Course Requirements:

How Does This Class Work? Biopsychology is a dense course that is sometimes overwhelming to students. Don’t worry. I’ve broken down the text and information into 5 Units. The lecture schedule at the very bottom of this document will alert you to when a Unit opens. When a Unit opens on Blackboard, it will contain PowerPoints, videos, and either a test review (Units 1, 3 & 5) or an assignment folder (Units 2 & 4). Tests and assignments will be due when the Unit has been reviewed over a specified period (see lecture schedule below).

Reading: You are responsible for all assigned readings. Reading the assigned chapters is always recommended. Given the nature of the online format, reading is vital to your success in the course. Yes, the PowerPoints and test reviews will guide you to what is most important in each chapter. However, reading can help consolidate this information into your memory on a deeper and more meaningful level.

Attendance: This course is taught asynchronously, which means that we will not be meeting online at a specific time each week. While we won’t meet at a regular time, you are still required to interact with the course materials regularly.

Participation:

Online learning can be overwhelming; however, the approach to the material is generally the same as if you were taking a traditional face-to-face course. Each student is strongly encouraged to participate in class by completing the readings in the course and following the structure set out by the instructor. Students must check our Blackboard site for materials that will be posted for each instructional unit. Also, it is recommended that students check their ACC email often for possible reminders and/or updates on information pertaining to the tests and/or other course related matters. Copies of the emails sent to all students may also appear in the Announcement section of Blackboard.

ACC Email and Blackboard:

It is VITALY important for you to have an ACC email account and an ACC Blackboard account. ACC email is how I contact the class with any news and send you attachments that you need to be successful in class. I also use Blackboard to post grades. It is up to you to set up these accounts BEFORE the semester begins. Not getting news about a schedule change because you do not have an ACC email is not an excuse for missing an assignment or schedule change.

To set up an ACC email account click on the student tab at the top of the ACC home page. On the Student page click on the ACCmail link on the right of the page. On the Gmail sign-in page there will be a link to create an account.

To access your Blackboard account, you must first activate your ACCeID. Here is the link: http://www.austincc.edu/help/acceid/activate-your-acceid-step-by-step-instructions

Evaluation:

There will be a variety of ways in which you will be evaluated this semester. Below is a description of the tests and assignments you will be asked to complete.

Tests (300 points): There will be 3 main tests given during the semester (After units 1,3 and 5). They will each be worth 100 points. They will consist of multiple choice, matching and true/false questions. Each test will have a total of 50-65 questions, making each question worth one to two points each. The exams will cover the readings assigned and the topics discussed in PowerPoints. The test reviews will point you to the material that you need to study the most. The tests will be open for usually a 7-day period, which is specified in the course schedule below. If you do not complete the test within that time frame, you will receive a 0 for the test. Please be aware of when tests open and close.

Test Reviews: I will make sure that you have a test review for each section that points you towards the most important information for each test. These reviews will be available to you as soon as a Unit opens.

Extra Credit (40 points): There will be 2 extra credit assignments assigned after we cover certain topics. They will be worth 20 points each for a total of 40 possible points. These points will be added to the overall total. You will have until the last day of the semester (Sunday December 15th, 2024) to turn in your work, but it is highly recommended that you turn in the papers as soon as possible to alleviate extra work at the end of the semester. It will be a 1-2-page reaction paper, double spaced and in 12-point font. More detailed instructions will be given at the time of the assignment. The extra credit prompts will be available on Blackboard under the extra credit link.

I also plan on adding an extra credit exam that will cover questions I did not ask on the first 2 exams. The extra credit exam will be 15 questions long and worth 15 points total, making each question worth 1 point a piece. You will have 3 opportunities to take the extra credit exam and your highest score is the score that will count. The extra credit exam will be available starting later in the semester (check the lecture schedule below) and will be due by 11:59PM on Sunday December 15th, 2024.

Assignments (200 Points):

There will be a total of 4 assignments given this semester during Units 2 and 4. Each of these assignments will be worth a total of 50 points. These assignments will ask you to look in-depth into one of the topics that are included in the corresponding units. I will give you a prompt from each of the chapters in these units and you can choose 2 in each to complete that interest you. Some of these will require sketching or drawing, while others will ask you to write a paper. I will leave the choice up to you as to which assignments you tackle. You can only turn in two of the assignments for credit in a unit.

These assignments will require you to work in APA or MLA style, using 12-point font and double spacing. Depending on the assignment, you may structure your paper into a numbered list with answers or if you’d prefer, you may write it as a traditional paper. Each of these assignments should be between 1-3 pages when completed depending on several different variables. You can find these assignments on Blackboard, under the specific unit and in the folder labeled “Assignments”. You will turn your assignments in on Blackboard as well, by clicking on the” Assignments for Grading” link on the home page.

Here is how the evaluation will break down per unit:

Pinel. J & Barnes, S., (2021). Biopsychology, 11th Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN: 9780135710883

-     This text is available at the Barnes & Noble bookstores on various ACC campuses. You may also want to look at Amazon, Chegg or any other Internet source to find a better price. Renting the book is an affordable option that many students report success with.

Tentative Course Schedule Fall 2024

Biological Psychology is not an Anatomy and Physiology course. Rather, it is a course that primarily covers the connection between the brain and behavior. We will focus on the following broad themes this semester: thinking creatively about biopsychology, clinical implications, the evolutionary perspective, and neuroplasticity. Here are just some of the more specific questions that you will be able to answer by the end of the semester:

1. What areas of the brain are thought to be responsible for certain types of behavior? 2. How do the different areas of the brain talk to one another?

3. What happens when this breaks down or functions differently? 4. How does memory work?

a. We will cover how it works and the psychological disorders that arise from atypical memory issues (e.g., amnesias, dementias, etc.)

b. as we cover topics such as: significant psychological disorders (e.g., what makes a sociopath’s brain different from the typical person’s, etc.), what happens to us when we sleep/dream, what effects medications and illegal substances have on our brain, how do you treat mental illnesses with medications, are things like lobotomies and shock therapy still performed.