UWSP  Psychology Dept.  Dr. P's Place 
Introduction to Psychology - 110 (Sec. 8)
Dr. M. Plonsky - Fall, 2017
Class meets Tuesdays & Thursdays, 3:30-4:45 p.m. in Science D-102 (Last update 8/30/17).

Please bookmark this Syllabus page, print it, & use it as a reference throughout the semester. While it may be modified, you will be notified if it is through announcements in class and/or email.


Contains:
Course Description - goals, book, research req., attendance (& notes), grading, expectations, additional issues, contact info.
Tentative Class Schedule
Grade Postings (Grading Code Collection Form - please fill out during the first week of class).
Research Requirement Website
Our Text Book's Website - includes online quizzes & study aids. It will cost $6 for access. It is worth your while. I strongly encourage you to make this investment.
UWSP Tutoring Learning Center (TLC)

Course Description
A. GOALS & LEARNING OBJECTIVES
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.

These days, educational institutions talk about Learning Outcomes which are descriptions of what students should be able to know and do following a particular course or program. UWSP identifies the following Learning Outcomes for Social Science courses at the investigative level of the General Education Program. You should be able to:

  1. Define the major concepts and methods used by social scientists to investigate, to analyze, or to predict human or group behavior.
  2. Explain the major principles, models, and issues under investigation by the social sciences.
  3. Examine how the individual or groups of individuals are influenced by social, cultural, or political institutions both in their own culture and in other cultures.
To align this course with the general outcomes specified by the university, some specific learning outcomes for this course will be for you to be able to:
  1. Recognize that correlation does not imply causation.
  2. Recognize the biological underpinnings of behavior.
  3. Differentiate between learning and cognitive processes.
  4. Differentiate between characteristic patterns of variation in human behavior.
  5. Recognize how social situations and groups can influence behavior.
Book Cover

B. BOOK
The required text (available in the college bookstore) is: Cacioppo, J. & Laura A. Freberg. (2013).  Discovering Psychology: The Science of the Mind (1-st Edition). CA: Cengage. Note that it costs $6 for a semester of access to the online quizzes and study materials made available by the book company.

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 P110 Research Requirement.

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). Dr. C. Wendorf is the "Human Subjects Pool Coordinator" and oversees this requirement. Thus, all questions and concerns about this requirement should be directed to him (office: Science B241, phone: 346-2304, email: cwendorf@uwsp.edu).

In summary, you must satisfy this requirement in order to receive a grade in the course. Satisfaction of the requirement does not affect the grade you earn. Rather, it determines whether you will be given a grade. Those who do not complete the requirement will receive an Incomplete (I) in the course. If this happens, you have one semester to complete the requirement by writing the research review or the Incomplete will automatically be changed to an "F". Here are some tips regarding this requirement:

D. ATTENDANCE
According to the university Attendance Policy, you are to "Attend all your classes regularly". While I do not formally take attendance, it is unlikely that you will do well in the course if your attendance is poor. There are at least two reasons for this. The first is due to the fact that the exams include some material only presented during class sessions. Second, I believe that in class discussion of the material is necessary to gain the level of understanding of the material required.

If you miss a class, it will be to your benefit to find out what occurred during that class from a classmate. Keep in mind that since this class meets once a week, missing a class is really missing a week of class. Most of the text for multimedia slides used in lecture are available below in a format that can be read by most word processors. I recommend bringing these to class (in whatever format you find most useful).

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
A Study Guide for the book, which includes a more detailed
description of what to concentrate on in the readings, is also available.

E. GRADING POLICY

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. As noted earlier, I believe class discussion to be a necessary ingredient for the class to accomplish its goals. Thus, if class participation is not forthcoming, I will call on people at random.
  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 each week. I will make announcements via this medium.
  8. To not plagiarize or otherwise steal the work of others.
  9. To understand & adhere to your Rights & Responsibilities as a UWSP student.
  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. ADDITIONAL ISSUES

H. CONTACT INFORMATION
My office is located in Science B-341. I will have office hours Tuesdays 2-3:00 p.m., Wednesdays 1-2:00 p.m., and Thursdays 2:30-3:30 p.m. (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. Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions.

When sending me an email, please following the directions below carefully. It will ensure a more timely and relevant response from me. I typically reply within 1-2 business days.
  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 100-250 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. A worthy website regarding this issue is Netiquette by C. Pirillo.

Tentative Class Schedule

Barring illness on my part or other such unforeseen emergencies, we will stick with this schedule. If changes are necessary they will be announced in class and via email.

WK

DATE

LECTURE TOPIC

Readings (C&F13)

1

9/5-Tu

Orientation

C. 1

 

9/7-Th

Introduction

 

2

9/12

Methods

C. 2

 

9/14

  "

 

3

9/19

Statistics

C. 3

 

9/21

  "

 

4

9/26

Biopsychology

C. 4

 

9/28

  "

 

5

10/3-Tu

EXAM 1

 

 

10/5

Perception

C. 5

6

10/10

Sleep

C. 6

 

10/12

Drugs

Pps. 813-828.

7

10/17

Learning

C. 8

 

10/19

  "

 

8

10/24

Memory

C. 9

 

10/26-Th

EXAM 2

 

9

10/31

Development

C. 11

 

11/2

  "

 

10

11/7

Sex

C. 7

 

11/9

  "

 

11

11/14

Eating

C. 12

 

11/16

Personality

Pps. 801-805 & 829-840.

12

11/21-Tu

EXAM 3

 

 

11/23

-- Thanksgiving Break --

 13

11/28

Abnormal Behavior

C. 14

 

11/30

  "

 

14

12/5

Therapy

C. 15

 

12/7

  "

 

15

12/12

Social Psychology

C. 13

 

12/14

  "

 

 

12/19-Tu

EXAM 4 (5-6:00 p.m.).
NOTE: The exam is only 1 hour, rather than from
5-7:00 p.m. as indicated in the timetable.


UWSP Psychology Dept. Dr. P's Place Comments? mplonsky@uwsp.edu.