PSY105A: General Psychology                                                                                     Dr. John A. Teske
1999 Fall Term                                                                                                             Esbenshade 265C x1332
                                                                                                                                    Office Hours: 11:30-12:30 MWF
                                                                                                                                     and by appointment

Course Description

Purpose:

This course will provide you with a broad introduction to psychology -- its subject matter, its methods for developing and evaluating explanations of behavior, and how it can be applied to improve individual and communal life. It should represent the beginning of a journey to increase your own intellectual skills and emotional insight, improve yourself and your relationship with others, and provide a basis for subsequent learning about human behavior, be it in the field of psychology, the allied helping professions, or any career which involves dealing with human beings.

Objectives:

1. Knowledge of Psychology. This includes a) an understanding of basic principles and approaches in psychology, b) an awareness of the major issues and problems in psychology, c) knowledge of basic concepts and methodologies, and d) an awareness of the historical and cultural context, the limitations, and some of the directions of psychology. Evaluated by examination and written work.

2. Critical Thinking Skills. This involves a) an appreciation of scientific methods and their value in addressing real questions and problems in human behavior, b) a recognition of personal biases, failures of common sense, and the dangers of being misled, particularly in understanding one's own behavior and that of others, c) an ability to evaluate generalizations, arguments, or explanatory claims on the basis of evidence and logic, d) developing the skills for building one's knowledge beyond the confines of the course and e) an interest and curiosity about the psychological bases of human functioning. Evaluated by examination, writing, and class participation, but likely to evolve slowly and not completely during the term.

3. Personal Development. This will hopefully include a) increasing your respect for differences between people, your understanding and tolerance for their choices, especially those varying from the norm, b) being able to exhibit respect for others and yourself even as you become more critical about ideas, c) better understanding of the forces that limit your freedom of choice, whether those be in your past (like guilt or trauma), your present (like affection or conformity), or your future (like anxieties or aspirations). This you will have to evaluate for yourself, though the evidence may not be manifest for some time.

Instructor Goals:

I would like this course to be very special for you, something that you enjoy, anticipate, and remember fondly when you think back to your years at Elizabethtown College. For that to happen, you need to be actively involved, curious, uncertain, effortful, trying to get as much out of it as you can, whatever your unique reasons for being here. I am willing to invest considerable time, energy, and enthusiasm into this course. This is your introduction to a field to which I have chosen to devote my life, and which I find fascinating. I want you to feel some of that excitement, some of that fascination; I want you to be turned on. Most importantly, I want you to bring your own experience, your own mind, your own energy to this class. I want to empower you, I want to raise your consciousness. If I succeed it will be by helping you increase your knowledge, your tools for coping with your own experiences. If this course succeeds, it will not merely be by relating to your experience, but by bringing you to experience differently, to become a different, improved version of yourself, one that will think differently, more knowledgeably, more intelligently in dealing with your own behavior and experience, and that of others.

Reading

Required:                         (1) Weiten, W. (1997). Psychology: Themes and Variations (4th Edition). Pacific Grove, CA:
                                        Brooks/Cole.

Grading:

Exams will be mixed objective and short essay, the latter requiring some integration or application of knowledge. Quizzes will be objective. A participation grade will be based on overall quality of contribution to class (participation, attendance, study group, and supplementary work). Make-up exams must be approved in advance; there will be no make-up quizzes. You will also write short (500-700 word) essays on the assigned readings. One of these is to be rewritten in response to instructor guided peer critique. A "preparation" grade will be composed of your responses to the times you are asked, at the beginning of or during a class, to answer a question on the reading for that day. Semester grades will be broken down as follows:

Examination 1 (Introduction, Part I, and Part II) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%

Examination 2 (1/3 Review, 2/3 on Parts III - V). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30%

Written Work (Essays and Responses) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20%

Quizzes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%

Preparation and Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15%

Supplementary work is available for those unhappy with their daily preparation and participation, or with a quiz grade; it is also encouraged for majors in any of the social or behavioral sciences. This will generally involve a five-page critique of an article or book approved by the instructor (material cited in the book or mentioned in class is always appropriate). Supplementary work cannot lower your grade, but it won't necessarily raise it. A critique can only count up to 5% of your grade, and cannot replace examination scores.

Academic Integrity:

In support of the increase of academic integrity on campus, students in this class are encouraged to abide by the following pledge. "Knowing that every commitment I make to integrity strengthens my self-respect and respect for others, I hereby pledge to abide by the Elizabethtown College Code of Integrity. I will be guided by principles of truth, self-respect, and respect for others. I will cooperate to make campus conditions favorable to fair, honest behaviors by adhering to procedures such as the following. During tests I will sit somewhere that will discourage the giving or receiving of unauthorized aid, and I will keep my work out of sight. In each class I will be sure I understand what is considered fair help and what is not, and I will not give or receive unfair help on any assignments, including papers, homework, or take-home tests. On written assignments I will avoid plagiarism. I will uphold the spirit of fair, truthful, and honest behavior to the utmost of my ability."

Class:

Since preparation and participation are graded, class attendance is required but will not be recorded separately. Class will clarify and build on assigned reading, so a careful reading of material should be done prior to the class on it. Since the book we are using is a concise one, adequate attention to reading assignments is absolutely essential, and use of the study guide and/or study groups is strongly advised. This is also the reason for the "preparation" grade. While it is to your advantage, in terms of comprehension, learning, and long-term retention, to do daily preparation and studying, a little more incentive never hurts. You'll also enjoy the class more. Trust me. Appropriate questions, comments, and discussion are also encouraged during class. The better your preparation and the more active your involvement, the more lively and enjoyable the class will be.

Discussion Groups:

You will join a discussion group during the first weeks of class. This will give you a contact group for discussion, exchanging class notes, studying for exams, supplementary work, and general collegiality. We will use these groups for class discussions of outside readings. One person will present her written essay. Two others will keep track of discussion, provide a class summary, and later written responses to the presenter. Since the presenter may rewrite in response to discussion, the critic's work is very important. These groups will also provide "quality control." This is a channel for students to make suggestions, get clarification, voice complaints, etc. If the "quality circle" deems it appropriate, additional forums, lectures, or discussions can be scheduled with the instructor.

Instructor Availability:

While I can only give a certain amount of personal attention to each student, I am available during office hours or by appointment. I love to talk about psychology, so if something interests you, drop in and we'll pursue it, even over lunch or coffee. If you don't understand something or are lost, please see me; if I can't help you, maybe the learning center or a peer tutor can. Or just stop by to chat. This also gives us a chance to get to know each other better, always to your advantage. Normally my office door is open, if it is closed, the chart on my door will tell you when I'm available. My office hours are the best time, but I am sometimes free around my classes. If you need my exclusive attention, making an appointment is the best strategy. Make use of this offer; much of what you learn may take place outside of class. NOTE: While child-care responsibilities require me to be at home by late afternoon, feel free to call me there (867-0346). Email: teskeja@etown.edu.

Meeting Topic Reading

Introduction

1. Conceptions and Misconceptions Syllabus

1. History, Themes and Applications Weiten Ch. 1

2. Research: Causes and Correlations Weiten Ch. 2, 32-47

2. Evaluation and Ethics Weiten Ch. 2, 47-59

Part I. Organism: Nervous Systems, Sentience, and Learning

3. Nerves and Nervous Systems Weiten Ch. 3, 60-72

3. Brains and Behavior Weiten Ch. 3, 72-82, 85-91

3. Heredity and Behavior Weiten Ch. 3, 82-85

3. Brains and Sexual Orientation Slife, Issue 4, 52-65

4. Vision and Other Senses Weiten Ch. 4, 92-104, 114-123

4. Perception: Organization and Interpretation Weiten Ch. 4, 104-114, 123-129

5. States of Consciousness Weiten Ch. 5

6. Conditioning and Learning [Quiz] Weiten Ch. 6, 160-180

6. Species Specificity and Cognition Weiten Ch. 6, 180-193

Part II. Mind: Memory, Intellect, and Consciousness

7. Information Processing Weiten Ch. 7, 194-205

7. Reconstruction and Retrieval Weiten Ch. 7, 205-223

7. Repression and Fabrication Slife, Issue 9, 146-171

8. Language and Thought Weiten Ch. 8, 224-233

8. Problem Solving; Decision Making Weiten Ch. 8, 233-249

9. Intelligence and Evaluation Weiten Ch. 9

FALL BREAK

9. The Bell Curve [Quiz] Slife, Issue 8, 134-144

Review, Discussion

MID-TERM EXAMINATION

Part III. Feeling: Maturation and Emotion

10. Motivation and Hunger Weiten Ch. 10, 278-289, 303-305

10. Sexual and Psychosocial Motivation Weiten Ch. 10, 289-294

10. Arousal, Experience, and Expression Weiten Ch. 10, 294-298

10. Theories of Emotion Weiten Ch. 10, 298-302, 306-307

13. Stress, Defense, and Social Support Weiten Ch. 13ff

13. Divorce and Children Slife, Issue 7, 112-131

Part IV. Person: Personality, Development, and Social Life

11. Development, Temperament, Attachment [Quiz] Weiten Ch. 11, 308-319

11. Development and Cognition Weiten Ch. 11, 319-326

11. Identity, Adulthood, and Aging Weiten Ch. 11, 326-345

12. Psychodynamic Theories Weiten Ch. 12, 346-357

12. Behavioral, Humanistic, and Biological Theories Weiten Ch. 12, 357-377

16. Impressions and Attributions Weiten Ch. 16, 470-478

16. Attraction and Relationships Weiten Ch. 16, 478-482

16. Attitudes and Influence Weiten Ch. 16, 483-492

THANKSGIVING BREAK

16. Groups and Prejudice Weiten Ch. 16, 492-501

Part V. Dysfunction: Abnormality, Psychotherapy, and Mental Health

14. Culture, Psychopathology, and Politics Weiten Ch. 14, 406-410

14. Pornography and Violence Slife, Issue 15, 270-289

14. Disorders and Diagnosis Weiten Ch. 14, 410-439

15. Psychotherapy Weiten Ch. 15, 440-459

15. Institutional and Personal Choices Weiten Ch. 15, 459-469