PSYC-2301 Introduction to Psychology

Ziv Shafir

Credit Fall 2024

Section(s)

PSYC-2301-105 (92075)
LEC DIL ONL DIL

Course Requirements

Exams

There are five mandatory exams for this course. Exams will cover materials from the textbook, “Key Terms” and “Chapter Notes” sections. Each exam’s total is 100 points. The exams will consist of 50 multiple choice questions (each question will be worth 2 points). The total points that can be earned on the exams are 500 points. Exams are closed-notes and closed-book. (Note, also, that there are no retakes on the exams.)

I will post the exams online on a Thursday, at 9 a.m., and it will be available for you to take through Sunday, at 11:59 p.m. (and it has to be submitted by this time). Exams will be taken using the Respondus LockDown Browser app. The following link includes an overview of the Respondus LockDown Browser app as well as the link to install this software on your computer. In addition, to get a basic understanding of the LockDown Browser app, click here.

Once you have installed the software:

  • Start LockDown Browser
  • Log into Blackboard
  • Navigate to the exam

Note that you won't be able to access the exam with a standard web browser. If this is tried, an error message will indicate that the exam requires the use of LockDown Browser. Simply start LockDown Browser and navigate back to the exam to continue.

Additional important information:

  • Select a location where you won't be interrupted.
  • Before starting the exam, know how much time is available for it (60 minutes), and also that you've allotted sufficient time to complete it.
  • Turn off all mobile devices, phones, etc. and don't have them within reach.
  • Clear your area of all external materials - books, papers, other computers, or devices.
  • Remain at your desk or workstation for the duration of the exam.
  • LockDown Browser will prevent you from accessing other websites or applications; you will be unable to exit the exam until all questions are completed and submitted.

If you encounter any problems, please email me. Additionally, technical support resources can be found here.

Extra Credit Assignments

For each chapter, you will have the opportunity to complete extra credit assignments (found in the “Course Content” tab in each unit); these assignments involve reading articles related to the chapter; there is one extra credit assignment for each chapter. (Each extra credit assignment is worth one point.) If your answers on the extra credit assignment are detailed and well-thought out and show mastery of the chapter topic, you will get one point for that assignment. The total points that can be earned on the extra credit assignments are 15 points, one point for each chapter. (Each extra credit assignment will have step-by-step instructions in the document itself.)

The extra credit assignments need to be completed on or before the due date for the exam covering the chapters in order for you to receive the extra credit points. Do not skimp on your answers – a one or two sentence answer is not detailed enough. Be sure to explain your answers in a comprehensive manner.

Extra Credit Discussion Board Forums

Every week, on Mondays, I will post on our Discussion Board link on Blackboard a question (or questions) about a topic related to our readings in which I am looking for your opinions/thoughts. You can earn one extra credit point per forum; in order to earn the one point, you need to contribute at least one original (detailed and well-thought out) post. The forum(s) for each week will be active from Monday morning to Sunday (midnight) of that week.

In terms of how to post, you need to go to the “Discussion Board” link on the left hand side and click on the forum for the week. You can start your own thread (on the top, left hand side) or reply to a classmate's post. For further instructions, see this link - http://irt.austincc.edu/blackboard/bbpdfs/StudentPDFs/Bb9DiscussionBd.pdf.

The purpose of your posts is for you to share your insights and knowledge about relevant psychological topics. Some of these topics might be controversial - I ask that you share your opinion and thoughts, but be respectful in doing so; not everyone will share your opinion, and we must respect that. Having said that, do not shy away from expressing your views - this is the essence of a class like ours. Just like in our extra credit article assignments, a one-to-two sentence post is not enough to earn the extra credit points - put some (critical thinking) effort into your answers. You can post as many times as you want for each forum (and most people do, since you will be responding and interacting with your fellow students).

Final Grade Calculation

Your grade in this class is based on the total number of points you earn on the exams (and extra credit assignments and discussion board forums, if you complete them) throughout the term. (Do not calculate an average to determine your letter grade.) The grade scale for this class is as follows:

Grade

Total Points 

Unit 1

Total Points

Units 1 - 2

Total Points

Units 1 - 3

Total Points 

Units 1 - 4

Total Points 

Units 1 - 5

A

90 or above

180 or above

270 or above

360 or above

450 or above

B

80 - 89

160 - 179

240 - 269

320 - 359

400 - 449

C

70 - 79

140 - 159

210 - 239

280 - 319

350 - 399

D

60 - 69

120 - 139

180 - 209

240 - 279

300 - 349

F

Below 60

Below 120

Below 180

Below 240

Below 300

The table above will help you note where you are after we complete each unit. For example, if you have earned a grade of 90 on the exam for Unit 1 and a 92 on the exam for Unit 2, you have earned 182 total points (as of that point). Looking at the column labeled "Total Points Units 1 - 2," you will see that you are earning (as of that point), a "B" in the class. The column in yellow indicates the points needed to earn your final grade: to earn an "A" in the class, you need to accumulate 450 points or above; to earn a "B" in the class, you need to accumulate between 400 and 449 points; to earn a "C" in the class, you need to accumulate between 350 and 399 points; etc.

Completing the extra credit assignments only increases your chances of earning a higher grade, since you will be adding to your overall total. In other words, extra credits only help you (they cannot lower your grade). To illustrate this point further, if, in the above example, you earned a 90 on the exam for Unit 3, a 90 for the exam for Unit 4, and an 80 for the exam on Unit 5, you would have earned a total of 442 points in the class. Referring to the yellow column, you would note that it translates to a “B” in the class. In this situation, you are eight points away from an “A.” In our class, you have 25 extra credit opportunities, each worth a point (15 Extra Credit Article Assignments and 10 Extra Credit Discussion Board Forums). Thus, you can earn an extra 25 points to your total. In this example,completing just eight of those extra credit opportunities would have increased your total to 450 points, which is the magic number for an “A.” Since you don’t know how many extra credit points you possibly might need at the end of the term, my recommendation is that you do them all. Don’t pass up free points. (And, also, this prevents a situation at the end of the term, where you did not complete any extra credits, and are a few points away from the next letter grade up, and are asking me to reopen extra credits which have already closed; once an extra credit deadline has passed, it will not be reopened.) Bottom line: the more extra credit assignments and discussion board forums you complete, the better your chance of earning a higher grade in the class. If it were me, I would do them all. 

---Additional (detailed) information about the course will be available in our syllabus---

Readings

This class utilizes a free open educational resource textbook (Psychology; Senior Contributor Author: Rose M. Spielman; published by OpenStax and licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0).

Course Subjects

Unit 1

Ch. 1 - Introduction to Psychology

Ch. 2 - Psychological Research

Ch. 3 - Biopsychology

Unit 2

Ch. 4 - States of Consciousness

Ch. 5 - Sensation and Perception

Ch. 6 - Learning

Unit 3

Ch. 7 - Thinking and Intelligence

Ch. 8 - Memory

Ch. 9 - Lifespan Development

Unit 4

Ch. 10 - Emotion and Motivation

Ch. 11 - Personality

Ch. 12 - Social Psychology

Unit 5

Ch. 14 - Stress, Lifestyle, and Health

Ch. 15 - Psychological Disorders

Ch. 16 - Therapy and Treatment

-- Note that we are not covering ch. 13 in this course --

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives

The goal of the course is to understand the major elements that constitute the field of psychology. We will cover topics such as sensation and perception, memory, human development, abnormal behavior, and social psychology. By the end of the course, students will have an understanding of psychological research and psychological theories and will be able to apply concepts learned in class to everyday life and their chosen careers. Furthermore, students can apply this course towards an associate’s degree at Austin Community College.

Office Hours

M T W 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM Hays 1204.37

NOTE Mon. and Wed., 8:30 - 9 a.m., 12 - 1 p.m. - office or online; Tue., 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. - online chat/video only

Office Hours

M T W 8:30 AM - 1:00 PM Hays 1204.37

NOTE Mon. and Wed., 8:30 - 9 a.m., 12 - 1 p.m. - office or online; Tue., 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. - online chat/video only

Published: 09/12/2024 15:30:51