Course Syllabus

Fall 2024 | PSY-1010-VJ01 - Introduction to Psychology

In Person Class

Standard courses meet in person at CCV centers, typically once each week for the duration of the semester.

Faculty

Frederick Bennett
View Faculty Credentials
View Faculty Statement
Hiring Coordinator for this course: Kate Hughes

General Education Requirements

VSCS Social Sciences

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course is a survey of the basic issues, concepts, theories, and methods of psychology. Students explore the scientific approach to understanding human behavior through a study of sensory processes, perception, emotion, motivation, intelligence, learning, and personality formation.

Essential Objectives

1. Discuss the development of psychology as a social science, including practices that create, maintain, or dismantle social inequalities.
2. Analyze how current research in neuroscience influences our understanding of the biological and environmental foundations of behavior.
3. Explore how environmental stimuli are sensed and perceived.
4. Describe the nature of consciousness and its relationship to psychological well-being.
5. Experiment with learning and memory formation and evaluate how intelligence is measured.
6. Understand key milestones in language, cognitive, and socio-moral development.
7. Compare theories of motivation and emotion.
8. Identify psychodynamic, behavioral, social, cognitive, and humanistic theories of personality and discuss the approach each takes to understanding human behavior.
9. Discuss how individuals and groups are influenced in social settings over time.
10. Evaluate how socio-cultural norms and values shape psychological diagnosis and treatment and discuss the importance of cultural competence in the field of psychology.
11. Demonstrate proficiency in understanding the scientific method and in interpreting and evaluating statistical and other quantitative data as applied to human behavior in an ethical manner.
12. Explore the scope and diversity of career opportunities in the field of psychology and related professions through assignments such as informational interviews, job shadows, or other career exploration activities.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV IT Support page. https://support.ccv.edu/general/computer-recommendations/

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

*** This is a low cost ($50 or less) textbook or resource class. ***

This course only uses free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials. For details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

Methods

The quality of the learning experience will be best if it is collaborative. Participation as a learner includes active participation within the class.

Teaching Methods:

• Learning conversations
• Small group and full class activities in class
• Skills building exercises, in and out of class.
• Audio/visual material online, in and out of class.
• Reading assignments, out of class.
• Optional writing assignments, out of class.
• Quizzes and Examinations
• Optional real time virtual office hours by pre-arrangement via Zoom.

Evaluation Criteria

1. Weekly Extra Credit

Completing this weekly online extra credit will be counted as extra credit supporting your weekly Quiz grade. These will not be accepted after the last day in each class week. You may either choose the one from the one I provide in Canvas or respond fully to all the questions provided in the section at the end of each chapter called "Personal Application Questions". These are submitted through Canvas.

2. Weekly Quizzes and Assignments- 1/3 of your grade

These will be weekly features for our class. The quiz material will be drawn directly from the "Review Questions" section at the end of each chapter. The week's assigned reading prepares you for the weekly Quiz. This material will be learned by in-discussion learning conversations and this reinforced by rote and/or repetitive study by student reading and exercises.

3. Attendance and Participation - 1/3 of your grade

The semester has 15 weeks. Each week counts for 1/15 of the class material. For each week that you miss, your attendance score drops by 1/15. See the descriptions in Course Resources module.

4. Midterm and Final Examinations - 1/3 of your grade

The midterm (the early chapters: 2-8) and final (the later chapters: 9-11 & 14-16) examinations contain: a) a subset of the exact same material as the weekly quizzes; b) your assigned Key Terms; c) your choice of one question from the Critical Thinking Questions at the end of each chapter; d) a selection of open questions to allow you to apply what you know.

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Positive Participation:

· Show evident attention and engagement with the full class about the topic being discussed (not side conversations, please).

· Contribute positively, voluntarily, regularly, and moderately during each class.

· Develop a thoughtful and inquisitive manner about the material and each other's contributions during class.

Classroom Comportment:

We will have one 15 minute break, approximately halfway through the class time. Use this as an opportunity to use the restroom, get a snack or drink, or to send or read email or text messages from your computer or phone.

Please do not send or read email or text messages while during class time. Also, please do not attend to other material online that is not part of the curriculum of the class or listen to media via earphones. This is a distraction to me and often your classmates. Of course, it is a break in your attention and participation also. Please note that these actions detract significantly from your active participation.

You may eat and drink during class time. The only restriction is you should not cause create distractions. Please be thoughtful and do not choose food that has loud wrappings or is loud to chew.

Please get up and leave the classroom if you need to use the restroom, need to take/make a critical phone call/text, etc. and we are not during break time. You do need to ask for permission for these activities.

During active class time, please do not have side conversations. This is also a distraction to me and your classmates. If you'd like to socialize or catch up with a classmate, please wait for a transition time between activities or leave the room to do so.

If you find you are drowsy during the course of our very long class, I encourage you to take a brief walk or to get a drink to help with your alertness. It is not acceptable behavior to "rest your head" or close your eyes during class time.

Correspondence Comportment:
Please note: All written work, including in class and out of class correspondence, should be thoughtfully made and express its content with a professional attitude. That is, you should explicitly attend to:

· function (e.g., what do I need and want to convey?)

· context (e.g., to whom and under what circumstances?)

· format (e.g., should this look like a letter, an essay, a research paper?)

· mechanics (e.g., have I checked the spelling and grammar?).

· means (e.g., is this neatly typed and submitted on time?)

Your attention (or lack of attention) to these details can affect your evaluation.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Late work might be accepted, on pre-arrangement with the instructor. "Pre-arrangement" includes both the email request by the student and the consent of the instructor. Students therefore must plan ahead and give the instructor at least 24hrs before the scheduled class time to respond.

If unplanned conflict in the last 24 hours prevents a student from receiving permission to submit an assignment late, the student needs to inform the instructor via email of this circumstance. In this case, the instructor will likely consent once a semester to this contingency.

Missing work: This will be represented by a zero score in the grading.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity