print >psyc - 2301< syllabus for 1st class day

Please print a copy of this syllabus and bring it with you on

the first day of class.  The syllabus represents a CONTRACT

between student and instructor; as such, it is an important

document to which you may need to refer during the semester.

~ * ~ textbook alert ~ * ~

Students have the option of securing an "e-text" version of the book required

for this class.  The price is currently $62.95 for 180 days.

This format allows both on- and off-line reading and printing of

select pages as well. 

In spite of what you may have heard or read, I strongly recommend

that students access SOME version of this book.

CLASS DATA & OFFICE HOURS

SPRING 2012

Prof E. Megan Baldwin, M.Ed. 

OFFICE HOURS:

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday

10:25am to 10:55am

and by appointment

Suite 224, Pinnacle Campus (2nd floor)

Phone: 223-8108

 

Friday 8:25am to 8:55am

                          &

          11:45am to 12:15pm

Room 8115, Eastview Campus

Phone: 223-5732

~ and by appointment ~

 

Pinnacle Student Services: As I am also an advisor in Student Services I am generally

available there as well; if you look for me there, be sure the  Front Office Staff (223-8108)

knows that you are a student currently enrolled in one of my PSYC 2301 sections.

during peak periods (registration) it may be extremely difficult to see me if you are there

on classroom business outside posted office hours.

 

Voice-Mail: TBA

Please speak clearly; be sure to indicate your name, a return phone number, and the

section in which you are enrolled by its day and start time.

 

please note: for privacy reasons I do not return

phone messages on evenings or weekends. 

Classroom policies

ACC e-mail: kirbey@austincc.edu

Exercise good judgment with respect to the use of e-mail. NEVER submit a

written assignment via e-mail; it will be deleted without being read.  Be sure to

include “PSYC 2301” or “squirrel” somewhere in the subject heading as our

scrubbers treat most incoming mail from students as spam. Emergency

situations and the conveyance of time-sensitive information constitute the

most appropriate uses of e-mail.

  

 ~ * ~ TEACHING PHILOSOPHY:

Students are far more likely to learn what instructors want them to know

when they tell their students what that is.

This philosophy has been borrowed directly from one of my graduate

instructors at the University of Texas.  If it's good enough for UT,

it's good enough for ACC.

  

~ * ~ CELL PHONES:

If your phone rings in class you may be required to relinquish it

for the remainder of class.

FYI:  “texting”   IS   talking

Cell phone use in class is discourteous and disruptive;

be considerate of students around you, many of whom

may be paying much higher tuition.

I have been known to remove phones from students

for the duration of class and expressly reserve the right to do so.

 

~ * ~ Lap-tops & iPads:

Exercise good judgment with the use of electronic equipment in class;

game-playing, “surfing” and other private use is  not good judgment.

I have been known to remove electronic equipment

from students for the duration of class

and expressly reserve the right to do so.

 

~ * ~ ATTENDANCE:

Call me crazy, but I think you will do much better when you come to class on a

regular basis. While attendance is not “required” in the strictest sense of the

word, it is certainly in the best interest of students desiring a respectable

performance grade. It also impresses the teacher. In an attempt to encourage

regular attendance I will, on three occasions, circulate a roster to be signed;

all students present on those days (unless they are tardy: defined below) will

receive three bonus points to be added to their cumulative point total.

Students arriving late (five minutes or more past the scheduled start of class)

are not eligible.

 

~ * ~ Please note that other kinds of rosters will be circulated; not everything you sign is worth

three points. If I am ever absent, your consolation prize is an automatic three points.

 

~ * ~ Make a habit of checking messages on BlackBoard as I will leave announcements

there by 6:30am in the event of my absence. Duplicate announcements will be sent

via e-mail to the students' e-mail account of record.

 

 

~ * ~ TARDY POLICY:

Students arriving late (five minutes or more past the scheduled start of class)

will lose three points from their cumulative point total. Late entrances, while

occasionally unavoidable, are both disruptive and discourteous to the

instructor and timely students alike. In deference to the situational whims of

reality each student will be granted  ONE penalty-free tardy.

 

In instances of severe weather the tardy penalty will likely be waived.

Students must judge for themselves what constitutes hazardous traveling

conditions, and exercise appropriate caution.

There will be a clipboard on my desk that must be signed by late students as

they come in. If I should ever arrive late (same definition) all students in

attendance at the time of my arrival will receive three bonus points.

Statistic: I have been late once in twenty-five years.

 

~ * ~ Make sure you understand the possible consequences of dropping any class (mandated developmental courses, Financial Aid implications, completion ratios, Three-Peat policy, probation or suspension).

 

~ * ~ WITHDRAWALS:

The decision to drop this course rests squarely on the shoulders of the

student. Students have until  MONDAY, 23 APRIL  to make this decision.

Dropping ANY course requires the completion of a simple form in the

Admissions & Records Office.

 

BE SURE TO KEEP YOUR COPY

 

If at any point you are unsure of your status in this class please let me help

you clarify your position. While I am inclined to respect the decisions of

below-average students who want to finish the term, do bear in mind that

once the drop date has passed you are committed to a performance grade.

 

~ * ~ A SPECIAL NOTE FOR FIRST-TIME COLLEGE STUDENTS

ENTERING DURING OR AFTER THE FALL 2007 SEMESTER:

A recent House Bill passed that limits the number of courses a student may

drop to six (6),  for their entire college career as undergraduates,

even when the student transfers to another institution.

You would be well-advised to pay careful attention for updates

on this Bill as it is already the focal point of significant controversy.

 

~ * ~ REINSTATEMENTS:

While college policy does allow previously withdrawn students to be

reinstated, this instructor requires an incredibly compelling motive to do so.

 Since students bear the sole responsibility for withdrawal, I generally

regard that action as definitive and resolute.

 

~ * ~ INCOMPLETES:

A temporary grade of "I" may be granted at the instructor's discretion under

the following conditions:

a) the drop date has already passed;

b) the student's request is based upon a disabling condition or circumstance

which would prevent further attendance;

c) documentation of said condition or circumstance is made available; and

d) the student has already completed two of the three in-class exams.

 

~ * ~ EXTRA CREDIT (XCR):

Two or three times during the semester I will extend to you the opportunity to

earn additional points by responding intelligently to a variety of "problems." 

These assignments allow the student to demonstrate both critical thinking

and organizational skills.  XCR is available  ONLY  to those students in

physical attendance on the days I choose to present an opportunity.  This

constitutes an additional random incentive for more regular attendance. 

Eligibility will be verified with an XCR roster.  Details will be discussed on the

day each opportunity is presented.

 

~ * ~ PLEASE NOTE:

This is a sophomore level college course; spelling and grammar errors are

factored into the final points awarded.

 

ALL PAPERS MUST BE HANDED DIRECTLY TO ME

Assignments left with anyone else or dropped into one of my mailboxes will

not be considered for grading.

  

Extra credit MUST be hand-delivered on or before the due date. Work

submitted in my absence will not be accepted.

NEVER e-mail assignments to me; they will not be considered.

  

~ * ~ In the event of my absence on a previously established due date, the

deadline will shift to the next regularly scheduled class period.

 

~ * ~ StudentsWith Disabilities:

Each ACC campus offers additional support services for students with

documented physical or psychological disabilities.  Students with disabilities

must request reasonable accommodations through the Office for Students

with Disabilities (OSD) on the campus where they expect to take the majority

of their classes. Students are encouraged to register at least three weeks

 before the start of the semester. 

  

~ * ~ SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY:

Acts prohibited by the college for which discipline may

be administered includes, but is not limited to cheating on an exam or quiz,

plagiarizing, and unauthorized collaboration with another party in preparing

outside work.  Academic work submitted by students shall be the result of

their thought, research or self-expression.  Academic work is defined as, but

not limited to tests, quizzes, whether taken electronically or on paper;

projects, either individual or group; classroom presentations, and

homework.  (For a more extensive discussion of disciplinary policies see the

Student Handbook).  I will work directly with my superiors  on a case by case

basis to determine if a student will fail the assignment in  question, receive a

failing grade for the course, or be withdrawn from the class.  At my

supervisor’s discretion, expulsion from the college may be proscribed.

 

  

Course Requirements

PURPOSE:

This is a survey course and as such does not focus at length on any particular

topic; its function is scope, not depth. Within that scope, one of the primary

goals of this course is to provide a practical and accessible overview of seven

major theoretical orientations in the field. We will look to these perspectives

repeatedly throughout the semester in an attempt to understand/explain overt,

cognitive, and emotional behaviors. Other topics will include research

methodology, biology as the future of psychology, learning and conditioning,

intelligence, personality development, psychiatric conditions, and treatment

approaches. This course is a departmental prerequisite for most other

psychology courses. 

 

TESTING INFORMATION & POLICIES

 ***   Study Guides clearly stating unit objectives will be

 distributed at the beginning of each unit. 

These guides serve as an informal outline of topics to be covered. 

                                                          ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

*** All exams are multiple choice and short answer;

 students must provide their own scan-tron sheets for the multiple-choice

portion (available in the bookstore).

   ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  

*** The class immediately prior to each exam will include a BRIEF review;

I strongly encourage audio-taping.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

 *** All exams will include two to four bonus items.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

 *** In the event of student absence it becomes that student’s responsibility to

secure missed notes from another student in the class.  I do not loan out notes.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

*** Exams will be scored and returned by the next regularly scheduled class.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  

*** Re-testing is not an option; attendance bonuses and extra credit

assignments are the two primary ways by which

students may earn additional points.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  

*** If for   ANY  reason you miss an exam you will need to make testing

arrangements with me immediately upon your return.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

 *** Students testing late (for any reason) will have fifteen(15) points

automatically deducted from their score.

 ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

 *** Students testing late (for any reason) must complete

the missed exam within one week of the originally scheduled test;

hospitalization is an exception to this policy.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  

  *** I do notuse the Testing Center. Testing late will require flexibility

and creativity on your part.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~  

 *** Exact testing dates will always be announced at least

one week in advance. 

If you miss one or more classes it will become especially important

for you to get notes and announcements from a classmate.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ 

If your classmates frighten you, check BlackBoard for announcements.

 

 

 

 

TESTING: There will be three 100-point exams taken in class.

 

EXAM #1

tba

EXAM #2

tba

EXAM #3

tba

 

BlackBoard is used to list points awarded along with

a "running-total" of how many points have been

awarded (or deducted).

Logging into BlackBoard will require an active

ACC e-i.d. and password. I will also post

announcements, instructor absences, and

various reminders here as well.

your final grade

YOUR FINAL GRADE will be determined by the total number of points earned

during the semester which correspond to the following letter grades:

(Exams + Attendance Bonuses + XCR Points – Tardies)

300 - 270 = A 240 – 269 = B 210 – 239 = C 180 – 209 = D

 

This space provides a place for you to track your progress:

Exam #1 __________ (xx/100)       ATT BONUS__________

Exam #2 __________ (xx/100)      ATT BONUS__________

Exam #3 __________ (xx/100)     ATT BONUS__________

 

XCR Points:

XCR #1: Due ____________________    Points: __________

XCR #2: Due ____________________   Points: __________

XCR #3: Due ____________________   Points: __________

 

Student Tardies / Instructor Absence:

#1 ____________________

#2 ____________________

#3 ____________________

#4 ____________________

#5 ____________________
 

SYLLABUS CONTRACT

The syllabus represents a contract between the students and the instructor.

Students will be required to sign a “syllabus roster” indicating that they have

received a copy of the course syllabus and understand the policies stated.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

Any significant changes to the course syllabus will be presented

to the entire class in writing.

~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~

If a student does not sign the syllabus roster but then goes on to

complete one or more of the scheduled exams I will interpret that as an

indication that the student has received a copy of the course syllabus and

that the stated policies are understood,

ESPECIALLY policies concerning the implications of dropping

ANY COURSE.

ping. 

Readings

Psychology: 9th Edition, In Modules, David G. Myers

9th Edition, Worth Publishers

 

Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers, Robert Sapolsky

3rd Edition (OPTIONAL UNTIL FALL 2012)

~*~ I may elect to use selected readings from

this book as Extra Credit. If you are majoring in

Psychology, Sociology or Criminal Justice 

I strongly recommend this book for your

professional library.

Course Subjects

Student Learning Outcomes/Learning Objectives