.  Acceptable responses will usually require more substantive, detailed explanations than the chat or discussion list.

See the "Rules" page for more specific requirements and limitations.

A total of 100 participation points is required.  Twenty (20) discussion board responses/discussion list contributions/chat sessions @ 5 points per = 100 total points for the semester.

Psych3K8-2
This list is a private list, for members of this class only. Subscription to Psych3K8-2 is a course requirement.  Do not, however, subscribe to Psych3K8-2 with any email address other than your MyTCC email address.  Also, do not use any "cute" UserName when subscribing to Yahoo.  Use a UserName that clearely identifies you by name.  If your name is already taken, for example, add a number or TCC after it.

The process of subscribing to the class discussion list is an involved, multi-step process.  It is set up that way to protect your privacy and to prevent spamming.  I have posted step-by-step instructions for subscribing to the discussion list.

IntroPsy
This list is for Intro Psych students from anywhere. You are encouraged, but not required, to subscribe. I would think that you would find it interesting to be able to discuss Intro Psych topics with students from around the country, or even around the world.
The easiest way to subscribe is to go to my MegaPsych DISCUSSION LISTS FOR PSYCHOLOGY STUDENTS page at: http://www.tulsa.oklahoma.net/~jnichols/stulists.html and subscribe from there.

Chapter Quizzes — The online version of the textbook includes a Study Guide section at the end of each chapter.  The Study Guide offers several features that you may find interesting and useful, but the only feature that will be a required component of this course is the Chapter Quizzes.  Chapter quizes should be completed before any assignments for that chapter are submitted, and are due before the "Absolute Deadine" for that unit as shown on the Assignments page.  Each quiz completed with a score greater than 60% will be worth 5 points.  Scores of 60% or less will earn no credit.  Only the quizzes for the chapters that are assigned may be used to earn credit.

Exams — Three objective exams will be given during the semester. Each exam will consist of 50 multiple-choice questions covering material in the reading assignments in the textbook.  You will have one hour to complete the exams.   Each exam will be worth 100 points.   The lowest of the three scores will be dropped.

Comprehensive Final Exam  —  This 100 multiple-choice question objective exam will be worth 200 points.  You will have two hours to complete the Final Exam.  It cannot be dropped.
 

All testing will be done online via BlackBoard.  See the Online Testing page for details.

Exam grades are never available by phone or email.  Raw exam scores will be reported when the exam is submitted and will be posted on BlackBoard "Grades" page.

GRADING SYSTEM:
Each exam will be graded on a percentage scale according to the following guidelines:
     90% - 100% = A
     80% - 89%   = B
     70% - 79%   = C
     60% - 69%   = D
       0% - 59%   = F

Course grades will be based on the same scale.
 
 

Computing Your Course Grade
Source of Points	Possible	Earned
Assignments	45
Quizzes	45
Participation	100
Exams (Best 2 of 3)	200
Final Exam	200
Total	590
Total Earned divided by 590 = Percent Score

 

LATE ASSIGNMENTS AND MAKE-UP TEST POLICY:
THERE IS NO PROVISION FOR “MAKING UP” MISSED EXAMS, OR IN CASES WHERE STUDENTS EXPERIENCE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS ON THEIR END.  THE DROPPED EXAM SCORE TAKES CARE OF MISSED EXAMS.  You should remember, however, that material will be included on the final exam.

Exams that are missed because of technical problems that are TCC's "fault" will be handled as authorized makeup exams on the last exam date shown on the Exam Schedule above whenever possible.  Authorization will require that students imediately and individually contact the professor at the class email address, with an explanation of the problem encountered and whatever details the student can provide (date, times, etc.).  Use the Unsuccessful Exam Effort Report Form to report the details about the problem.  Follow the instructions at the bottom of that page.

Makeup exams will be password protected.  The password will be provided only to those who make that contact.

Written Assignments will not be accepted after the Absolute Deadline for that unit, which is Midnight, the day  before the exam period begins.  Quizzes completed after that date will not receive credit.

Discussion Board questions must be completed by the deadlines indicated in the questions in order to receive credit.

WITHDRAWAL:
The last day to withdraw or change to Audit status is Friday, April 11.  If you should decide to discontinue work in the course for any reason (i.e. low grades, lack of time to devote to studying, etc.), it is imperative that you officially withdraw or change to audit status via the Student Web at  https://sis.tulsa.cc.ok.us, or through the Counseling Office at any campus to avoid receiving a failing grade in the course. You must go to the Counseling Office in person and sign a withdrawal form.

PERSONAL ADVICE:
Although students generally feel uncomfortable talking to their instructors about dropping a course, it is very much to your advantage to do so.  I have found that students often drop a course thinking that they are doing very poorly when in fact, they are doing much better than they think.  This is especially true of students who are trying to "protect" a good G.P.A.

STUDY GROUPS:
I have found that reviews are generally of little or no value to students. There is a study technique, however, that I have found to be very helpful. Students who voluntarily band together in small groups of four to six to study together before exams usually see significant increases in exam performance.  You can set up study groups by emailing class members and working together to ensure that everyone knows the material.  Study groups seem to work best in face-to-face settings, but they may also be beneficial when conducted electronically.  The Psych3K chat room could be used for this purpose.

COMMUNICATION:
Whenever you have questions, try to get those questions answered quickly.  Introduction to Psychology is (as are most survey courses) time-consuming and, at times, downright difficult. Attempting to complete the course via the Internet may be an even more difficult task requiring a great deal of motivation and constant self-discipline. The quicker you can seek clarification on something you do not understand, the better.  It is probably best not to save up questions as this may lead to overwhelming confusion.

There are few questions that you are likely to come up with that I have not anticipated.  Carefully search the pages I have created to help ensure your success in this course before calling or emailing me with your questions.  The "Find in Page" or "Find (on This Page)" function of you browser can be helpful in such serches.

If you are unable to find the answer to your questions by carefully reading the material I provide, ask your classmates before calling or emailing me with your questions.  That is one of the purposes of the class discussion list, and one of the reasons subscription to Psych3K is a course requirement.

The weekly chat session is also a good way to get information quickly.  Since the information can be exchanged immediately, lingering confusion can be quickly addressed.  The information is also seen by everyone present, and the transcript will be available to students who cannot be there "live".

Only if you are unable to get the answer to your question those ways should you call or email me with your questions.  I am not a fast typist.  Composing the answer to a question of any complexity can take me a very long time.  If your question is personal and involves more than a two or three sentence response, you should probably call my home office.  Never call my office at TCC.  If you think that there is a reasonable likelihood that other students might have the same question, however, and it is not too personal a matter, it would be best to post your question to the Class Discussion List.

I have voice mail in case you call when I am unable to answer the telephone myself.   If, for some reason, I have not returned your call within a reasonable amount of time, try again to reach me.

Never call my TCC office phone number.  If you need to call me, use my Home Office number.

Whenever you call, be prepared to leave the following information:
1. Your name, Social Security number, and which course you are taking.  (You are in the "Second 8-week section of Introduction to Psychology".)
2. Phone number(s) at which you can be reached.
3. Time(s) when you can be reached.
4. Description of the general nature of your problem.

STATEMENT OF UNDERSTANDING:
I expect you to be thoroughly familiar with the contents of this syllabus and the Web pages created for this course, in particular the "Rules" and the "Online Course Orientation" pages.  This syllabus constitutes the procedures and rules of the course. By remaining in the course, you are tacitly agreeing to accept these procedures and rules. If any of these procedures and rules are not acceptable to you, it is your responsibility to withdraw from the course.

So that I know that you have found this syllabus and read it carefully, and are familiar with its contents, email me now at the addresses shown in the course/Instructor information box at the top of this syllabus.  In the "Subject:" line of that message, enter "Syllabus (date)".  You do not have to make the message any more complicated than something like: "I have read the syllabus."

PSYCHOLOGY-RELATED STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Contrary to popular expectation, what goes on in the classroom is not the bulk of your education. It is a minimum level of exposure that all students experience, providing only a part of the real education. Most of the real education occurs outside the classroom. Student and professional organizations exist to provide experiences beyond those available in class, exposure to ideas and concepts that are often not covered in classes, and social opportunities that are particularly uncommon at “commuter” schools such as TCC.

If you are a psychology major or minor, or if you are simply interested in the field, you should consider becoming a member of either or both of the two psychology-related student organizations available at TCC. In addition, if you are a psychology major, you should consider becoming a member of the student divisions of the state and national professional psychology organizations at the earliest possible date.

TCC Behavioral Sciences Association (BSA)
The TCC Behavioral Sciences Association (BSA) is open to any interested student. There are no membership requirements beyond application and payment of dues. Dues can be paid by the semester ($3.00), year ($5.00), or a lifetime membership is available for $10.00.

PSI BETA
PSI BETA is the national psychology honor society for students at two-year colleges. As an honor society, PSI BETA has established strict membership requirements. Applicants must have completed General Psychology and a minimum of 12 credit hours of college course work, have at least a 3.0 (B) average in all psychology courses completed, and have at least a 3.0 (B) average in all college courses completed. There is a one-time $25.00 membership fee for the national PSI BETA organization, and dues for the TCC Metro Chapter are $5.00 per semester.

Please note:  The Metro Campus chapters of both BSA and Psi Beta are inactive.  If you are interested, contact the Northeast Campus Student Activities Office for contact information.

State and National Professional Psychology Organizations
The Oklahoma Psychological Association (OPA) and Oklahoma Psychological Society (OPS) both encourage and welcome student members, as do the American Psychological Association (APA) and American Psychological Society (APS). All four of these professional organizations offer student memberships at greatly reduced rates, and student members receive professional publications and greatly reduced convention registration rates.