Great Basin College s21

GREAT BASIN COLLEGE PSY 101 – General Psychology (3 Credits) Fall 2012 Section 1004

Instructor: Wendy Raynor, MS Counseling & Ed. Psychology, UNR 2002

Office: Office (8:00 am – 5 pm M-F) 623-6218 Home (evenings) 623-2584 Or GBC Office, leave message 623-4824 [email protected] or [email protected] or [email protected]

Texts/Materials: Exploring Psychology, 8th Edition, by David Myers W.H. Freeman and Co. Publishing ISBN: 978-1-4292-3826-7

Catalog Description: Survey of the discipline introducing psychological theories, research methods and principles of behavior. Prerequisite: ENG 101 reading level.

Course Description: Psychology 101 surveys the multi-faceted field of psychology from the biological underpinnings of behavior to learning theories, studies of memory, thinking and intelligence to personality development.

Learner Outcomes: Upon completion of this course, the student will:  Define approximately 100 psychological terms; o Measurements: quizzes and exam scores  Describe the theories of Pavlov, Skinner, Freud, and other major theorists; o Measurements: exam scores and practical application of principles (i.e., class projects and demonstrations)  Label and recognize different structures of the brain and list functions of these structures; o Measurements: class discussions, review, and exams  Identify the five major viewpoints; o Measurements: exams and class discussions

 Apply learning theories to real life situations; o Measurements: exam scores, in-class debates, and written assignments

Method of Instruction: Lecture, discussion, group presentations, webcampus and writing assignments.

1 Assignments and Expectations:

Students are expected to keep up with the assigned reading schedule and participate in discussions and reviews. Each student is responsible for all material and assignments discussed in class.

ASSIGNMENTS:

1. A Right Brain/Left Brain Paper worth (25 points) will be assigned. This paper should be at least two full pages in length. The paper should describe the results of the Right Brain/Left Brain survey and also whether or not you agree, disagree, or partially agree with the results and why.

2. A typed REACTION PAPER (50 points each) will be assigned periodically (3 times) throughout the semester from outside readings on course-related topics. Use Inter-Library Loan or legitimate magazines at the Humboldt County Library, certain legitimate magazines. One article may come from a reliable Internet source, please attach copy of each article. DO NOT USE CHAPTERS IN THE TEXTBOOK! Papers should be two full pages in length, margins no larger than 1 inch on all sides, font size no larger than 12. 1st page is to be a summary of the article, 2nd page is your reaction to the information presented. Papers will be discussed in class on due date. In each case, indicate author and source. You must also include a copy of the article with your paper. Papers must be typed; hand written papers will not be accepted, minus 10 points for brevity, minus 5 points for late papers. Also a ½ page description of yourself as Right/Left Brained (25 points) will be assigned, please type.

3. A typed REACTION PAPER (50 points) will be assigned based on a movie that portrays a mental disease or disability. A list of movies will be provided to choose from. Papers should be at least two full pages in length, margins no larger than 1 inch on all sides, font size no larger than 12. Papers will be discussed in class on due date. Papers must be typed; hand written papers will not be accepted, minus 10 points for brevity, minus 5 points for late papers.

4. There will be three tests, as scheduled. Question formats used will be Multiple Choice and Short Answer Essay. (100 points each.)

5. A forty-five minute group presentation will be assigned which will cover a psychological theory or topic covered in class. Each group member will be responsible for producing at least a 8 – 12 page APA paper covering their viewpoint of the theory. A bibliography in APA style is mandatory and lack thereof will result in a 10% reduction in grade. The presentation should be done in such a manner that the audience can not only understand the main viewpoints of the theory but also how the theory is put into practice. 200 points. Be sure to follow the rubrics for both the presentation and the paper.

WEBCAMPUS

This is an enhanced course. What that means is that we will be utilizing the Webcampus system to post grades, turn in assignments, communicate via email, take tests, and post class notes. I will also be posting web links to websites that you may find helpful. If you are having difficulty accessing Webcampus or problems with the system, please contact the college tech department and let me know immediately so that you do not lose time in the class.

ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY. Participation in class discussion and activities is valuable to learning. Weekly class work earns weekly attendance points. Please contact me in the event of 2 an absence. Those who do not attend generally do poorly. Make every effort to attend every class. If an absence is unavoidable, remember that it is your responsibility to find out from a class buddy what you have missed. GBC’s attendance policy allows up to three absences in a three-credit class, after which you may be dropped from the course. (See page 48 of GBC’s General Catalog 2006-2007 for the complete attendance policy.)

Evaluation and Grades: Tests during the semester will be multiple choice and short essay and will include both book and lecture material.

Students are expected to take the tests at the time they are scheduled unless arrangements have been made with the instructor beforehand. Grading Policy: Attendance 25 pts per class for weekly in-class work. 50 points for each of 3 Reaction Papers, 50 points for the “Beautiful Mind” Reaction Paper, 25 pts for Right/Left Brain discussion paper, 100 points per exam (3) and 200 points for the Group Presentation. A=90 – 100%, B=80 – 89%, C=70-79%, D=60-69%. (+) and (-) for each letter grade at the beginning and end points of each span. A grade of I (incomplete) may be assigned if necessary; makeup the missing assignment to earn a full letter grade. I won’t withdraw students who choose not to attend class. They will receive a grade of F.

“I” = Incomplete “W” = Withdrawal

Incompletes: The Incomplete (I) is assigned in special circumstances (serious illness, death of a family member) when a student who has completed three-quarters of the course with a C or above cannot complete the course. It must be arranged in advance with the instructor.

Withdrawals: Students who wish to withdraw from the course must do so by the end of the thirteenth week of the semester. Withdrawal information is available through Student Services. Students who do not officially withdraw will receive an F.

Grade Appeals: GBC has a standard procedure for grade appeals which is given in detail on page 50 of the GBC General Catalog 2006-2007 . Note that the first step is to meet with the instructor.

Policy of Academic Integrity: GBC subscribes to the traditional policy of academic integrity: students are expected to be honest. That means that students are expected to do their own work. In work that utilizes sources written by others, those sources must be given credit for exact words and ideas. Students who plagiarize (copy the work of others and pass it off as their own) are violating the standards of academic integrity and are subject to punishments ranging from failing the assignment to dismissal from the institution. See GBC General Catalog 2006 – 2007 page 28.

Attached to this syllabus is “Plagiarism: Avoid It!” which defines plagiarism and briefly

3 explains how to prevent it. Read it carefully and ask your instructor to clarify any questions you have. Your papers for this course must be free of plagiarism, intentional or unintentional.

Reasonable Accommodation Policy: Any student in this course who has a disability that may prevent him or her from fully demonstrating his or her abilities should contact me personally as soon as possible so we can discuss accommodations necessary to ensure full participation and facilitate your educational opportunities. ADA STATEMENT: GBC supports providing equal access for students with disabilities. An advisor is available to discuss appropriate accommodations with students. Please contact the ADA Officer (Julie Byrnes) in Elko at 775.753.2271 at your earliest convenience to request timely and appropriate accommodations.

Psychology 101 – General Education Objectives with Learner Outcomes and Measurements

Objective 1: Communication Skills–Strong

Strong communication skills are very important in Psychology 101. Students should learn to communicate clearly and effectively in written and oral forms.

Learner Outcomes Measurements (1) Definition viewpoints Class discussions, exam scores, and reaction papers (2) Proper labeling of brain structures and Class discussions, and exam scores functions (2) Understanding of basic terms and Class discussions, exam scores, and written critical theories assignments

Objective 2: Critical Thinking–Strong

Reasoning, independent thought and understanding strengths and weaknesses of research methods are of vital importance in the social sciences.

Learner Outcomes Measurements (1) Assess pros and cons of different Assigned readings, review research from research methods the past, discussion and presentation of current issues (2) Identify relevant problems involving Assigned readings, review research from ethics in research the past, discussion and presentation of current issues

Objective 3: Personal and Cultural Awareness–Moderate

Understanding the roles of individuals in society and significance of creativity in the human experience is of critical importance.

4 Learner Outcomes Measurements (1) Recognize the need for multiple Historical examples, discussions, perspectives in the study of human demonstrations on learning styles, behavior examples in popular media (i.e., music, literature, and news) (2) Illustrate the use of learning theories to Historical examples, discussions, real-life situations demonstrations on learning styles, examples in popular media (i.e., music, literature, and news) (3) Recognize the impact of environment Historical examples, discussions, and genetics on demonstrations on learning styles, examples in popular media (i.e., music, literature, and news)

Objective 4: Personal Wellness–Moderate

This course helps develop knowledge, skills, and behavior, which promotes personal well being.

Learner Outcomes Measurements (1) Gain a perspective on drug use, stress, Guest lecturers, discussions, assigned and lifestyle choices readings

Objective 5: Technological Understanding–Some Degree

Because of the Internet, it is necessary to address the impact of the mode of information on people’s lives.

Learner Outcomes Measurements (1) Students will begin to develop the Discussion of printouts brought to class ability to discriminate between reliable web sites and those that are not

Plagiarism – AVOID IT!

(With thanks to Dr. Robert Griswold, University of Oklahoma)

Each student at Great Basin College is supposed to know what plagiarism is and to be aware that to plagiarize the work of another person is a serious academic offense. This handout will give you some formal definitions of plagiarism but more important, it provides you with some concrete examples of writing which meet the definition of plagiarism so you can avoid plagiarism. 5 What is Plagiarism?1

Plagiarism: the representation of the words or ideas of another as one's own, including:

1. Directly quoting from another work without letting the reader know that the words are not your own. In this case, the writer generally fails both to use quotation marks around the quoted passages and to mention the name of the original author of the words.

2. Paraphrasing without attribution is another common form of plagiarism. In this case, the student paraphrases the original passage, but the student does not give credit to the original author from whose work the paraphrase derived.

3. Plagiarism can also be committed when a student paraphrases with or without attribution and in so doing uses much of the original wording, thereby passing off the original prose as the student's own.

4. A more tricky case of plagiarism involves students who use entirely their own words but borrow the ideas, arguments, facts, or reasoning of another without giving attribution. Such cases do not involve general knowledge--The Civil War started in 1861--but rather material that is not part of general knowledge but rather comes from the special efforts of the original author.

5. Another form of plagiarism, which is simply fraud, is the submission of work under your name which is not yours. Such work could be by another student, friend, or family member or by a company that writes papers for hire. A number of companies on the Internet sell papers to students, and buying such a paper and submitting it as your own is a serious breach of academic honesty and a vile form of plagiarism.

In short, plagiarism consists of failure to give proper credit for ideas and writings that come from others, but some concrete examples will help clarify its meaning.

In order to avoid even unintentional plagiarism, here are two good rules to follow:

1. Place anything you copy verbatim from another writer--whole sentences, phrases, a single distinctive word--within quotation marks and identify the source of the quotation, normally in a footnote or an endnote.

2. Always give credit for ideas that are not your own. If you are summarizing the basic idea of

1 Title 2 of the University and Community College System of Nevada CODE, Chapter 6, section 6.2, (q) states, “Acts of academic dishonesty, including but limited to cheating, plagiarism, falsifying research data or results, or assisting others to do the same” is prohibited activity. For these definitions and the system’s disciplinary procedures and your rights, see the GBC General Catalog 2006-2007, pages 27 – 31.

6 an article you have read, give credit to the author for those ideas in a footnote or endnote. You should do this even if you do not use any of the author's original words in writing your summary. If you are uncertain whether or not to cite an author, the safest course to follow is to offer a citation. As a rule, avoid an extensive use of quotations. Papers should never be long quotations strung together with a few words of your own. Use quotations only for the telling phrase, the unbeatable metaphor, the perfect description, or the controversial point of view that deserves expression in the original. Most of what you take from other sources should be paraphrased, and it is at this point that many students get into trouble. When paraphrasing, you must be certain that you express the ideas from your source in your own words. You cannot change a few conjunctions or articles, throw in or cut out a few words here and there, alter the syntax a bit and pretend that it is your writing. It is not. The structure and most of the phraseology remains that of the author, and your paraphrase is a kind of plagiarism. One basic rule might help: never take five consecutive words from a source without placing them within quotation marks. Even fewer words, of course, should be placed in quotation marks if these words are distinctively the authors.

The following example will help you better understand plagiarism and thus avoid it: below you will find a quotation, followed by an improper and a proper example of paraphrasing. The format utilized for citation below is APA.

The quotation: "Most of the time a child who knew no English would be placed in a ‘sink-or- swim,’ total-immersion class when first entering school. After six months a student who did not ‘sink’ would graduate to a class appropriate to his or her ability to cope with English. Bilingualism was not an option, and as a result many of the children schooled under this policy recall that their initial experiences were intensely traumatic" (p. 111) Berrol (1999).

Source in APA Works Cited format:

Berrol, S. (Ed.). (1999). "Immigrant Children at School." The Social Fabric: American Life from the Civil War to the Present. . New York: Longman.

Paraphrasing that would be considered plagiarism: Much of the time, children who knew no English would find themselves in a "sink-or-swim" immersion class when entering school. After a half-year, students who did not sink would join a class suitable to their ability to deal with English. Bilingualism was not permitted, and therefore many children under this policy remember that they found school initially intensely traumatic (p. 111) Berrol (1999).

Proper paraphrasing: Immigrant children who could not speak English often found schools a hostile environment. "Bilingualism," as Selma Berrol has observed, "was not an option," and thus immigrants often remembered their school days as anxious, frustrating times (p. 111) Berrol (1999).

The author of the improper example of paraphrasing does cite the Berrol argument, but the 7 writing too closely tracks the original to escape the charge of plagiarism. While many words are changed, many are not, and the structure, phrasing, and vocabulary too closely resemble the original. Such a student would be guilty of committing plagiarism. The second example is a true paraphrase. Berrol's ideas are summarized accurately but in the writer's own words, and Berrol is properly quoted where appropriate via the use of quotation marks. Note that the entire statement is covered by the parenthetical citation.

Plagiarizing ideas:

Another form of plagiarism involves using your own language but appropriating someone else's ideas as your own. Suppose, for example, you had been asked to write a paper on the experience of immigrant children in American schools at the turn-of-the-century. If you properly paraphrased Berrol (as above in the "proper" example) but gave her no credit in a footnote or endnote, you would be pretending that this analysis was based on your research, that these were your conclusions, and that these were your own ideas about immigrants and schooling. But such is not the case. Your words are really a proper paraphrase of Selma Berrol's ideas, conclusions she reached after extensive research on the history of immigrant children in U.S. schools.

Taking notes and avoiding plagiarism:

One of the easiest ways to fall into the trap of plagiarism--deliberate cheating aside--is to write your paper while you have library books and journals or the photocopies of such lying next to your computer. If you write directly from the original authors' works, you may indulge, quite innocently, of improper paraphrasing, but such behavior is plagiarism nonetheless. One of the best ways to avoid plagiarism is to take careful notes, preferably on note cards or note slips. On your note card, place quotation marks around all material you copy verbatim. Check to make sure you have copied this material accurately, and write down the page number and the source on the note card. Read carefully the material you wish to paraphrase, then close the book or journal and write your paraphrase. By not looking at the original source while you paraphrase it, you should avoid the temptation of relying too heavily on its sentence structure and vocabulary. If an author uses a particularly memorable or apt phrase, put that in your summary with quotation marks around it and the page number beside it.

A final word:

Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic integrity and is to be avoided at all costs. Outright cheating--i.e. using another student's paper, buying a paper on the Internet, copying long passages of an article verbatim and passing this work off as your own work--is the most egregious violation of the rule against plagiarism and also the easiest to catch. But even students with no ill intent can sometimes commit plagiarism, most often by incorrectly paraphrasing another author's ideas, sentence structure, and/or vocabulary. In general, remember that your paper should be comprised of your ideas, your interpretations, and your arguments. It should never consist of a string of long, undigested block quotations linked together with a few well- placed conjunctions. Likewise, it should not consist of a string of improperly paraphrased paragraphs or a series of unattributed ideas that originated with another author. You can refer to

8 other sources and quote them where appropriate, but remember that plagiarism is most likely to happen when your paper emphasizes the ideas of others rather than your own. Give credit where credit is due, when in doubt provide the reader a citation, and remember that plagiarism in any of its forms is a serious breach of academic honesty.

9 TIMELINE

Aug. 29 Chapter 1, Thinking Critically with Psychological Science

Sept. 5 Chapter 2, The Biology of the Mind & Chapter 3, Consciousness and the Two-Track Mind Assignment: 2 page paper Right Brain/Left Brain. See assignment description. Due Sept. 12th

Sept. 12 Chapter 4, Nature, Nurture, and Human Diversity 1st REACTION PAPER: Choose a topic from chapters 1-5 to find an article. Write a 1 page summary of the article and 1 page of your reactions of the information in the article. No margins larger than 1 inch. Due Sept. 26th

Sept. 19 No Class- Instructor Out of Town

Sept. 26 TEST CHAPTERS 1-5 (approx. 40 min.) open on WebCampus Chapter 5, Developing Through the Life Span Stages of Development & Basic Principles, Perceptual organizations

Oct. 3 Chapter 6, Sensation and Perception Sleep, Dreams, Altering State of Consciousness

Oct. 10 Chapter 7, Learning: Pavlov, Skinner and Bandura & Chapter 8, Memory: Encoding, Storage, Retrieval, Improving memory

Oct. 17 Chapter 9, Thinking, Language, and Intelligence Thinking, Language acquisition, Intelligence, Genetic and Environmental Influences, Group Differences 2nd REACTION PAPER - Topic from the topics covered in chapters 6-10. Format same as before. Due Oct. 24th

Oct. 24 Chapter 10, Motivation Theories, Hunger and Eating Disorders, Sexual Motivation, Achievement motivation, belonging TEST CHAPTERS 6 – 10 (approx. 40 min.) open on WebCampus

Oct. 31 Chapter 11, Emotions, Stress, and Health Physiology of Emotion, Expressing and Experiencing Emotions

Nov. 7 Chapter 12, Personality Theories: Psychoanalytic, Trait Factor, Humanistic, Social-Cognitive

10 Nov. 14 Chapter 13 Psychological Disorders Definitions, DSM IV, Anxiety, Dissociative, Mood, Schizophrenia, Personality Disorders Movie Reaction Paper Due Nov. 21st

Nov. 21 Chapter 14, Therapy Psychotherapy Descriptions, Evaluating psychotherapies, Biomedical therapy 3rd REACTION PAPER – Topic from chapters 10-14 Due Nov. 28th

Nov. 28 Presentation Night

Dec. 5 Presentation Night Presentation Paper Due!!!

Dec. 12 FINAL TEST: Chapters 11 – 14. (approx. 40 min.) Open on WebCampus