Note about the authorship of this syllabus (added April 2008): Professors commonly "borrow" and re-use each other's syllabi, copying small or large sections. While most of this syllabus was originally authored by Jennifer Freyd, there are sections that are taken from other sources. Furthermore Jennifer Freyd has made her syllabi available through the internet and she has noticed that many sections of this syllabus appear on other instructors' syllabi. This document therefore should be considered shared intellectual property. If you want to use all or part of this syllabus for non-commercial and educational work, you are welcome to do so. If you do this, you should not claim authorship inaccurately or deceptively, but rather you should understand this and communicate it as a collaborative production that by now has been authored by many people. One reason for stating this fact here, a fact that may be obvious to college instructors, is that it may not be obvious to students. Teaching clarity about what does and does not constitute plagiarism is part of our duty. Clearly even in academia we have genres like the syllabus and the inherited form letter (a category that anyone in an administrative post will recognize) for which it is assumed that we attach our name to words we did not initially author. These genre of the syllabus and the form letter need to be distinguished from the authored article for which we hold ourselves and our students to such high standards of academic integrity.
Tuesdays and Thursdays 12:00-13:20; 303 Chapman
Wednesdays 14:00-15:50 240B McKenzie Hall
CRN 15306; 4 credits
Prerequisites: None
Official Course Web Site: http://blackboard.uoregon.edu (Courses > HC211HF02)
Syllabus also posted at: :http://dynamic.uoregon.edu/~jfreyd/hopsy/
Instructor: Professor Jennifer Freyd
Office: 301 Straub Hall
e-mail: jfreyd@dynamic.uoregon.edu
Office Hrs: Mondays 1-3
Teaching Assistant: Rose Barlow
Office: 202 Straub Hall
e-mail: mbarlow@darkwing.uoregon.edu
Office Hrs: Wednesdays 2-4
HC211 covers the "first half" of introductory psychology. This means
you'll get an introduction to research methods in psychology and an introduction
to what is known about perception, memory, learning, thinking, and cognition.
How do we perceive the world? How do we learn? What do we know about human memory?
Does language impact thinking? There is a lot of content to cover, so I'll lecture
fairly often. We'll have a text book in addition to a course packet. In addition
to covering content, this course emphasizes thinking critically about research
and theory. We'll have in-class and on-line discussion about the ways psychologists
gain knowledge, and we'll debate the significance and applicability of that
knowledge. There will be tests and short essays on a weekly basis. You'll also
have a chance to explore a topic in-depth through your term project, and then
you will have the opportunity to share your new knowledge with the class. This
course is a lot of work, but if you are interested in human behavior and the
way the mind works, I think you'll find the material fascinating.
The course requirements include doing the readings, attending class, turning in written assignments, participating in class discussion and an on-line electronic discussion, taking the quizzes, and completing a final written and oral project.
Tuesday and Thursdays 12:00-13:20 and Wednesdays 14:00-15:50 are reserved for this course. We will meet each Tuesday and Thursday in 303 Chapman and your attendance is expected. The Wednesday period will be set aside for both required and as-needed class meetings and consultation meetings with the TA. A minimum of two TA meetings must occur as noted below. In addition you are expected to participate for at least 50 minutes per week in on-line course-related activities. You may schedule this on-line time as you wish, but we recommend that you plan to use the Wednesday time slot for this when you do not have a meeting with the TA. We also recommend that you check the course site on blackboard at least three times a week, as important course information may be posted by the instructor or teaching assistant.
Readings are assigned on a weekly basis. "Focus" readings are required; you will be tested on these readings in class quizzes. "Background" readings are strongly recommended; they will help you comprehend focus readings, classroom lectures, and demonstrations. For instance, some quiz questions may ask about a classroom discussion, and your answer may be improved by referring to something from the background readings. Readings are to be completed BEFORE the Tuesday class meeting for which they are assigned. There is one required text book and one required packet of readings, available for purchasing at the UO Bookstore.
Required Text: Westen, Drew (2002) Psychology: Mind, Brain, & Culture -- Third Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Required Course Packet: Course Packet for Honors College 211
Your grade will be computed by combining your scores in the following overall categories for a total of 300 points:
|
100 |
Quizzes (each quiz worth 20 points; add together best 5 of 7 quiz grades) |
|
100 |
Final Project (final poster/presentation) |
|
60 |
Written Assignments (Psych Info assignment, weekly discussion questions) |
|
40 |
Participation (in-class and on-line participation) |
|
300 |
Total |
Final letter grades will be approximately determined from point totals as follows:
|
270-300 |
A |
|
240-269 |
B |
|
210-239 |
C |
|
180-209 |
D |
|
Below 180 |
F |
Based on the actual distribution of final grades, this criterion might be relaxed, but not stiffened. Pluses and minuses will be used for performance near the edge of a range.
Seven Quizzes will be given. Each quiz will be worth 20 points. Your five highest quiz scores will be added together to determine your total quiz score. Because you may drop two of your quiz grades, there will be NO MAKE-UP quizzes. The quizzes will be challenging. They will be structured to assess your knowledge of the readings and class discussions. The format will be usually be short-essay. A typical quiz may contain two multi-part questions. Typically one question will pertain to the focus readings assigned for the week in which the quiz is given. The other question will usually pertain to the previous week's readings, classroom discussion, lecture, and/or demonstrations. Sometimes a question will refer to material covered earlier in the course, or issues discussed on the on-line discussion board. If you read the background readings you are likely to write better quiz answers. You will be graded on your knowledge of the focus readings, synthesis of the ideas, and also the clarity with which you present your ideas in the examination. Long, wordy answers will not gain points. Short, succinct answers will. (Clarity of writing and legibility matter, but you will not be graded on spelling.)
The final project will involve both an oral presentation and a written "poster." The project will present material you have learned and synthesized about a particular aspect of experimental psychology. In consultation with the instructor or TA, you will pick a topic fairly early in the quarter to learn more about. For instance, you might choose to learn more about dreaming and consciousness, attention and performance in highly skilled activities such as flying a jet plane, or memory for traumatic experiences. The choice of topics is huge, and we encourage you to pick a topic that truly interests you. A "poster" in university level psychology is not exactly the same thing as you may have learned to do in high school. It does involve a visual presentation and shortened text, but the point is not to show lots of photos or pretty colors (although they may be used too) but to communicate scholarly and intellectual material in a concise manner. Your posters will be modeled on professional posters shown at professional psychology conventions. You will have the opportunity to see some professional posters, so you understand what we have in mind. Also, you will meet with the TA at least twice before completing the project so as to receive feedback before it is too late. During the last week of class the posters will be shared with the rest of the class. This is a very exciting time, as we get to learn from each other. Students will display their posters and give verbal presentations about their final projects.
Each student will have the choice of either working alone on the final project or working with one other person. We encourage the teamwork approach, because working cooperatively is a challenge, and educational, in its own right. The projects will be graded on the same criteria whether produced by one or two people (thus it would really seem a good idea to work in teams!). (If there are an odd number of people wanting to work in teams we will allow one group of 3.) If you decide you want to work with a partner, you may select your own partner, or you may ask the instructor to help you pair up with someone. Project partners must make a commitment to work together by October 24. November 7 will be the last day for changing project partners or moving from a team to individual. All students will be required to turn in a one-page project work evaluation form at the end of the term. If you work on the project alone you will evaluate your own work. If you work with a partner you will also evaluate separately your and your partner's contribution and work.
Each student must meet with the TA at least twice in advance of completing the project. The first meeting must occur on or before October 24. The second meeting must occur on or before November 14. We will provide more information about our expectations for these meetings in advance of the meetings, but roughly the point is to make sure you are making appropriate and timely progress on the final project. You may have additional appointments to discuss the final project (or anything else about the course) with the TA and/or instructor as desired.
Note: your grade on the final project will be severely lowered if it is at all late. The completed poster (and the WWW version of the final project for extra credit) is due on Tuesday, November 26 by 12:00 Noon. Classroom presentations will occur in the Hopsy Convention on December 3, 4, & 5, and attendance is required during all these classes. More details about this project will be given in class as the term progresses.
Participation is crucial in this course. Participation includes in class discussion, on-line discussion including the completion and posting of 8 discussion questions, a library "Psych-info" assignment, and any other small assignments we may add. In general you should expect to contribute in all these ways. Furthermore, your attendance in class is expected, and approximately two hours of on-line activity (reading and posting) per week is also required. There is some room for flexibility here. Some people naturally find it easier to participate in writing, others verbally. Thus, truly superb contributions in one form of participation may compensate for a lack in another. High quality additional contributions will possibly win you extra credit points
Psych Info Assignment 10 points
On Wednesday October 9 from 2-4 PM we will have a class held in the ITC classroom, 2nd floor of Knight Library. Robin Paynter, the Psychology librarian, will give a tutorial on using the electronic data base system called "Psych Info." Psych Info allows you to find articles published in Psychology and you will need it for this class. During the October 9 class you will learn how to use Psych Info. During the second half of class you will be given a homework assignment using psychinfo, that you will then need to complete and return by October 15 (you will have time to work on the assignment during the workshop and may be able to finish it that day). The assignment will be graded (maximum score is 10 points).
Discussion Questions posted on blackboard 50 points
Discussion questions must be posted on blackboard by 9 AM on each Tuesday (Weeks 2-9). Each question should show you have put thought into the focus reading material, and be designed to stimulate thoughtful class discussion about the focus reading and/or related issues. Each question will be worth up to 7 points. A point will be subtracted for each day a discussion is late.
Additional on-line participation 20 points
In addition to the discussion questions you must post each week, you are expected to contribute to a cyber-discussion by responding to your classmates' postings. At least four times over the course of the term, you should continue the threads from your classmates' discussion questions on Blackboard. I expect this to be a rewarding way for you to interact with your classmates and discuss the material.
In class Participation 20 points
We expect you to participate in class with constructive contributions as appropriate.
Extra Credit can be earned in a variety of ways. If you make especially valuable contributions to class discussion, or if you make especially valuable contributions to the blackboard discussion, you may earn extra points. Or you can get extra credit for a particularly terrific project. This might include a special presentation or publishing your project on the WWW. In general, if you do something creative, special, contributive, and above-and-beyond the course requirements, you may earn extra credit.
The web site for this course was constructed using "BlackBoard" software. This allows the web site to be extensive and interactive. On the web site, you will find general announcements for the class, all documents for the course (including this syllabus), lecture notes, on-line discussions, links to relevant web sites, and more. We hope that this web site will be a useful tool for you in learning the material for this class, and in further exploring topics you find interesting. You can get to the course web site by going to http://blackboard.uoregon.edu. If you need help logging in or using Blackboard, see http://blackboard.uoregon.edu/local/usingbb/getting_started_with_blackboard. Also you can get help starting by going to the library Information Technology Center (ITC) and/or see http://libweb.uoregon.edu/kitc/faq/blackboard.html#help .
All work submitted in this course must be your own and produced exclusively for this course. The use of sources (ideas, quotations, paraphrases) must be properly acknowledged and documented. For the consequences of academic dishonesty, refer to the Schedule of Classes published quarterly. Violations will be taken seriously and are noted on student disciplinary records. If you are in doubt regarding any aspect of these issues as they pertain to this course, please consult with your discussion section leader or the instructor before you complete any relevant requirements of the course. (Text adopted here as recommended from the UO web site regarding academic honesty at: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~conduct/). Because some students are not entirely sure what counts as academic dishonesty, we encourage you to read the discussion of plagiarism and other forms of dishonesty at http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~conduct/sai.htm .
This course includes required on-line participation. If you have restricted access to your directory information and wish to have special arrangements made for this course, please notify the instructor immediately.
If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing accommodations in this course, please make arrangements to meet with the instructor soon. Also please request that the Counselor for Students with Disabilities send a letter verifying your disability. [Disability Services: disabsrv@darkwing.uoregon.edu, 346-1155; http://ds.uoregon.edu/ ]
Arnheim, R. (1988) Visual dynamics. American Scientist, 76(6), 585-591.
Azari, N.P. & Seitz, R.J. (2002) Brain plasticity and recovery from stroke. American Scientist, 88, 426-431.
Brown, J.L. & Pollitt, E. (1996, February). Malnutrition, poverty and intellectual development. Scientific American, 274 (2), 38-43.
Eich, E., Macaulay, D., Lowenstein, R. J., & Diehle, P. H. (1997). Memory, amnesia, and dissociative identity disorder. Psychological Science, 8, 417-422.
Finke, R.A. (1986, March) Mental imagery and the visual system. Scientific American, 254, 88-95.
Freyd, J.J. (1994). Betrayal-trauma: Traumatic amnesia as an adaptive response to childhood abuse. Ethics & Behavior, 4 (4), 307-329.
Freyd, J. J. (1998) Science in the Memory Debate. Ethics & Behavior, 8 (2), 101-113.
Harris, C.R. (1999) The Mystery of Ticklish Laughter, American Scientist, 87, (4) 344-351.
Hearst, E. (1991). Psychology and nothing. American Scientist, 79 (5), 432-443.
Hunt, E. (1995) The role of intelligence in modern society. American Scientist, 83(4), 356-368.
Jacobs, B.L,, van Praag, H., & Gage, F.H. (2002) Depression and the birth and death of brain cells. American Scientist, 88, 340-345.
Klopfer, P.H. (1996) "Mother Love" revisited: On the use of animal models. American Scientist. 84(4), 391-321.
Lewis, M. (1995). Self-conscious emotions. American Scientist, 83 (1), 68-78.
Lock, J.L. (1994). Phases in the child's development of language. American Scientist, 82 (5), 436-445.
Massaro, D. W. & Stork, D. G. (1998) Speech recognition and sensory integration, American Scientist, 86, 236-244.
Meier, R.P. (1991). Language acquisition by deaf children. American Scientist, 79 (1), 61-70.
Neisser, U. (1997) Rising scores on Intelligence Tests. American Scientist, 85, 440-447
Pennebaker, J.W. (1997) Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8,162-166.
Pepperberg, I.M. (2002) Cognitive and communicative abilities of grey parrots. Current Directions in Psychological Science. 11, 83-87.
Provine, R.R. (1996). Laughter. American Scientist, 84 (1), 38-45.
Sivers, H., Schooler, J. , Freyd, J. J. (2002) Recovered memories. In V.S. Ramachandran (Ed.) Encyclopedia of the Human Brain, Volume 4. (pp 169-184). San Diego, California and London: Academic Press.
Stein, G.J. (1988) Biological science and the roots of nazism. American Scientist, 76 (1), 50-58.
Sternberg, R. J. (1996, March). Myths, countermyths, and truths about intelligence. Educational Researcher, 25 (2), 11-16.
Teicher, M. H. (2002) Scars that won't heal: The neurobiology of child abuse. Scientific American, 68-75 (March 2002).
Wasserman, E.A. (1995). The conceptual ability of pigeons. American Scientist, 83 (3), 246-255.
Winson, J. (1990, November). The meaning of dreams. Scientific American, 263 (5), 86-96.
Focus Reading: Provine (1996); Westen Chapter. 1
Background Reading: Harris (1999)
October 1
October 3: Visit the course site on Blackboard
Focus Reading: Klopfer (1996); Westen Chapter 2
Background Reading: Stein (1988)
October 8: DQ #1
October 9: 2:00-4:00 PM Meet in the ITC Classroom (2nd floor computer lab area, Knight Library)
October 10:
Focus Reading: Teicher (2002); Westen Chapter 3
Background Reading: Azari & Seitz (2002); Jacobs, Praag, & Gage (2002)
October 15: DQ #2; Quiz 1
October 17: Psych Info assignment due
Focus Reading: Finke (1986); Westen Chapter 4
Background Reading: Arnheim (1998); Massaro & Stork (1998)
October 22: DQ #3; Quiz 2
October 24: Deadline for TA Project Meeting Number 1; Project Partners must indicate commitment to work together by this date
Focus Reading: Hearst (1991); Westen Chapter 5
Background Reading: Wasserman (1995); Pepperberg (2002)
October 29: DQ #4; Quiz 3
October 31:
Focus Reading: Freyd (1994); Westen Chapter 6
Background Reading: Eich et al (1997); Freyd (1998); Sivers, Schooler, & Freyd (2002)
November: 5 DQ #5; Quiz 4
November 7: Last day for changing project partner commitments.
Focus Reading: Pennebaker (1997); Westen Chapter 7
Background Reading: Meier (1991); Lock (1994)
November 12: DQ #6; Quiz 5
November 14: Deadline for TA Project Meeting Number 2
Focus Reading: Brown & Pollit (1996, February); Sternberg (1996, March)
Background Reading: Westen Chapter 8; Neisser (1997); Hunt (1995)
November 19: DQ #7; Quiz 6
November 21:
Focus Reading:: Westen Chapter 9; Winson (1990, November)
Background Reading: Lewis (1995)
November 26: DQ #8; Quiz 7; Posters DUE
November 28: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break
Focus Reading: No Reading
December 3: Hopsy Convention
December 4: Hopsy Convention (Wed 2-4 PM)
December 5: Hopsy Convention; Project Evaluations (of self and partner) due by 5:00 PM.