Psychology 101 BCA/Monroe College Dual Enrollment Syllabus

Psychology 101

Introduction to Psychology – LA 101

3 credits (Semester 1)

Instructor

Course Description

We are pleased to welcome you to psychology! Together we will explore our identities, analyze our dreams, travel into the mind of a serial killer, dissect a brain, and gain a deeper understanding of why we, (and others), do the things we do. The best part is that you will be eligible to get 6 college credits through Monroe College for this course! Of course, as a college level class, this one will be challenging. You will need to work hard, and we will be expecting that from you DAILY. In order to get college credit from Monroe, you must maintain at least a 75% GPA (a “C”). Students who do not maintain at least a 75% may be dropped from the class in January, and will be ineligible for college credit. While this class may take place in your High School, with a professor you know, it is the same course that you would take in Monroe College for BIG BUCKS. You are super lucky – you will get 2 BCA science credits, as well as up to 6 college credits FOR FREE! How cool is that?! Now DON’T BLOW IT! This is an amazing opportunity that many kids do not get!

Course Meetings

Each class meets daily for 45 minutes. In addition, your professor will be available to meet with you for additional assistance, (Office Hours), outside of class meeting times.

Course Materials

Each student will need 1 composition book and 1 large folder or binder for handouts. Additional materials may be needed throughout the year. The textbook is free and online and can be found at:

https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology

You will need to sign into your Google Classroom site on a regular basis. This can be done on your phone, your tablet or your computer.

Course Learning Objectives

This Psychology course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of behavior and mental processes. After completing this course, students will be able to:

Analyze, in oral or written projects, specific ways that psychologists develop and apply knowledge.
Demonstrate knowledge of the various areas of psychology by using basic psychological terminology in both class discussion and written essays and reflections.
Demonstrate the ability to read and interpret a scholarly article by creating a mind map.
Demonstrate the ability to reflect on and interpret a scholarly article by writing a Reaction Paper.
Read, interpret and discuss scholarly articles to develop claims and use text evidence to support their claims.
Conduct research to learn about a psychological topic.

Attendance Policy

Psychology is broken into 2 semester-long courses: Introduction to Psychology and Abnormal Psychology/Neuroscience. Monroe College will allow up to 8 absences per semester, including absences that are beyond your control. Each day we need to record your attendance into the Monroe Attendance System, indicating if you were present, absent or late. Excused absences still count as an absence. After 8 absences, you will lose 10% of your grade. In other words, your grade will go down 10 percentage points. This attendance policy comes directly from Monroe College.

Grading Policy

Monroe Grading Policy:

Participation/Attendance: 10%

Projects/Mind Maps: 20%

Reaction Papers: 20%

Classwork and Discussions: 10%

Midterm: 20%

Final Project: 20%

Reaction Papers

You will need to complete a total of 3 reaction papers throughout the semester. All papers must be submitted on Google Classroom. The Reaction Paper Guideline Sheet and Rubric will be posted on Google Classroom under Course Materials.

Psychology Syllabus

Unit 0: Introductions and Structures

Unit 1: Identity/History of Psych

Unit 2: Sensation and Perception

Unit 3: Sleep and Consciousness

Unit 4: Abnormal Psych/Disorders

Unit 5: Independent Research/Serial Killers

Neuroscience Syllabus

Unit 1: Intro to Neuroscience

Unit 2: The Brain

Unit 3: Independent Research