Fall 10 General SyllabusPSYCHOLOGY 01
Fall 2010
Professor: Mhaire "Mary" Fraser ,Ph. D.
email: mfraser@alumni.usc.edu
Office Hours MW L27 5:15- 6:15
Texts Required:
Baird, L. (2009) Think Psychology.
Hock, R. R. (2009). Forty Studies that changed Psychology. (6th Edition) Pearson Education.
Fraser, M.L. (2006). Social superstitions. Gender as Identity (3rd Ed).
Texts Recommended:
American Psychological Association (2001). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th Ed.) Washington D.C. American Psychological Association.
1. Introductory Remarks
You may hear things that you have never heard before in this class. I want you to express your ideas about anything that we are discussing in class. Please be respectful of each other�s opinions. Remember, you can learn from each other. There is usually a reason why people think the way that they do. See if you can find out what that reasoning is. Also, it is okay to disagree with a theory. You will, however, be required to know the formal academic theory for the examinations.
Lectures will be primarily Socratic in nature, with visual aids and paper referents where and when appropriate. You will not hear my opinion in class. You will hear formal theories and the latest studies that I am aware of. I try not to bring mu opinion into the classroom, and WANT you to bring yours.
An Honors cohort is being offered in this section. If you are in the
Honors Program you are welcome to participate in the cohort, and if you are not in the Honors Program but are eligible for the program, you are also welcome to participate as long as you have not taken an Honors class from De Anza previously. Eligibility requirements can be found at www.deanza.edu/honors or you may contact Alex Giardino at
dahonors@deanza.edu.
The honors cohort entails additional work consisting of two extra assignments of three to five pages each. In order to earn an Honors designation for this class on your transcript. You must commit to participating in the Honors cohort by the fourth week of the quarter by submitting a signed cohort contract to the Honors Program office. You may download a form from the Honors website. Once you commit to the Honors portion, you will be expected to complete the extra work. Failure to complete the Honors work will result in a lowering of your regular class grade.
2. Course Objectives:
The student will:
A. Recognize the historical and philosophical background of psychology as a interdisciplinary enterprise, with special recognition of gender and cultural issues, including the contributions and perspectives of women.
B. Identify, explain and apply the major methods used by psychologists to study human behavior.
C. Identify and explain the major age related changes as areas of development including gender roles and stereotypes.
D. Analyze major psychological theories regarding developmental psychology: Freud, Erickson, Piaget, and Kohlberg.
E. Distinguish and explain the major principles and concepts of genetics.
F. Recognize and distinguish the major features of prenatal, infancy and childhood periods of development.
G. Analyze the cognitive, psychosocial and biological development during adolescence.
H. Compare and contrast the cognitive, psychosocial, and physical development of the young adulthood, mid life adulthood, and late adulthood.
3. Policies
a. Make-ups:
There are no make-up examinations, and I do not accept late papers. The only exceptions to this policy would be a death in the family or a valid medical excuse. You must provide me with proper documentation (on letterhead with phone numbers), with appropriate dates which must match the dates of missed assignment or test. This will be kept on file in the event of an academic integrity question. This sounds harsh but in reality is SOP for many professors and departments.
b. Plagiarism and Cheating: Very simple: Don't do it
"Plagiarism is the unacknowledged borrowing of information, wording, organization, or ideas" - from Department of English, Trenton State College
Many people have made the mistake of thinking that if they "lift" a phrase or paragraph word for word AND reference it, it is not cheating. It is. Please do not reference the writing of any other author or writer within your work. Although concepts, ideas and theories are to be referenced, another writer's written words are not. Some cultures believe that the purpose of knowledge is to be shared. It is, but with proper aknowledgement of the originator of the words or ideas. This is especially true within the sciences.
There are two issues, one is the stealing of an idea,and this is never acceptable unless it is referenced appropriately. The other issue is stealing someone's words. The *only* time this is acceptable is if you are quoting someone specifically. And quotes are not appropriate or accepted within any of the papers I assign, so . . . . .it is NOT acceptable within my classroom.
The danger in plagiarizing is not that you might get caught, but that you experience a sense of accomplishment that has not been earned. Be clear. If you violate this policy, I will follow all the policies as set forth by the Foothill/DeAnza Community College District. Should you have any questions regarding exactly what plagiarism is, please consult with myself or another academic representative of the Foothill/DeAnza Community College District. before you do it. Another option is read the academic integrity guidelines within the Student Handbook. This can be found here: http://www.deanza.fhda.edu/studenthandbook/academic-integrity.html
Either option you choose, please note that it is your responsibility to understand what the guidelines are and I will operate under the assumption that you do.
Be clear: You *will* get called to task if you engage in this unethical behavior to the guidelines that are set forth by this institution. Again, they can be found at http://www.deanza.fhda.edu/studenthandbook/academic-integrity.html
c. Attendance and Absences:
If a student misses more than 20% of the classes, I reserve the right to drop the student at any point during the term without notice. (It is however, the students responsibility to drop the course ultimately, not the instructor's. Thus, please do not rely on me for this). This policy is in the students� best interest. I do not grade on attendance; however, it is in your best interest to be in class for several reasons. They are:
1. The examinations are based in part upon the lectures.
2. Assignment Sheets for the papers are handed out in class
3. Questions that you have may get answered during the course of the class
d. Extra Credit
The best way to get extra credit is to stump me. If I do not know the answer to your question, and you want to write a one to two page summary of the answer, after you have discovered it, then you may earn up to five points of extra credit for the class per stump.
The other way to get extra credit is to write up a news article that directly relates to one or more of the concepts being discussed in class. The article must be included with the summary and must be a current one (defined here as within three weeks of publication - see me for exceptions on this policy). Make sure that you explain how the written piece relates to the coursework.
It is not possible to substitute extra credit for the assignments. Extra credit is designed to augment grades, not as a surrogate for classwork. Should you fail to complete at least 80% of the assignments, we will need to have a discussion as to whether or not you can successfully pass the course, or if it is in your best interest to drop it.
Also from time to time I will hear of research studies that need human subjects. I will offer extra credit for as many of these as is ethically possible, and post them all on the web site as well as send announcement bulletins as soon as I hear of them.
4. Grading
a. Examinations:
There will be two examinations, including the non-comprehensive final, worth 100 points each, given over the course of the term. Examinations consist of 50 multiple choice questions, worth two points each. They will contain information from the lectures, the discussions, and the readings. Everything is important. Total points possible from the examinations are 200.
Examinations are posted online 4-7 days before they are due. Please check the outline for exact dates.
Note: Students with learning disabilities who are requesting accommodations for an examination must see me before the exam for which they are requesting them.
b. Papers:
one page journal entries are due for each class period. They are to be turned in the Wednesday following the class. I will be grading both on content and organization of the papers. Please proofread and spell check your papers before you turn them in. Total points possible to be earned from the papers are 100.
I DO NOT TAKE PAPERS VIA EMAIL.
c. Points:
Note that there is no curve. I do not believe in competitive grading. The grades will be distributed according to the scale below:
100 - 90% of all possible points will earn a grade of A 270-300 pts.
89 - 78 % of all possible points will earn a grade of B 234 -269 pts.
77- 63 % of all possible points will earn a grade of C 189 - 233 pts.
All points consisting of a point tally, which fall below 63 % of all possible points will earn a grade of D. This equates to a score of 188 points or below. If you turn in all assignments and complete all examinations, you will not receive lower than a D.
Please note: The Final Examination will be due on December 6th within the first half hour of class. Do not be late. I will not wait.
You must bring a self addressed stamped envelope to the final (9x12). I cannot and will not take your final without one
the Final date is December 6th at 6:30 pm.
5. Web Page and email
All information will be posted in a timely manner on the web. This page will have outlines of lectures and sections, the assignments, (which will also be sent to you via email) and any other information or announcements that you may need. Since the web is accessible 24 hours a day I will expect you to be responsible for checking it on a regular basis.
The best and quickest way to reach me is through email. I generally try to get back to people within 24 hours and sometimes even make it sooner. The email address is mfraser@alumni.usc.edu. You will also receive assignments and important announcement via email. Please make sure you are getting them on a regular basis. If you are not then the easiest thing to do is to send me email that you need to be added to the email list. If you tell me verbally in class I will not remember.
Discuss
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