Faculty Syllabus
PSYC-2301 Introduction to Psychology
Seth Corley
Credit Spring 2026
Section(s)
PSYC-2301-007 (18310)
LEC NRG ONL DIL
LEC MW 10:40am - 12:10pm NRG NRG2 2110
Course Requirements
Course Requirements:
How Does This Class Work? Introduction to Psychology is a dense course that is sometimes overwhelming to students. Don’t worry. I’ve broken down the text and information into two easily digestible units. The lecture schedule at the very bottom of this document will let you know what we are going to cover and when we are going to cover it. Never hesitate to ask me if you need any help or have any questions regarding the class schedule and what is expected of you all.
Reading: You are responsible for studying every topic we go over. This includes your notes from lectures, PowerPoints, and test reviews. Yes, the test reviews will guide you to what is most important in each chapter; however, reading the ZTC textbook can help consolidate this information into your memory on a deeper and more meaningful level.
Attendance: This course is taught in a hybrid fashion, meaning we will meet for formal lectures on Mondays and the rest of the time you will spend reading and studying the material that we are exploring. Usually on each Wednesday there will be a short quiz that will be due. Look at the evaluation section for more details about this and other assignments. The materials from our lectures will be made available to you via blackboard, and it is up to you to engage with these materials in a meaningful way to be successful this semester. I will always be here if you have any questions or concerns along the way.
Attendance will be taken each Monday. You will start the semester with 50 points and each time you are absent on a day where attendance counts, you lose 7 points.
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
Participation:
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 Blackboard 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 on the Announcement section of Blackboard.
Use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GAI)
Definition of GAI: There are innumerable web-based examples of how a student can use GAI to facilitate their own learning of college material. However, there is absolutely no usage of GAI required to do this class.
There is no prohibition of the usage of GAI and there will be no penalties for the usage of GAI in this class. That said, your Discussion Board entries will result in higher scores if you use your own human intelligence, experiences, and world-view to form the basis of your entries. A student who relies on GAI to generate a Discussion Board entry will probably be easily detected in the grading process and may receive a low score for that entry. Furthermore, the instructor in this class hopes that everyone will accept the opportunity to learn and grow cognitively, intellectually, and behaviorally by thinking for oneself, rather than resorting to GAI to “think” for them. Although the instructor will not prosecute anyone for resorting to GAI in the Discussion Board process, the actual penalty, in terms of diminished learning and cognitive growth, is a self-imposed penalty that should be avoided in the service of education, which is the ultimate objective of this class.
There is no prohibition of the usage of GAI and there will be no penalties for the usage of GAI in this class.
This statement was provided by Dr. Dan Dydek.
Evaluation:
Attendance (50 Points): This course is taught in a hybrid fashion, which means that we will meet once a week (Mondays from 10:40 AM to 12:10 PM). Attendance will be taken each Monday. You start the semester with 50 points and each time you are absent you lose 7 points.
Wednesday Quizzes (200 Points): As the name implies, the Wednesday quiz will be administered every Wednesday this semester. The quiz will open at midnight and close at 11:59 PM that same day. Each quiz will vary in the number of total points and questions, but at the end of the semester, there will be a grand total of 200 that can be earned.
Since we will not meet for formal lecture on this day, this activity will substitute for the in-person aspects of the course. The material needed to complete these quizzes will be provided for you in Blackboard (i.e., PowerPoints, video links, etc.). It will be up to you to review the topic for that quiz before taking the quiz. The topics for each quiz are included in the lecture schedule below and each one will be discussed at the end of the lecture on Mondays.
Exams (200 points): There will be two exams during the semester. They will each be worth 100 points. They will consist of multiple-choice questions, matching and true-false queries. Each test will have a total of 50 questions, with each question being worth 2 points apiece. There will also be a few bonus questions added to the end of each exam for extra credit. The exams will cover the readings assigned and the topics discussed for class. The dates for each exam are listed in the lecture schedule below.
There will be no re-takes of exams. You get one chance to take it. There will be plenty of bonus points offered to you throughout the semester.
Exams will be given using Blackboard and your browser of choice. Each exam will have a window in which the exam is due. You will not need to download a special browser or take the exam in a testing center. You may use your regular browser to access each of the exams when they are available. On test day, the exam will open at midnight and be available through the end of the day (11:59 PM). We will not meet for lecture on this day, your assignment that day is to take the exam. Just make sure you finish it within each of the corresponding windows. You will have 2 hours to finish each exam. It must all be completed in one sitting. You may not save the exam and return to it later. Make sure that you have enough time to complete your exam.
Test Reviews: I will make sure that you have a test review for each exam that points you towards the most important information for each test. These reviews will be available to you at least a week before the exam date.
Extra Credit (variable but at least 35 points): There will be 2 extra credit exams, one assigned after the midterm and the other assigned right before the final. The specific dates the tests will be open are located below in the course schedule. They will be worth 15 points each. The questions will be in the same format as the regular tests. The main difference is that you will have three opportunities to take the bonus tests. Your best score will be the one that is recorded. This is done because of the number of chapters included for each test. These points will be added to your overall total. These exams are completely voluntary, and they do not negatively impact your grade if you choose not to take them. They also do not count against you if you miss questions on them. They can only add points to your overall total. These extra credit exams will cover material that has previously been covered throughout the semester. Once they are available, they will be open to take until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, March 15th.
There will also be at least one extra credit paper (if not more) assigned that will vary in potential points. These may happen as the semester unfolds or as is warranted.
Readings
This is a zero-cost textbook course, and the textbooks below are not required. I list them because these are the texts that I used to craft the course. It may be beneficial for you to obtain a copy of the texts, but it is not required, only recommended.
- Spielman, R.M., Jenkins, W.J. & Lovett, M.D. (2020). Psychology (OER), 2nd Edition. OpenStax. ISBN: 978-1-951693-23-7 (Digital Book)
- Wood, S. E., Wood, E. G. & Boyd, D. (2013). Mastering the World of Psychology: A Scientist Practitioner Approach – Books a la Carte, 6th Edition. Pearson Education, Inc. ISBN: 9780134584010
The 5th edition of the Mastering the World of Psychology text is also acceptable. This text is available online from multiple sources.
Course Subjects
Tentative Lecture Schedule for Spring 26:
CONTROVERSIAL AND SENSITIVE TOPICS
Class lectures, discussions, and activities may include topics that are controversial and that may be upsetting in nature (e.g., traumatic events, suicide). The goal of this course is to think critically about such topics, and it is my aim to create an atmosphere that is conducive to dialogue and inquiry by nurturing a classroom based on respect and consideration for oneself and one’s peers. If you have concerns about topics that are listed on the syllabus or that are addressed in class discussions, I encourage you to talk individually with me at any point.
|
Date |
Topic |
Exam/Quiz |
|
1/19 |
MLK Holiday |
No Class |
|
1/21 |
Syllabus Quiz |
Wednesday Quiz |
|
1/26 |
1: Intro to Class Research |
|
|
1/28 |
Topic: Experimental v. Correlational |
Wednesday Quiz |
|
2/2 |
Topic 2: Biopsychology |
|
|
2/4 |
Topic: Lobotomies |
Wednesday Quiz |
|
2/9 |
Topic 3: Consciousness |
|
|
2/11 |
Topic: Substance Use and Abuse |
Wednesday Quiz |
|
2/16 |
Topic 4: Learning |
|
|
2/18 |
Midterm |
Midterm *Extra Credit Test #1 Opens |
|
2/23 |
Topic 5: Memory |
|
|
2/25 |
Topic: Eyewitness Reliability |
Wednesday Quiz
|
|
3/2 |
Topic 6: Personality |
*Extra Credit Paper Assigned |
|
3/4 |
Topic: Personality Disorders |
Wednesday Quiz *Extra Credit Test #2 Opens |
|
3/9 |
Topic 7: Disorders |
|
|
3/11 |
Final |
Final |
|
3/15 |
All Extra Credit Due |
All Extra Credit Due |
Unit #1
Topic 1: Intro to Class and Psychology: We will go over the course objectives and syllabus. We will cover chapter one of your text. We will go over the basic research terms and methods (experimental and correlational) and we will also discover the roots of psychology from Plato to the most recent schools of thought in psychology.
Topic 2: Biology and Behavior: We will spend time discussing the basics of neuropsychology (anatomy of a neuron, basic parts of the brain and their functions, etc.). We will also discuss some of the clinical disorders that are involved with neuropsychology (memory and language disorders, etc.) A brief history of treatments from the field of neuropsychology will also be discussed.
Topic 3: States of Consciousness: What happens when you sleep? We will discuss this and even topics such as dream interpretation. We will cover sleep disorders located in the DSM-V. We will discuss altered states of consciousness (meditation, hypnosis and psychoactive substances). We will talk about the effects of different substances on the human mind and the socio-political issues attached to drugs. We will also cover addiction treatment options.
Topic 4: Learning: We will discuss the roots of behaviorism and what conditioning is. We will discuss different types of reinforcement and how they can be used to shape behavior. We will discuss phobias and how they are treated with cognitive behavioral therapy.
Unit #2
Topic 5: Memory: The Structure of Human Memory, A Closer Look at Retrieval, Remembering as Reconstruction, Forgetting, Biology and Memory and Memory in Legal and Therapeutic Settings
Topic 6: Personality: How do you capture someone's personality? Can you? We will discuss the various theories of personality. We will review Freud's psychoanalytic theory, Carl Jung's theory, Behaviorism, Cognitive theories, humanistic and evolutionary theories. We will also discuss the cutting-edge theories of personality. We will also learn how to measure personality through various assessments. We will also review the Personality Disorders from the DSM-5-TR (Chapter 14).
Topic 7: Psychological Disorders: What is a disorder, how do we know what adaptive or maladaptive behavior is? We will address the DSM-5-TR and how mental health professionals use it. We will also review the different theories about where mental illness comes from. We will all the anxiety disorders, mood disorders including suicide stats and warnings. We will also cover the Psychotic Disorders, Somatoform Disorders, Factitious Disorders, Eating Disorders, Impulse Control Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, ADHD, Other childhood disorders, and Intellectual Disability
Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives
This course is designed to familiarize you with basic psychological terms and concepts. You will also be introduced to classical research from the past, prominent figures in the field and multiple topics ranging from neuropsychology to psychological disorders. Many of you come from different majors and backgrounds, so I don’t want you to think that this class is only for those pursuing a career in the mental health field. Many of the concepts we will cover can assist you occupationally and even socially. I hope that by the end of this course some of the myths that you may have about psychology are dispelled. There is nothing mystical about what mental health professionals do. The practice and study of psychology is ideally objective, and the theories and assumptions made are built upon research. Introduction to Psychology is a captivating course, and I hope this is revealed to you as we read, discuss and explore.
Office Hours
F 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Virtual
NOTEPublished: 01/20/2026 00:46:27