INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY I
PSY 1630 sec 004, Spring 2016
Course Syllabus
Instructor: Dr. Adriel Boals Contact: Phone: 565-2671
Office: 367 Terrill Hall Office Hrs: Mon 3-4pm, Tues 2-3pm; or by appt.
Teaching Assistants:
Jessica Dietch, , Terrill Hall 263, Wed 2-5pm
Nick Ross, , Terrill Hall 215 Cube E, Tues 9:30-11:30am, Fri 1-2pm
Gabriel Zamudio, , Terrill Hall 144, Tues 9-10am, Fri 8-10am
Patrick Smith, , Terrill Hall 222A/B, Wed 9-11am, 3-4pm
Arubah Khan, , Terrill Hall 215 Cube #28, Mon 8-9am, Thurs 10am-12pm
Adam Guck, , Terrill Hall 282, MWF 8-10am
Allison Dornbach-Bender, , Terrill Hall 215 Cube B, Mon 12-1pm, Wed 9-11am
SI Leader: Courtlyn Hale,
Required Text: Discovering Psychology: The Science of Mind, 2nd Ed., Cacioppo & Freberg
Suggested Materials (but not required): MindTap from Cengage – website that includes online resources, including the textbook in e-book format. Can be purchased at: http://www.cengagebrain.com/course/1-24L61Y3
Overview and Objective: This course will introduce psychology as a scientific discipline and a profession. Emphasis will be placed on the diverse theoretical approaches within psychology and applications of these theories. We will broadly cover core areas in psychology such as research methods, developmental, cognitive, personality, abnormal behavior, and social psychology. By the end of the course, students should be familiar with the basic methodologies and theories of these topics.
Course Requirements:
· good attendance
· reading assignments
· four exams, plus a final exam
· three critique papers
· research requirement
Student Behavior in the Classroom: Student behavior that interferes with an instructor’s ability to conduct a class or other students' opportunity to learn is unacceptable and disruptive and will not be tolerated in any instructional forum at UNT. Students engaging in unacceptable behavior will be directed to leave the classroom and the instructor may refer the student to the Center for Student Rights and Responsibilities to consider whether the student's conduct violated the Code of Student Conduct. The university's expectations for student conduct apply to all instructional forums, including university and electronic classroom, labs, discussion groups, field trips, etc. The Code of Student Conduct can be found at www.unt.edu/csrr. Any student is caught cheating will receive a “F” for the course.
Attendance: We will meet M, W, F in Lyceum, 11-11:50am. Attendance is not officially required, but since the majority of the exams will cover material covered in class, conscientious attendance is critical to your success in this course.
Cell Phones: Cell phone ringers must be turned off during class. Laptop computers are allowed, as long as their presence does not disturb other students in the class.
ODA: In cooperation with the Office of Disability Accomodation, the Department of Psychology complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act in making reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. Please present your written request on or before the 12th class day to allow arrangements to be made.
Critique Papers: There will be 3 critique papers assigned throughout the semester. The days the papers are due are marked with two asterisks in the schedule below. For each paper, you will read a short research article and then write a 1 page, double-spaced critique. We will go over the research articles together in class before the papers are due.
Research Participation: 10% of your grade is earned by completing the research requirement. You are expected to earn ten (10) credits by either participating in psychology experiments (1 credit for each ½ hour of participation) or write summaries of research papers (4 credits for a 2 page summary). You can earn research credits by either 1) participating in research studies, and/or 2) writing research summaries.
If you choose to participate in research studies:
You must be 18 years or older to participate in research studies. To participate in research studies, go to http://unt.sona-systems.com and create an account. Here you will be able to find and sign up for studies that interest you. Once you sign up for a study, make certain to be on-time (or early). If you sign up for a study but then do not show up, you will be assigned a no- show. If you have failed to show up for 3 or more research studies over the course of your account (i.e., this is NOT 3 per semester, it is 3 total), you are blocked out of the SONA system permanently. Once this happens, you will need to complete research summaries for credit. The last day to participate in a study is May 4 at 5pm. Questions should be sent to .
If you choose to write research papers:
Each successfully completed summary is worth 4 credits. If you would like feedback on your summaries and a chance for revision if problems exist, you must turn your summary in to the Psychology Main Office (Terrill Hall 316) before April 1 at 5pm. If you do not want feedback or a chance for revision, the final due date for summaries is April 15, 4pm. No late papers are accepted, so plan ahead! Questions should be sent to . For further information and help, visit http://sites.google.com/site/sonasystemshelp/.
Supplemental Instruction:
In an order to support you through this class, there are campus resources for students who want to improve their understanding of the material taught in this course. The Learning Center offers Supplemental Instruction (SI) sessions and one-on-one tutoring. SI sessions and Tutoring sessions are led by a student who has been successful with the course material and have been trained to help students be successful students. The Learning Center is free and voluntary. On average, students who utilize the Learning Center earn a significantly higher course grade thon those who do no.
SI Session begin the second week of class and continue throughout the semester. Your SI Leader (Courtlyn Hale) will facilitate group sessions where students can meet to compare class notes, review and discuss important concepts, develop strategies for studying, and prepare for exams. A session schedule will be announced in class, and information about the program, and session schedule/updates can be found at http://learningcenter.unt.edu/si.
One-on-one or small group tutoring is also available in this course. Tutors are available to review content in an individualized setting, and to answer specific questions regarding course material. To request a face-to-face tutor, visit learningcenter.unt.edu/volunteertutoring. For online tutoring, visit unt.upswing.io .
Grades: Based on four out of five tests, critique papers, and the research requirement. The average test score for your four best tests (out of five tests) will comprise 80% of your grade. We will drop your lowest test score. The tests will consist of approximately 40 multiple choice questions. You will need a #2 pencil and a scantron on test days. The optional final exam will be comprehensive. There will be no make-up exams. If you miss an exam, that exam will be your one exam that is dropped. Your grade for the three critique papers will make up 10% of your grade. The final 10% of your grade comes from the 10 credits from the research requirement (each research credit = 1%).
Extra Credit: You can earn extra credit in this class by earning more than the required 10 research credits. You will earn 0.5% on your final class average for every extra research credit, with a maximum of 10 extra research credits. For example if you complete 15 research credits, you will get 10% out of 10% for the research requirement, plus an additional 5 x .05% = 2.5% on your final class average. You will not earn additional extra credit points if you earn more than the maximum research credits (20).
Percentage Course Grade
90-100 A
80-89 B
70-79 C
60-69 D
0-59 F
Note: I do not round up grades. For example, a final class average of 89.999 earns you a B.
Tentative Schedule*
Day Topic Reading
Wed Jan 20 Intro/Syllabus
Fri Jan 22 What do you know about psychology?
Mon Jan 25 The Discipline of Psychology Chap 1
Wed Jan 27 The Discipline of Psychology
Fri Jan 29 Methods of Psychology Chap 2
Mon Feb 1 Methods of Psychology
Wed Feb 3 Methods of Psychology
Fri Feb 5 Methods of Psychology
Mon Feb 8 Exam 1 (Chap 1, 2)
Wed Feb 10 Instructions for Critique Paper
Fri Feb 12 Thinking, Language, Intelligence Chap 10
Mon Feb 15 Thinking, Language, Intelligence
Wed Feb 17 Thinking, Language, Intelligence
Fri Feb 19** Thinking, Language, Intelligence
Mon Feb 22 Life-Span Development Chap 11
Wed Feb 24 Life-Span Development
Fri Feb 26 Life-Span Development
Mon Feb 29 Life-Span Development
Wed March 2 Exam 2 (Chap 10, 11)
Fri March 4 Personality and the Self Chap 12
Mon March 7 Personality and the Self
Wed March 9 Personality and the Self
Fri March 11 Personality and the Self
Mon March 14 to Fri March 18 No Class (Spring Break)
Mon March 21** Social Psychology Chap 13
Wed March 23 Social Psychology
Fri March 25 Social Psychology
Mon March 28 Social Psychology
Wed March 30 Exam 3 (Chap 12, 13)
Fri April 1 Psychological Disorders Chap 14
Mon April 4 Psychological Disorders
Wed April 6 Psychological Disorders
Fri April 8 Psychological Disorders
Mon April 11 Therapy Chap 15
Wed April 13** Therapy
Fri April 15 Therapy
Mon April 18 Therapy
Wed April 20 The Healthy Mind Chap 16
Fri April 22 The Healthy Mind
Mon April 25 The Healthy Mind
Wed April 27 The Healthy Mind
Fri April 29 Exam 4 (Chap 14, 15, 16)
Mon May 2 Review for Optional Final Exam
Wed May 4 Optional Cumulative Final Exam
*Although we will do our best to follow this schedule, some topics may take longer or shorter than expected. Hence this schedule is subject to change throughout the semester. The optional final exam date is the only date that is not subject to change.