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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY
COURSE CODE: "PS 101-4"
COURSE NAME: "General Psychology"
SEMESTER & YEAR:
Fall 2022
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SYLLABUS
INSTRUCTOR:
Carola Salvi
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS:
MW 1:30 PM 2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS:
45
CREDITS:
3
PREREQUISITES:
OFFICE HOURS:
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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-
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SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course will cover the scientific foundation of the discipline as well as address a number of topics pertaining to the 5 pillars (i.e., main domain of knowledge) identified in the American Psychological Association’ (APA) guidelines for Introduction to Psychology courses, such as Research methods, biological bases of human behavior, perception, developmental psychology, social psychology, Cognitive psychology, Thinking and reasoning and psychology of Personality. Discussion will focus on theoretical ideas, empirical findings, and application to everyday life.
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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 Psychology. Begin using basic psychological terminology to explain mental processes.
- 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.
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TEXTBOOK:
| Book Title | Author | Publisher | ISBN number | Library Call Number | Comments | Format | Local Bookstore | Online Purchase |
| NOBA psychology | NOBA | NOBA | NOBA | | Open Educational Resources (OER) on NOBA psychology | Ebook | | |
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REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
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GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
| Assignment | Guidelines | Weight |
| Exams | During the semester, 3 exams will be administered roughly every 4 weeks, plus a final exam. The midterms will review the assigned textbook readings, lectures, and additional material covered in the preceding classes. Each midterm is non-cumulative and covers approximately 1/3 of the course material. Exams will include a variety of questions (e.g., multiple-choice, short answers, essay). The final will be cumulative, that is, it will cover anything discussed throughout the course. Each exam will be worth 30 points. Of the 4 exams, only your THREE highest scores will count towards your final grade. Your lowest (out of four) exam score will be dropped. You have to take at least 3 exams. The extra exam allows those who have to miss a test (i.e., excused absence) during the semester to be able to make up for it. This means THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP TESTS. If you miss any of the three tests, that will be your dropped score. No other arrangement will be made. | 80 |
| Assignment | Spot fake news (max 500 words) This written assignment requires students to assess media article in the popular press that describes a recent outcome in the field of psychology and discuss its veracity as well as the importance and implications of the findings, relate the research to concepts from the course, and critically evaluate the online media article. This assignment will give students the ability to critically assess the scientific reliability of news in the media. There will be a total of 2 assignments that however requires a deep understanding of psychology and critical evaluation of media content. There will be one make-up assignment at the end of the course. Assignments will be administered at the beginning of the class period. It is your responsibility to arrive in class ON TIME. | 20 |
-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 ____________
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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.
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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.
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SCHEDULE
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Tokens (Max 1 per exam): Tokens will be given to those students who show commitments to the class by doing extra work (e.g., research on a topic of interest during class). Tokens can be used to gain points at the quiz (1 token = 1 point).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND RESOURCES:
The National Institutes of Health Library of Medicine (PubMed) provides an excellent tool for searching the scientific literature. Students can access this search engine at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed.
You can also find the databases here (psyching should appear after July 1st)
https://johncabot.libguides.com/az.php)
APA Style
Most papers in psychology must be written in APA (American Psychological Association) format. Students are responsible for following APA style and citation format in all of their writing assignments for this course, when applicable. The most complete resource for APA style is the Publication Manual of the APA, but Purdue’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is an excellent, concise, and free online reference documenting APA style: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/10
There is a copy of the APA manual in the library for students to access as well.
(https://jculibrary.on.worldcat.org/search?queryString=APA%20manual&clusterResults=true&stickyFacetsChecked=true&groupVariantRecords=false
WHAT STUDENTS CAN EXPECT FROM ME
I am committed to making this course not only an educational experience, but a fun and positive experience as well. I am deeply committed to students learning here. In addition to the time that we will spend together in class, I will do my best to make myself available to students for help and consultation outside of class time.
It is not just a cliché to say that, as a professor, I will also be learning from each of them throughout the course.
This Syllabus represents my best estimate of the topics and requirements of this course. There is always the possibility that some assignments, deadlines, or topics may change. Any change will be announced in class and posted on Moodle. It is your responsibility to be updated about the course schedule and requirements.
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PS101-3 COURSE SCHEDULE Fall 2022
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(Subject to change with advance notice.)
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WEEK
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TOPIC & READING
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ASSIGNMENTS DUE
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1
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Welcome and Overview
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Intro to Psychology as a science
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2
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Research methods
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3
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Biological bases of Human Behavior
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4
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Perception
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EXAM 1 (Ch.1-4)
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5
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Developmental psychology
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6
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Memory
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Spot the fake news assignment
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7
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Learning
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8
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Problem solving and decision making
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9
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EXAM 2 (Ch. 5-9)
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emotions
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10
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Psychology of personality
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11
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Social Psychology
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12
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Stress and health
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Spot the fake news assignment
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13
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Wrap up and questions
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14
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EXAM 3 (Ch. 10-13)
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Make up for “Spot the fake news assignment”
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FINAL EXAM
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