Welcome!  You have reached an information page for my Psychology 300 - General Principles course.  This class is a face-to-face class; if you are enrolled or interested in my online class, please click on the link above.  If you have reached this page in error, hit the back button on your browser or click on any of the links in the navigation menu to access my other classes.

Please read the notices below to find the information you are looking for.  If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.  

Please note that these are 16 week classes.

Start Date: January 17, 2009
Holidays: January 19, February 13, February 16, April 6-12
End Date: May 20, 2009

Tuesday, January 20 is the first day of class.  On this date registered students will also have full access to the class website: Desire2Learn (also known as D2L).  If you have never used D2L, instructions to log in are available on D2L's homepage.  Click on the link below to log into D2L.  Make sure to bookmark it as a "Favorite."  All assessments are administered through this class website.

Website: http://d2l.losrios.edu

I will be distributing permission numbers on a first-come-first serve basis via email or in-person based on available spots on the roster. 

Access to the class website (http://d2l.losrios.edu) will be available within 48 hours after official registration with eServices.

Important Note: This class uses web-based tools and requires completion of all assessments via the Internet.

This is an introductory psychology class.  It is expected that each student has enrolled with the intention of fulfilling the course objectives as described below.  Students should be prepared to discuss their knowledge and experiences with these issues in small groups and during class activities.

1. Evaluate the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, and historical trends in psychology.

2. Examine applications of psychological concepts, theories, and research findings to personal, interpersonal, occupational, and social/community contexts.

3. Incorporate systematic critical thinking in arriving at conclusions about behavior and mental processes.

4. Examine the role that culture and diversity plays in the various aspects of human behavior and mental processes.

5. Differentiate between the various psychological research methods and their applications.

6. Distinguish between the ethical implications of psychological research and the responsibility to pursue and use knowledge wisely.

Course Overview

This class is divided into 5 learning modules, each focused on answering a question commonly asked by students taking an introductory psychology course.  Each module has its own objectives, which will prepare students for quizzes and exams.  The modules are divided into lessons, each providing relevant context for understanding the module question.  Students will spend time reading the textbook and other resources as posted in the weekly schedule and completing assessments.

Module A – What is psychology?

Module B – How does my brain work?

Module C – What makes me, me?

Module D – Why do people do the things they do?

Module E – How does psychology affect my health?

Assessments

Over the course of the semester students will complete several types of assessments, including weekly participation, quizzes, and exams (multiple choice and essay).  All quizzes and exams are made available during a 3-day testing window, are timed, and must be completed once it has been started.

Quizzes: Consist of a combination of matching, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions.

Exams: Each consists of 100 multiple choice questions and 5 essay questions, each worth 20 points.

Participation = 100 points
Quizzes         = 100 points
Essays          = 200 points
Exams          = 200 points

Total Points   = 600 points