WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY | DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY

PSYCHOLOGY 110 - 04

Bill Marshak, Ph.D.

WINTER QUARTER, 2002

Class Meetings: This class meets on Tuesday and Thursday, 7:00 to 8:40pm at Fawcett 101.

Purpose: A fundamental understanding of why people (including ourselves) behave the way they do is crucial to human life. Those who understand and can influence the behavior of others and themselves can negotiate through life with significantly less turmoil and more satisfaction. This course will provide clues to this understanding which academic psychology have uncovered through the scientific method.

Text:

Required: Weiten, Wayne (2000) Psychology: Themes and Variations,Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

Optional: Stallings and Wasden, Study Guide for Weiten's Psychology: Themes and Variations

Professor:

Office Hours:

As an adjunct professor with day employment, regular office hours are not possible. You may meet with the professor before or after any class or by appointment during the day at a time mutually acceptable. A web site may be available during the course with details available in class.

Attendance at lecture is encouraged but not required. Maximum benefit can be achieved by reading the required chapters before and after lecture. Recording is permitted as long as you don't resell them.

You are encouraged to participate in research and can sign up outside 348 Fawcett. However, evening classes are often selected by non-traditional students who have limited access to campus during the day. For this reason, extra credit for participation in experiments will not be part of grading.

Evaluations: There will be four graded activities over the course of the quarter. Each of two midterms and a final exam will be based only on the chapters covered since the last examination; no test will be cumulative. Tests will be multiple choice. Cooperation on examinations and papers is not permitted. The fourth evaluation will be a typewritten paper, not to exceed 3 pages, describing two research journal articles on any topic from the required reading. The textbook offers ample appropriate references.

Students requiring special examination considerations should contact the professor immediately so the required arrangements can be made. Coordinate early taking of examinations because of planned absence on examination day as early as possible. Missed examinations will be handled on a case-by-case basis with no guarantee of anything more than a zero. The expectation is all work will be complete by the end of the course with variation only in exceptional cases. Examination discussions will permit students to challenge questions with resulting grade adjustments. Initial grading will be based on 90%-A, 80%-B, 70%-C, 60%-D, >60%-F, with a curve employed if deemed appropriate. This curve can lower grade criteria, but can never raise the criteria. The points and relative weight of each evaluation contribution to the final grade is listed below:

EVALUATION DATE Chapters Points KIND OF EVALUATION

Midterm #1 22 Jan 4,5 200 Multiple Choice

Midterm #2 14 Feb 9,10,16 350 Multiple Choice

Short Paper 26 Feb 100 Paper

Final Exam 12 Mar 13,14,15 350 Multiple Choice

Course Schedule (May be modified as required):