Course Syllabus Section #51061
Psychology 102: Physiological Psychology
WEDNESDAYS from 2:15-5:15 p.m.
College of the Canyons Room C-205
SPRING 2007
Instructor: Rebecca Shepherd
Office in Room M-213
(661)362-3534; rebecca.shepherd@canyons.edu
Office hours = T Th 12:30 – 1:30 p.m., W 1:30-2:00 p.m.; Additional times available by appointment
Website = www.canyons.edu/users/shepherdr (syllabus, class updates, & other important information posted here)
Required Textbook & Materials: Kalat, J. W. (2007). Biological Psychology, 9th Edition.Wadsworth/ISBN 9780495090793
4 Scantron Answer Sheets (#882-E); 12 quiz strip answer sheets
#2 pencil for exams; stapler
Other Resources Recommended by the Instructor: Study Guide to accompany textbook (ISBN-13: 9780495102373)
Companion Website: http://psychology.wadsworth.com/book/kalatbiopsych9e/
Course Description:
This course details the functional and anatomical aspects of the nervous system in order to interpret behavior in terms of physiological processes. Topics include the cellular and organizational structure of the nervous system, the effects of psychoactive substances on the nervous system, the means by which sensory systems detect and process environmental events, and the biological basis of a variety of complex behaviors and mental processes. Upon successful completion of this course a student will be able to assess the influence of a variety of biological factors including neural and hormonal mechanisms that impact behavior and mental processes such as perception, sleep and dreaming, reproductive behaviors, memory, language and psychological disorders.
College-level courses, such as this one, are designed to require 2-3 hours of outside studying for every hour that the class meets. This means that, in addition to attending class meetings, each student should be studying about 6-9 hours per week to do well in this course. Completing reading assignments prior to the in-class discussion of the material is one way to enhance success. Additional study strategies will be discussed during the first week of the course.
Attendance & Classroom Policy:
Attendance--You are expected to attend each meeting of the course, on time, fully prepared and ready to participate. Attendance will be recorded either verbally or via a student sign-in sheet. The sign-in sheet is an official attendance record; therefore, students must sign-in ONLY for themselves. It is considered academic dishonesty for a student to sign-in for a classmate and, hence, may result in both students being sent to the Dean {-refer to Academic Honesty policy-}.
Students arriving to class late or leaving early, without receiving authorization from the instructor prior to the class period, may be marked absent. To change an absence to a tardy/early departure, a student must meet with the instructor that day at the end of lecture. Two recorded tardies or early departures will count as one absence (each tardy/early departure is counted as 1/2 an absence). If you have more than two (2) unexcused absences prior to the drop deadline, you will be automatically dropped from the course by the instructor.
Attendance is mandatory on examination days {--refer to “Examinations” on page 2 for more information--}.
With the exception of extreme and documented emergency/extenuating circumstances (documentation must be received within a week of the absence for consideration), the following guidelines will be used for adjusting course grades. Please note that vacations and work-related absences do not qualify as excused absences:
0 – ½ unexcused absences (tardy, early departure = ½ absence) = +17 extra credit points added to final course grade
1 – 1½ unexcused absences = +8 extra credit points added to final course grade
2 unexcused absences (not to occur on examination days) = no penalty, but no extra credit
more than 2 unexcused absences before drop deadline = you will be dropped from the course
more than 2 unexcused absences after drop deadline = 3% deduction from final course grade for each absence beyond the 2 allowed.
= 1½% deduction from final course grade for each tardy/early departure
Ultimately, however, you are responsible for adding or dropping this course. If you are not able to finish or choose not to finish the course, you must officially withdraw by the drop deadline through the Admissions and Records Office. A grade must be given to each student who does not officially drop a course.
Furthermore, attending every class period is important because some topics covered in lecture will not appear in your textbook. On assignments, exams and quizzes, you will be responsible for the information presented in lecture as well as the textbook chapters assigned. When you miss a class, you are responsible for obtaining the information that was presented, including possible changes in assignments or test dates.
Classroom Behavior-- College level behavior is expected. You will be asked to leave &/or referred to the Dean of Students, if you engage in any inappropriate behavior during class.
Please turn off pagers and cellular phones when you come to class. When they buzz, beep and/or ring they disrupt the entire class. If you must have a pager turned on for emergency use, please put it on ‘vibration’ mode.
Your desk must be cleared, except for a scantron form and #2 pencil, when you take an exam or a quiz. Please put away all other materials including PDAs, calculators, MP3 players, laptop computers,cell phones, textbooks and notebooks. These materials must remain put away until after the quiz or exam session has concluded and all testing materials have been collected.
If classroom behavior becomes a problem and is determined to consistently diminish student learning, the instructor may utilize a number of techniques to improve the classroom environment including, but not limited to, constructing a seating chart &/or locking the door at the beginning of the class period.
Academic Honesty--All students are expected to conform to the college policy on academic honesty. Academic and academic-related misconduct includes, but is not limited to, representing the work of others to be one's own, tampering with projects of others, using external information or unauthorized collaboration during tests, or facilitating dishonesty by others. A student engaging in academic misconduct is subject to disciplinary action by the instructor and by College of the Canyons. At a minimum, academic misconduct will result in a grade of zero for the assignment in question.
Student Services--A student with a verified disability may be entitled to appropriate academic accommodations. Please contact me and/or the Disabled Students Program and Services Office (Room C-103) at ext. 3341/3342 for further information. If you currently have documentation from the DSP&S Office and are requesting academic accommodations for this course, please speak with me at your earliest convenience to make arrangements.
Components of Your Grade:
Examinations-- Attendance for examinations is mandatory. THERE ARE NO MAKE-UP EXAMS & ALL EXAMINATION SCORES CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR COURSE GRADE. Make-up exams may be given only in unforeseen, extreme emergency situations including cases of severe illness (e.g. hospitalization) and undue hardship that is verified by an outside authority (e.g. death in the immediate family). Should one such conflict occur, requests for any make-up exams must be made to the instructor prior to the examination hour or as soon as humanly possible. Official written documentation of your hardship (e.g. from hospital, police) is required for any consideration of a make-up exam at the discretion of the instructor. Original copies (& not photocopies or scanned copies) of documentation materials are required.
Four examinations, worth 100 points each, will be given throughout the semester. Each exam will consist of 75 multiple choice, true-false, &/or completion questions. Examinations will consist of information presented in the required textbook readings, as well as material discussed in lectures.
You must use a scantron #882-E answer sheet and #2 pencil to complete each exam. Only answers submitted on an #882-E scantron form using a #2 pencil will be accepted for credit.
It is my goal to have exam scores posted (using your student ID number) in the classroom &/or outside my office door within two weeks of each exam. I also plan to post final course grades (by student ID#) outside my office door within a few weeks of the final exam. If you will not be on campus to check your final course grade, you may submit a self-addressed, stamped postcard to me on the day of the final exam and I will send your grade to you. Please remember to submit a grade postcard to me the day of the final if you would like your grade sent to you, as grades will not be e-mailed to individual students.
Quizzes--Twelve (12) quizzes will be given throughout the semester. Quizzes may consist of multiple choice, true/false, completion &/or essay questions pertaining to the required readings. These quizzes may be unannounced and can take place during any portion of the class session, before, during or after our in-class discussion of the required readings. Refer to the “Tentative Course Schedule” for a listing of reading assignment due dates. Quizzes taking place during the class session must be completed on a “quiz strip” scantron form using a #2 pencil to be accepted for credit.
While the majority of the quizzes will take place during the class session, it is possible to have a “take-home quiz.” To be eligible for credit, take-home quizzes must be submitted in person (at the beginning of the class period) no later than the assigned due date.
Quizzes are designed to encourage frequent and consistent studying of course material, to assist students in assessing their understanding of the material, and to familiarize students with test question format/complexity. Because some quiz questions will reappear on exams, students are not allowed to remove quiz booklets from the classroom or to take notes while quizzes remain on student desks.
--No make-ups will be allowed for quizzes under any circumstances, but the lowest two (2) quiz scores will be dropped.--
Class Participation Assignments-- Class participation assignments which include participation in classroom exercises and take-home assignments will reflect a portion of your overall grade in the course. THESE ASSIGNMENTS CANNOT BE MADE-UP OR TURNED IN LATE. Hence, excessive absences may lower your final course grade; excellent attendance may raise your final course grade.
Class participation assignments must be legible (take-home assignments must be typed) and stapled (if you use more than one page) to be eligible for credit. Class participation assignment points will be awarded based on correctness of answers, depth & length of discussion (when applicable), and application of critical thinking skills.
Extra Credit Writing Assignments— In addition to the extra credit points available for exemplary attendance, extra credit points are also available for completing one or more of the writing assignments described below. All extra credit assignments must be typed (double-spaced), with multiple pages stapled and photocopies of referenced material attached to be eligible for points. All extra credit submissions are due no later than Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 in class at 2:15 p.m.. Late submissions will not be accepted for credit.
Extra credit points for written projects will be awarded based on presentation (neatness does count), organization, depth & length of discussion, sophistication of the material discussed, and application of critical thinking skills. Use your own words as much as possible and cite any referenced material, including your textbook. All extra credit submissions must relate to physiological psychology to be eligible for points. You may complete as many extra credit assignments as you would like, for a maximum of 30 points.
The maximum of 30 extra credit points for written assignments may be earned in the following ways:
** Completion of up to 3 “Concepts to Understand” questions on each Chapter Study Guide given to you by the instructor. You may earn up to 1 point per question by submitting your answers in class no later than the reading assignment “due date” listed on the Tentative Course Schedule {-page 4-}. Please note: to be eligible for extra credit, you will be submitting answers to these questions prior to our in-class discussion of them.
** If you hear of a presentation relating directly to physiological psychology that would be relevant to this class (given in the Santa Clarita area), you may earn 4 extra credit points by notifying the instructor at least one lecture period prior to the event. Multiple presentations occurring in a series will be considered one event. The first person who notifies me of the event will receive 4 points.
** Summary and evaluation of an article appearing in a newspaper or magazine that relates to physiological psychology. In this summary, examine the major issues discussed in the article, how they relate to the field of physiological psychology and this course, and describe how the issue applies to you &/or others. You may earn up to 10 points per summary.
** Summary and evaluation of one of the chapters in the textbook that are not covered in class (Ch. 5, 8). This summary should include an overview of the chapter and its major concepts. Additionally, discuss several concepts that were interesting to you and describe how they apply to your &/or others. You may earn up to 10 points per summary.
** Attendance of a presentation in the community that relates directly to psychological issues relevant to this class. You may earn up to 15 points for attending each event and submitting a summary & evaluation of the presentation. Mere attendance will not earn points. Attach original copies of any materials distributed during the presentation to your extra credit paper. Points will be based on length of presentation and distance traveled from COC as well as depth and length of your discussion of the event. Include a personal critique of the presentation (e.g. its strengths, its weaknesses, what you learned, questions left unanswered.).
** Summary of a study published in a scientific journal that relates to topics covered in the textbook and/or lecture. This typed summary should include an overview of the study, including a review of background literature cited, discussion of methodology utilized, summary of results and evaluation of the interpretation of the data. You may earn up to 15 points per summary.
** Completion of an independent project, including HITE project, relating to topics covered in this course (includes poster projects). Topic must be approved by instructor. You may earn up to 15 points.
Additional extra credit opportunities may be announced in class throughout the semester and may have individualized due dates.
Grade Distribution:
Your final course grade will be determined by the following:
Examinations........................................................ 73% of total points
4 Exams @ 100 points each 400 points
Class Participation............................................... 9% of total points
In-Class Exercises & Take-Home Assignments 50 points
Quizzes…………………………………………… 18% of total points
12 Quizzes @ 10 points each 100 points
(the 2 lowest scores will be dropped)
____________________________________________________________
TOTAL 550 points
Extra credit points.(17 attendance points, 30 assignment points) = 47 extra credit points possible
Final Course Grades c
90-100% of total points (495 - 550 points) = A
80-89 % of total points (440 - 494 points) = B
70-79 % of total points (385 - 439 points) = C
60-69 % of total points (330 - 384 points) = D
Less than 60 % of total points ( < 330 pts) = F
Tentative Course Schedule:
Chapter assignments
Date (Reading Assignment w/Due Date) Class Discussion Topics
Feb. 7 1 (pgs. 1-11; 22-27) Welcome; Syllabus Q & A; Study Tips; Intro to Biological Psychology
14 2 Neurons & Glia; The Nerve Impulse: Resting & Action Potential
21 3 (pgs. 51-64; 66-79) Chemical Events at the Synapse; Neurotransmitters, Drugs & Behavior
28 4 The Brain Game: Anatomy & Investigation of the Nervous System
Mar. 7 {EXAM #1} Introduction to Sensation & Perception: Vision (Ch. 6)
14 6 Neural Basis of Visual Perception & Visual Impairments
21 7 Examination of Other Senses
28 9 Circadian Rhythms & Brain Mechanisms in Sleep
Apr. 4 ---SPRING BREAK--- --CLASS WIL NOT MEET --
11 {EXAM #2}; 10 (pgs. 295-302; 307-323) Internal Regulation: Thermoregulation & Hunger (Ch. 10)
18 11 (+pgs. 64-66) Hormones and Behavior; Effects of Sex Hormones
25 12 What is an Emotion? Biology of Anxiety and Fear; Stress & Health
May 2 {EXAM #3} Biology of Learning & Memory (Ch. 13)
9 13 Mechanisms of Memory & Memory Impairments
16 14 + pgs. 137-139 Lateralization: Left Brain , Right Brain; Strokes & Language Impairments
23 15 Psychological Disorcers **ALL EXTRA CREDIT DUE**
30 {EXAM # 4}------Wednesday, May 30th from 2:15-3:45 p.m... Please arrive promptly by 2:15 p.m.. All exams will
be collected at 3:45 pm. Students arriving late will not receive additional time to take the exam.
REMINDER: This is a TENTATIVE schedule. Examination and reading assignment dates may change periodically throughout the semester. You are responsible for obtaining the information presented in class, including possible changes in assignments or test dates.
