General Psychology

Information About General Psychology
~PSYC 1~

I am teaching one online section of General Psychology this spring (2024). In PSYC 1, we cover fascinating areas that help set the foundation for studying other areas of psychology, including research methods, biology of behavior, sensory systems, learning, memory, gender development, sexuality, stress and health, lifespan development, motivation, emotion, personality, social psychology, abnormal psychology, and psychotherapy. These areas represent various subfields within the field, so General Psychology is a great starting place when first beginning to study psychology. While this course is especially important for students majoring in psychology, it is also a great course to take if you are planning a career that involves interacting or working with others. Students working or planning on working in healthcare, education, and/or clinical or counseling psychology will find the course to be especially relevant and helpful. 

My online section of PSYC 1 (CRN 32242) is part of the CityOnline Program and is offered across 16 weeks, starting 1/29/24 and ending 5/22/24. Please be sure that taking a course during this time period makes sense given your personal and work schedule. It is important that you have reliable access to your class. I cannot excuse students from class due to vacation plans or lack of internet access. You will be expected to log in to our class to work on tasks and actively participate at least 3 days per week of your choosing. 

Feel free to contact me via email (lharriso@ccsf.edu) if you have questions about the course and its requirements. Below you will also find information about adding Psyc 1. More information about adding classes and online waitlist information can be accessed by visiting the "Adding Classes & Online Waitlist Information" page. 

The Textbook for PSYC 1

The textbook for this course is called Exploring Psychology, 12th Edition, by David Myers and Nathan DeWall (Worth Publishers, 2022). Be careful not to purchase the form of this text called Exploring Psychology in Modules; this is not the correct text.  As a class, we are not using Launchpad or Achieve, which are separate websites set up by the publisher of the textbook, so you do not need to purchase an access code.

We cover around 1 chapter a week in the textbook (along with some other tasks related to the reading assignments). The text is your primary source of information. Therefore, it is critical that you have access to a copy of the textbook. The syllabus and course schedule will be available in Canvas once class starts.

For Students Currently Registered for PSYC 1

This course is totally online; it is an online course, not a remote course. Therefore, there are no required face to face meetings. You will not be able to access the course, including the online orientation, until the first day of class. The first day for the section I teach is 1/29/24. 

CCSF uses a learning management system called Canvas. You will receive Canvas log in instructions via your CCSF Gmail account on or shortly before the first day of class. You must log in to the class by the end of the second day of the semester. This is equivalent to showing up on the first day of class. If you do not show up, and you do not communicate with me about it, I will assume you changed your mind about the course and offer your spot to a student on the waiting list. Please contact me right away (lharriso@ccsf.edu) if you have trouble logging in to the class. 

Adding PSYC 1 and Being on the Waiting List


If the class is full when you attempt to register for it, you can try to register for the waiting list. If there is a spot on the waiting list you will be offered that option during the registration process. If you are trying to add yourself to the waiting list during the registration period, and you find the list full, I suggest that you keep checking back (even daily, if you are particularly determined) throughout the registration period because students do drop the class and the waiting list before the class starts. Either way, when a student does this, a spot opens on the registered waiting list. For more information on the waiting list process, visit Waitlist Information.

If you still don't make it on to the waitlist, then the next step is to fill out a "class add request" in myRAM. You cannot submit an add request until the first day of class (1/29). See instructions on page 22 in the myRAM Registration Guide. Getting on the registered waiting list is preferable because those students have priority in adding the class. However, being on the waiting list is not a guarantee that I will be able to add you.

Once classes begin I add people, as openings come up, in the order they appear on the waitlist. Once the waitlist is exhausted, I add students from the class add request list. If I can add you, you will receive an email sent to your CCSF email address prompting you to add the class within 24 hours. If you miss this deadline, I will need to revoke the invitation to add and offer the spot to the next person on the list.

If you are registered for the waitlist, please be aware that you will not be able to log in to the class until I can add you. Again, keep in mind that I may not be able to add you. I have a limited number of spots in the class. I recommend that you wait and buy the text only after  you've officially registered for the class.

Please be rest assured that during the add/drop period I am very diligent about withdrawing people who are not participating and adding people from my waiting lists. I know the course is very important for each person on the list, and I work hard to fill openings quickly. I am totally invested in getting you started as early as possible! 

✔ Especially Important

If you are already registered for the waiting list, then be sure to check your CCSF email account daily. If a spot opens in the class before the class starts, CCSF will contact you to prompt you to add. You will have 24 hours to respond. If you miss this opportunity, your spot is offered to the next person on the list. If you do not respond to this prompt from the college, you are not automatically placed back on the waiting list nor can I automatically add you back to the waiting list myself.  At this point, you can (1) try to re-register for the waiting list if it's still during the registration period, or (2) if the first day of class has arrived, you can can fill out a "class add request" in myRAM. So, be sure to check the email address you have registered with the college regularly! 

Resources

The waiting list process is explained in detail here:  Waitlist Information

If you have never taken an online or remote course before, you should be aware that it requires a great deal of self-motivation and initiative, as well as excellent organizational, time management, and study skills.

Are you ready to take an online course? Visit Succeeding in Online Courses to help you decide.

Finally, I recommend that you also visit CCSF's Distance Learning Information to prepare for your online learning experience. This site has an incredible number of helpful resources and lots of information for you to read before class starts, especially if you are new to online learning.