Psychology 199:

Introductory Psychology Merit Program

Fall 2015
Tuesdays 4:00-4:50, Room 27 Psychology
Instructor : Genevieve Henricks
E-mail : henrick2@illinois.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 3:00-4:00; Thursdays 2:00-3:00; by appointment
Office Location: Room 38, Psychology
Welcome to the Psych 100 Merit Program (Psych 199)! Your past academic achievement
and commitment to continued academic excellence has awarded you a place in this
selective seminar. Through interactive discussions and activities, you will deepen your
understanding of Introductory Psychologys material, thus better preparing you for exams
and positioning you for further success in the department and across campus. During this
course, you will:

Apply your understanding of psychological concepts by solving problems and

engaging in demonstrations
Develop your ability to work with others and meet students with similar interests
Broaden your knowledge of study skills
Become aware of extra-curricular activities, research, and other opportunities
within the department and on campus

Course Requirements and Grading

Your active participation in this course is absolutely essential, because the primary
purpose of the course is to get you to engage actively with your peers and with the
material. Your grade will be based on your active and consistent participation, not on
mastery of the material. We believe that active participation will result in mastery of the
material, which will be reflected in improved grades in your regular section of
Introductory Psychology. For this section, you will be graded on effort and attendance. .
The points for the course are as follows:
Attendance
Participation
Meeting with Genevieve
Practice Exams with Reflection
Weekly Question
TOTAL

1 point per class, totaling 14 points

1 point per class, totaling 14 points
5 points
5 points each, totaling 10 points
point each, totaling 6 points
49 points

Attendance: Each class is worth 1 point, totaling 14 points.

Participation: Everyone needs to participate actively by asking questions, fully

contributing to group work, being on task, and arriving to class on time. Each class is
worth 1 point, totaling 14 points
Meeting with Genevieve: Each student needs to attend at least one, one-on-one meeting
with Genevieve sometime during the semester. If you cannot make it to her office hours,
please feel free to set up an alternative time. This meeting is worth 5 points
Practice Exams with Reflection: Before the midterm and final exams, you will take the
practice exams, grade them, and write a paragraph reflecting on your experience (e.g.,
discuss topics you need to work on, which topics you feel comfortable with and why, if
you answered the questions too quickly, if you did not read the questions, carefully, etc.)
The reflection on the midterm is due Tuesday, September 29th, and your reflection for the
final is due Tuesday, December 8th. Your grade for this is NOT based on the score you get
on this practice exam, but instead is based on your reflection. Each reflection is worth 5
points and should be brought to class.
Weekly Question: Every week, you will submit a question about something you still do
not understand from the previous weeks material (Tuesday-Monday). This is due every
Monday night by 9:00pm and should be submitted through Compass. We will begin this
on August 31, and you will not submit a question October 5 (the week of the midterm).
Each weeks question is worth point, for a total of 6 points.

Schedule
Date
8/25
9/1
9/8
9/15
9/22
9/29
10/6
10/13
10/20
10/27
11/3
11/10
11/17
11/24
12/1
12/8

Topic
Orientation
Research Methods
Research Methods
Biological Psychology
Learning
Memory and Midterm
Exam Review
Debrief Midterm
Sensation/Perception
Language/Thinking
Development
Emotion/Motivation
Personality
Psychological Disorders
No Class: Thanksgiving
Break
Treatment
Social Psychology/Final
Exam Review

DueSubmit on Compass
8/31: Question
9/7: Question
9/14: Question
9/21: Question
9/28: Question
9/29: Midterm Reflection
nothing
10/12: Question
10/19: Question
10/26: Question
11/2: Question
11/9: Question
11/16: Question
nothing
11/30: Question
12/7: Question
12/8: Final Reflection