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Course Description A. GOALS
We will have two overlapping goals. The first is to introduce you to the basic principles, concepts, methods and important issues in the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The second is to replace the popular image of psychology with a more realistic picture.

B. BOOK
The required text (available in the college bookstore) is: Smith, E. E., et al. (2003).  Atkinson & Hilgard's Introduction to Psychology (14-th Edition). CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, Inc.

C. RESEARCH REQUIREMENT
This is a requirement of ALL students taking PSY110 (about 600-900 per semester). The goal of this requirement is to help familiarize you with psychological research. There are two ways to satisfy the requirement.
(1) Participate as a subject in psychological research, or
(2) you can write a review of published research. These reviews are graded pass/fail.
Participation as a subject will give you an inside view of how research is conducted as well as assist faculty and other students who are conducting research. All experiments involving human subjects on campus have been approved by the Institutional Review Board for the Protection of Human Subjects or (IRB).

• If you participate in an experiment, be sure to keep the email that you will receive from the Sona-Systems Website. This email will serve as your receipt. In the case of a clerical error, this email will prove that you have participated.
• If you choose to write the research report, be sure to keep a copy for yourself when handing it in. (The copy will serve as your receipt.)
• If you obtain an incomplete as a result of this requirement, you should take care of it as soon as possible.

D. ATTENDANCE
While I do not formally take attendance, it is unlikely that you will do well in the course if your attendance is poor. This is due to the fact that the exams include some material only presented during class sessions. If you miss a class, it will be to your benefit to find out what occurred during that class from a classmate. Most of the text for multimedia slides used in lecture are available below in a format that can be read by most word processors.

1-st Quarter	2-nd Quarter	3-rd Quarter	4-th Quarter
Introduction Science Biopsychology	Perception Consciousness    Sleep    Drugs Learning Memory	Development Motivation    Eating    Sex Personality	Psychopathology Psychotherapy Social
An outline of the contents of the book, which includes a more detailed description of what to concentrate on in the readings, is also available.

E. GRADING POLICY

• Four exams will be given. Each will consist of 50 multiple choice questions. Each exam will only cover material since the previous exam. Your grade is primarily determined by the average of these 4 exam scores.
• You will be responsible for both the assigned readings and the lecture material. Many students dislike the reading. I am sorry if you do. Nevertheless, I must prepare you to learn independently. Reading about the material in all its detail is a necessary skill in this regard. Those students who do not take the reading seriously do not do as well as they would like to in the course.
• I will post exam scores on the web a couple of days after each of the exams for students who give me a code to do so.
• Bring a couple of Number 2 pencils for the exams. If you are wearing a hat with a brim, I will ask you to turn it around or take it off when taking exams. Music players/Smart phones are not allowed during exams.
• Cheating on an exam will lead to an automatic failure of that exam and possibly other penalties.
• Failure to show up for an exam results in failure of that exam. If you must miss an exam, let me know BEFORE the exam takes place or written documentation of the emergency will be required.
• If you wish to reschedule an exam, send me an email no more than one week prior to the occurance of the exam . I will then send you an email with the times that the psychology department has available for make-up exams (typically there are 3 times available each week). Your reply to my email with your choice of a date & time will then serve as my reminder to give the proctor your exam. You are allowed to reschedule an exam in this manner one time in a given semester before written documentation is required. Note that if your cumulative grade in the class is less than a 'B-', you should not postpone an exam.
• There is no provision for "extra projects" to improve grades. However, I MAY increase your grade beyond that which is indicated by the arithmetic average of your test scores for any of the following three reasons:
  1. Class participation
  2. Improvement over the semester
  3. One test score that is significantly lower than the other three
• Concerning withdrawing from a class, it must be done in a timely manner in accordance with published deadlines.  Failure to do so could result in a failing grade or the loss of reimbursable tuition fees.

F. EXPECTATIONS
What I expect from you:

1. To agree to study this syllabus carefully (ASAP) & refer to it when questions arise about the class.
2. To acknowledge that effort, by itself, is not enough to justify a worthy grade. In other words, you are graded primarily on the merit of your performance in the class rather than the amount of effort you put into the class.
3. To acknowledge that previous academic preparation (e.g., biology, math, etc.) matters. Those who are better prepared are likely to do better in the class.
4. To attend class & give your full attention to the material, as well as conduct yourself in an appropriate manner (e.g., not having personal conversations during lectures or performing other activities that disrupt the class).
5. To meet the obligations of the course (e.g., reading, assignments, etc.) and not make excuses for your failure to do so.
6. To treat everyone in class, including the professor, with respect.
7. To check your university email account several times per week. I will let you know when grades are posted & make other announcements via this medium (e.g., if I need to cancel a class, I will send an email early that morning).
8. To not plagiarize or otherwise steal the work of others.
9. To understand & adhere to the UWSP Student Rights & Responsibilities (PDF file). 
10. To turn off or silence cell phones when in class.

What you can expect from me:

1. To manage the class in a professional manner. This may include educating you in appropriate classroom behavior.
2. To prepare carefully for each class & begin & end it on time.
3. To try to learn your name (if class size permits) & to recognize your individuality & treat you with respect, as well as to be honest with you.
4. To treat all students equally. Thus, I will not discriminate on the basis of your identity, appearance, gender, race, creed, color, viewpoints, disability, whether I like you or not, or anything else.
5. To have 3 office hours each week during which you are welcome to stop by (no appointment necessary). See contact info for more detail.
6. To give grades primarily based on the quality of your work.
7. To return your grades quickly (with your permission) & with detailed feedback. For example, I will provide you with an overall estimate of your grade prior to the 10th week of the semester drop deadline.
8. To be honest about what I know. If I do not know something, I will say so.
9. To treat any plagiarism, cheating, or other violations of academic integrity harshly.
10. To silence my cell phone when in class.

G. CONTACT INFORMATION
My office is located in Science B-341. I will have office hours 12:30-2:00 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays (or you can arrange to see me by appointment at some other mutually convenient time). Note that my office hours do NOT require an appointment. If my door is closed, please knock. You can see a visual of my schedule here. You can reach me at 346-3961 (and please leave a message if I am not available) or through electronic mail at mplonsky@uwsp.edu. You can also send me email using a web form. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

If you have occasion to send me an email, please do the following:

1. Use the “Subject:” line. It should summarize the point of the email in a couple of words.
2. Tell me which class is involved. I typically teach 3 classes & have about 200 students each semester.
3. Write professionally. In other words, use whole words and sentences, unlike texting where you might use the minimal amount of letters you can get away with.
4. Here are two worthy websites regarding this issue:
   Netiquette by C. Pirillo
   Tips for Better E-mail Etiquette by L. Stack, MBA, CSP

Tentative Class Schedule

WK	DATE	LECTURE TOPIC	READINGS	Web
1	1/24-Tu	Orientation
	1/26-Th	Introduction	Chapter 1
2	1/31	Methods
	2/2	"
3	2/7	Statistics	Appendix 1 (p. A1-A12)
	2/9	"
4	2/14	Biopsychology	Chapter 2
	2/16	"	pps. 443-448.
5	2/21-Tu	EXAM 1
	2/23	Perception	Chapter 5 & pps. 224-229.
6	2/28	Sleep	pps. 196-207, 228-229.
	3/1	Drugs	pps. 212-223, 591-594.
7	3/6	Learning	Chapter 7
	3/8	"	p. 381.
8	3/13	Memory	Chapter 8
	3/15-Th	EXAM 2
-- Spring break--
9	3/27	Development	Chapter 3
	3/29	"
10	4/3	Sex	Chapter 10
	4/5	"
11	4/10	Eating
	4/12	Personality	Chapters 13
12	4/17	"	pps. 513-515.
	4/19-Th	EXAM 3
13	4/24	Abnormal Behavior	Chapter 15
	4/26	"
14	5/1	Therapy	Chapter 16
	5/3	"
15	5/8	Social Psychology	Chapter 17
	5/10	"	pps. 406-408, 664-674.
	5/14-Mo	EXAM 4 (12:30-1:30 p.m.). NOTE: The exam is only 1 hour, rather than from    12:30 - 2:30 p.m. as indicated in the timetable.

Click the green icons () in the web column for a list of relevant links.