Psychology 114C: General Psychology
Spring 2000, TTH 8:30-9:45

 

Instructor Alexander Genov
Office hours Monday 11:50 – 12:50 
Office Fenton 508
Phone (617) 573 – 8782
E-mail agenov@suffolk.edu

 
 
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Text
Ground rules
Grading
Make-ups
Extra credit
Topics
   

 

Text        (required):
                (required):		 Gleitman, Psychology (4th edition).
Jonides & Rosin, Study Guide: Psychology.
Some ground rules There are two lecture sessions a week.  Class material will follow the text loosely, but will not duplicate it.  That’s why it is important 
to pay attention and TAKE NOTES!  I will lecture, but will often pause to ask you questions. Even if I don't stop, please feel free to 
interrupt me whenever you don't understand something I have said or even better if you have had a good idea about the topic we are 
discussing.
Grading Final grades will be based on a combination of weekly quizzes, a midterm and, and a final exam.
Weekly Quizzes
There will be 11 in-class quizzes throughout the semester, each worth 15 points. 
You can miss one; evaluation will be based on 10 quizzes (150 points total).
Mid-term
There will be one in-class mid-term consisting of multiple-choice and short answer items. 
This exam is worth 40 points.
Final
The final exam will be a cumulative multiple-choice and short answer test to be 
described in more detail later (60 points).
.
The grading scale for each test and the final grading scale are as follows:
.
NOTE: final grades will take into account more that the sum of points!

 
Percentage 
Total points 
Grade
91-100 
221-250 
 A
89-90 
215-220 
 A-
87-88 
209-214 
B+
81-86 
191-208 
 B
79-80 
185-190 
 B-
77-78 
179-184 
 C+
68-76 
152-178 
 C
57-67 
119-151 
 D
0-56 
0-118 
 F 

 
Make-up
policy		 Make-up tests will be given only for two reasons:
. (1) if it is approved and arranged at least one week before the test
. (2) there is a real emergence or documented illness.
. Make-up tests are not automatic that is they will be approved ONLY in the event of extremely unusual or urgent 
circumstances.
Extra credit The maximum number of extra credit points you can earn over the semester is 20.  Any papers written for extra credit can be turned in at 
any time during the semester but no later than the beginning of the final.  The points can be earned in any of the following ways:
.
  • Psychology experimenters may recruit participants.  You can take part for extra credit (1 point per hour)
    		•
    .
  • Find a newspaper or magazine article that you feel is related to our class material.  Write a 1-3 page  paper in which you briefly summarize

    • the article and discuss how it is related to the particular class topic (2 possible points).
    .
  • Find a newspaper or magazine article that reports the findings of a study. Briefly summarize the article and critique it (e.g. how was the 

    • sample collected?  How were the data analyzed; what conclusions were drawn (1-3 pages) (4 possible points).
    .
  • Find a psychology journal article.  Summarize it and explain how it is related to our class.  This paper (3-5 pages in length) should be more

    • detailed than option # 2. (4 possible points).

     

    All papers must be TYPES and DOUBLE-SPACED.  Points will be deducted for unclear writing (e.g. spelling, grammar mistakes, etc.).  Other extra credit options can be discussed with me.

    Academic misconduct:  All instances of academic dishonesty (as defined in the student handbook, including cheating on exams and plagiarism) will result in failure of the course.  Cheating on exams includes looking at someone else's test or giving information during the test, either directly or by positioning yourself or your test so as to get or give information.  Plagiarism is defined as taking someone else's ideas as passing them off as your own.  In ANY papers you write, if you use someone's idea, give that person credit for having come up with the idea first.  If two student papers are nearly identical, both students will receive F’s on the papers.
     
     

    DATE
    TOPIC
    (click on link to view summary or page)
    Chapters
    to read
    QUIZ
    T – 1/18 General Introduction – topics, rules etc.
    .
    .
    TH – 1/20 Logic of the Scientific Method and Psychology
    1
    .
    T – 1/25 Some History of the Science of Psychology
     .
    		 Quiz 1
    TH – 1/27 Nervous System I: Neurons & Neurotransmitters
    2
    .
    T – 2/1 Nervous System II: Brains and Behavior
     .
    Quiz 2
    TH – 2/3 Motivation
    3
    .
    T – 2/8 Emotion and Sleep
     .
    Quiz 3
    TH – 2/10 Learning I: Classical and Instrumental Learning
    4
    .
    T – 2/15 Learning II: Behaviorism and Cognitivism
     .
    Quiz 4
    TH – 2/17 Sensation I: The Logic of Sensory Systems
    5
    .
    T – 2/22
    .
    .
    TH – 2/24
    MIDTERM
    .
    .
    T – 2/29 Perception I: Separating the World into Objects
    6
    .
    TH – 3/2 Perception II: Organizing the World into Objects
     .
    Quiz 5
    T – 3/7 Memory
    7
    .
    TH – 3/9 Thought and Knowledge
     .
    Quiz 6
    T – 3/21 Biological Bases of Behavior
    10
    .
    TH – 3/23 Social Cognition
     .
    Quiz 7
    T – 3/28 Social Influences on Behavior
    12
    .
    TH – 3/30 Development I: Cognitive Development
     .
    Quiz 8
    T – 4/4 Development II: Social Development
    14
    .
    TH – 4/6 The Intellect 
    15
    Quiz 9
    T – 4/11 Personality I
    16
    .
    TH – 4/13 Personality II
    17
    Quiz 10
    T – 4/18 Mental Disorders
    18
    .
    TH – 4/20 Treatment of Mental Disorders
    19
    		Quiz 11
    T – 4/25
    Wrap-up: Science and Human Behavior
    .
    .
    .
    Final --Short Answer Question Topics
    .
    .