General Psychology Syllabus for 2016-2017
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Course Information

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Disability Statement

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Statement for Mental Health and Advocacy & Resource Center:

As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

Amarillo College Tutoring for Success Policy:

Administrative Drop Policy

Students who do not attend class on or prior to the census date will be administratively dropped. Effective Fall, 2016

Student Withdrawal Procedures

Students who wish to withdraw from a class must:

• consult with their instructor to obtain a signed academic withdrawal request form to submit to the AskAC department for processing
• consult with the financial aid office if receiving financial aid
• consult with the Veterans Benefit Coordinator if receiving veteran benefits
• consult with their academic advisor to determine how withdrawing may affect their enrollment in future semesters
  • NOTE:  The Texas Education Code stipulates that students attending Texas institutions of higher education for the first time fall 2007 and later may not withdraw from more than six courses during their academic career, including courses from which transfer students have withdrawn at other Texas institutions of higher education. (Senate Bill 1231) Rule 4.10.

Privacy Statement

The Amarillo College Privacy Policy is found at https://www.actx.edu/-amarillo-college-privacy-notice , and applies to all Amarillo College students.  If you have questions about this privacy statement or you believe that your personal information has been released without your consent, send email to humanresources@actx.edu .

Course

PSYC-2301-007 General Psychology

Prerequisites

Prerequisite: RDNG 0331-minimum grade of C or a score on a state-approved test indicating college-level reading skills

Course Description

General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

On Campus Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Myers, D.G. (2014). Exploring Psychology (9th ed.) Worth Publishers. (Required)

Supplies

You must have access to a computer and the internet to use Blackboard and to access the contents of this course.

Student Performance

I expect all students to perform at a college level in this course.  That means you will need to attend class and participate in class, complete all assignments and do well on exams. 

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

In order to maximize the group’s learning, some basic guidelines for the class are helpful.  The following issues rarely occur in class.  However, it is helpful for us all to be clear about my expectations in order to prevent any misunderstanding.
 
1. Turn off all pagers and cell phones before class.  Do not text-message during class.  It is distracting and sends the message that you are not present for our discussions.  Similarly, do not bring laptops or iPads to class.  Like texting, people can get lost in their email, messaging, and internet and not be involved in the class and the discussion in the class.  If you are texting or emailing during class time you will incur a 30 point penalty for your attendance / participation grade for that day of class.
 
2. Please do not bring children to class. In the past, this issue has caused resentment from other students because the children were distracting.  Students report that they could not concentrate on the discussion.
 
3. When a student has the floor, please do not have side conversations with other students.  I believe it is disrespectful to that student who has the floor.  And, other students in the group report that they feel resentful because they are distracted by the side talking and cannot focus on the student who is speaking.
 
4. I will do all I can to make sure each class ends on time, but I need everyone else’s cooperation to do this. Please arrive to class on time, if not a few minutes early.

Grading Criteria

Here is an example of how to calculate your grade. We are assuming in this example that you were happy with your scores on exam 1 = 82, exam 2 = 89, and exam 3 = 93, so your final exam would count as your drop grade.  We will assume that your ten grades for participation (Psychology Science Lab + seven Discussions + one Film Attendance + one Service Learning Attendance) are as follows: 75, 100, 50, 100, 100, 100, 100, 0, 100, and 100.  We also assume you made 100 on your Service Learning Project.
Here is how you do the math:
Your average for your exams: 82 + 89 + 93 = 264/3 = 88
Your average for your ten participation grades: 75 + 100 + 50 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 100 + 0 + 100 + 100 = 820/10 = 82
Your grade for your service learning project: 100
Remember, the exams are worth 40% of the course grade, attendance and participation is worth 10% of the course grade, chapter assignments are worth 35%, and service learning project is worth 15% of the course grade.
Then complete the following equation:
88 X .80 + 82 X .15 + 100 X .05 = 70.4 + 12.3 + 5 = 87.70.  Your grade for the course would be a “B.”

13. Final Grades
            A = 90-100
            B = 80-89
            C = 70-79
            D = 60-69
            F = 0-59

Attendance

Regular attendance is necessary for satisfactory achievement. It is the responsibility of the student to attend class.  Attendance is 10% of the overall grade for this course. 

Calendar

Additional Information

Stephanie Cobb, MA,LPC
office: Dutton Hall Social sciences adjunct office
contact: The best way to reach me is through email using your AC Connect Google Email account.   If you need to contact me by phone, you are more likely to reach me by my cell #: 806-676-7199, but please limit use of this number to emergencies only!!