Course Title:                  Psychology 101: General Psychology   IAI Course Number:        S6 904   Instructor:                      Dr. Norwil (Noy) Frial, NCC, LCPC, CADC   Pre-Requisites:              None   Class Schedule:            St. Augustine College, Argyle Campus                                     Friday Nights 6:30PM – 9:45PM   Contact Information:       I will be available before class or by appointment    COURSE DESCRIPTION AND OBJECTIVES:   This course is a general introduction to the study of psychology as a science.  Areas of study includes a historical survey of psychology, the study of the sensory and perceptual processes as learning, thinking, remembering, emotional behavior, motivation, and mechanisms of adjustment.  You will learn about the important issues and debates in the field of psychology, how to apply this knowledge to real world situations, how to critically evaluate and review research and ongoing debates in the field of psychology, and to develop your writing skills.   At the end of the course, students will be able demonstrate proficiency in the following abilities in relation to course material:    Analysis Knowledge Analyze and discuss the psychological processes which affect human behavior. Isolate and implement applications that facilitate memory retrieval, learning and problem solving. To become knowledgeable about the major theoretical perspectives in psychology.  Communication Skills Apply psychological principles to practical use in oral and written assignments. Critically evaluate and think about the content of the material covered in the course. Apply psychological concepts to your academic disciplines and/or life experiences.  Valuing Attitudes Identify values present I psychological research and cognitive analysis. Use moral sensitivity as well as moral reasoning to make decisions regarding psychological health. To abandon misconceptions about the field of psychology and begin to critically evaluate personal assumptions.    REQUIRED TEXTS   Myers, David G.  Exploring Psychology.  (5th Edition).  Worth Publishing Co., New York, 2002.     REGARDING ACADEMIC DISHONESTY:   St. Augustine College strives to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity.  Any work submitted by a student must represent original work produced by that student.  Using somebody else’s work without citing them as the author is an unacceptable practice and referred to as “Plagiarism”.  Plagiarism, for this course, is defined as using more than five words in a row from a source and not referencing that source.  This includes copying papers from the internet, using somebody else’s papers, or using text from articles without clearly identifying where the information came from.  Plagiarism is strictly forbidden in higher education and any student found to have plagiarized will receive an automatic “0” for that assignment.  Two incidents of plagiarizing will result in failing the course.     REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS:   Quizzes   There will be a total of five (5) small in-class quizzes covering the topics in lecture.  The quizzes will be a multiple choice quiz.  There will be no make-up quizzes. Quizzes are worth (2 points each) a total of 10 points   One-page Essays   There will be a total of five (5) one-page essays on a topic discussed during lecture.  These one-page essays should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman, size 12 font.  Late essays will not be accepted. Essays are worth (2 points each) a total of 10 points   Midterm Exam   The midterm exam will be 40 multiple choice questions on topics covered in the first half of the semester.  The midterm will be taken in class.  If you miss the exam, points will be deducted from your total score.  There will be a quick review prior to the midterm exam. The Midterm Exam is worth a total of 20 points   Final Exam   The Final Exam will be 40 multiple choice questions on topics discussed during the second half of the course.  The Final will be taken in class.  If you miss the exam, points will be deducted from your total score.  There will be a quick review prior to the Final Exam. The Final Exam is worth a total of 20 points.     Class Project   The Class Project is a 15-20 minute in-class Presentation AND a 6-page Paper on a topic of the student’s choice relevant to topics discussed in class.  Presentations will be conducted during the 3rd through 15th weeks of class (Except on the day of the Midterm Examination).  The Paper will be due no later than 13th week of class. The 15-20 minute Presentation is worth 15 points. The 6-page Paper is worth 15 points. The entire Class Project is worth a total of 30 points   Student Participation and Attendance   Participation is defined as weekly attendance in class, student’s contribution of thoughts and ideas about the topics presented in class, active participation in small discussion groups, and preparation for each class, attendance and participation on the Student Message Board.  Missed classes will result in deduction of points. Student Participation is worth a total of 10 points   Extra Credit Paper   Students interested in extra credit will write a 8-10 page paper on a current psychology topic / issue.  This paper will have at least two references.  The paper and topic must be approved by the instructor in advance.  All Extra Credit Papers are due no later than Week 14. The Extra Credit Paper is worth a total of 5 points     COURSE SEQUENCE:   Week 1:            Course Orientation & Thinking Critically with Psychological Sciences Defining Psychology, roots and perspectives, subfields in psychology, critical thinking and study tips. Assignment: Read Chapter 1   Week 2:            Neuroscience and Behavior Neural Communication, Neurons, How Neurons Communicate, the Nervous System, The Peripheral Nervous System, the Central Nervous System, the Brain, Lower-Level Brain Structures, The Cerebral Cortex, The Endocrine System Assignment: Read Chapter 2   Week 3:            The Nature vs. Nurture of Behavior & The Developing Person Genes, Evolutionary Psychology, Behavior Genetics, Explaining Individual Differences, Environmental Influence, How much credit (or blame) do parents deserve?, Gender, Prenatal Development and the Newborn, Conception, Prenatal Development, Infancy, Childhood and Adolescence, Physical Development, Cognitive Development, Social Development, Adulthood Assignment: Read Chapter’s 3 and 4.  * * Quiz 1 * *   Week 4:            Sensation and Perception Thresholds, Sensory Adaptation, Vision, The Eye, Visual Information Processing, The Other Senses, Hearing, Touch, Pain, Taste, Smell, Perceptual Organization, Perceptual Interpretation Assignment: Read Chapter 5 * * Essay 1 Due * *   Week 5:            States of Consciousness Selective Attention, Levels of Information Processing, Daydreams and Fantasies, Sleep and Dreams, Biological Rhythms and Sleep, Why do we sleep? Sleep Disorders, Dreams, Hypnosis – drugs and consciousness, Dependence and Addiction, Psychoactive Drugs, Influences on Drug Use Assignment: Read Chapter 6 * * Quiz 2 * *   Week 6:            Learning Classical Conditioning – Pavlov’s Experiments, Operant Conditioning – Skinner’s Experiments, Learning by Observation – Bandura’s Experiments Assignment: Read Chapter 7 * * Essay 2 Due * *   Week 7:            Memory Information Processing – Encoding: Getting information in, Automatic Processing, Effortful Processing, Encoding Strategies, Storage: Retaining Information, Sensory Memory, Short-term Memory, Long-term Memory, Storing Memories in the Brain, Retrieval: Getting Information Out, Forgetting          Assignment: Read Chapter 8   Week 8:            MIDTERM EXAMINATION   Week 9:             Thinking Thinking – Concepts, Solving Problems, Language, Language Development, Intelligence, Origins of Intelligence Testing, What is Intelligence? Assessing Intelligence, Genetic and Environmental Influences on Intelligence Assignment: Read Chapter 9   Week 10:          Motivation Motivational Concepts, A Hierarchy of Motives, Hunger – the physiology of hunger, the Psychology of Hunger, Obesity and Weight Control, Sexual Motivation, Describing Sexual Behavior, Adolescent Sexuality, Achievement Motivation, Intrinsic Motivation and Achievement Assignment: Read Chapter 10                         * * Essay 3 Due * * *   Week 11:          Emotion, Stress, and Health Theories of Emotion, the Physiology of Emotion, Arousal, Physiological States of Accompanying Specific Emotions, Stress and Health, Coping with Stress Assignment: Read Chapter 11 * * Quiz 3 * *   Week 12:          Theories of Personality The Psychoanalytic Perspective, Exploring the Unconscious, The Trait Perspective, the Humanistic Perspective, the Social-Cognitive Perspective Assignment: Read Chapter 12 * * Essay 4 Due * *   Week 13:          Psychological Disorders Defining Psychological Disorders, Understanding Psychological Disorders, Classifying Psychological Disorders, Labeling Psychological Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Mood Disorders, Schizophrenia, Personality Disorder Assignment: Read Chapter 13 * * Quiz 4 * *   Week 14:          Therapy Psychoanalysis, Humanistic Therapies, Behavior Therapies, Cognitive Therapies, The Biomedical Therapies, Drug Therapies Assignment: Read Chapter 14 * * Essay 5 Due * *   * * CLASS PROJECT PAPERS DUE * * * * EXTRA CREDIT DUE * *   Week 15:          Social Psychology Social Influence, Conformity and Obedience, Prejudice, Aggression Assignment: Read Chapter 15 * * Quiz 5 **   Week 16:          FINAL EXAMINATION and Course Evaluation