Introductory Psychology
Psy 1890G
Fall 2009

Teaching Philosophy

"The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled" --Plutarch

Course Materials

Required textbook: Psychology: Concepts and Applications, Third Edition (2009), by Jeffrey A. Nevid

The textbook web site contains tutorials, critical thinking exercises, and practice quizzes.

Catalog Description

An integrated overview of the basic methods and principles of psychology including natural and social science contributions to the understanding of behavior and cognitive processes.

Course Objectives

• Complete several writing assignments analyzing, synthesizing, and applying principles and concepts covered in course readings and class lectures.
• Compare and contrast theories and methods in psychology and their applications to relevant daily experiences.
• Compare and contrast the value and limitations of the scientific approach for understanding psychological phenomena.
• Recognize and analyze ethical issues in psychological research.
• Understand the impact of psychological processes on society, including the implications of such issues as prejudice, discrimination, and attitude formation and change.
• Recognize individual differences and similarities among people.
• Enjoy learning about psychology.

TurningPoint

TurningPoint is the EIU campus standard for student response systems. As part of this class, you are required to purchase a TurningPoint clicker from the Bookstore, at the cost of approximately $35 + tax. I may use TurningPoint software to do class polling of student opinions and knowledge and monitor participation. You must register your clicker so I can award your participation points. A portion of your grade will depend on TurningPoint participation in class.

A portion of your grade will depend on "clicker" participation in class. As long as you participate on half of the days or more that I record participation, you will receive the full participation points. If you participate in less than half of the days, your participation points will be reduced accordingly.

Requirements and Grading

Online Quizzes

• Questions on the online quizzes are multiple choice, with usually one short answer question.  They are based on material covered in lecture and in the textbook.  Quizzes will be administered in Blackboard. They will be available for up to 5 days after we complete the associated chapter in class. Questions on each quiz are randomly selected from a pool of questions.  Thus, you may end up with 2 questions that appear very similar on your quiz and you will probably not have the same quiz as another student.  However, across all quizzes the average difficulty for everyone in the class will be very similar.  The questions are primarily concept based, meaning that you must understand the concept rather than just memorizing definitions.
• You will have approximately 30 minutes to take the quiz once you begin. If you have a technical problem while taking the quiz, login to Blackboard as soon as you can and complete the quiz, even if it says your time has expired (Blackboard will save the answers). After the quiz has been graded, you can view your results by going to the quiz page and clicking on the action menu icon to the right of the quiz name. Click on the attempt number to see your graded quiz.
• In return for giving you the flexibility on where and when you take the quizzes, I expect you to be honest in taking the quiz without help from your textbook, notes, classmates, or other sources. Make up quizzes will only be given for University-approved absences that extend beyond the 5 day window to take the quiz.
• I drop the lowest of your 10 quiz scores when calculating your grade.
• The final exam is comprehensive, but open book.

Chapter applications

For each chapter, due at the same time as the chapter quiz, you must submit a short writing assignment that explains how something that we talked about in class applies to your life. Your response should be at least 3 or 4 sentences long and provide a clear connection between the course content and its application in order to receive full credit. These assignments are submitted online through Blackboard's "Assignment" link.

Research Paper

• View the complete instructions.
• Grading rubric
• Tips on how to avoid plagiarism
• How to submit your paper to Turnitin.com for plagiarism detection (Macromedia Flash tutorial)
• Due Dates
  • Initial draft: October 14
  • 1st revision: October 21
  • 2nd revision (Final draft): October 28

Academic misconduct

Cheating, plagiarism, and other forms of academic misconduct will not be tolerated.  Academic misconduct will result in zero points for the assignment, and appropriate disciplinary action according to university guidelines.

Reading Schedule, Important Dates

Please read the chapters in the textbook before class in order to enhance understanding of demonstrations, examples, and group discussions.   Please note this schedule is subject to change. 

View the university's academic calendar for holidays and deadlines for dropping or withdrawing from a course.

Individuals with Disabilities

If you have a documented disability and wish to receive academic accomodations, please contact the coordinator of the Office of Disability Services (581-6583) as soon as possible.