COLUMBIA GORGE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

PSY 202A SYLLABUS - WINTER TERM, 2013

INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY, PART II

Instructor: Kristen Kane, MA

Section Number: 1083874

Credits: 4

Method of Instruction: On line: Moodle

Office Hours: Monday through Thursday   8:00 am to 1:00 pm

Office in Student Services

(It is best to make an appointment, as I cannot always guarantee that I will be in      my office)          

Phone Number: (541) 506-6023

E-mail: kkane@cgcc.cc.or.us

Course Description

Surveys the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in personality theory, psychological disorders, therapy, emotion, motivation, intelligence, health psychology, and social psychology. Provides an overview of popular trends, examines the overarching themes of heredity vs. environment, stability vs. change, and free will vs. determinism, and emphasizes the sociocultural approach which assumes that gender, culture, and ethnicity are essential to understanding behavior, thought, and emotion. Psychology 202A is the second term of a two-term sequence in introductory psychology. Recommended: PSY 201 or 201A. Prerequisite: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available.

Intended Outcomes for the course

Upon successful completion students should be able to:

1. Analyze personal lifestyle and apply problem-solving techniques to situations while understanding the limitations of one’s psychological knowledge and skills, recognizing that ethically complex situations can develop in the application of psychological principles.

2. Recognize and respect human diversity while anticipating that psychological explanations may vary across populations and contexts, and exhibit sensitivity to feelings, emotions, motives, and attitudes regarding specific behavioral concerns.

3. Discern the difference between personal views and scientific evidence and identify claims arising from myths, stereotypes, common fallacies, and poorly supported assertions regarding behavior.

4. Articulate the ways that psychological theories can facilitate personal, social, and organizational change, describe issues pertaining to psychological aspects of human dignity, and anticipate that psychological explanations may vary among populations and contexts.

5. Evaluate public and private assumptions concerning individual and group differences using a global and multifaceted sociocultural approach.

Instructor Expectations

This class will be taught using Moodle on-line method. Students are expected to have the necessary skills to complete an on-line class, such as sending e-mails, posting comments and questions on the forum and attaching or uploading assignments. Students also need to have their own hardware, software and Internet access with e-mail capabilities to take an on-line course. Computer labs at The Dalles Campus Library and at the Hood River Center have a limited number of computers available with Internet access for student use. If students require assistance, they may call Ron Watrus at 541-506-6084.

A variety of teaching aids will be used to enhance the learning experience including: websites to visit, forum postings, reflection papers and a final paper. Students may also take the optional Self-check Practice Quizzes (these do not count toward the final grade, but are provided for students to further test their attainment of the learning objectives).Students are expected to have read the material before they log on for the weekly course work and forum postings. Students will be expected to be able to do library research and write a final paper APA style, with correct referencing. Students will be expected to have used critical thinking skills when reading the material, rather than just highlighting the material for important points.

Textbooks

  Weiten, Wayne. (2013), Psychology: Themes and Variations (9th Ed.).CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning. (Required)

  Hacker, Diana. (2012), A Pocket Style Manual with 2009 MLA and 2010 APA Updates (6th ed.)

 MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s (Recommended for APA style referencing)

Evaluation and Grading

Reflection Papers

Students are expected to write a one to two page weekly reflection paper commenting (NOT SUMMARIZING) on how the concepts of the weekly reading/lecture might apply to their own life experience or the life experience of someone that they know. These papers may be written in first person. No outside research is necessary or expected. It is suggested that students take one or two concepts and expand upon them in depth, instead of touching upon every concept for that week. Students may want to refer to the chapters’ learning objectives for topics. Reflection papers are due by 11:59 pm on Sundays. See Moodle calendar if you require further clarification with dates.

Reflection papers will be graded in the following way:

25 pts - Writing Style

45 pts - Content

30 pts - Illustration of critical and reflective thinking

Final Research Paper

Final papers will be 1500 to 2000 words (6-8 pages, not including title page and reference page). These papers must include at least 3 different sources (textbook not included) on your Reference page. Papers must be cited APA style. Students should contact the instructor with a proposal or thesis statement for this paper.

Final papers will be graded in the following way:

35 pts – Format (including correct APA style referencing), Organization and Style

45 pts - Content

20 pts - Illustration of critical thinking

Grading rubrics, APA reference information and examples of papers are posted on Moodle.

Papers must be typed and cited APA style.

Late Paper Policy: Unless prior arrangements have been made and agreed upon by me, 2pts will be deducted from your paper for every day that it is late. To allow time for grading and posting final grades, papers will not be accepted after 12:00 noon, 3/20/2013. All forum postings must be completed by noon on 3/21/2013.

Moodle Forums

Moodle Forums are an important part of this course. They generally are meant to take the place of classroom discussions. Students are expected to have read the chapter prior to responding to the Forum discussion questions. Forum discussions are graded on a scale of 1-3. See examples and grading rubric posted on Moodle for more information. Students are expected to participate in Forum discussions at least once per week. Students may choose to answer 3 out of the 5 questions or 2 questions and respond to 1 other students’ answer. There must be three postings per week. Examples of Forum Postings with grades can be found on the homepage under ‘Examples of Papers and Forum Postings.

Extra Credit

Students will receive extra credit equal for the following:

-2 pts. for posting an Introduction during Week #1

-5 pts. for completing the PSY 202A Scavenger Hunt

-5 pts. for completing the APA style Referencing Tutorial (listed under Research Information at the top of the page)

-2 pts. for completing the on-line course evaluation survey at the end of the term. A list of students who completed the evaluation will be generated, but the evaluations will remain completely confidential and anonymous.

Self-check Practice Quizzes

Self-check practice quizzes are provided for students to check their understanding of the content in each chapter. These quizzes are optional and are not graded. Students do not earn credit for completing them: they are provided as an opportunity for students to measure their own learning progress.

Students are expected to be honest and ethical in their academic work. Academic dishonesty includes cheating and plagiarism.  All work submitted in this course is to be your own new, original work written in response to the assignments.  Consciously or unknowingly presenting the ideas or writings of others as your own will result in academic sanctions that may include a grade of F for the assignment or for the class and possible institutional sanctions including suspension or expulsion.  See the Code of Student Conduct and the Students Rights and Responsibilities policy for further information.

Assignment schedules may be changed in response to institutional, weather or class changes or problems.

ADA Statement

CGCC is committed to providing support for students with disabilities. If you are a student with physical, learning, emotional, or psychological disabilities you are encouraged to stop by Student Services and make an appointment with
Shayna Dahl, the Disabilities Coordinator at 541-506-6046 or by e-mail at sdahl@cgcc.cc.or.us

If you have an accommodation plan please see Shayna as soon as possible, so she can make any arrangements necessary for your learning. No accommodations can be provided until a Reasonable Accommodation Plan is in place. Please remember, plans are not retroactive and cannot be used for assignments prior to the date of Lori’s signature.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE

All assignments are to be completed/handed in by Sunday of each week no later than 11:59pm

Disclaimer: Syllabus is subject to change as demanded by the needs of the class.