Course Syllabus

Course Description:

This course is an introduction to psychology and defines the principles and theories governing the scientific study
of affect, behavior and cognition. Included are such topics as developmental psychology, states of consciousness,
psychotropic agents, learning, memory, motivation, emotion, intelligence, personality, stress, and social psychology,
psychotherapy, research methodology, and psychological disorders. This survey course offers a foundation and
preparation for additional study in psychology and social sciences, for understanding self and others, and principles
of psychology to apply to daily life.

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Student Learning Outcomes:

• Demonstrate an awareness of basic scientific research methods including; principles of scientific research,
  ethical guidelines, observational, correlation, and experimental methods.
  • Apply introductory-level understanding of biological-basis of psychological behavior such as brain and
  nervous system, sensation and perception, variations of consciousness, learning and memory.
  • Demonstrate a basic knowledge of lifespan development including relevant topics such as developmental
  stages and related as appropriate tasks and behaviors.
  • Display a level of understanding of relevant psychological health topics such as disorders, stress and coping,
  and psychotherapies.
  • Demonstrate an introductory level of understanding of the dynamics of human interactions including:
  social cognition, attitudes, attributions, and group behaviors.

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Course Content:

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Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Psychology 2e from OpenStax, ISBN 978-1-975076-45-0
You have several options to obtain this book:

• View online (Links to an external site.)
• Download a PDF (Links to an external site.)

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

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Grading:

Exams
You will take five exams during the length of the class. These exams may be multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank,
and/or short answer questions. You can’t use any notes or textbooks during the exam, and you can’t use phones or
computers. If you need to use a translator, spell check or need disability assistance, please contact me well before
the exam date. Each exam is based on the chapters we studied in the previous weeks. My policy is to discard your lowest exam score when calculating your final grade. So, your total final grade for the class is based on your best four exam grades by the end of the course.

Exam Absences - Schedule Conflict
I do not give make-up exams after the exam date, but if you know you will be absent on an exam date due to
special circumstances, please contact me a week in advance, and I will arrange for you to take it early.
Exam Absences - Emergencies
If you have an emergency on an exam day that prevents you from taking the test, contact me immediately
and provide me written documentation of what is preventing you from taking the exam. The situation should be
unexpected, unavoidable, and significant. I can then determine if you may take a late exam.

Reading Quizzes
Psychology researchers have made a consistent finding in teaching and learning: testing improves learning. I will be
giving you numerous opportunities to use testing to improve your learning. For each textbook chapter, you will be
given a reading quiz.

Grading Policies
The grading scale and grading points breakdown are shown below:

Important Notes:

Classroom Philosophy
I hope to excite you enough with the material in this class to keep you interested so you can do well in the course.
I also hope to provide you with enough understanding of psychology to help your future college studies and your life beyond school. Do not hesitate to reach out if I can be of assistance in helping you achieve these goals!

Class Participation and Attendance

I take attendance each class meeting. I use it to get to know who you are, plus I don’t want you to miss an important exercise, activity, or topic discussion that may be important for your success on an exam. Because we only meet twice a week, if you miss a class, it’s like missing one-and-a-half classes on a course that meets three times a week. You will also earn points for regular attendance.
Please be aware of the other students in your class and be courteous! You will have opportunities to ask questions
and speak up during discussions, ideally offering insights that will benefit your classmates.
Being late to class is strongly discouraged, but something we all might suffer once or twice in a semester. If you’re
unavoidably late, please be very quiet when you enter the room so you disrupt the class as little as possible. Check
with your classmates after class to see whether you missed any important announcements or information. Also,
leaving class early is discouraged. Please contact me at the beginning of the class if you need to leave early, and
again, plan to sit in a place that will create the least disturbance when you leave.

Academic Misconduct

Any form of cheating or plagiarism, which includes any form of using, completing, or submitting someone else’s work or letting them use, complete, or submit yours is unacceptable. If any form of academic dishonesty, including cheating or plagiarism, are discovered, you will receive a zero (0) on the assignment. Additional penalties may be imposed under repeated offenses, including a referral to the Office of Student Life. There are no exceptions for ignorance of what is considered academic dishonesty, so please become familiar with school policies.

Civility (Non-Academic Misconduct)
Developing a successful classroom learning space requires extra attention to the way we engage each other. Our
actions affect everyone in our community. Learning about human behavior may offer the opportunity to challenge
and explore our own beliefs and we may find ourselves challenging other people’s beliefs as well. Please remember
that everyone is going to move through this material in their own way and from their own experiences, and if you
challenge your classmates make sure it is with the goal of improving each other’s learning. ANY behavioral incidents in class will be reported to Campus Safety and the Office of Student Life.

Limits to Confidentiality
Please note that as the instructor of this course, I am a mandatory reporter. That means I am required to report all
incidents of relationship violence and sexual misconduct that involve students, faculty, or staff, occurred at a school sponsored event, or occurred on school property, and even if these are reported in course materials. Therefore, if you share such an experience with me, I will be required to share your name and the details of the disclosure to Child Welfare, Office of Student Life, or other mandated officials. This includes:
• Suspected child abuse/neglect, even if this maltreatment happened when you were a child;
• Allegations of sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, or sexual harassment; and
• Credible threats of harm to oneself or to others.

Cell Phones and Tech In Class
You will need a cell phone, mobile device or laptop each class with connectivity for our daily attendance activity.
If you forget to bring one, let me know so I can manually add you to the attendance list. To create an effective
learning environment for your fellow classmates, I ask that you silence cell phones during class periods and turn
them off during exams (even vibrating phones can be very distracting). I also ask you to limit use of laptop computers or mobile devices (e.g. iPad, etc.), to note taking or other class-related activities. If you notify me before the class that you have an urgent need to receive a call (e.g. sick family member, etc.) during class time, I will make an exception.
DO NOT do the following things during class: lecture, exams, discussion, or activities:
• Text message (except when instructed to do so)
• Look at your phone (except when instructed to do so)
• Take calls or make calls
• Use your laptop or mobile device for messaging, e-mail, web surfing, etc.

Dangerous Weather, Disaster or Community Emergency
My policy on this is simple: if school is closed at the start time of class, we will not have class. In the event that the
campus is open, but I cannot safely travel to school, I will cancel the class and notify you via e-mail as soon as I can.

Accommodations
My experience is that some students need special accommodations, particularly due to learning disabilities. I would
like to hear from you regarding special needs so that I may incorporate them into my class. I respect your right to privacy if you choose not to contact me regarding this matter. However, if you think this might apply to you, then you should immediately investigate receiving appropriate assistance. Please contact College of the Desert (COD) Disabled Students Services Center at www.collegeofthedesert.edu/students/dsps/default.php or dspsinfo@collegeofthedesert.edu or call 760-773-252534 (TDD): 760-773-2598. As COD students, you are eligible to use these services, and establishing a relationship with this office will then cover any classes you enroll in at COD.

How To Contact Me and Office Hours
Contact:
There are several ways you can contact me: my cell phone 970-443-1676 or email dwrobinson@collegeofthedesert.edu.
A few words about e-mail. I do not check my e-mail constantly during the day. If I am busy with class preparation,
I may have to ignore my e-mail for 24-hours (sometimes more). Please be patient if I do not respond immediately.
Also, craft your e-mail messages carefully, and write with more attention to wording and details than you normally
would. E-mail is notorious for miscommunication of motivations, intentions, and emotions. Thank you!

Office Hours:
I hold office hours on Wednesdays at 12:30 – 1:30 pm. You can reach me on my cell (970) 443-1676, TEXT or Zoom.
To Join Zoom Meeting During Office Hours:
https://zoom.us/j/5573349762?pwd=aYLpqJ53k0FLq7Xk7uNK056erHbGJN.1
Meeting ID: 557 334 9762
Passcode: 5CP6xr
By Appointment:
If my office hours conflict with your schedule, I am happy to meet with you at a convenient time for both of us, via
phone call or a place on campus, to assure that your learning experience is a pleasant one.

Course Calendar:

Please Click on This Link to View the Course Calendar which indicates the pages to read in your Textbook for each class meeting, and when our Quizzes and Exams occur. course_schedule-COD.pdf