Psychology 131: Science and Pseudoscience Fall Semester 2015 Location : TBD Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:00 to 6:15 (CRNs 58939, PSY 131-01 and 59148, PSY 131-02) 6:30 to 7:45 (CRNs 58940, PSY 131-03 and 59149, PSY 131-04) Instructor: Dave Thomas Office: Cramer 109, By Appointment Phone:575-835-5113 E-mail:[email protected]

Office hours: Instructor will endeavor to be present Thursdays at 12:30 PM at his office (Cramer 109), but emailing ahead of time will still be a very good idea.

Course Learning Outcomes: By the end of this course, students will learn how to tell the difference between science and pseudoscience; to explain how science advances, and what makes science different from pseudoscience; how psychological reasons can explain some acceptance of pseudoscience; the methods pseudoscientists use to fool lots of people; and to understand examples of successful and revolutionary scientific findings , and be able to contrast these with pseudoscience; and finally, to improve communication, writing, investigative and debunking skills.

Program Learning Outcomes: The requirements for obtaining a major or minor in Psychology are listed here:http://infohost.nmt.edu/~psychd/acad/requirements.php

Course requirements: Grading is based on quizzes, writing and debunking assignments, attendance, and participation. Generally, quizzes and writing assignments are alternated from week to week; sometimes students can choose either a quiz or an essay. The Final project/presentation is optional. Essays will be graded on content, clarity, grammar, and originality. Plagiarism is not tolerated, and suspected incidents of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean. Quizzes are scored via Canvas, and test comprehension of class content. Debunking Practice is like the lab/field exercise for the course; students will be asked to evaluate various websites, and explain why they are pseudoscience (or why they are legitimate). Students will sign the attendance sheet during each class they attend. If a student is unable to attend class, they should let the instructor know by email beforehand, or as soon as is feasible, and the absence will be excused. If a student is unable to attend class, however, they should not have someone else “sign in” for them. This can result in a Zero or further disciplinary action. Student Soapbox: students will get credit for commenting on class-related topics in the “Student Soapbox” forum. The students who post a topic on the Student Soapbox for that day will get a minute or two to talk to the class about it, in hopes of getting a dialogue going on the forum. Participation is in the form of group discussions and worksheets, class testing of psychic abilities, and so forth. Homeworks/quizzes are assigned on Tuesdays or Thursdays, and are due by start of class on the following Tuesday/Thursday. Submission by Canvas is required. Late assignments will be accepted for up to a week after the deadline, but may be marked down. Students should include their last name in the file- name of submitted assignments, plus include their name, date, and assignment title in the actual text of submissions. To help make emergency response as effective as possible, cell phones be set on vibrate. The reason: if all phones vibrate at the same time during your class, everyone will know there is an emergency that must be responded to immediately. Grading: Grades are calculated as follows: Essays and Uploads – 25%; Quizzes – 25%; Debunking Practice – 20%; Attendance – 15%; Student Soapbox – 10%; Participation – 5%.

Tentative course schedule: 16 weeks of classes will include the following topics: Class Intro, Logical Fallacies, Cargo Cult Science, Newton Abuse, 2012 and the End of the World, Niburu and Planet X, Oxfordians (those who question Shakespeare's authorship), the Monty Hall Problem, Hits & Misses, Optical , Pop Psychology, Chemtrails, Scientific Consensus, Energy for Space Travel, Nuclear Power; FTL (Faster than Light) Claims, UFOs – (Roswell, Aztec, Socorro), Hidden Messages, Zero-Knowledge Proofs and , on , Controls in Science, Pareidolia, the , Code 19 in the Quran, the Oxford Code, the Arnold Code, 9/11 Truth, Relativity, Creationism and ID, Genetic Algorithms, Age of the Earth – 6000 years or 4,540,000,000 years?, Fractals, Chaos, Thermodynamics Abuses, Entropy, Mutations and Information, Bayes & Conditional Probability, Polygraphs, Global Warming and Climate Change, Free Electricity, Medical Quacks, Therapeutic Touch, Vaccine Denial, Holocaust Denial, the Illuminati, Birthers, Kennedy Conspiracy Theories, Fundamental Forces, Quarks, and ESP, Quantum Mechanics and its Abusers, Dark Matter, and Class Review.

Counseling and Disability Services Reasonable Accommodations: New Mexico Tech is committed to protecting the rights of individuals with disabilities. Qualified individuals who require reasonable accommodations are invited to make their needs known to the Office of Counseling and Disability Services (OCDS) as soon as possible. In addition, New Mexico Tech offers mental health and substance abuse counseling through the Office of Counseling and Disability Services. The confidential services are provided free of charge by licensed professionals. To schedule an appointment, please call 835-6619.

Academic Honesty: New Mexico Tech’s Academic Honesty Policy can be found starting on page 59 of the NMT catalog, http://www.nmt.edu/images/stories/registrar/pdfs/2013- 2014_UNDERGRADUATE_Catalog_FINAL.pdf You are responsible for knowing, understanding, and following this policy. There is a one-page summary version as well: http://kestrel.nmt.edu/~raymond/senate/2014-11/academic_honesty_policy_at_a_glance.pdf