Course Syllabus
Download Your Syllabus Here
PSYC 1113 – Introductory Psychology
Instructor
Dr. Jenny Shields, LP, HEC-C
Visiting Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences
jennifer.shields@okstate.edu
Kayla Wagler
Graduate Teaching Assistant
kayla.wagler@okstate.edu
Office Hours
Drop-in virtual office hours are Wednesdays 12-2pm Central on Zoom. If this time does not work for you, please email me to set up an individual meeting. Please include your availability in your meeting request to make scheduling more efficient.
https://okstate-edu.zoom.us/j/98376751252
Prerequisites
None
Course Description
The course surveys the principles, theories, vocabulary, and applications of the science of psychology. The course is required of all Psychology majors and also fulfills the University’s general education requirement for the social sciences.
IMPORTANT NOTE: You have chosen to enroll in an accelerated 8-week version of Introduction to Psychology. This condensed format means the course will move at a significantly faster pace than a traditional 16-week semester. We will cover the same material, but in half the time, so it is crucial to stay on top of the coursework. Each week will require a focused effort to complete readings, assignments, and quizzes on time. Consistent engagement and time management will be key to your success in this course.
Goals
We will explore the breadth of Psychology as a discipline, primarily through the textbook in order to help students better understand their behavior and the behavior of others. By examining a number of classic studies in Psychology and their modern-day manifestations you will gain an understanding of how the field has grown and how the results of academic research are often misrepresented in the media. This will increase the media literacy of students in and out of academic domains.
Student Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, research methods, core empirical findings, and historic trends in psychology.
- Explain (including advantages and disadvantages) and compare major theoretical perspectives of psychology (e.g., behavioral, biological, cognitive, evolutionary, humanistic, psychodynamic and socio-cultural);
- Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the following nine general domains: (1) biological bases of behavior and mental processes, (2) sensation and perception, (3) learning and memory (4) cognition, consciousness, (5) individual differences, psychometrics/measurement, personality, (6) social processes (including those related to socio-cultural and international dimensions), (7) developmental changes in behavior and mental processes that occur across the lifespan, (8) psychological disorders, and (9) emotion and motivation;
- Describe and demonstrate an understanding of applied areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, counseling, forensic, community, organizational, school, health);
- Draw the distinction between scientific and non-scientific methods of understanding and analysis.
- Recognize and understand the impact of diversity on psychological research, theory and application, including (but not limited to): age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, socio-economic status, disability, and sexual orientation.
- Understand and apply psychological principles to personal experience and social and organizational settings.
- Demonstrate critical thinking skills and information competence as applied to psychological topics.
- Develop an increased understanding of historical and ongoing oppression of minority group members, and learn how approaching issues of stereotyping, prejudice, and minority experience from a psychological perspective improves our understanding of human behavior.
Primary Textbook
Your primary textbook for this class is available for free online!
Psychology from OpenStax, ISBN 1938168356
You have several options to obtain this book as linked below. You can use whichever formats you want, however, web view is recommended, as the responsive design works well on any device.
Connect is the platform for our textbook, The Science of Psychology. The electronic version of the textbook, called SmartBook, is integrated into Connect. A key feature of SmartBook is LearnSmart, an adaptive quizzing system. LearnSmart asks multiple-choice questions and adjusts based on your responses, focusing on areas where you need to improve.
You will use LearnSmart Connect for every chapter we cover in the course.
To Access LearnSmart, Please Register with your Email Here:
https://connect.mheducation.com/class/j-shields-fall-2024-first-8-weeks
Fees: The University Store has collaborated with the Mcgraw Hill publishers to deliver your required digital course materials at a significantly reduced price. You will have immediate access to your materials through this course in Canvas. The charge for these materials will be billed by the University Store directly to your Bursar account after the drop/add deadline. For additional information regarding inclusive access, please see here.
Technical Requirements
This course is offered in its entirety through Canvas. All resources, including the syllabus, readings, tests, quizzes, links to videos, will be organized through Canvas. You must use your campus email and password to login to the course. If you are unfamiliar with Canvas, please access their online resources for a host of tutorials.
See the Technical Specification recommendations for completing your online course through Canvas, Oklahoma State University’s learning management system. For help with any other tech issues or questions, contact the Oklahoma State IT Help Desk.
- Website: https://it.okstate.edu/services/helpdesk/
- Phone: 405-744-HELP (4357)
- Email: helpdesk@okstate.edu
Course Content
- Syllabus Quiz (25 points): It is essential that you understand the requirements of this course. This quiz will cover the information listed on this document to ensure that you have an understanding of what is expected in the course. This will be due in the first week of the course and is worth 25 points.
- Introduction Video (25 points):You will record an introduction video and post it to the Getting to know you assignment page on canvas. You will then respond to the videos of peers to get a better idea of who you are taking this course with. Building connections can allow you to build virtual study groups or share notes! Completion of this is worth 25 points.
- LearnSmart Adaptive Quizzes (300 points): In each chapter is a series of LearnSmart quiz questions that help you master the material. You will receive 20 points for each completed chapter’s LearnSmart quiz. Late submissions will receive zero (0) points.
- Video Participation & Comprehension Check (225 pts): Each chapter will have 3 short video lectures explaining one of the key topics of that chapter in more detail. You will watch each video and answer the embedded questions that come up during the video. Each video will have 1-5 questions and will be worth a total of 5 points, for a total of 15 points for each chapter. You will have unlimited opportunities to retake these video quizzes, so make sure to retake quizzes where you initially scored low to earn maximum points.
- Midterm Paper (125 pts): Psychology is discussed often in the media, from online articles to evening news talking-points. We often hear about anxiety being caused by something, or something else causing depression. But how accurate is the media’s description of the actual study they’re reporting on? For this assignment, you will find one news article that mentions a specific psychological issue or disorder. You will then find the scientific article the news article is based on. You’ll write your paper comparing the two. This assignment is worth 125 points. Further instructions and grading guidelines will be posted on Canvas.
- Examinations (300 points): You will take a 75-question multiple choice exam on examity via canvas. All exam times are listed below and are outlined on canvas. Each exam is worth 75 points. Late exams will only be allowed for extreme circumstances.
- Notes and textbook are NOT ALLOWED during your online exam. Examity generates a report and video clips of potential exam violations (flipping through notes/book, leaving the exam table multiple times). If a potential violation is flagged by Examity, your exam video will be reviewed. If a review of the video finds violations, you will receive an F for that exam. This means you should make sure to remove any materials from your desk and plan to stay in your seat for the duration of the exam. Treat it like a regular exam!
- Examity and Webcam Requirement: This course requires the use of Examity and a webcam for online exams. The webcam can be the type that's built into your computer or one that plugs in with a USB cable. There is a test taker guide to get you started below Exam 1 in the corresponding module. Please note that Examity proctoring costs ($4) will be billed directly to your bursar. There is a $5 fee for scheduling within 24 hours and a $5 fee for cancelling a scheduled session within 24 hours. Students are responsible for their appointment times.
Introduction to Psychology Course Schedule (8-Week Term)
|
Week |
Dates |
Chapter Topic |
Assignments |
Points |
|
WK 1 |
Aug 19 – Aug 23 |
Chapter 1 - Introduction |
Syllabus Quiz |
25 points |
|
Chapter 2 - Research |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
||
|
WK 2 |
Aug 26 – Aug 30 |
Chapter 3 - Biopsychology |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
|
Chapter 4 - Consciousness |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
||
|
Sept 2 |
Labor Day - No Class |
|||
|
WK 3 |
Sept 3 – Sept 6 |
Chapter 5 - Perception |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
|
Chapter 6 - Learning |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
||
|
WK 4 |
Sept 9 – Sept 13 |
Chapter 7 - Intelligence |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
|
Chapter 8 – Memory |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
||
|
WK 5 |
Sept 16 - Sept 20 |
Chapter 9 - Lifespan Devel. |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
|
Chapter 10 - Motivation |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
||
|
WK 6 |
Sept 23 - Sept 27 |
Chapter 11 - Personality |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
|
Chapter 12 - Social Psych |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
||
|
WK 7 |
Sept 30 - Oct 4 |
Chapter 14 - Stress |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
|
Chapter 15 – Psych Disorders |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
||
|
WK 8 |
Oct 7 – Oct 11 |
Chapter 16 - Treatment |
Video Comprehension Checks |
15 points |
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be calculated according to completion of the following:
|
Assignment |
Points |
% |
|
Syllabus Quiz (1 x 25 pts) |
25 |
2.5% |
|
Introduction Video (1 x 25 pts) |
25 |
2.5% |
|
LearnSmart Adaptive Quizzes (15 x 20 pts) |
300 |
30% |
|
Video Comprehension Checks (15 x 15 pts) |
225 |
22.5% |
|
Midterm Paper (1 x 125 pts) |
125 |
12.5% |
|
Exams (4 x 75 pts) |
300 |
30% |
|
Total |
1000 |
100% |
Final Grades
Final grades will be assigned according to the following scale:
|
Grade |
Percentage Earned |
|
A |
90-100% |
|
B |
80-89.9% |
|
C |
70-79.9% |
|
D |
60-69.9% |
|
F |
0-59.9% |
Important Notes
Participation Expectations
Online courses are by their nature self-paced in many regards, so it is critical that you keep up with assignments as noted elsewhere in this syllabus. Please visit Canvas early and often. Students who are the most successful in online courses are those that tend to access the course on a daily basis. This course will require 7-10 hours per week of your time, which is not any different than if you were taking a face-to-face course. If you have not participated in at least one assignment by the end of week 2, I will be in contact with you to discuss whether or not you should continue in the course.
Instructor Response Time
Email is the best way to communicate with me. Please use appropriate email etiquette when communicating with me. Emails will be responded to within 48 hours. Grades and/or feedback for assignments will be provided within 2 weeks of the assignment due date.
Netiquette
It is expected that students in this course will communicate with others in a professional manner using appropriate internet etiquette. The term “netiquette” is used to refer to the accepted practice of communicating respectfully with others in interactive online channels. You can find a detailed description of the netiquette requirements here.
Diversity & Inclusion
Respectful and courteous treatment of one another is non-negotiable. Please know that you are welcome here. Additional resources that have recently been developed to encourage open discussion of racial minority concerns are included below:
Health Resources
As a student, you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning. Mental health concerns, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, difficulty concentrating, and/or a lack of motivation, can lead to diminished academic performance and/or feelings of distress.
Mental illness and its contributing factors can be complex and sensitive topics, including issues of stigma, health disparities related to race, ethnicity, income, and gender. For additional support, an on-call counselor is available in 320 Student Union, 8 a.m.-12 p.m., and 1-5 p.m. 405-744-5458 http://ucs.okstate.edu/