Course Description

PSYC 2301 Introduction to Psychology

PSYC 2301 is a survey of the basic principles underlying human behavior. Emphasis is placed on major areas of study in the field of psychology, such as learning, memory, physiological psychology, life-span development, personality, stress and adjustment, and abnormal behavior. This course transfers as 3 hours of credit to most other colleges and universities.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites.

Course Goals (includes core competencies, incorporation of SCANS, etc.)

Upon completion of this course, you should
(1)  recognize the key role that psychology plays in our everyday lives.
(2)  be more aware of the major issues and theories in psychology.
(3)  have some understanding of the scientific method and how it applies to psychological
      research.
(4)  have a more accurate and comprehensive understanding of human behavior in general.
(5)  have an understanding of the services and point of view of a professional psychologist.

As part of the core curriculum (social and behavioral sciences cluster), this course is designed to help students develop basic intellectual competencies such as reading, writing, listening, critical thinking and computer literacy. After taking this course, students shall gain more knowledge about how social and behavioral scientists discover, describe, and explain the behaviors and interactions among individuals, groups, events, and ideas. Students will be better equipped to understand themselves and the roles they play in addressing social and psychological issues.

Instructor Information

Textbook Information

One of the following textbooks may be used depending on which of the regional HCC colleges you attend:

Wood, S. E. & Wood, E. G. (1999).  The World of Psychology (3rd ed.) 
Boston: Allyn &  Bacon. (used by Northwest, Southeast, Northeast, and Central Colleges).

Hockenbury & Hockenbury(1999).  Psychology (2nd ed.).  Worth Publishers. (used by Southwest and Central Colleges.)

Coon (1999).  Introduction to Psychology (8th ed.)  ITP Publishers. (used by Central College.)

Lab Requirements (if any)

No lab requirements

Students with Disabilities

Students who are in need of special accommodations related to a condition or disability should contact ADA Counselor at each college to obtain the proper documentation. Special accommodations will be provided to those students who show proper documentation.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited by the HCCS policy and the rules of this class. A student found guilty of the first offense will receive a grade of ?F? for that particular assignment. For the second offense, the student will receive a grade of ?F? for the course.

Attendance and Withdrawal Policies

Class attendance is required for the successful completion of the course. Following HCCS policy, a student with unexplained absences in excess of 6 class hours may be dropped from a class.

If you wish to withdraw, it is recommended that you submit the withdrawal form in the registration office,.  If you have ceased attending classes, some instructors may drop you from the class roll at the end of the semester, and you will receive a grade of W, even if you have not filed the official withdrawal form. However, other instructors may give a grade of F instead. Please read the syllabus for your class carefully about the attendance and withdrawal policies.

If you are on the installment plan, please remember to make payments according to schedule. Otherwise, you will be dropped from the class roll.

Grading Policy

Instructors may use a variety of assessment methods in grading, including objective tests (multiple-choice, true-false, filling-in-blanks, etc.), essay questions, writing assignments, group projects, etc. A writing assignment is required in each PSYC2301 class. A comprehensive departmental final exam that covers a list of core objectives and concepts is used in each regional HCC college.

The following example is the grading formula used in one of the PSYC2301 classes (CRN# 21660, Dr. Hsu, Town & Country Center). 

The final course grade will be calculated according to the following formula:

The final score resulting from the sum of the above components will be converted into letter grades according to the following scale.
A = 90 and up    B = 80 - 89   C = 70 -79   D = 60 -69    F  = 59 and below

Course Requirements for example: Testing, Projects, Assignments, Portfolios, Service Learning, Internships, etc.

Different instructors may use different projects, assignments, and activities in their classes.
Instructors are encouraged to use a variety of methods to assess students' learning. There may be objective tests and other course assignments. The course assignments may include reading assignments, writing assignments, and various activities (attending guest lectures, internet assignments, class presentation, group projects, etc.) that are designed to develop students' critical thinking and problem solving skills. Please consult with your specific course syllabus.

Make-up policy

Different instructors may have different make-up policies.

Some instructors may allow make-up exams. Other instructors may not allow make-up tests, but give students the option to drop one test grade.

Course Content

There are a list of core concepts and objectives that must be covered in each PSYC2301 class. They are listed in the supplementary study guide. The departmental final exam will test these core concepts and objectives.

Course Calendar with Due Dates for Assignments and Testing

Please consult with your specific course syllabus concerning course calendar.

The following is a sample course calendar, based on Wood & Wood text:

Other Student Information (clubs, tutoring, web resources, student services, etc.)

The accompanied website for Wood & Wood:
http://www.abacon.com/wood/home.html

The accompanied website for Hockenbury & Hockenbury:
http://www.worthpublishers.com/discoveringpsych2e/

The accompanied website for the publisher for Coon:
http://www.wadsworth.com/

Psi Beta is a systemwide honors organization for psychology majors in community colleges. Psi Beta - HCC chapter's website can be found at http://nwc.hccs.edu/psyc/psibeta.html.  In addition, some colleges (for example, Southwest College) have Psychology Clubs.

Some useful links to web resources in psychology can be found at http://nwc.hccs.edu/psyc/LINKS.HTML.