Pre-Requisites:  It is advised, but not required, that you have taken ENGL 93 or ENGL 95 or ENGL 88 or ENGL 88A or placement in ENGL 96 or ENGL 88B before enrolling in PSYC 1.

Course Outcomes (Student Learning Outcomes):

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Outcome 1: Interpret the major historical and current psychological perspectives.

Outcome 2: Define the methods and goals of psychological research.

Outcome 3: Critically apply psychological principles to examine real life situations.

Outcome 4: Analyze basic psychological concepts.

Outcome 5: Evaluate the applicability of psychological concepts to current issues.

Online Policies:

Students are responsible for material from lectures and readings. Please do your best to log online several times a week so that you do not miss anything.  It is expected that you will do the following:

§  Participate in and complete the online orientation prior to your first online course.

§  Obtain the required course materials prior to the course start date.

§  Login and participate in your course a minimum of three times per week.

§  Students who have not logged in after 5 days will be considered withdrawn from the class

§  Complete all assignments to the best of your ability.

§  Participate in the discussions and demonstrate respect and consideration to the instructor and other students when they express themselves in discussion.

§  Use a professional communication style when writing, see course communication policy below.

§  Questions, comments, and/or concerns may be directed using the discussion feature.

Course Communication Policy:

Canvas Inbox is my preferred method of contact. My response time is 24-48 hours (except Saturday & Sundays). Please resend if I haven’t responded. 

• For general questions about the course, policies, etc., and clarification questions that other students could benefit from, post in the General Discussion Forum/ Q & A Forum on Canvas.

• For personal questions and issues, e-mail me directly.

• I am also available for face to face meetings via Zoom by appointment.

• Make sure to read your e-mail and all the announcements on Canvas. This is a fluid class and there may be occasionally changes in pacing. There may be important changes in assignments and important clarifications; you are responsible for all changes announced.

• Netiquette combination of ’net’ (from internet) and ’etiquette’. It means respecting other users’ views and displaying common courtesy when posting your views to online discussion groups.

Course Drop, No Show, Withdrawal Policy:

• A student who decides to withdraw from this class at any time must do so by filing the appropriate form in the Registrar’s Office (Smith Hall, RM 118) or online through MyCCSF-Web4.

• If you miss one (1) week of quizzes or discussions, you may be dropped for non-Participation.

• In order to withdraw from a course, it is not sufficient to stop posting assignments or contributing to discussion. In accord with college policy, students wishing to withdraw from a course must do so formally through the Registrar’s office. It is the student’s responsibility to complete all forms. If this is not done, the instructor must assign a grade of F at the end of the semester.

Late Policy:

Unless prior arrangements are made with me, no late assignments will be accepted. Exceptions will be in the case of emergencies, and late penalties will be made on a case-by-case basis. Notify me, via email, in case of an emergency.

Academic Integrity:

CCSF does not condone academic dishonesty in any form. This includes, but is not limited to the following:

§  Cheating (giving or receiving unauthorized assistance in any academic exercise or examination)

• Plagiarism (representing the ideas or language of others as one’s own)

§  Falsification or invention of information, data, or citations

§  Submitting substantially the same written work to more than one instructor without permission

§  Interfering with the ability of a fellow student to perform his or her assignments.

CCSF requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student, and as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct, plagiarism will not be tolerated. Potential problems can be avoided by documenting all sources used (whether directly quoted or paraphrased) with references or citations. Cheating of any kind will result in a failing grade on that assignment, documentation of the incident, and possible referral to the Office of Student Affairs and Wellness. Unauthorized collaboration on assignments is subject to penalty of failure.

CANVAS

PSYC 1 is an online course, which makes extensive use of the learning platform Canvas.  Assignments, announcements, handouts, and PowerPoints are posted online.  ALL assignments are submitted through Canvas.  If this is your first time using Canvas there are tutorials available for students.

The email address you provided at registration is the one used to communicate with students.  It is your responsibility to ensure your active and current email address is on file in order to facilitate communication.

Course Requirements:

Students in this course will be expected to read, observe, discuss, and write about theories and topics of psychology as they relate to the readings and to their own lives. Students’ final grades will be determined by their performance on the following assessments (additional information about these assessments will be provided in CANVAS):

1. Class Attendance & Participation

Regular online attendance and participation is expected. All assignments and due dates will be posted and is due no later than the day indicated (Sundays). It has been my experience that four (4) assignments missed will jeopardize success in this course. Missing over four (4) on-line assignments is cause for dismissal.

*Students are encouraged to share observations, cited evidence and personal experiences (when appropriate) to illustrate concepts from the readings and discussions. This means that there will be an opportunity to learn about a range of experiences, perspectives, and lifestyles. It is critical for students to respect one another and make this a safe place for sharing. Confidentiality is paramount. Similarly, at no time should any student feel pressured to reveal any personal information that he/she would prefer to keep private. Self-disclosure should follow appropriate boundaries.

2. Readings

There will be assigned readings that need to be completed by the end of each week. The list of readings can be found at the end of the syllabus. The majority of readings will come from the text/EBook. If any additional readings are needed, they will be provided by the instructor. It is critical that these readings are completed because online discussion/activities will revolve around the readings.

3.  Web-Based Activities

The course text can be used to complete the on-line activities, but consultation with other human resources (peers, parents, professors, co-workers etc.) is not permitted.

• Weekly Assignments

Activities may prompt students to reflect on content to discuss a topic.

The web-based activities/assignments will generally open on Saturday afternoons by 2pm    and close by 11 pm on Sunday.

• Chapter Quizzes

The quiz activities are TIMED which means that once you open it you will have approximately 30 minutes to complete it. You are STRONGLY advised to read related course content BEFORE starting the quizzes or responding to any other on-line activities.  Material that will appear on the quizzes may come from the readings, lecture notes, discussion topics, and videos.

• End of Term Assignment

Each student will be responsible for completing an end of semester assignment.  The assignment will be based on your understanding of what you have learned. It can be posted as a video, paper, podcast, or presentation (power point, Canva) and should be less than 20 minutes or approximately 3 pages double spaced.

Detailed instructions for the presentation/ video/paper post will be given at the appropriate point in the term.  Presentation/post should have a summary component, and an analytic component (e.g. presenting on the content as well as the meaning).

• Exams

There will be 3 exams throughout the semester. Exams will cover textbook/EBook material and information presented online. If you miss an exam, you have one week to make it up. In addition, if circumstances prevent you from taking an exam on the scheduled day, alert me ahead of time (if possible), and it will be your responsibility to make an appointment to take the exam.

Make-up examinations are only approved for students in good academic standing who miss a final exam for a serious illness or compelling emergency reason that is documented.  They are not approved because of negligence, misinformation, vacations, or lack of preparation. 

If you already know you will not have online access for the final exam you should seriously consider electing another course. 

Resources:

Disability Support Services. The college will make reasonable accommodations for persons with documented disabilities. Students should notify the Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) located in the Rosenberg Library, Room 323 on the Ocean Campus and their instructors of any special needs. DSPS can then provide you with information or other assistance to help manage any challenges that may affect your performance in your coursework. The college requires that you provide acceptable documentation of your disability to the DSPS to receive accommodations. You can reach DSPS at: 415-4532-5481 (V) or 415-452-5451 (TTY)

Multicultural Retention Services Dept. Open to all students (you do not need to belong to the group highlighted in order to use their resources or services)

The Learning Resource Center. Offers assistance with free tutoring services, writing help, academic skills workshops.