PS101 D MW Syllabus PDF

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Wilfrid Laurier University Psychology 101D Fall 2020 Introductory Psychology Syllabus ==========================================================

Course description This is the first half of Introductory Psychology. Topics surveyed include areas such as research methods in psychology, neuroscience, states of consciousness, learning, personality, psychological disorders, and treatment approaches. Instructor: Kathy Foxall Online office hours: Office hours will be held weekly on Zoom. The time is to be determined depending on class preferences, and I will post this information here once I have settled on a time. E-mail [email protected] please use myls course mail to write to me (this is different from your mylaurier e-mail account). Go into the content section of MyLS for the course. Click on the envelope in the upper right corner and enter the above address. Please remember to include a relevant subject line. This address can be reached *only* through mylearningspace course mail. Once you are in the course mail program, type [email protected] in the address line. You must use myls course mail to reach me in myls course mail. Please do *not* write to me through any other e-mail account, as I have to erase correspondence from my regular Laurier e-mail quite frequently. Your mail is important to me, and if you write to me through this program I will be able to keep all of our correspondence for the duration of the course and ensure that I have followed up with you. Teaching Assistant: Nausheen Ali. Please write to Nausheen through MyLS course mail. Nausheen’s email address is [email protected]. Exclusion: PS100: You cannot receive credit for PS101 or PS102 if you have received a credit for PS100. If you wish to take 2nd year and other upper year psychology courses in the future, you must pass this course and PS102. Textbook: Comer, R., Ogden, N., Boyes, M., & Gould, E. (2019). Psychology around us (3rd Canadian edition). Toronto, ON: Wiley. Note that Wiley plus, which is a program that can come with the purchase of a new textbook, is not required, although some students have found it to be useful. If you have access to a previous copy of the textbook (the 2nd edition of this book), that is acceptable for the course, but it means that you will not have access to Wiley plus. Wiley (the textbook provider) has hired student partners to assist 101 and 102

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students in learning how to use the Wiley program. Again, Wiley plus is not required for this section of the course (PS101E), although it may be required for sections taught by other instructors. Please see the link below for information on how to obtain the textbook if you have not already done so https://students.wlu.ca/services-and-spaces/textbooks-and-course-materials/index.html Course Time, Location, and format: The course is scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 -9:50AM, but the course will be carried out remotely. Tests and the final exam will be synchronous (held during class time), online, and proctored. See the weekly schedule for more information about class topics and the midterm topics and schedule and the exam. I will be recording the lectures and posting them online in My Learning Space. They will remain online until the end of the course. There will be three online midterms that will be written during class time. Since we will require only some of the class time for the midterms, we will be starting the midterms at a slightly more humane time – 9:00 AM instead of 8:30. See the weekly schedule for more information about the midterms. Optional discussion and question and answer sessions will be held starting at 9 AM on Tuesdays or Thursdays. Exact timing and duration of these optional sessions is to be determined. Please be aware that the schedule is subject to change should factors occur that are beyond my control, such as internet disruptions, personal illness, and other unforeseen circumstances.

PREP Address: [email protected] If you have problems with PREP, please use your MyLS account to contact the PREP TA at [email protected]. It is the PREP TA’s job to help you with the PREP system. Note that I do not have access to PREP programs, and I cannot solve any problems that may arise with PREP. If you write to me about a PREP issue, I will tell you to contact [email protected]

Academic Integrity Please open the following link for information on the important topic of academic integrity. https://students.wlu.ca/academics/academicintegrity/index.html?ref=academic-integrity Midterms will take place online with Respondus Lockdown browser and Monitor, and the photos, videos, and recordings from midterms and the exam will be viewed and listened to by the Teaching Assistant and the instructor to protect academic integrity. Please behave in an ethical and responsible manner. Do not engage in behaviour that risks your reputation, your honor, and your academic career. The final exam will be timed, proctored, and synchronous. The university is exploring how best to proctor remote and online exams. More detail will be available prior to the release of the Fall examination schedule. The final exam 2

will be timed, proctored, and synchronous. More detail will be available prior to the release of the Fall examination schedule. Supplemental Instruction (SI) for PS101 For the first time at Laurier we have a full Supplemental Instruction program available for PS101 students. The program leaders for SI are advanced Laurier Psychology majors. Participation in SI leads to improved grades for students and it is entirely voluntary. To encourage you to attend the SI sessions, participants will earn up to 3 bonus points for online attendance. Bonus points at the rate of .5 per SI session are offered for the first Six SI scheduled sessions. Initially many students show up for the bonus points, and then continue to attend when there are no more bonus points given because they find that SI improves their learning and grades. To learn about the SI model, see the video and other information at this link: https://info.umkc.edu/si/ To make attendance and participation easier for students, SI has its own module set up in MyLearningSpace. Again, participation is voluntary, but you may find it to be highly beneficial to you. I have provided the SI staff with the course syllabus and they will structure their sessions around our course schedule. Note that I do not run the SI program. Please open the links on MyLS site for more information on SI. Online Meet & greet session for SI information (this session does not count for bonus points) S101 D/E https://mylearningspace.wlu.ca/d2l/home/350810 Monday: Tuesday: Wednesday: Thursday:

7:00 pm to 8:20 pm 7:00 pm to 8:20 pm 7:00 pm to 8:20 pm 7:00 pm to 8:20 pm

Learning outcomes for the course 1. Knowledge of psychology. This includes (a) awareness of major psychological approaches to the study of the behaviour of organisms (b) awareness of the major problems in psychology (c) knowledge of its origins and important contributors (d) knowledge of research findings, concepts and basic terminology (e) understanding of research methodology and limitations. 2. Development of scientific values and skills. Some of these are testable, others will evolve slowly, perhaps not completely during the term. Included here also (a) stimulation of intellectual curiosity about human and animal behaviour (b) appreciation of the scientific method (c) critical appraisal of reports of research findings. 3. Personal Development. Ideally, contact with psychological knowledge should (a) increase your understanding and tolerance of the behaviour of other people, especially a greater acceptance of what is labelled "deviant", "abnormal", "pathological", "crazy" or "different" 3

(b) a better understanding of the forces acting upon you to limit or prevent your freedom of choice and action--those in your past (guilt, traumatic memories, obligations, bad contracts, unrewarded experiences, punishment, low self-esteem, shyness and others), those in the present (social pressures to conform, comply, obey, perform, to do what others reward you for, and personal pressures to be recognized, approved of, accepted and maybe even loved, and others) and those in the future (your unrealistic expectations, aspirations, concern for liabilities and responsibilities, security, death and others) (c) stimulation of your curiosity to explain why people (and you) behave as they do (d) development of intelligent skepticism about unwarranted psychological "truths", in every-day life, those in the mass media, as well as those made by experts. Research participation -PREP You will have the opportunity to participate in research studies offered on campus and also offered online. If you prefer to not participate in research, alternative assignments will be made available to you. Note that 3% of your grade comes from research participation. These are not bonus points. During the second week of class I will post further information on research participation and the PREP system. Mid-terms and the final examination There will be three mid-term tests and a final exam. All tests and the exam consist of multiple choice questions only. You must not schedule other events (or allow others to schedule them for you) that are in conflict with the tests and the exam. Grading Activity WEIGHT DATE Test 1 16% See the schedule for dates and for information on what is covered on the test. The test will be in multiple-choice format. Test 2 19% See the schedule for dates and for information on what is covered on the test. The test will be in multiple-choice format. Test 3 22% See the schedule for dates and for information on what is covered on the test. The test will be in multiple-choice format. Final Exam 40% Time and date TBA. The final examination covers *all* course material and it will be in multiple-choice format. The final exam will be timed, proctored, and synchronous. The university is exploring how best to proctor remote and online exams. More detail will be available prior to the release of the Fall examination schedule. See the schedule for

information on what is covered on the final exam. PREP Research participation

3% .

You need 3 full PREP credits that are to be earned online. Note that these are *not* bonus points. See the PREP notes that will be posted on MyLS for more information. From the beginning of the semester up to and including the last week of classes.

SI

Up to 3 bonus points.

SI (Supplemental Instruction). .5 bonus points per session per week (6 sessions for the term)

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Please be aware that for the sake of academic integrity and fairness to all students, I cannot change the weights of different components to raise grades. I do not give grade bumps, and I do not provide extra work to raise grades. Policy on missed tests and on writing tests when ill or when you have a personal or family emergency. Note that you are expected to write the tests when they are scheduled. You may miss a test or exam only under unusual circumstances, such as illness or family or personal emergency. You do not need to obtain permission in advance to defer a test for these reasons. Please contact the T.A. within 24 hours if you have to miss a test. Once in a while a student will ask me to discount test grades after writing tests. Students will tell me that on the day of the test they were ill or distressed because of some major life event, but they wrote the test anyhow. Now that they see their grade, they want the test to be discounted. If you are unwell or highly distressed, the onus is on you to obtain a medical note to document this. If you decide to write a test despite being unwell (physically or emotionally), I will not discount the grade after the fact. Final exam The final exam is cumulative and includes all material covered in the course, with extra questions on material from chapters 15 and 16. The final exam is scheduled by the Registrar’s office during the final exam period, which is December 12-23. WLU policy requires that you do not make any travel arrangements or allow others to do so for you until your examinations are over. Use of visual or audio images: Image, video, and audio recording of instructors or in-class activities are strictly prohibited without the prior written consent of the instructor, students, and/or Accessible Learning. This means that you are not to videotape or take photos in the classroom. Failure to abide by this regulation is considered a violation of the student code of conduct. MyLearningSpace The course syllabus and lecture notes will be posted on MyLearningSpace. In order to save yourself time and frustration, please check the syllabus first if you have questions. I find that most of the questions that students write to me about have already been addressed in the syllabus. If you wish to achieve a high grade, you will need to listen to the class lectures, add information to the class notes, and read and study the textbook. I will use MyLearningSpace to post lectures. If there are any changes to the course I will post notices with information on MyLearningSpace. Please Remember to use MyLearningSpace course mail to contact me rather than regular e-mail.

Dates September 14, 16, 21, 23, 28

Topic What is Psychology? Class Objectives: Introduction to the course. Awareness of major psychological approaches to the study of the behaviour of organisms. Knowledge of its origins. Psychology as ScienceClass Objectives: Understanding of the scientific method and approaches used in scientific research in psychology. Conceptual understanding of basic statistical approaches. With two exceptions (the mean and median) you are *not* expected to make calculations with the statistical formulas presented in the

Readings Pages 1-13 in chapter 1

Ch. 2, and 5

readings.

Wed. September 30

Test 1 online at 5:30 PM Test 1 is on lectures and the textbook. Material to be covered includes Pages 1-13 from Ch. 1, Chapter 2, Appendix B, and associate class material. The test will be in multiple choice format.

October 5, 7, (19)

Neuroscience Class Objectives: Awareness of the complexity of the brain and its influence on cognition, emotions, and behaviour. To gain an understanding of the functions of neurons, neurotransmitters, and different areas of the brain. Awareness of the role of the central and peripheral nervous systems and neurotransmitters in human behaviour.

October 12-16 holiday

Appendix B

Ch. 3

Thanksgiving holiday and reading week. There are no classes this week.

October 19 Neuroscience continued. October 21, 26

October 28

November 2, 4, 9 November 11, 16

Consciousness. Class objectives: To develop an understanding of bodily rhythms. To become aware of features of different states of consciousness, and to learn about different stages of consciousness, processes, and conditions such as hypnosis, REM sleep, sleep apnea, night terrors, etc Test 2 is online at 5:30 PM. Material to be covered includes Chs. 3 & 6 and associated lecture material. The test will be in multiple-choice format. Learning Class Objectives: Students will learn principles of non-associative learning, classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning.

Ch. 6

Ch. 7

Theories of personality Class objectives: To develop your knowledge of major theories of personality and research in the field Ch. 12

November 18

Test 3 is online at 5:30 PM Material to be covered includes Chs. 7 & 12 and associated lecture material. The test will be in multiple-choice format.

November 23, 25, 30

Psychological Disorders Class objectives: To develop an understanding of the DSM-5 system of classification, and to learn about different mental disorders. To increase your understanding and tolerance of the behaviour of other people, especially a greater acceptance of what is labelled "deviant", "abnormal", "pathological", "crazy" or "different

Ch. 15

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December 2, 7, 9

Treatment of Psychological Disorders Class objectives: To develop awareness of different approaches to the treatment of mental conditions and disorders.

Ch. 16

Exam period The final exam will be on all course material. There will be extra questions on chapters 15 and 16. Dec. 10-23 The university is exploring how best to proctor remote and online exams. More detail will be available prior to the release of the Fall examination schedule. Please be aware that students are NOT permitted to make alternate final examination arrangements directly with instructors for Faculty of Science courses. Psychology is in the Faculty of Science . Online request forms for forms relevant to exams https://students.wlu.ca/academics/exams/deferred-exams.html#forms Deferred examination information for students is at https://students.wlu.ca/academics/exams/deferred-exams.html.

Frequently asked questions. Note that these are organized by topic. Some issues fit under more than one heading, so if you do not find the issue where you expected it to be please check the other topics. Questions about contacting the instructor, reading the syllabus, and using MyLS course mail. Q. 1. I have a question about something that is not covered in the syllabus or announcements. How should I contact you? A. 1. Ideally you would speak to me during class discussion time or during my online office hours. As well, you may contact me by e-mail at [email protected] in MyLS coursemail. Please include a relevant subject line. Q. 2: I wrote to you but received a message that your address does not work. Why? A. 2: If you received a message like this, it means that you probably wrote to me from your mylaurier account or some other personal account. You can reach me in MyLS course mail only by using MyLS coursemail. MyLS course mail can be accessed *only* when you are signed into MyLearningSpace. Q.3. I know that you said to look at the syllabus and course announcements, but it is easier for me if I write to you and ask whatever I need to know. It is the professor’s job to answer all questions from all students no matter what, right? A.3. Not so. Remember, there are hundreds of you and one of me. University students are expected to take an active role in their education . In line with other faculty members in the psychology department, I will no longer feel obliged to respond to questions that I have already answered in the syllabus or on the announcements page for the course. I avoid making substantive changes to the course unless there is a good reason to do so. If I make changes to the course, I talk about it in class, I post an announcement about the changes on MyLS, and I make any changes to the syllabus and repost it. It is a student responsibility to attend class, to read announcements, to read the syllabus, and to make use of the information in the syllabus. At the very least, you can check to see if there are any changes by checking the announcements on MyLS and referring to the syllabus . One semester in recent history I received over 550 e-mails from students. Most of these were unnecessary as I had already made the information available to all students in the syllabus, or in announcements in MyLS, or in class time. In many cases, the questions were answered by me not only in the syllabus but also in class, many times over. Please refer to the syllabus before writing. In most cases the answer you need will be here.

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Q.4. I wrote to you on a Friday afternoon (at 4 PM), Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning. I am upset because I’ve written to you several times and you haven’t responded. I really need to know what is on the test and now I’ve lost a weekend of study time because you haven’t answered my mail. A.4. There are three issues here. (i) Information about test dates, format, and material covered in tests is in the syllabus. All that students need t...