General Psychology Syllabus for 2024-2025
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Instructor Information

Course Information

AI Statement

Collusion is defined as “the unauthorized collaboration with another person or by any other means, including artificial intelligence (AI) and computer translators, in preparing work for fulfillment of course requirements.” Using AI like (ChatGPT or Google Gemini) to create a document is considered colluding. <strong>The use of Generative Artificial Intelligence on specific assignments is at the discretion of the instructor. </strong>

COVID-19 Protocols

Recording Policy

Disability Statement

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 Enrollment Center, Suite 700. More information may be found at www.actx.edu/disability.
Disability Services facilitates access to all programs and services according to the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as other federal and state laws.

Amarillo College Web Accessibility Policy Statement

Amarillo College is committed to providing equal access to all programs and services, including all working, learning, and service environments that affect equal access for persons with disabilities. This commitment to provide equal access and opportunity for persons with disabilities is in compliance with federal and state law. Amarillo College also strives to provide Electronic and Information Resources (EIR) that are accessible to all authorized users.

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:

Tutoring for Success applies to any student whose overall performance in the course falls below 75%. The instructor will create the task in the Student Engagement Portal (Watermark) to direct the student to the appropriate tutoring service, which may be faculty- or SI-led, discipline-specific, and/or general. The tutoring service assigned, the due date for when the tutoring must be completed, and the amount of tutoring required are at the discretion of the instructor. Additionally, the task will alert the student’s success team. Students who do not fulfill the assigned tutoring task may be subject to program- and course-specific penalties that could result in a grade reduction and/or in not being allowed to progress in the course until the tutoring requirement has been satisfied.

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.

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-DC004 General Psychology

Prerequisites

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:

Melodie Graves
Justice Involved Advocate
Student Service Center 117
mgraves24@actx.edu
806-371-5995
Make appointment at https://melodiegraves.youcanbook.me

You can also contact 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

Dual Credit Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

We are using the OpenStax Psychology 2e for this class. This textbook is what is known as an OER or Open Educational Resource and is Free. You can use the online version, or download a .pdf version to your personal computer.

Supplies

Pencil, pens, spiral notebook, and access to a computer. If you do not have your own computer, or if you do not have access to a computer at some other facility, you will need to use AC computers located on the 4th floor of the Ware Student Commons or the Underground. Quizzes and assignments will be online so please make sure to use reliable internet.

Student Performance

These are the MINIMUM competencies. After studying the material presented in this course, the student will be able to do the following as evaluated by the faculty in the department/program:

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

Student 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

The expectation for this class is that you will know what is due and when, and that you will be well-prepared to complete assignments, study quizzes, and exams. Students are expected to engage in academic honesty and refrain from cheating and plagiarism. This means that although this class is online, you should be doing your own work. All assignments, study quizzes, and exams, are open-book and open-note but are not collaborative assignments, meaning, you are expected to complete assignments on your own.

Grading Criteria

100-89.5% = A
89.4-79.5% = B
79.4-69.5% = C
69.4-59.5% = D
59.4% and below = F

40% of overall grade – Exams (4) – your lowest exam score will be dropped
20% of overall grade – Common Assessment – Fake News
20% of overall grade –Watch and Write Assignments
20% of overall grade – Study Quizzes
 

Grading details are as follows:

• There will be four 50-question multiple-choice Exams taken online in Blackboard. 
  • Your lowest exam grade will be dropped.
  • The exam questions will be taken directly from my lectures AND chapter videos.
  • Exams will open at 12:00 a.m. on the date indicated on the course calendar and will close when indicated, at least 3 days later, at 11:59 p.m. (except for the last exam, which will be due by NOON on the last day of the course).    
  • You must complete the exam, all at once, within the allotted time of 90 minutes. 
  • Please do not wait until the last minute, when you will not find anyone to assist you with technical problems. I, and most all other AC staff, will be unavailable to answer questions after 8 p.m. each night. 
  • Do NOT take exams on a laptop connecting to the internet wirelessly, a cell phone, or when using an unreliable connection. Ideally, use an actual computer that has a dedicated cable for the internet connection. 
  • You may take each exam from any location – from home, in an AC computer lab, at the public library, etc.
  • The exams are open-book/open-note.
  • You will be able to see your exam grade immediately, but you cannot access all of the questions/answers until after the due date has passed – at that point, you can access your full exams (with all of the correct answers).
• Common Assessment – Fake News. This one assignment is worth 20% of your overall grade, so doing well on this is the best way to raise your grade in this course.
  • Look for a fake news story across social media and online sites. Your fake news story will NOT be from a reputable source – you can find one anywhere. Your fake news story will likely demonstrate bias and use persuasive/inflammatory language intended to persuade readers.
  • As you read the fake news story that you have chosen, try to think about how different groups of people might react to this story. Would a person in a country other than the U.S. react differently than an American might? Would belonging to a particular ingroup impact a group member’s reaction to the story? Would a person’s culture or ingroup impact whether or not (and how) they share this story with others?
  • Although this assignment asks you to find and analyze a fake news story, your focus should be on how people from different groups or cultures might vary in how they interpret and share the story you chose. How do intercultural differences influence our interpretations and reactions to information? Does the group we belong to influence how (or whether) we share fake news?
  • You will then conduct some research using either a library database or a Google Advanced search of approved websites.
  • You are required to find 3 scholarly sources (sometimes these are referred to as Academic Journals). As you conduct your research, make sure that your sources are:
    • either from a library database or from a Google Advanced Search
    • scholarly articles (or Academic Journal articles)
    • analyzing how different populations of people might react to the information presented by your news story. For example, if your fake news story suggests that a presidential candidate smoked marijuana while in college, your research articles might examine how people from different cultures or groups feel about marijuana usage.
    • OR, if you are unable to find research articles that specifically pertain to the topic of the fake news story that you have selected, you should instead find sources that discuss more general psychological factors that make specific groups of people more susceptible to believing in fake news and conspiracy theories (e.g., ingroup/outgroup effects, social identity and groupthink, or social influence and peer pressure).  
  • After you read through the scholarly articles you chose, you will need to think about YOUR feelings about this topic. You will not only be graded for your ability to comprehend the research but also for your ability to think critically about what you have learned. You will need to provide some of your own opinions and reactions rather than simply copying what the authors of your research articles wrote.
  • Finally, you will write a 700-word (minimum) essay that should represent your own original thought. Do not plagiarize by copying full phrases and sentences from the research articles that you found. You may not use AI to write this assignment; it is a form of plagiarism. If a student is found to have plagiarized on this assignment, they will receive an F on the assignment and possibly for the course.
  • Use in-text citations within your essay and provide a References page with full citations for all of your sources. The word count should not include the References page. For help with formatting, consult a tutor in The Writers’ Corner or a librarian.
  • In your essay, make sure that you answer all of the following questions:
    • In general, what is your fake news story trying to persuade people to believe?
    • What did the 3 sources that you found teach you about intercultural differences in how different groups of people might vary in their interpretations and reactions to your fake news story?
    • How does the spread of fake news on social media affect how people trust real news sources?
    • Does the group we belong to influence how (or whether) we share fake news? When answering this question, think about the ingroup(s) to which you belong and how those ingroups impact your opinions.
    • How do you think you (as an individual) can combat fake news – or at least the fake news story that you selected?
    • How do you think groups or communities can work together to promote the spread of accurate information instead of fake news?
      • Please note: Some of the questions above are asking for YOUR opinions. If you use others’ opinions from your research articles, you must cite those sources properly, following APA style. You do not have to provide sources for your responses if they are exclusively your opinions.
  • In our course in Blackboard, you will submit PDF files of your sources (at least 4: your fake news story and 3 scholarly articles). You will also submit your essay as a Microsoft Word or .rtf file. If you are using Google Docs, simply select Download as and choose Word or .rtf. Then, once you are logged into our Blackboard course, even without opening the file, you will be able to select and upload it.
  • To ensure you receive full credit, follow all of the detailed instructions, which you will find on the LibGuide: https://actx.libguides.com/FakeNews
  • Are you actually reading this syllabus carefully? If so, please email me “I read the syllabus,” and I will give you a bonus point. You will find my contact information below.
•  Watch and Write assignments: You will have a choice of videos relevant to the chapter we are studying each week. After watching the video you choose, you will follow the appropriate prompt for that video and write a response in your own words, using complete sentences and citing where appropriate. You must answer prompts in complete sentences and thoughts to receive full credit.
• 15-chapter study quizzes: you will get to take each quiz as many times as you want to get the maximum amount of points possible. These quizzes will help you study for the exams

Attendance

You will need to check our course on Blackboard online every day for updates and assignments. I do not allow make-up work or exams. Contact me as soon as possible if something happens so that we can work on a solution before the due date passes. Any school activity such as sports, band, or competition should be addressed before the due date, not after the due date for assignments, exams, or quizzes.

Calendar

Additional Information

Office Hours:

I will hold office hours by appointment only. 

The best way to reach me is my e-mail: mlweathersbee@actx.edu 

If you email me from within the class, my reply will go to your AC gmail account. If you do not use your AC gmail account, please email me from the email you check most frequently. Make sure to include which class you are in and your name as it appears in the class.

You can try and contact me on my office phone (806)371-5462

Most issues can be resolved over email, however we can always set-up an appointment that will work for both of us if more time is needed. 

I do not allow make-up exams or make-up assignments. Please contact me as soon as you know you will miss class and we can work something out. Do not wait until after the fact, waiting shows that you don't care and it leaves me little room to work with you on a resolution.

Amarillo College provides students with resources to manage the realities of the expectations outside the classroom. See the Student Resources page in Blackboard for a full list and accessibility of all Amarillo College student resources.