Wednesday: 10:00-12:30
This course consists of a survey of the major topics in psychology; analysis of psychological research; intelligence, memory, and thinking; the biological basis of behavior; emotions, perception and sensation, motivation; wellness and stress; personality; heredity and learning; developmental psychology; social psychology, abnormal psychology (including therapy and treatment); and states of consciousness. Some sections of this course are taught in the computer lab; computer literacy skills are recommended.
Course Alignment
General Education Outcomes are the knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors that students are expected to develop as a result of their overall experiences with any aspect of the college, including courses, programs, and student services, both inside and outside of the classroom. The General Education Outcomes specifically learned in this course are:
- Critical Thinking
Course Description: Prerequisite: Appropriate assessment score of ENGL 1413 with a grade of C or better. Must be completed prior to taking this course. This course consists of a survey of the major topics in psychology: analysis of psychological research; intelligence; memory, and thinking; the biological basis of behavior; emotions; perception and sensation; motivation; wellness and stress; theories of personality (including therapy and treatment); and states of consciousness. Some sections of this course are taught in the computer lab; computer literacy skills are recommended. AAS: Social and behavioral science elective. IAI S6 900 Social and behavioral sciences.
Goals & Objectives: A student who successfully completes this course should be able to demonstrate and understanding of:
● psychological research and evidence.
● states of consciousness such as attention, sleep and dreaming, hypnosis and drug use.
● leading social factors that influence behavior, esp. how we relate to, influence, and think about people.
● the principles of learning and memory, and the major kinds of learning.
● how psychological factors influence physical health.
● the functions and operations of cognitive processes.
● major principles of sensations and perception.
● the kinds, causes, prevention, and treatments of psychological disorders and ways of coping with them.
● major development changes that occur during the main stages of the lifespan.
● the contributions of both heredity and learning to human behavior.
● the functions and operations of the major parts of the brain and nervous system.
● the causes, nature and effects of emotions.
● the major principles of motivation.
● the main theories of personality. __________________________________________
Faculty Contact Information
A half hour before class starts, and after class ends, or by appointment
Faculty:
Course Instructor: Ericka Clark, MA, LCPC
Phone: 815-210-6197
Email: eclark@kcc.edu
Associate Dean, Humanities/Social Sciences: Jennifer Huggins
Location: L341
Office phone: 815-802-8484 | email: jhuggins@kcc.edu
Academic Division Offices: W102 Division
Phone: 815-802-8700 | Division email: LASdivision@kcc.edu
Course Information
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of psychological research and evidence.
- Demonstrate an understanding of states of consciousness such as attention, sleep and dreaming, hypnosis and drug use.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the leading social factors that influence behavior, esp. how we relate to, influence, and think about people.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of learning and memory, and the major kinds of learning.
- Demonstrate an understanding of how psychological factors influence physical health.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the functions and operations of cognitive processes.
- Demonstrate an understanding of major principles of sensation and perception.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the kinds, causes, prevention, and treatments of psychological disorders and ways of coping with them.
- Demonstrate an understanding of major developmental changes that occur during the main stages of the lifespan.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the contributions of both heredity and learning to human behavior.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the functions and operations of the major parts of the brain and nervous system.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the causes, nature and effects of emotions.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the major principles of motivation.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the main theories of personality.
- Topical Outline
- Research Methods
- Biological Processes and Neuroscience
- Sensation and Perception
- Consciousness
- Learning and Behaviorism
- Memory and Cognition
- Human Development
- Personality Theory
- Social Psychology
- Stress and Health
- Psychological Disorders and Treatments
Textbook(s) & Course Materials: Licht, D., Hull, Ballantyne (2022). Presenting Psychology, 4th ed. New York: Worth Publishers.
Evaluation:
Graded Criteria:
Assignments (30 points each) - 120 points
Discussions (10 points each) - 80 points
Attendance/Class Participation - 80 points
In Class Presentation - 30 Quizzes (10 points each) 150 points
Total Points: 460 points
Grading Scale:
414-460 points - A
368-413 points - B
322-367 points - C
276-321 points - D
<275 points F ______________________________________________________________________ Description of each criterion:
Application Assignments (120 points):
Assignments will be given to enhance learning and apply concepts outside of the classroom. Assignments MUST be completed and turned in by the due date to receive full credit. I expect assignments to be typed in a MS doc (unless otherwise instructed) and free of errors. Assignments will be submitted in a dropbox in Canvas. I will supply specific instructions prior to the due date. You will complete four assignments (one required and three of your choice) so that you can focus on your interests and work around other time commitments. Additional instruction will be provided during the applicable unit.
1. Research Studies Response - develop a response to a social media post that makes a claim regarding a psychological concept
2. Personality Analysis – using theories described in the text, analyze your own personality and development.
3. Brain Video – create a video explaining neural communication and functions of the brain
4. Memory Assignment – apply a strategy covered in the unit to a concept covered in the course to better recall information
5. Sensation and Perception – record and reflect upon your observations of a “dining in the dark” experience
6. Consciousness – summarize and analyze the meaning of a dream you’ve had, keep a diary of meditation exercises, or compare and contrast consequences of drug classes
7. Cognition Paper – find information contrary to a common misconception and summarize the article or reflect upon results from your Multiple Intelligence Assessment
8. Conditioning Experiment – apply principles of classical or operant conditioning and report your results
9. Social Behavior Assignment – select one option from a variety of choices prompting you to explore concepts within social psychology (i.e. deviate a social norm, observe group behavior, try to get someone to conform their behavior, etc.)
10. Mental Health Paper – consider how mental health conditions are portrayed in popular film
Discussion questions: (80 points):
Each week’s question will be posted in Canvas. Each unit has at least 1 question. (Sometimes I list 2 or 3 questions and give extra credit for doing additional questions) Discussion questions based on the assigned readings and course content. You are responsible for posting your own answer or ideas to one of the discussion questions. It is important that all postings show an understanding of the assigned readings and the psychological theories, as well as your personal opinion. You can earn up to 10 points for each response based on the depth of your answer, and can receive 3 extra credit points for doing the extra questions. Late DQ’s will NOT be accepted.
Class Attendance & Participation (80 points):
Class attendance and participation is an important part of learning. You will receive 80 points for attending and participating in class. In-class Presentation (30 points): Each student will prepare a short in class presentation during the semester on materials learned
Quizzes (150 points):
A short quiz will be given before each class session to assess your preparation for class. Because the purpose of the quiz is to ensure that students are prepared for class, late quizzes will not be accepted. Each quiz must be taken within a specified time period and will have a time limit once you begin.
Liberal Arts & Sciences
Dean, Jennifer Huggins; 815-802-8484; R310; jhuggins@kcc.edu; Division Office- W102; 815-802-8700
Course Policies:
● Plagiarism is defined in section 16.2 of the Code of Conduct: “Representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own. Plagiarism includes claiming credit for assignments completed by someone else.” All instances of intentional plagiarism on any major assignment for this course will lead to the immediate failure of the course with no opportunity for the student to withdraw. The instance of plagiarism will be reported to the Dean of Student Development. If the student has a second instance of plagiarism reported to the Dean of Student Development, the student may be suspended from the institution.
● Academic Integrity: Students are expected to submit honest, original work. Examples of cheating include copying another student’s work, using another’s work without appropriate references, or submitting your own work that has already been used for another class. The college regards cheating as a very serious offense and may result in failure of the class.
● Attendance: Regular attendance is expected in accordance with college policy. Attendance in an online course is measured by completing the assignments.
● Late Assignments: All assignments and papers are expected on the due date assigned. Should unusual circumstances arise that delay your work, you may turn in your assignment up to one week late with a deduction of a full letter grade for that assignment. Late DQ’s, quizzes or exams ARE NOT ACCEPTED!
● Writing Style: All coursework must be typed. Abbreviations such as those used when texting (i.e., “u” instead of “you”) is NOT appropriate and work containing such abbreviations will not be graded. Instead, it would be returned to you for corrections and you will immediately lose on letter grade for that assignment. Once you have made corrections, you may turn in the assignment for grading. You will lose an additional letter grade for each week the assignment is late.
College Policies:
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non-Attendance/Non Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu.
Withdrawals:
When it is necessary to withdraw from a course or from the college, a student may do so on or before the withdrawal date stated on the syllabus without receiving a punitive final grade. Change of Schedule forms (used to add or drop a course) are available in Student Services and the student should obtain the required signatures prior to submitting the Change of Schedule form to an advisor in Student Services. Students may submit Change of Schedule forms through the mail, but they must be postmarked no later than the withdrawal date. No withdrawals are allowed by phone. To determine the last date to withdraw with a grade of “W” in this course, log into KCConnect and click on “my registration statement” under Academic Profile.
Code of Conduct:
Students need to adhere to the Code of Conduct located in the college catalog.
Non-Attendance/Non-participation:
KCC complies with state law and federal financial aid policy. If you receive an attendance grade of F, or are institutionally withdrawn from a course, it will affect your eligibility for financial aid. (1) You must attend at least one class, or participate at least once for an online course (logging in without participation is not attending), by the 10th day of 16 week courses or within the first 10% of shorter term classes. Non-attendance will result in an attendance grade of F. (2) If you have excessive absences and no reasonable chance of passing the course at midterm (or after), your instructor may give you and WX grade and have you institutionally withdrawn from the course.
Title IX:
Students sometimes choose to share private information with their professors. We appreciate your trust! Nonetheless, students need to be aware that KCC faculty and certain staff are required to report any incidents of sexual harassment and/or violence that we may hear about. Specifically, we will contact KCC’s Title IX Coordinator, the Dean of Student Development and Services. Please don’t feel like you can’t reach out but be aware of our requirement to report. If you want to speak with someone who is not required to report, please know that you are very welcome to call the county’s confidential sexual assault hotline (no referral is necessary and your anonymity is guaranteed unless you choose to share your name): 815-932-3322 (Kankakee) or 815-432-0420 (Iroquois).
Resources:
For informationKCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit http://www.kcc.edu/students to access student resources services such as: tutoring services Office of disability services Miner Memorial Library Counseling and Referral Services,
College Policies, Resources and Supports
For information related to the Student Code of Conduct Policy, Withdrawal Policy, Email Policy, and Non- Attendance/Non-Participation Policy, please review the college’s Code of Campus Affairs and Regulations webpage, which can be found at catalog.kcc.edu under the Academic Regulations & Conduct Guide.
KCC offers various academic and personal resources for all students. Many services are offered virtually, as well as in person. Please visit Student Resources - Kankakee Community College to access student resources services such as:
- Clubs and organizations
- Counseling and referral services
- Office of disability services
- Student complaint policy
- Transfer services
- Tutoring services, etc.
The materials on this course are only for the use of students enrolled in this course for purposes associated with this course. Further information regarding KCC's copyright policy is available at https://kcc.libguides.com/copyright.
|Course syllabus/calendar is subject to change.