Introduction to Psychology

PSY 120 (03)

Spring -- 2008

Instructor: Professor Kipling Williams

Download Syllabus

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Review Session for Exam 5:

Thursday, May 1

5:00-6:00pm WTHR 200

You can download lectures to your iPod!

The link for iTunes is www.itap.purdue.edu/tlt/BoilerCast

There is a link to the left of the page called "BoilerCast File Access". Once this link is clicked, it will take you to an authentication page where you will need to input your career account login and password. If the PC/Mac you are using has iTunes, you will be taken to the main page where all the Purdue colleges are listed. PSYC is under Liberal Arts. If the PC you are using does not have iTunes, the browser should prompt you to install it. The install is free, as Purdue has a license agreement with Apple. Once iTunes is installed, the browser will direct you to the main page. Click on Liberal Arts and PSY120 - Spring2008 - Williams. That is where the lectures will be posted.

Final Exam Date/Time/Place:

Friday, May 2, 1:00 - 3:00 pm, in Fowler Hall 130 (in Stewart Center).

THE ROOM FOR THE FINAL HAS CHANGED TO:

LILLY 1105 (still Friday, May 2, 1:00-3:00)

The reasons for the change are:

Fowler Hall has fewer seats and no desk tops, so you'd have to take the exam on a clipboard on your knees. I didn't like that, and I doubt you would have liked it.

Textbook: Myers, D. G. (2007). Psychology (8th Edition). NY: Worth.

***Your textbook purchase includes on on-line version of the text that expires 12 months after purchase.***

TAs: (Please email the TA first prior to visiting them; they would prefer email to phone, as well)

Course Objectives: The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the field of psychology. There are three major sub-goals: (1) To explain how psychologists think about and study behavior. (2) To introduce you to the body of knowledge and underlying principles that currently exist in the field. (3) To encourage reflection about the implications of psychological research for everyday life.

Class Format: This class involves two lectures each week. The 75-minute lectures will speak to the topics listed on this syllabus. The text covers these same topics, but lectures and text overlap only about 50%. Consequently you will need to attend lectures and read the text to learn all of the examinable material.

Grading: Course grades will be based on 5 non-cumulative midterm exams (each worth 20% of the final grade). Make-ups will only be granted if (a) you contact me -- by email or phone -- on or before the exam, and (b) you bring with you a valid medical excuse. If a make-up is granted, you will take it at a time convenient for your TA. The grades will follow the following breakdown. The percentages are based on the top score achieved in the class. There are no extra credit opportunities.

Research Participation in Experiments. There is no better way to learn how psychologists think and discover than to be part of the process. To this end, you have the opportunity and responsibility to participate in ongoing research in the Department of Psychological Sciences.

As an important component to learning, all students in PSY 120 are required to earn 11 experiment credit units for their participation in research sponsored by the Department of Psychological Sciences, or to complete equivalent written assignments. All necessary information regarding this course requirement will be explained in class. If you join the class late or are absent during the in-class explanation, you can obtain this information from Sue Phebus, Experiment Coordinator, PRCE 385G, or from the Department’s web page under the Research heading.

Students who do not wish to take part in research, or who cannot take part due to conflicts, may perform alternative, written assignments. Guidelines for these alternative assignments can be viewed on the Department’s web page under the Research heading. Students with course grades of A, B, or C will not receive credit for the course until the research participation or alternative project requirements are fulfilled.

If you choose to participate in research projects, you must sign up for individual research sessions using the Sona Systems sign-up program. The web address is http://purdue-psych.sona-systems.com/.

a) User ID: The user id is the same as your Purdue career account. Example: sphebus
b) Password: The password will be generated by the Sona Systems program and sent to your Purdue e-mail account (Example: sphebus@purdue.edu).

Please check your Purdue e-mail and let the Experiment Coordinator know if you do not receive a password from Sona Systems.

Even if you do not plan to participate in experiments now, you are advised to try logging in to the system now. If you have trouble doing so, please contact the Experiment Coordinator at sphebus@purdue.edu for assistance.

You may cancel your participation in an experiment by following the instructions on-line in the Sona Systems program (or by directly notifying the experimenter conducting the session for which you have signed up, or by notifying Sue Phebus at 4-6945 or via e-mail at sphebus@purdue.edu at least one hour in advance of the experiment session. Failure to do so will result in a penalty equal to the amount of credit you would have earned by your participation. In other words, if you miss a one-credit experiment without canceling in advance, you will be assessed a one-credit penalty, bringing your required research participation credits to 12, rather than 11.

Various experiments are scheduled throughout the semester and are run until the last day of classes, but not during finals week. You should plan to complete your research participation before that date. Also, all alternate projects must be turned in by the last day of classes, before finals week begins. Projects received after the last day of classes will receive an incomplete; these projects will not be graded until the beginning of the next semester.

Purdue Student Code of Honor: Know it and follow it. For your own sake, do your own work. Plagiarism is a serious offense, and is easily detectable with the advent of search engines. It does not matter if you plagiarized intentionally or unintentionally-either way it is plagiarism. Here is a useful website to understand the definition and issues surrounding plagiarism: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_plagiar.html

Emergencies: In the event of a major campus emergency, course requirements, deadlines and grading percentages are subject to changes that may be necessitated by a revised semester calendar or other circumstances. Here are ways to get information about changes in this course. WebCT Vista web page, my class web page, email address: kip@psych.purdue.edu, and my office phone: 494-0845.

Schedule of Topics and Readings for Lecture

*Jan 11 Last day for late registration
**Jan 18 Last day to cancel a course assignment without it appearing on record
***Mar 17 Last day to cancel a course assignment without a grade, for course additions, change of level or change of pass/not-pass option.

Useful Web Sites and Resources:

http://www.psywww.com/