| Instructor: | Dr. Dawn McBride |
| Office: | De Garmo 458 |
| Phone: | 438-7146 |
| e-mail: | dmcbride@ilstu.edu |
| office hours: | Tu 1-1:50, Th 10-10:50, and by appt. |
| UTA | OFFICE HOUR | OFFICE HOUR LOCATION | |
| Jory Samuelson | Mon 12-1 | jasamue@ilstu.edu | Outside DeG 458 |
Large Group Meeting:
This course will provide you with an introduction to the study and application of the science of psychology. The course will not be an in-depth study of any one area of psychology, but rather will give you a brief overview of several different areas.
Course Objectives: In keeping with the spirit of good learning principles, the Psychology Department has determined that as a result of participating in this course you should meet the following objectives:
(1) Understand the various perspectives, theories, and
content in the field of psychology.
(2) Critically evaluate claims about human behavior using knowledge
of psychology and the scientific method.
(3) Apply theories and principles of psychology to everyday
behavioral issues.
(4) Develop an appreciation for multiple perspectives
in a multicultural society.
To view Psychology Department Course Objectives, click here.
Assigned Readings:
(1) Nairne (2009). Psychology, 5th Edition (Cengage).
Assignments:
Exam 1 - TUES 9/20
(1) Regular attendance of small and large group meetings and completion of
class assignments. Attendance is your responsibility. Absence is NOT an
excuse for incomplete assignments. Reading assignments for the Nairne text are listed in the course schedule below by chapter number.
(2) Four in-class exams:
Exam 2 - TUES 10/11
Exam 3 - TUES 11/8
Exam 4 - TUES 12/13 7:50 am in DeGarmo 406
(3) 5 Short In-Class Writing Assignments + 1 Longer Paper
(4) Group Oral Presentation on Community Psychological Services
(5) Class exercises and HW - about 1-2 of these will be assigned per week, including LGM assignments listed in the schedule below.
Due dates will vary by assignment. Assignments will be given in class or downloaded from the course web page. An assignment is posted on the course web page for each Large Group Meeting (due each THURS in class). It is your responsibility to download these assignments for the large group meetings and complete them based on the speaker's presentation. You will not receive credit for these assignments if you have not attended the large group meeting!
(6) Research participation requirement (or article summaries) - see description below
Writing Assignments: You will be asked to complete 5 short writing assignments in class. You will be asked to write a paragraph in response to a discussion question. Your paragraph will then be critiqued by a classmate before it is handed in. If you are not in class on the date of one of these assignments, you will not be able to earn any points for the assignment (but you can make up the points by completing extra credit - see below). You will then choose one of the 5 short papers to turn into a longer paper that will be due later in the semester. The short writing assignments are worth 5% of your final grade in the course and will be graded for completion and clarity of your response. The longer paper is worth 10% of your final grade in the course on its own and will be graded according to the assignment sheet and grading rubric available on the course web page.
Group Oral Presentation: In a group that will be determined in class, you will be assigned an oral presentation to be given by your group on the last day of class to inform the class about a psychological service available in the Bloomington-Normal community. The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize you and the class with different ways that psychology training is used to provide service to the community and different jobs that are available to individuals with psychology degrees. More information will be given about this assignment in class mid-way through the semester. The oral presentation will be worth 10% of your final grade in the course and will require that your group meet outside of scheduled class time.
Exercises and Homework: Short exercises will be assigned each week related to class topics and the speakers for the large group meetings. Some assignments will be given in class so if you miss class you may be missing a graded assignment. Attendance will be taken during the large group meetings. If you miss a large group meeting, you will not be able to receive credit for the assignment related to that meeting. No make-up assignments will be allowed unless the assignment is a HW assignment (i.e., in class assignments cannot be made up) AND you provide WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION of your absence (e.g., doctor's note, etc.). See make-up policy for more information. Some assignments will be worth more than others based on the amount ofwork required for the assignment. Combined, these assignments will be worth 10% of your final grade in the course.
Research Participation Requirement: You will asked to volunteer as a participant for 5 hours of research conducted in the department of psychology. The goal of this assignment is to allow you to see what research in psychology is like and what kind of research is being conducted by psychologists currently. Sign up sheets are available on the participant board in the basement of DeGarmo Hall. Each study has a header sheet with requirements, including the amount of time it will take (and that you will receive credit for). Researchers will give you a blue card for each study you participate in. Keep those cards to hand in with your assignment sheets. Please read the requirements carefully. Note your appointments in your schedule. Respect the sign up process. If you do not wish to participate in research (participation is voluntary), you may complete 5 journal article assignments instead to fulfill this requirement. Assignment sheets must be completed for all studies you participate in or read about and are posted on the course web page. The research participation requirement is worth 5% of your final grade in the course. If you complete all required time (or summaries) and hand in correctly completed assignment sheets and blue cards for this requirement, you will receive full credit. The assignment sheet for your research participation (and alternative assignments) is available on the course web page. Research assignments are due on exam days. A maximum of 2 hours of credit or 2 summaries may be handed in on any exam day. Therefore, you must PLAN AHEAD and complete the assignment throughout the semester. The maximum number of assignments you can hand in on the last day (final exam day) is 2!
Grading will be based on the following distribution:
| Exam 1 | 15% | 90 points |
| Exam 2 | 15% | 90 points |
| Exam 3 | 15% | 90 points |
| Exam 4 | 15% | 90 points |
| Writing Assignments: -5% for short papers -10% for long paper |
15% | 90 points |
| Oral Presentation | 10% | 60 points |
| Exercises & HWs | 10% | 60 points |
| Research Participation | 5% | 30 points |
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| Total | 100% | 600 points |
Your final grade in the course will be determined from the total number of points (not percentages) you earn on assignments in the course. You must earn at least the lowest point total in these ranges to earn a particular grade. No curving or rounding will be done for grading.
Grade records for this course will be kept on a secure web server that you may access during and after the semester to check your grade progress. You will be given a login and password to access your grade. If you have trouble logging in to the grade book, contact Dr. McBride. The grade server may be accessed from the course web page.
You will have some opportunities to earn extra credit in this course. Some extra credit assignments will be handed out in class during the semester. You may not complete these assignments late so if you wish to take advantage of extra credit opportunities, be sure to find out from a classmate what occurred in class if you miss class. You may also complete an additional 2 research hours or 2 articles to earn extra credit points that will be added to your final grade in the course. These extra credit assignments are due on THURS 11/17 and must adhere to guidelines stated above for research participation and article assignments. Each aditional hour of research participation or article assignment will earn you an extra 6 points toward your final grade in the course to a maximum of 12 points of this type of extra credit. Note that extra credit assignments are a good way to replace points for assignments that cannot be turned in late that you may miss due to illness or other situations.
In-class exercises (including short papers) cannot be turned in late. Homeworks and lab reports can be turned in late for half credit. Long papers turned in after the scheduled time they are due, will be counted late and the grade you receive will be adjusted according to the number of days the assignment is late. For late assignments 10% of the total possible points will be deducted for each day it is late. Weekends count as one late day. Computer mishaps (e.g., failure to successfully save work, printer problems) are not acceptable excuses for late assignments. It is your responsibility to back up your work and print assignments in time for them to be turned in. No make-up exams will be given unless you contact me and arrange to take a make-up exam BEFORE the exam date. Make-ups will only be given in the case of a documented emergency (i.e., you must have written proof of your emergency). Therefore, unless you make special arrangements with me before the due date, any late assignment will have points deducted!
Academic dishonesty such as cheating or plagiarism will not be tolerated. Cheating or plagiarism will result in an F and referral to the Community Rights and Responsibilities (CR&R) Office for disciplinary action. Cheating INCLUDES (but is not limited to): plagiarism of both published and unpublished written work, "cutting and pasting" or copying from a web site to complete an assignment, having another individual take or assist you with an exam, taking an exam for or assisting another individual with an exam, performing or completing a class assignment or quiz for another individual or having another individual perform or complete a class assignment or quiz for you. Cheating is thus defined generally as representing work that is NOT your own as your work or allowing your work to be represented as another's so that individual receives academic credit. You are responsible for understanding what is and isn't plagiarism. More information about plagiarism will be discussed in class and is included in the assignment sheets for written assignments. Violators of this policy will receive a failing grade on that assignment, a possible failing grade for the course, and referral to the CR&R Office for disciplinary action. Your work on assignments must be your own. If you discuss material in written assignments found in another source, you must use your own words. You may NOT lift wording from published works for any assignment in this course (i.e., NO QUOTES!!).
If you have any questions about the syllabus, course, or your progress in the course, please feel free to come talk to me. My office hours are listed above and I am also available for appointments. You should also feel free to stop by my office anytime my door is open. Attendance is your responsibility. You are still responsible for knowing what occurs during a class, even if you miss it. If you miss a lecture, you should get notes from someone in the class, but I will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the notes. I will NOT, however, repeat lectures during my office hours. Any student in need of a special accommodation should contact 438-5853 (voice) or 438-8620 (TDD).
The following is a listing of the class meetings and the tentative topic that will be covered on those days. Please note the due dates of all assignments and exams.
| WEEK | DATE | TOPIC | READING | ASSIGNMENT DUE | LARGE MEETING TOPIC |
| WK1 | Tu 8/23 | Syllabus Day and Introduction |
Syllabus
CH 1 |
Introduction to LGM | |
| Th 8/25 | Scientific Methods | CH 2 | LGM #1 | ||
| WK2 | Tu 8/30 | Scientific Methods | Measurement Exercise | ||
| Th 9/1 | Library Research | Library Part 1 | |||
| WK3 | Tu 9/6 | Biological Processes | CH 3 |
Methods HW | Open |
| Th 9/8 | Biological Processes | Library Part 2 | |||
| WK4 | Tu 9/13 | Sensation & Perception | CH 5 | Sensation & Perception in Action | |
| Th 9/15 | Sensation & Perception | LGM #2 | |||
| WK5 | Tu 9/20 | EXAM 1 |
Dr. Jeffrey Wagman | ||
| Th 9/22 | Learning | CH 7 | LGM #3 | ||
| WK6 | Tu 9/27 | Learning - Brandon | Open | ||
| Th 9/29 | Memory Exp | ||||
| WK7 | Tu 10/4 | Memory | CH 8 | Dr. James Nairne | |
| Th 10/6 | Memory | LGM #4 | |||
| WK8 | Tu 10/11 | EXAM 2 |
Memory Exp Report | Unknown White Male | |
| Th 10/13 | Library Research 2 | ||||
| WK9 | Tu 10/18 | Personality | CH 12 | Unknown White Male | |
| Th 10/20 | Personality | LGM #5 | |||
| WK10 | Tu 10/25 | Development | CH 4 |
LGM #6 Personality Lab Report |
Dr. Karen Mark |
| Th 10/27 | Museum Activity - Meet at CDM | ||||
| WK11 | Tu 11/1 | Development | Museum Assignment | Dr. Ray Bergner | |
| Th 11/3 | Review Session for Exam | LGM #7 | |||
| WK12 | Tu 11/8 | EXAM 3 |
Dr. Alycia Hund | ||
| Th 11/10 | Social Psych - Brandon | CH 13 |
LGM #8 | ||
| WK13 | Tu 11/15 | Social Psych Exp. | Dr. Marla Reese-Weber | ||
| Th 11/17 | Social Psych | LGM #9 | |||
| WK14 | Tu 11/22 Th 11/24 |
THANKSGIVING BREAK | |||
| WK15 | Tu 11/29 | Psychological Disorders | CH 14 |
Long Paper | Dr. Sue Sprecher |
| Th 12/1 | Psychological Disorders | LGM #10 Social Exp Report |
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| WK16 | Tu 12/6 | Therapy | CH 15 | Alzheimer's: The Memory Loss Tapes | |
| Th 12/8 | Group Presentations | LGM #11 | |||
| FINALS | Tu 12/13 | EXAM 4 - Tues 12/13 at 7:50 am (in DEG 406) |
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If you are interested in obtaining research experience in human memory, take a look at the Memory Lab page. |