General Psychology Syllabus for 2017-2018
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Course Information

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If you have a disability (learning, mental, physical) that affects your ability to participate effectively and have access to any program or service at Amarillo College please contact Disability Services at (806) 345-5639 . Our offices are located in the Student Service Center office 112. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
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If you find you are unable to access material in an accessible format please contact the Disability Services Office at (806) 345-5639 . This office will work in conjunction with other campus resources to address and accommodate your issue in a timely manner.

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 course must complete all steps indicated on the Academic Withdrawal Request form by the course withdrawal deadline.

NOTE: Students who are 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. This withdrawal limitation does not include dual credit or developmental classes (Senate Bill 1231 Rule 4.10.) For more information on Drop and Withdrawal Policies, please visit the Registrar's Office Web site.

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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-HS05 General Psychology

Prerequisites

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

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 ResourcesStudent Resources Website

Department Expectations

Occupational License Disclaimer

Notice to Students enrolled in an educational program for preparation of issuance of certain occupational licenses:

Students enrolled in an educational program in preparation for obtaining certain occupational licenses are potentially ineligible for such license if the student has been convicted of an offense. For further information, please contact your advisor, the Legal Clinic, or the faculty member in charge of the educational program that you seek to enroll in. The further information you will receive will include notification to you of your right to request a criminal history evaluation letter from the licensing authority in order to clarify your particular situation.

Hours

(3 sem hrs; 3 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Exploring Psychology, 9^th  Edition with DSM-5 Updates, David G. Myers

Supplies

Access to a computer is required. If you do not have your own computer, you will need to use AC computers located on the 4^th floor of the Ware Student Commons.

Student Performance

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1. Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology.

2. Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.

3. Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.

4. Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.

5. Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation.

6. Identify factors in physiological and psychological processes involved in human behavior.

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

My expectation is that each of you will do well in this course. My views of intelligence and academic performance are closely tied with growth (Dweck, 2006).  Good academic performance is developed through persistent effort and good choices in strategy:  Poor academic performance results from a lack of effort and poor strategy choices (APA, 2015).  For example, let’s consider an effective strategy to choose when reading your textbook. Before reading the chapter itself, survey the entire assigned reading noting its key sections. Once you begin reading, think about the Learning Objective Questions given at the beginning of each major section. Be sure to note and process all photos, graphs, and captions.  As you are reading, take the time to mentally review the Retrieve It boxes scattered throughout the chapters. Finally, after reading the entire assigned material, test yourself using the three sections of the Chapter Review. Taking advantage of the many opportunities for information retrieval will aid you in retaining the concepts presented. 

My expectation is that as you read assigned chapter sections in our textbook, you will (gasp :) ) find yourself enjoying it. I promise that you will experience much less frustration with all assignments if you first actively read the assigned chapters in the textbook.  The points are best read in context and not picked through to simply answer questions.  Decide to enjoy and get the most out of our class as we explore the science of psychology! 

My expectation is that you will complete all online assignments, ask questions when something needs clarification, ask questions related to the material just for the fun of it, be prepared for exams, complete your service learning project, respect everyone in this class at all times, and engage in academic honesty with zero cheating or plagiarism.  Please use your textbook and notes for exams and assignments, but make sure they are yours.  

Grading Criteria

Grading criteria:  There will be a total of 1,000 possible points in this course.  They will be allocated as follows:

Letter Grades:

For Exams & Assignments                              For Final Course Grade

A = 90 – 100%                                                A = 895 – 1000

B = 80 – 89%                                                  B = 795 – 894

C = 70 – 79%                                                  C = 695 – 794

D = 60 – 69%                                                  D = 595 – 694

F = 0 – 59%                                                     F = 0 – 594

Hint to calculate grades:  Calculate your grade by dividing the number of points you earned by the number of possible points for the assignment/exam.  For example, if you earned 19 points on an assignment that had a total of possible 25 points, you figure your grade this way: 19÷25=0.76 which is 76% or a grade of 76 for the assignment. You can calculate what your current grade in the class following this same process. Example, 86 (exam 1) + 18 (syllabus quiz) + 20 (study guide ch 1) = 124 points earned.  Now figure possible points for those same assignments:  90 (exam 1) + 20 (syllabus quiz) + 20 (study guide ch 1) = 130 points possible. Then divide earned by possible points:  124÷130=0.95 which equals 95% or an average at this point in the class of 95.

Brief assignment descriptions:

1. Multiple-choice online Exams (4 units) are located under the Exams tab.

2. The Service Learning Project gives you the opportunity to volunteer for four hours at a community organization and describe your experiences in essay format.  Details are located under the Service Learning Project tab.  Review the project instructions immediately to begin arranging your volunteer hours and give yourself plenty of time to complete the project.  Past students have expressed appreciation for this aspect of the course.

3. Syllabus quiz covers the material presented in this syllabus document to make sure all are prepared and aware of the class structure. It will be under the Exams tab.

4. Multiple-choice Study Guides for each chapter (14 chapters) will be in a quiz format. You will be allowed to attempt this assignment as many times as you want until the assignment deadline. Once you reach 100% correct, then a hint for the upcoming exam will become available.  The hint will pop up as a file in that week’s folder underneath the Study Guide assignment. This is a good opportunity for you to make 100% (20 points) for each chapter Study Guide with the added bonus of exam hints. They will be located in the weekly folders under Assignments. (If one of these assignments is turned in late, the highest grade you can make is 70% on it.)  Also at the end of each week's folder are links to YouTube videos. Watching these YouTube videos is an optional, entertaining, and fast-paced review of each chapter's content.

5. Weekly online discussion posts focusing on assigned textbook readings, relevant YouTube videos, complementary online content, and APA format exercises.  They will be located in the weekly folders under Assignments.  Reading your classmates’ posts will increase your engagement and help you form a meaningful connection to the material.  I expect respectful interactions with your classmates at all times.  The grading rubric will be presented in a file for you to print and reference throughout the course. 

6. APA Style and Formatting power points can be found under Assignments. I suggest that you download and print them as soon as possible.  Plan on becoming familiar with the information in the power points.  Hold on to them as a reference for use during this course and perhaps for use in later classes.  An APA extra-credit quiz (multiple-choice) over the material in the power points is available under the Exams tab, and it will be available to take one time before Friday, May 5, midnight.  Another resource for questions related to citing and referencing in APA style format is the website for the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL; https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/).  

Attendance

You will need to check online every day for updates and assignments. If you miss assignment and exam due dates then your course grade will be negatively affected.

Calendar

Additional Information

Office Hours:  The best way to reach me is by e-mail.  I prefer that you email me using your class email account.  It lets me know which course you are in and helps me keep track of your messages. Please be sure to check your email account regularly for my replies and class-related emails.  If you need to contact me by phone or text, my number is 806.654.0805.

Makeup Policy:  Please review the exam and assignment dates for this course.  If your schedule cannot accommodate these dates and times, you will need to drop this course and find a course that does fit your schedule.  This is an accelerated, eight-week course: You will need to have arranged your affairs to accommodate keeping up with reading the textbook and completing all assignments.  More than likely I will not allow you to make up any of the four unit exams. If there are extreme circumstances, please contact me, so we can figure something out. We both want you to be successful.  All exams or assignments turned in after the deadline will have points deducted.  The highest grade given will be 70% of the available points for the exam or assignment. The absolute last day that I will accept late assignments is Sunday, October 1, at 11:55pm midnight.

Dropping the Class: The last day to withdraw with a grade of “W” on your transcript is Tuesday, October 3.  Please visit with me about your concerns regarding completing the class and desire to withdraw.  As part of the process to withdraw, it will be your responsibility to obtain the necessary form and send it to me to sign. You must officially drop a class through the Registrar’s office.  If you simply stop attending, a grade of F will appear on your transcript.

Technical Problems:  If you experience a technical problem with some online aspect of the course, you may contact the Student & Faculty Help Center at 806.371.5992 or by email at ctlstudenthelp@actx.edu.  The Student & Faculty Help Center staff can be located at the Washington Street Campus, WARE, Room 111 or after 5pm on the 4^th floor of WARE.

Mental Health Services and the 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 806.371.5191.  The AC Counseling Center website is 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 www.actx.edu/arc.