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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "PS 101-2"
COURSE NAME: "General Psychology"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2022
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Merel Keijsers
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 8:30 AM 9:45 AM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Introduces the study of psychology, the study of the human mind, in some of its many facets: epistemological issues, the brain, perception, learning, language, intelligence, motivation, development, personality, emotion, social influences, pathology and therapy, and prevention. These will be seen from the scientific and scholarly point of view, but with emphasis on their relevance to everyday life. An important focus of the course will be the significance of theories and how they influence the gathering of data, as well as the difficulty of objectivity when the object of study is also its primary tool: the human mind. One of the goals of the course will also be to prepare the student to read psychological literature with a critical eye, keeping in mind the difficulties involved in attempting to study human subjectivity in an objective way.

Minimum passing grade for students enrolled for the BA in Psychological science: C-
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

Lectures and discussions will address the basic concepts, principles, theories, methods, and empirical research findings in the main domains of psychological inquiry. The focus will also be on the applications of psychological research to everyday issues.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

- Identify key characteristics of major domains in Psychology, the methods used, and the questions addressed in such domains.

- Understand key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in Psychol- ogy. Begin using basic psychological terminology to explain mental pro- cesses.

- Describe examples of relevant and practical applications of psychological principles to everyday life.

- Understand common fallacies in thinking (e.g., confirmation bias, limited data problem, implying causation from correlation).

- Demonstrate information literacy in Psychology.

TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
QuizzesThroughout the semester there will be 11 online MC quizzes. The individual quizzes will be graded as pass/fail. Students need to get 7 of the total of 10 questions per quiz right in order to receive a Pass.33%
ReflectionsThroughout the semester, students will have to complete 11 short (300 word) essays in which they reflect on a topic that was covered that week. Like the Quizzes, Reflections will be graded on a fail/pass basis.33%
ExamsThere are four exams throughout the course: three midterms and a final. Only the best three grades for these exams are taken into account for the final grade. The exams will be open-ended questions on the materials covered in the previous weeks. 33% total

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Week

(Monday date)

Topic

Details

1 (17 Jan)

Psychology as a science

 

2 (24 Jan)

Research methods

 

3 (31 Jan)

Biological bases of behaviour

 

4 (7 Feb)

Sensation/Perception

Make up day on Friday

5 (14 Feb)

Exam; Developmental psychology

Make up day on Friday

6 (21 Feb)

Learning theories

 

7 (28 Feb)

Memory

 

8 (7 March)

Thinking and decision making

 

9 (14 March)

Exam; Emotions

 

10 (21 March)

BREAK

 

11 (28 March)

Emotions; Stress & Health

 

12 (4 April)

Personality psychology

 

13 (11 April)

Social psychology

 

14 (18 April)

Wrap up

Monday = holiday

15 (25 April)

Exam

Monday = holiday