PSYC 100: General Psychology

Winter 2018

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Course Description and

Learning Outcomes
Class Information: Page 2
Item 1584
Meeting Times: Monday-Friday (9:00am - 9:50am) Grade Breakdown
FA Building, Room 0125 Page 3

Instructor Information: Assignments

Name: Shaan Shahabuddin, M.A. Pages 4-6
Office: BE Building, Room 4110 (a map is provided below)
Office Phone: (206) 934-6985 Classroom Policies
Email: shaan.shahabuddin@seattlecolleges.edu Pages 7-8
Office Hours: Tuesday’s and Thursday’s (3:00 pm - 4:00 pm)
Resources
Page 9

Schedule
Pages 10-11

Course Syllabus
Acknowledgment Form
Page 12

Required Text:
Title: Psychology: A concise introduction (5th Ed.) (2016)
Publisher: Worth Publishers
ISBN Number: 978-1464192166
Available at Campus Bookstore ($40 used, $60 new)

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Course Overview:
Welcome to General Psychology! Throughout this quarter, you will gain a better understanding of the
way we behave, how we think, and why we make the decisions that we do. Even though you will NOT
learn how to diagnose individuals, how to read minds, or how to speak with others about medication for
their illnesses, you will learn far more about how the human mind works than you would have imagined.
We will cover topics related to memory, personality, optical illusions, intelligence, learning, as well as
many others.

Course Description:
Introduction to the scientific study of human behavior including research methods, brain and behavior,
learning, cognitive psychology, development, personality, abnormal psychology, and social thinking and
behavior. Additional topics may include: emotions, perception, motivation, intelligence, genes and
evolution, and health. Pre-requisite: ENGL 101 placement.

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

 Analyze and understand scientific thinking and research methods.
 Evaluate theories and research findings in psychology, demonstrated through college-level oral
and/or written work.
 Apply knowledge of psychological principles to personal and social issues through individual
and/or group projects.

College Wide Learning Outcomes:

Think (gather, interpret, evaluate information, and formulate hypothesis)
 Students will interpret and evaluate research findings within psychological science
Communicate
 Through college-level oral and written work, students will present information on issues
relevant to the science of psychology
Connect
 Students will demonstrate information literacy through the use of scholarly sources

Secret recipe for succeeding in this course

 Read this syllabus in its entirety and bring it to class every day
 Check your email at least once a day
 Check Canvas at least once a day
 Be aware of deadlines and submit all of your work on time

Life Happens

I understand that some of you may be first generation college students or you may be taking college
courses after taking several years off from school. I also understand that there may be issues in your
personal life that may hinder your performance in this class (work, family, etc.). It is your responsibility
to speak to me ahead of time if something is affecting your performance. If you approach me a day
before an assignment is due and explain the issues that you have been having, it will be difficult for me
to assist you. I am willing to help you out the best that I can but this needs to be done in advance.

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 COURSE BREAKDOWN

Requirement Weight Notes

Exams 30% Exam 1 - 10%

Exam 2 - 10%
Exam 3 - 10%
*4 exams will be administered, but only 3 will count
towards your grade (the lowest exam grade will be
dropped)

Projects 50% Show and Tell Project – 10%

Psych Experiment Project – 25%

Abnormal Psych Group Presentation – 15%

Chapter 10% Each quiz is worth 1% (10 quizzes total)

Quizzes
Participation 10% In-class assignments

GRADE BREAKDOWN

Letter Grade Grade Points Percentage

A+ 4.0 96 - 100
A 3.9 93 - 95
A- 3.7 89 - 92
B+ 3.4 86 - 88
B 3.0 83 - 85
B- 2.7 79 - 82
C+ 2.3 76 - 78
C 2.0 73 - 75
C- 1.7 69 - 72
D+ 1.3 66 - 68
D 1.0 63 - 65
D- 0.7 59 - 62
F 0.0 0 - 58

*Grades will be rounded up from 0.5% and above and will be rounded down from 0.4% and below. For
example, an 89.4% will be calculated as an 89 as your final grade and a 89.5% will be calculated as a 90%

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 ASSIGNMENTS

All assignments that are submitted on Canvas must be submitted as a Microsoft Word document, pdf,
or PowerPoint. Submitting as assignment as a Google Docs documents or any other format will not be
accepted and will result in a deduction of points

Exams – 30%

Four exams will be administered throughout the quarter to test your knowledge over the information
covered in lecture as well as in your textbook. Each exam will cover 3-4 chapters and will consist of 50
questions that will include multiple choice, matching, and fill-in-the-blank. Exams will be administered in
class and you will have until the end of the class period to finish the exam. Please bring a #2 pencil and a
scantron on exam day. The scantrons that will be used are the thin, green scantrons that are numbered
1-50 on one side and 51-100 on the other side. You can pick these up from the copy center (on the third
floor) or the bookstore (across the street from the BE Building and MAC).

The lowest grade of these four exams will be dropped. This means that if you do very poorly on any one
of the exams, you can make up for it by doing well on the other three exams. Similarly, if you do well on
the first three exams, you do not need to take the fourth exam. A review sheet will be posted on Canvas
to help you study the most important information for the exam.

Due to the exam drop policy, make-up exams will not be allowed. If you are unable to make it to class on
exam day for any reason (health, accident, flat tire, etc.), you will NOT be able to make-up the exam. You
must take a 0 for that exam and do better on the other one’s so that the 0 is the exam that gets
dropped.

Exam schedule:

Exam 1: Intro to Psych (PowerPoint), Ch. 1, and Ch. 9

Exam 2: Ch. 2, Ch. 3, and Ch. 4
Exam 3: Ch. 5, Consciousness (PowerPoint), and Ch. 6
Exam 4: Ch. 7, Ch. 8, Motivation and Emotion (PowerPoint), and Ch. 10

Exams must be taken in class. The scantron will be graded, the exam paper will be shredded after you
complete the exam. All exams must be submitted at the end of class. This means that if you arrive late
for any reason, you must still submit the exam at the end of class.

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Psych Experiment Project – 25%

You will work with a group of students to create a questionnaire based off of topics of shared interests.
Your questionnaire will be used to collect data from the other students in class, and your group will
present your findings to the entire class at the end of the quarter.

I understand that partner work may not be the most fun when you are in college, but this is a very
important skill to master. When you work in the “real world”, you will most likely have to interact with
different people and learn their different personalities and work styles (regardless of which field of work
you pursue). Your partner will evaluate you on how much effort you have invested in the group (and
vice versa), and this will be applied to your grade.

Your project will be due in stages. For example, you will first submit the topic of your research, then the
names of your group members, etc. (see pages 10-11). Each of these components will count towards
completion points toward your overall project grade. This means that points will be deducted if you do
not submit on time. A rubric for project will be posted on Canvas as the quarter progresses.

Each component of your project must be submitted on Canvas by 11:59 pm as a word document or pdf
format. You will receive a completition grade of a 100 for each component that you submit as long as
you follow the instructions, submit the document in the correct format, and submit the document
before the deadline. A total of five components will count towards your grade for this project, they are
marked as “Graded” under the “Psych Experiment Project” column on the syllabus schedule (pages 11-
12 of this syllabus)

Show and Tell Project – 10%

Most people have hobbies that they enjoy pursuing when they are not studying for exams or reading
textbooks. Choose one hobby that you enjoy (ex: sports, video games, music, dancing, film, poetry, etc.)
and incorporate a psychology concept into it. The concept that you choose may be taken from the
textbook or from lecture. For example, if you enjoy music, you can write a song about a topic in class
that we will cover (ex: context-dependent memory, body language, classical conditioning, etc.).

Everyone will present their projects to the class (each student will have between 2-5 minutes to
present). This is meant to be a fun project where you can be creative and incorporate something that I
am passionate about (i.e., psychology) with a hobby that you love doing. A rubric for this assignment will
be posted on Canvas as this quarter progresses.

Everyone must be ready to present their projects on the both days listed on the syllabus schedule (you
must bring your final project to class). If you are not present on the day that students present their
projects or if you do not have your project with you for any reason, you will receive a 0.

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Abnormal Psych Group Presentation – 15%

You will work with your group members to present a topic on Abnormal Psychology. You and your group
members will choose a specific psychological disorder and will conduct your own research to learn
about the disorder (e.g., causes, symptoms, cures, etc.). Your group will present a PowerPoint of your
psychological illness to the class.

You must submit your final presentation as a Microsoft PowerPoint file (not Prezi, etc.) on Canvas by
11:59 pm on the date listed on the syllabus schedule (-10 points per day late). If you are not present
when your group is presenting, you will receive a 0 for this project.

Chapter Quizzes – 10%

In order to test your knowledge over the material covered in your textbook, you will complete 10
chapter quizzes this quarter. Each quiz will cover a new chapter and will consist of 10 multiple-choice
questions. The quizzes are not meant to be difficult, but are instead a “refresher” to allow you to think
about the readings. These are open book quizzes that will be completed on Canvas the day after a
chapter is completed.

The quizzes will be completed on Canvas and are due at 11:59 pm on the day listed on the syllabus
schedule (pages 10-11). At midnight, the quizzes will close and WILL NOT re-open for ANY reason.

Participation – 10%

In order to motivate you to attend class, I will assign a “pop assignment” once a week. These
assignments will be given in-class, on a random day, each week and will be graded for completition. I
may ask you to write down your thoughts about the chapter, or assign you a short pop-quiz, or some
other task dealing with information you are expected to have studied. These assignments will be graded
for completition. This means that if you turn in a sheet of paper with your name and an attempt to
answer the question that I ask, you will receive 1% for your participation points.

If you are not present in class during the day we have a participation activity (for any reason), you will
not receive participation points for that week.

EXTRA CREDIT

I understand that sometimes students may be overwhelmed with the amount of work that they have in
their other courses and may end up doing poorly, or failing to submit, some assignments. For this
reason, I plan to offer some extra credit opportunities. The exact method of what an extra credit will
consist of, or how much it will count towards your grade, will be determined later on this quarter. Each
extra credit will be posted on Canvas.

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 CLASSROOM POLICIES

Attendance

It is important to arrive to class on time. I will call roll on Canvas as soon as class begins and you will be
assigned one of three categories: present, late, or absent. If you are not in class when roll is called, you
will be marked ABSENT! It is your responsibility to approach me after class and to let me know that you
arrived late. Absences will not affect your grade, but arriving on time will. For every 10 times when roll is
called and you arrive on time, you will receive 1 extra credit point that can be applied to your lowest
exam grade (for a total of 3 points). Official attendance begins from week 2.

Absences

Although absences do not count against your grade, it will be very difficult for you to do well in this class
if you are consistently absent. You will miss out on important information and opportunities if you are
not present in class. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to read the chapter and look over the
PowerPoint slides that were covered that day. You are still responsible for submitting any assignment or
quiz that was due on the day that you are absent.

If there is a very important reason for why you were absent and you need to make up work, you must
provide proper documentation (doctor’s note) within a week of your absence to the instructor.

Late Work

All assignments that are due on Canvas are due by 11:59 pm and must be submitted in the correct
format (Word, pdf, PowerPoint). A deduction of 10 points per day will be taken off for any assignment
that is submitted late. For assignments that need to be submitted in class (Show and Tell project), late
work will not be accepted.

If there is a very important reason for why you were unable to submit your work on time (for example,
being admitted to a hospital), please speak with me and provide proper documentation. All other
excuses will not be accepted (ex: computer was not working, wi-fi was disconnected, you were confused
about the due date, etc.). Do not wait until the last minute to submit assignments because things usually
will go wrong.

Informing me that you did not know as assignment was due will NOT be accepted as an excuse. When
you submit the last page of this syllabus, you are agreeing to read this syllabus in its entirety and to be
responsible for all deadlines.

Cancelled Classes

If I need to cancel our class for any reason (power outage, health issues, weather, etc.), all students
must complete an online assignment through Canvas. The assignment will usually consist of reading an
article or watching a video and then posting a reply on the discussion board. These assignment will
count as participation points for the week.

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Contacting the Instructor

I have designated walk-in office hours to meet with students (see first page of this syllabus), but the best
way to contact me is through email. If you email me, please be professional and respectful. State your
name and the class you are in (course number, class time, etc). Remember that emailing an Instructor is
not the same as sending a text message, please do not use a lowercase “i” or abbreviate words (ex: tbh,
omw, etc.). I will respond to your email within 24 hours.

Electronic Devices

Laptops will be allowed in class (for those who prefer taking notes), however, I request that you please
refrain from accessing websites that are not relevant to this class. If you are watching videos or are on
social media while on your computer, this may distract the other students around you.

Cell phones are to NOT be used in class unless we are doing an activity that requires one. You should
silence your phone, or turn it off, when class begins. If I see that you are texting on your phone, I will ask
you to answer a question from my lecture. If you are expecting an important text or phone call, please
let me know in advance so that I do not embarrass you.

Food and Drinks

I understand that some of you may have classes back-to-back or need to rush to work immediately after
class and may not have time to eat. For this reason, I will allow food and drinks in the classroom, but you
must make sure to clean up after yourselves after you are done. I should not see any empty bottles or
wrappers in the classroom. I reserve the right to change my food policy if I see students are not
respecting the cleanliness of the classroom.

Respect for all individuals in the classroom

I expect you to respect all individuals in the classroom. This includes myself, other students in the class,
and any guests that may enter. Please refrain from any comments that are crude, inappropriate, contain
profanity, or target specific groups (including, but not limited to, specific: races, religions, sexual
orientations, genders, etc.). All students should feel safe and accepted while class is in session. If you
feel targeted, harassed, or uncomfortable for any reason, please speak to me so that we can solve this
issue.

Scholastic Integrity

All work you turn in for this class must be your own work. Plagiarism and other forms of cheating are
absolutely unacceptable at the college level and will not be tolerated in this environment. Any student
who cheats or turns in plagiarized work will be penalized per instructor discretion. For further discussion
of cheating, plagiarism, and possible penalties, please consult your Student Code of Conduct
(http://seattlecentral.edu/stu-lead/StudentHandbook.pdf).

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 RESOURCES

Student Support Programs

Students with disabilities requesting class accommodations, requiring special arrangements in case of
building evacuation, or have emergency medical information the instructor should know about are
asked to contact the Disability Support Services. If you have special accommodations in regards to taking
exams, it is your responsibility to speak with Disability Services to complete all necessary paperwork.

http://www.seattlecentral.edu/student-support/

Counseling Center

If you feel that you could benefit from personal counseling (any form of stress, coping with the passing
away of a friend or loved one, etc.), career counseling (assistance in helping you find your major),
academic counseling (questions related to classes and degree plans), or crisis intervention (extremely
challenging information in your personal life), please contact the counseling center.

http://www.seattlecentral.edu/counsel/index.php

Writing Center

If you need assistance with (or need help improving) your writing or grammar, the writing center provides
one-on-one tutoring. This resource is NOT limited to only those who learned English as a second language.

http://seattlecentral.edu/learningsupportnetwork/?page_id=132

Library

Contact the library to gain help in searching for journal articles and books for your research paper. The
library also has several computers. If you do not have Microsoft Office, you may use these computers to
submit your material (remember, I only accept documents submitted as a pdf, word document, or
PowerPoint).

http://libguides.seattlecentral.edu/library

Technical Support

If you are having trouble logging into your Canvas account or school e-mail, contact technical support.

http://www.seattlecentral.edu/it-services/

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 SYLLABUS SCHEDULE

WEEK 1 Assignments Due Psych Experiment Project

Jan 1 Mon No Class
Jan 2 Tue Class Introduction
Jan 3 Wed Intro to Psych
Jan 4 Thur Intro to Psych
Jan 5 Fri Intro to Psych / Syllabus Quiz
Ch. 1 - Science
WEEK 2
Jan 8 Mon Ch. 1 - Science
Jan 9 Tue Ch. 1 - Science
Jan 10 Wed Ch. 1 - Science
Jan 11 Thur Ch. 9 - Social Ch. 1 Quiz
Jan 12 Fri Ch. 9 - Social
WEEK 3
Jan 15 Mon MLK Jr. Day
No Class
Jan 16 Tue Ch. 9 - Social Submit Topic on Flash Card
Jan 17 Wed Ch. 9 - Social
Jan 18 Thur Ch. 2 - Neuroscience Ch. 9 Quiz
Jan 19 Fri Ch. 2 - Neuroscience
WEEK 4
Jan 22 Mon Exam 1
Jan 23 Tue Ch. 2 - Neuroscience
Jan 24 Wed Ch. 3 – Sensation Ch. 2 Quiz
Jan 25 Thur Ch. 3 – Sensation
Jan 26 Fri Faculty Conference Online Assignment Names of Group Members,
No Class (Check Canvas) Topic of Research
Group Member Duties
(Graded)
WEEK 5
Jan 29 Mon Ch. 3 - Sensation
Jan 30 Tue Ch. 4 – Learning Ch. 3 Quiz
Group Time
Jan 31 Wed Ch. 4 - Learning
Feb 1 Thur Ch. 4 - Learning
Feb 2 Fri Ch. 4 - Learning
WEEK 6
Feb 5 Mon Exam 2 First Draft of Questionnaire
(Graded)
Feb 6 Tue Ch. 5 - Memory Ch. 4 Quiz
Feb 7 Wed Ch. 5 - Memory
Feb 8 Thur Development Day
No Class
Feb 9 Fri Meet in Computer
Lab

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 SYLLABUS SCHEDULE (CONTINUED)

WEEK 7 Assignments Due Psych Experiment

Project
Feb 12 Mon Ch. 5 - Memory Second Draft of
Questionnaire (Graded)
Feb 13 Tue Consciousness Ch. 5 Quiz
Feb 14 Wed Consciousness
Feb 15 Thur Ch. 6 - Intelligence
Feb 16 Fri Ch. 6 - Intelligence
WEEK 8
Feb 19 Mon President’s Day
No Class
Feb 20 Tue Ch. 6 - Intelligence Two Scholarly Sources
(Graded)
Feb 21 Wed Exam 3 Ch. 6 Quiz
Feb 22 Thur Show and Tell
Presentations
Feb 23 Fri Show and Tell
Presentations
WEEK 9
Feb 26 Mon Ch. 7 - Development
Feb 27 Tue Ch. 7 - Development
Feb 28 Wed Ch. 7 - Development
March 1 Thur Ch. 8 - Personality Ch. 7 Quiz
March 2 Fri Ch. 8 - Personality
WEEK 10
March 5 Mon Ch. 8 - Personality
March 6 Tue Group Time Ch. 8 Quiz
Abnormal Psych
PowerPoint
March 7 Wed Abnormal Psych
Presentations
March 8 Thur Abnormal Psych
Presentations
March 9 Fri Abnormal Psych
Presentations
WEEK 11
March 12 Mon Exam 4 Final Folder of
Documents (Graded)
March 13 Tue Group Time Final PowerPoint

March 14 Wed Psych Experiment

Presentations
March 15 Thur Psych Experiment
Presentations
March 16 Fri Psych Experiment
Presentations
WEEK 12
March 19-23 No Final Exam
No Class
*As the instructor of this course, I reserve the right to adjust the class schedule and due dates for assignments,
projects, and exams

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Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences Division
Department of Psychology

Course Syllabus Acknowledgement Form (Student Copy)

Course: PSYC 100: General Psychology

Instructor: Shaan Shahabuddin, M.A.
Quarter: Winter 2018

By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read this syllabus in its entirety and agree to follow all of the
policies and regulations outlined. I will respect the instructor and all students in this course, I will bring
this syllabus with me to class every day and I will be aware of upcoming deadlines and due dates.

I also acknowledge that even though I have responsibilities outside of this class (such as work, family, etc.),
I will balance these responsibilities with my school work and try to make school a priority. If I am
registering for this class then it means that I am willing to take on these responsibilities and will not use
them as a consistent excuse for not completing my work. If I am unable to attend class, then I know I may
not be able to make up any material that was due that day in class and that I am still responsible for
submitting material due online. If I have a valid reason for why I was absent, I must bring proper
documentation to the instructor within one week of the day I was absent (after one week, my excuse may
not be valid). Additionally, it is my responsibility to keep track of my own grades and attendance. If I am
not doing well in the class, then I am the person who needs to drop the class before the last drop date.

I will be responsible for submitting all of my work in the correct format on the day it is due. If I submit an
assignment late for any reason (computer was not working, etc.) or in an incorrect format (a format other
than Microsoft Word, pdf, or PowerPoint), then I know I will have points deducted from my grade.

I will arrive to class prepared every day. During exam days, it is my duty to bring the correct scantron and
a #2 pencil. If I do not bring these items with me when the exam begins, then I am responsible for walking
outside of the classroom to find these materials in order to complete the exam (and I know that I will use
my exam time when I do this).

I understand that the instructor of this course has the authority to change due dates and assignments if
they feel it necessary.

First and Last Name of Student (Printed): ____________________________________________________

Student Signature: ______________________________________________________________

Date: _____________________

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Arts, Humanities, & Social Sciences Division
Department of Psychology

Course Syllabus Acknowledgement Form (Instructor Copy)

Course: PSYC 100: General Psychology

Instructor: Shaan Shahabuddin, M.A.
Quarter: Winter 2018

By signing below, I acknowledge that I have read this syllabus in its entirety and agree to follow all of the
policies and regulations outlined. I will respect the instructor and all students in this course, I will bring
this syllabus with me to class every day and I will be aware of upcoming deadlines and due dates.

I also acknowledge that even though I have responsibilities outside of this class (such as work, family, etc.),
I will balance these responsibilities with my school work and try to make school a priority. If I am
registering for this class then it means that I am willing to take on these responsibilities and will not use
them as a consistent excuse for not completing my work. If I am unable to attend class, then I know I may
not be able to make up any material that was due that day in class and that I am still responsible for
submitting material due online. If I have a valid reason for why I was absent, I must bring proper
documentation to the instructor within one week of the day I was absent (after one week, my excuse may
not be valid). Additionally, it is my responsibility to keep track of my own grades and attendance. If I am
not doing well in the class, then I am the person who needs to drop the class before the last drop date.

I will be responsible for submitting all of my work in the correct format on the day it is due. If I submit an
assignment late for any reason (computer was not working, etc.) or in an incorrect format (a format other
than Microsoft Word, pdf, or PowerPoint), then I know I will have points deducted from my grade.

I will arrive to class prepared every day. During exam days, it is my duty to bring the correct scantron and
a #2 pencil. If I do not bring these items with me when the exam begins, then I am responsible for walking
outside of the classroom to find these materials in order to complete the exam (and I know that I will use
my exam time when I do this).

I understand that the instructor of this course has the authority to change due dates and assignments if
they feel it necessary.

First and Last Name of Student (Printed): ____________________________________________________

Student Signature: ______________________________________________________________

Date: _____________________

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