Middlesex Community College

Course Syllabus

Course Title: Psychology 111:  General Psychology

Semester:   Fall 2009

Instructor: Professor Patricia J. Sawyer

Credit Hours:   3

Department:   Social Science

Course No:   3279

Course Prerequisite:   English 101 Placement

Course Location:   Snow Hall, Room 521 and Online

Meeting Time (days/hours):   HYBRID – Monday 7:00pm – 9:45pm

Scope of Course:   The major principles and theories of psychology including perception, learning, the biological basis of behavior, motivation and emotion.

Textbook:

Essentials of Understanding Psychology, Feldman, Robert,  Eighth Edition, 2009. McGraw-Hill Publishers,

ISBN:  9780073370200

Office Hours:

• Monday – 5:00pm – 7:00pm, Snow Hall – Room 508
• Saturday – 7:30am – 8:30am, Snow Hall – Room 508

Office Telephone:   (860) 343-5813  

Email: psawyer@mxcc.commnet.edu

Attendance Policy:

You are expected to attend all on-ground sessions of the class on time. (Tardiness or leaving early will be considered a ½ cut).  You are expected to log onto the course each week and complete the assignments per the syllabus. No more than one absence is permitted.  Any student experiencing two or more absences should immediately contact the instructor or this will result in a diminished grade.

Since you are given one excused absence there is no need to inform the instructor of your absence from class. 

Class Cancellation Policy:

In the event of inclement weather either before the start of a day when classes are in session or during the school day, you may check for information on delayed openings, college closings, class cancellations, etc  by listening to the radio and television stations listed below.  Additionally, a message will be posted on the MxCC website at www.mxcc.commnet.edu and an announcement made on the college’s main phone number, (860) 343-5800.  (When calling the main phone number, be sure to choose option 1 from the menu for school closings.)  If classes are already in session, everyone on campus will be notified of any changes.  Decisions to cancel classes or close the college early will be made as soon as practicable.

Radio Stations Television Stations

WMRD 1150 am                                           WFSB - 3

WDRC 102.9 fm and 1360 am                     WTNH - 8

WMMW 1470 am                                         WVIT - 30

WRCH 100.5 fm                                                                                                            

WTIC 1080 am, 96.5 fm

WZMX 93.7 fm

WELI 960 am, WKCI 101 fm 

Off Campus Sites:

The MxCC Meriden Center will comply with the Middletown campus policy.  Exception:  In the event of extreme weather only in the Meriden area and the Middletown campus determines to hold classes, the decision to cancel classes at the Meriden Center will be determined by the MxCC Meriden Center Director and the Dean of Finance &  Administration. 

 The Old Saybrook off campus site will comply with the Middletown campus policy.  Exception:  In the event of extreme weather only at the off campus site, the decision to hold or cancel classes at this extension center will be made by our campus extension program director.  Faculty should call the Continuing Education Office at (860) 343-5865. 

Note:  Off campus sites are ultimately subject to the cancellation policy of the school in which MxCC holds classes.

Evaluation:

1.  Class participation in a quality manner                   10%

2.  Four  Multiple Choice Examinations                        70%

There will be 4 multiple choice exams. You will have three hours to complete each exam. The exam will be available for one week. You must take the exam anytime you want during the 7 days the exam is available. Exams cannot be made up after the 7 days. You are to log on anytime during the release times stated for each exam and complete it. Grades will be available in the grade book.

Exam 1 will be available Monday, 9/28 1:00am to Monday, 10/5/09 Midnight

Exam 2 will be available Monday, 10/26/09 1:00am to Monday, 11/2/09 Midnight

Exam 3 will be available Monday, 11/16/09 1:00am to Monday, 11/23/09 Midnight

Exam 4 will be available Monday, 12/7/09 1:00am to Monday, 12/14/09 Midnight

3.  Research Project/Presentation                                  20%

Course Objectives:  Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Understand the terminology, theories and concepts of general psychology.

2. Compare and contrast the major psychological theories and their application to behavior.

3. Apply the major psychological concepts to human behavior in general and to his or her own behavior in particular.

Learning Outcomes:  Upon completion of each chapter the students’ performance will be satisfactory when they are able to:

Chapter One:             Introduction to Psychology

• Understand the past, present and the future of psychology
• Understand how research is conducted in psychology
• Gain a knowledge of what trends currently shape psychology

Chapter Two:            Neuroscience and Behavior

• Understand the basic elements of behavior
• Understand the nervous system and the endocrine system
• Understand the functions of the brain
• Understand the sex and cultural differences of the brain

Chapter Three:         Sensation and Sensation

• Understand how we sense the world around us
• Understand the five senses
• Understand perceptual organization in constructing our view of the world

Chapter Four:           States of Consciousness

• Understand the stages of sleep
• Understand the importance of dreams
• Understand hypnosis and meditation
• Understand the impact of drug use: the highs and lows of consciousness
• Understand what environmental factors are important for social development

Chapter Five:            Learning

• Understand classical conditioning and how it explains behavior
• Describe different types of learning processes – classical conditioning

and operant conditioning

• Understand learning across all cultural and racial groups

Chapter Six:              Memory

• Understand the foundations of memory
• Understand how we recall long-term memories
• Gain an understanding of forgetting: when memory fails

Chapter Seven:          Thinking, Language, and Intelligence

• Understand what cognitive psychology is and how we form concepts and solve problems
• Understand how we reason and make decisions
• Know what artificial intelligence reveals about cognition
• Understand what is the structure of language and how we acquire it

• Understand the origins and history of psychological testing
• Know what is intelligence
• Understand how psychologists develop tests
• Understand how biological and environmental factors contribute to intelligence
• Understand the impact of having an exceptional IQ
• Understand how certain racial groups are evaluated and why a bias exists

Chapter Eight:          Motivation and Emotion

• Define motivation and emotion
• Understand how motivation and emotion affect behavior

Chapter Nine:            Development

• Understand nature, nurture and prenatal development
• Understand physical development throughout the life span
• Understand thought development throughout the life span
• Understand social and emotional development throughout the life span
• Understand what environmental factors are important for social development
• Explain what impact personality and cultural development (such as race, ethnicity

and social class) has on human development

• Understand the rites of passage around the world in ethnic, racial and religious groups

Chapter Ten:             Personality

• Define what is personality
• Define what is the psychodynamic approach to personality
• Understand the Trait and Type theories of personality
• Understand the humanistic approach to personality
• Understand the cognitive approach to personality
• Understand how psychologists assess personality

Chapter Eleven:        Health Psychology: Stress, Coping and Well-Being

• Define stress
• Understand how people cope with stress
• Define health psychology
• Understand how race, culture, social class and ethnic group affects stress

and physical health

• Understand the psychological aspects of illness and well-being
• Gain an understanding of how to promote health and wellness

Chapter Twelve:       Psychological Disorders

• Define abnormal psychology
• Gain an understanding of the major psychological disorders
• Identify which gender, race, culture and ethnic group(s) are more prone

to suffer from psychological disorders

Competence/Assessment

Competence will be demonstrated in each chapter:

• By critiquing weekly assigned readings
• Examinations
• Classroom discussions
• Oral presentation

ADA Accommodation Statement:

“Students with physical or learning disabilities who may require accommodations are

encouraged to contact the counseling office.  After disclosing the nature of the disability,

students are urged to discuss their needs with individual instructors.  This should be

done at the beginning of each semester.  Instructors, in conjunction with appropriate

college officials, will provide assistance and/or accommodations to those students who

have completed this process.”

Academic Ethics and Classroom Behavior:

“At Middlesex Community College we expect the highest standards of academic honesty. 

Academic dishonesty is prohibited in accordance with the Board of Trustees’ Proscribed

Conduct Policy in Section 5.2.1 of the Board of Trustees’ Policy Manual.  This policy

prohibits cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration on assignments,

unauthorized access to examinations or course materials, plagiarism, and other

proscribed activities.  Plagiarism is defined as the use of another’s idea(s) or phrase(s)

and representing that/those idea(s) as your own, either intentionally or unintentionally.”

“(Board of Trustees’ Policy 5.2.1)

Accommodation of Religious Beliefs and Practices

If your religious obligations conflict with the course calendar requirements, and if you wish to request an accommodation, you must make your request in writing prior to the date of the assessment or activity you will miss and preferably at the beginning of the semester.  When requesting a make-up quiz, test, exam, assignment, or activity, state the reason for your request and the date(s) on which your religious obligation(s) will conflict with the course calendar requirements.   Also, if your religious obligation/holiday is unfamiliar to your instructor, you may be asked to provide a calendar which shows the published date(s) of your religious observance(s) or holiday(s).

General Psychology 111

      Class Schedule

                 Monday Hybrid

                      Fall 2009

Week 1           Introduction to Psychology                          Chapter 1

8/31/09            On-Ground               

Week 2           Labor Day – No Class

9/7/09

Week 3           Neuroscience and Behavior                          Chapter 2

9/14/09            On-Ground

Week 4           Sensation and Perception                             Chapter 3

9/21/09            Online

Week 5           Exam #1 – Ch’s 1 - 3 

9/28/09            Online

Week 6           Oral Presentations

10/5/09            On-Ground

Week 7           States of Consciousness                                Chapter 4

10/12/09          Learning                                                        Chapter 5

                        Online

Week 8           Memory                                                          Chapter 6

10/19/09          Online

Week 9           Exam #2 – Ch’s 4 - 6 

10/26/09          Online

Week 10         Intelligence                                                     Chapter 7

11/2/09            Motivation and Emotion                               Chapter 8

                        Online

Week 11         Development                                                  Chapter 9

11/9/09            Online

Week 12         Exam #3 – Ch’s 7 – 9

11/16/09          Online

Week 13         Oral Presentations

11/23/09          On-Ground

Week 14         Personality                                                     Chapter 10

11/30/09          Online            

Week 15         Health Psychology                                         Chapter 11

12/7/09            Psychological Disorders                                Chapter 12

                        Online

Week 16         Exam #4 – Ch’s 10 – 12

12/14/09          Online            

PSYCHOLOGY 111:  GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY

CRN:  3279

Hybrid – Monday 7:00-9:45pm

Fall 2009

Patricia Sawyer, Instructor

This course is important because it will strengthen the student’s critical thinking skills and help them make the connection between psychology and everyday life.  It will provide the student with a better understanding of why people behave the way they do, why psychologists conduct research, and be cognizant of the theories that guide research.  The student will become acquainted with the breadth of the field of psychology and will obtain the core competencies as stated below, as well as a wealth on knowledge that will excite the student’s curiosity and increase their understanding of people’s behavior.  The core competencies will provide the tools that will maximize the student’s ability to learn and retain the subject matter of psychology.

Middlesex Community College

Core Competencies

1) Communication Skills:  Communication skills include reading, writing, speaking and research.  We expect our graduates will have good critical reading skills so that they can discriminate between primary and secondary sources and between more and less important ideas in what they read.  We expect our students to write and speak clear, correct expository English to communicate their ideas as well as to frame sensible arguments to support their points of view in an intelligent, thoughtful and civilized way. Communication is an interactive process through which there is an exchange of verbal and/or nonverbal information.

2)  Conceptual Skills / Critical Thinking Skills:  Conceptual skills refer to organized, responsive and critical thought.  Many educators and philosophers define critical thinking as skillful, responsible, reflective thinking that facilitates good judgment because it:  a) relies upon criteria developed or assessed, b) is self-correcting, and c) is sensitive to context.  Critical thinkers can distinguish between fact, inference, and opinion; construct worthwhile questions; arrive at and justify conclusions; prioritize ideas; apply strategies for dealing with error, improbability and ambiguity; value, and access information including that derived from textbooks, lectures and electronic media; give and accept criticism constructively.

3)  Quantitative Reasoning:  Quantitative reasoning helps us learn about reality by applying measurement, mathematics, data collection and evaluation to the study of specific problems. Quantitative reasoning involves several skills or abilities: 1) to describe research problems or questions in terms of numerical, symbolic, and visual representation; 2) to solve problems by collecting and analyzing data, formulating alternative theories, and making reasonable conclusions based upon a body of evidence; 3) to communicate and critique quantitative arguments.

4)  Technological Literacy: Technological literacy requires us to understand the potential and limitations of technology and to identify and effectively use the appropriate technology to achieve a desired outcome.

5)  Information Literacy:  Information literacy encompasses skills that enable individuals to determine when information is needed, efficiently access information, critically evaluate information and its sources, apply legal and ethical standards in using information, and appropriately apply information to one’s needs.

6)  Aesthetic Perspective:  The most elusive area in a well rounded education is that of aesthetics. Students should be aware of aesthetics both in daily life and in the context of their academic studies. Aesthetics encompasses forms of personal expression both in the natural world and in the world of man-made things (buildings, objects of art, etc.). In addition, aesthetics can be seen in more abstract, universal constructs such as the symmetry of an equation or the balanced physical structure of an atom. Students should be able to analyze and formulate opinions about the principles of design behind these formal and expressive structures.

7)  Understanding of Diversity:  Diversity means difference.  People may be different with respect to their ethnicity, race, culture, religion or national origin.  Or these differences may be social and personal such as class, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or appearance.  We hope our graduates are able to recognize and appreciate these and other differences. Psychology embraces a global perspective in presenting issues of diversity concerning cultural awareness, gender, ethnicity, sexuality and age.

8)  Values, ethics, and responsible citizenship:  Psychology will help the student to recognize and analyze ethical issues, make and defend ethical decisions, demonstrate ethical behavior and social responsibility by engaging in community, social, civic, or cultural service.

These core competencies are important personally, academically, and professionally.  The learning outcomes, as stated in the syllabus are covered in this course.