102_fall2010syl

WESTERN NEVADA COLLEGE

Psy 102--Personal and Social Adjustment
Spring 2012
(Updated Dec. 15, 2011)

Description	Focuses on understanding and applying psychological principles and theories to personal development and human relationships.
Instructor	Cheryl Pawluk, Ph.D.
Contact	Office: Carson Campus, Bristlecone Bldg 350N Phone: 775.445.4291 Fax: 775.445.3141 e-mail: pawluk@wnc.edu web page: http://websites.wnc.edu/~pawluk/ Office hours: Mondays--2:30 -3:30, Tuesdays--1:00 - 2:00, Wednesdays--2:30 - 3:30 & 6:00 - 7:00 p.m., Thursdays--1:00 - 2:00
Psy 102 has no course prerequisites. Students should have college-level communication skills and have access to a computer with Internet capabilities. The course transfers as PSY 102 to all Nevada colleges

Psy 102 is taught online in the e-learning section (Moodle). Before the semester starts, you need to get your computer ready and learn how to work in Moodle.
WNC online training is available in short videos. Find out how to do things like take quizzes & locate resources. Just click the first link for the online material written and the second link for videos. When you get to the youtube site, look for the category of "Moodle Student help" in the right-hand menu. You will find a variety of short "how to" videos.
http://wnctraining.org/?page_id=53
http://www.youtube.com/wnceduonline

Confused on how to locate the web-enhanced part of this course? Click "Accessing Moodle" to get information on how to access WNC e-learning.
Keep in mind that you will not be able to access this course until the spring semester starts.

The following links allow you to navigate directly to parts of this syllabus:

How the Course is Organized
Methods of Instruction and Course Requirements
Grading Policy and Procedures
Due Dates and Make-up Policy
Course Etiquette

Note: This syllabus is a general guide for the course. It may be changed during the semester. Any change will be posted on the home page, with an email sent to the class. Students enrolled in this course need to maintain contact with the instructor to receive possible revisions. Always check the revision date on the syllabus (located at the top of the first page of the syllabus) to ensure that you have the correct version of the syllabus.

Welcome to PSY 102: Psychology of Personal and Social Adjustment. This is a course that focuses on providing resources and experiences to encourage self-exploration and strengthening of coping skills to meet the demands of modern life.

I am very pleased to be able to offer this course to WNC students. Most people find that they learn more about a subject when they apply the subject to themselves, so this should be a great way to learn about psychological principles. We will be covering a wide range of topics that affect our lives: identifying and coping with stress, health, personal relationships, lifestyle choices, adult development, personality, and so on.

Please keep in mind that this is not a self-paced course. Learning about yourself requires a commitment to doing the assignments every week. I give a variety of types of assignments each week: a short quiz, self-assessments, sometimes a class discussion, and a chance to try out new strategies. This requires that students stay acitively engaged with the material and the class.

Textbook: (required): Santrock J. (2006) Human Adjustment. New York: McGraw-HIll ISBN 0-07-299059-7
The textbook is a classic. Since it is a couple of years old, there should be used copies available. I do not require that students use the CD-Rom that usually comes with the text, so if you find a used copy without the CD Rom, feel free to buy it. A free web site accompanies the textbook. We will be using is for some of the weekly projects. The url for it is: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072990597/information_center_view0/

I. Course Objectives

Course objectives are what each student is expected to learn about psychology. Psy 102 objectives reflect the recommended outcomes from the American Psychological Association for undergraduate education. Upon completion of the course, the student is expected to demonstrate meaningful improvements in the following areas:

Self-Understanding. The emphasis is on personal development, especially in the areas of self-assessment and insight into one's self and the behavior and mental processes of others.
Learning new information focuses on acquiring new information and a greater understanding of the major psychological concepts, theories, and perspectives important to personal and social development.
Apply information to improve personal and social adjustment. This involves learning how to apply effective strategies for self-management and self-improvement.

II. Linkage of course to educational program mission and program outcomes.

Educational Program Mission Linkage

Learning outcomes refer to the skills and abilities that are expected of college graduates. Psy 102 can be used for all degrees and certificates of achievement offered at WNC. It is strongly recommended for the human relations and/or social sciences requirements for the AAS and AGS degrees and certificates of achievement as an alternative to PSY 101.

Students in general psychology are expected to demonstrate their ability to meet the following five general education student learning outcomes:

Improve communication skills.
Improve problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Develop effective and efficient learning skills, including the location and evaluation of information.
Develop appropriate technological skills, including computer skills.
Understand and apply social science principles.

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III. How the Course is Organized

The class is organized into 15 topics. We will explore a new topic each week. Students are expected to complete several short assignments each week designed to meet the course objectives and learning outcomes. Details about these assignments are explained in sections IV and V of this syllabus.

Organization of Course
Dates	Topics, Assignments, and Assessments
Week 1 Jan 23 - Jan 29	Topic--Adjusting to Life (Chp 1)
Week 2 Jan 30 - Feb 5	Topic--Understanding Your Personality (Chp 2)
Week 3 Feb 6 - Feb 12	Topic--Exploring your identity, values, and self-concept (Chp 3)
Week 4 Feb 13 - Feb19	Topic--Understanding and managing stress in your life (Chp 4)
Week 5 Feb 20 - Feb 26	Topic--Strategies for coping with life's problems (Chp 5)
Week 6 Feb 27 - Mar4	Topic--Understanding and getting along with other people (Chp 6)
Week 7 Mar 5 - Mar 11	Topic--Improving oral communication skills (Chp 7)
Week 8 Mar 12 - Mar 18	Topic--Working on Relationships
Mar 19 - Mar 25	Spring Break
Week 9 Mar 26 - Apr 1	Topic--Exploring the diversity of adult lifestyles (Chp 9)
Week 10 Apr 2 - Apr 8	Topic--Motivation to succeed in college and careers (Chp 10)
Week 11 Apr 9 - Apr 15	Topic--Challenges and opportunities in adulthood (Chp 11)
Week 12 Apr 16 - Apr 22	Topic--The effects on gender on our lives (Chp 12)
Week 13 Apr 23 - apr 29	Topic--Understanding sexuality (chp 13)
Week 14 Apr 30 - May 7	Topic--Understanding psychological disorders (Chp 14)
Week 15 May 7 - May 13	Topic--Understanding the types of therapy and how to be healthy (Chps 15 & 16)
Week 16 May 14 - May 17	Topic reflection on personal development--no chapter assignment

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IV. Methods of Instruction and Course Requirements

Textbook. This is the primary source for the material for the course. Students are usually assigned one chapter each week and use the text to learn about concepts, take some of the self-assessments, and complete assignments. It is critical that students have a copy of the text.

Textbook web site. There is a free companion web site for the text. Students will find the site helpful in completing some of the short projects and understanding the textbook. The url for it is: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072990597/information_center_view0/

E-mail and Messaging. Unless I am off-campus for specific meetings or conferences, I am in my office Monday through Friday, and check my e-mail and Moodle messages constantly throughout the day. I rarely check either over weekend or on official college holiday. During the work week, I usually respond to questions from students within 24 hours of receiving email. Grading of assignments typically takes about a week.

Electronic Submission of Work. All work should be submitted in WNC Online (Moodle). While many assignments are submitted by typing directly into a submission area in the course, some assignments may require attaching a document. If an attachment is used, please make sure it is in one of the following formats: Word (.doc), WordPerfect (.wpd), a pdf file, or any rich text file (.rtf). I cannot open Microsoft Works or Open Office unless the document is specifically saved as a rich text file (.rtf).

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V. Grading Policy and Procedures

Grades are determined by a variety of types of assignments designed to help student meet the course objectives and learning outcomes.

Weekly Assignments

The class is organized around the course objectives and there is at least one assignment each week that addresses each of the course objectives.

Course Objective: Self-Understanding.   Developing self-insight involves reflection and being able to receive objective feedback about one's self. Students will take, score, and interpret a variety of self-assessments. Most assignments regarding the self-assessments require students to write a short report about the self-assessments. There are also occasions where students will be required to participate in discussion topics about the nature of the self-assessments.

Course Objective: Learning New Information. Weekly quizzes the major tool to meet this course objective. A short (15 points) quiz is given on the assigned reading each week. Students are encouraged to use the text and other assigned materials to complete quizzes. The are no time limits on each quiz and students can take each quiz. two times, with only the highest score being counted. Quizzes are usually comprised of multiple-choice items, but may include other formats.

Course Objective: Apply information to improve personal and social adjustment. Each week provides a new opportunity to apply effective strategies and techniques. Students will usually be able to select the strategies for the topic. Most strategies require students to try out a new skill or technique, keep some sort of record about the results of the trial period, and evaluate the usefulness of the technique.

Learning Outcomes: Communication, thinking, learning and computer skills, and understanding social science principles. Students will be working on these skills as they complete assignments. For example, all writing in the class should demonstrate college-level skills and grades will be adjusted for consistent writing problems. I will provide feedback on ways to improve writing or direct students to where they can get online help. Computer skills are built into the course.

Grading.   Each weekly quiz is worth 15 points. The remaining points are divided between the self-understanding and application projects. In most cases, 10 points each week are for self-understanding activities and 15 points for the application assignment. There are a few cases where the point values for these will vary, but the total points for the combined assignments will always be 25.

It is important to understand that grading of self-understanding and application projects is based primarily on three things: Did the written material address all of the questions or issues as directed in the instructions? Did the person demonstrate good critical thinking and reflection in covering the material? Was the material written at a level expected of college students? I do not grade any material on whether the person "liked" or "agreed with" the material. Additionally, the success (or failure) of an application project does not impact a grade. For example, I think it is just as beneficial to find out what strategy or technique does not work as it is to find one that does work.

Please note that fairly detailed instructions are available for each assignment and I have also developed more general materials about how to write self-assessment reports, how to make postings in the various online tools. My view is that my role is to provide instructions, guidance, and feedback to help each student meet the objectives and outcomes for this course.

Extra Credit: Extra credit is based on completing short assignments set up across the semester. Each extra credit assignment is usually less than 5 points. Assignments are typically available for about three days, so students need to check-in the class on a regular basis to be able to complete the assignments. All extra credit assignments must be completed during the time period that the assignment is available. A total of 20 points for extra credit is possible.

Final Grade. I grade on a point system. Quizzes are worth 225 points and comprise 37% of the final grade. The total points possible for this class is 600.    Grades are awarded based upon points, as shown in the table below.

Semester Grade
Total Points	Percentage	Grade
540 - 600	90 - 100%	A
528 - 539	88 - 89%	B+
480 - 527	80 - 87%	B
468 - 479	78 - 79%	C+
420 - 467	70 - 77%	C
408 - 419	68 - 69%	D+
360 - 407	60 - 67%	D
< 360	<60%	F

The grade of F will be assigned if students complete the course and earn fewer than 360 points. Students may withdraw from the course at any time before the last week of regularly scheduled classes and, rthe student will be awarded a W (withdrawal) for the course. It is the student's responsibility to formally withdraw from the class by completing the withdrawal forms at Admissions and Records. Students who do not withdraw from the class and complete the course will be assigned the grade they earned.

As you probably noticed, I give "+" but no "minus" grades. This is a deliberate choice that reflects my view that "carrots" work better than "sticks." I want to acknowledge those who work hard and achieve more than a basic grade (C, or B). However, I think that putting a minus sign after a letter grade because the person was at the lower end of the percentile (e.g., 71% or 72% = C-, etc.) is not very productive.

Feedback on Grades: The course is set up so that each student can see his/her grades for all assignments.

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Due Dates and Make-up Policy. The official due dates are available on the class calendar in the online course. Unless I identify a change on the discussion board or through email to the class, and this rarely occurs, students should plan to turn in all assignments by the due date.

Make-up Policy for Quizzes.

The maximum of make-ups for quizzes is two. In order to use a make-up, students need to:

1. Contact the instructor either before or on the due date and request a make-up.
2. Complete the quiz and submit it within one week of the original due date.
3. The last quiz may not be made-up; it must be submitted on time to receive credit.

Make-up Policy for the Self-Understanding Assignments

The maximum of make-ups for the self-understanding (self-assessment) assignments is two. In order to use a make-up, students need to:

1. Contact the instructor either before or on the due date and request a make-up.
2. Complete the assignment and submit it within one week of the original due date.
3. The last Self-Assessment Assignment may not be made-up; it must be submitted on time to receive credit.

Make-up Policy for Application Assignments

The maximum of make-ups for the application assignments is two. In order to use a make-up, students need to:

1. Contact the instructor either before or on the due date and request a make-up.
2. Complete the assignment and submit it within one week of the original due date.
3. The last Apply Psychology Assignment may not be made-up; it must be submitted on time to receive credit.

Late Submission for Quizzes, Self-Assessments, and Application Assignments.

Once a student has used all make-up options, they may turn in late assignments, but there is a penalty for submitting late assignments. I take four points off the total score earned by the student for each day the assignment is late.

Extenuating Circumstances

What about medical emergencies or other extenuating circumstances? I have to handle this on a case-by-case basis. My general approach is to try to work with students if there is a short term major medical crisis or a major crisis. Students who experience an emergency situation need to contact me in advance to see if arrangements can be made. Of course, if the extenuating circumstance prohibits meeting the prior contact requirement (as in the student being hospitalized for an emergency), the prior contact requirement is waived. However, this does not guarantee that the student can make-up the missed work.

Academic Honesty. I am a strong supporter of academic honesty and integrity as explained in the policy approved by the College: http://www.wnc.edu/policymanual/3-4-5.htm Any assignment that contains work that violates academic integrity will be given a zero and may result in receiving an F for the course, or the instructor's withdrawal of the student from the course. Here are some general guidelines of acts of academic honesty.

All written assignments should reflect each student’s thinking.
If the student takes material directly from the text or another resource, the material must be in quotes. Copying a complete answer directly from the text or other source, including a web site, without putting quotes around the material is plagiarism. Copying a complete answer directly from the text or other source, including a web site, without putting quotes around the material is plagiarism.
Copying from others or giving material to other students to copy is a violation of academic honesty.
Working and studying with others is fine; however, the completed assignment should not be written as a joint effort. Each completed assignment should be unique to the person who submits it.

Support for Students. WNC has a lot of support for students. There are tutors to help student do better in classes, disability services for those who need special accommodations (http://www.wnc.edu/studentservices/dss/index.php) a range of counseling services and support, great librarians to help students learn how to locate and evaluate information, financial aid, student health insurance, a student center with a small gym, and an active student government. Ask your instructor or visit the College's web site.

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Course Etiquette. Just as every classroom has rules for social conduct (e.g., be on time, never use a cell phone in class), the online classroom has social rules. Students are expected to interact with each other in a polite and appropriate manner. Some of the most important social rules we will observe in this class are:

Take the time to read what your classmates say in the discussion forums. Everyone comes to this class with his or her own ideas and all of us can learn a lot from others. If you are not sure what someone means, ask for an explanation or try to paraphrase it to see if you understand it.
Avoid sarcasm, ridicule, and humorous insults. This type of communication is difficult to pull off in a face-to-face situation, and almost impossible to pull off electronically.
Give other people the benefit of a doubt when it comes to interpreting what the person is saying. I cannot tell you the number of times I have sent out what I thought was a clear and polite e-mail that the reader thought was either unclear or impolite. Ask me to explain my meaning or let me know if you found something inappropriate.
We will be talking about some sensitive subjects in this class, and sooner or later you will hear or read something that offends you or is at odds with your values. I am a scientist, and psychology is founded on scientific principles. That means I cannot skip material or ideas that might offend some. Please keep in mind that I am not out to change your personal values. I require that you understand the views of psychologists; I do not require that you agree with it. I frequently tell students that if they really dislike some idea, they need to work at understanding it. It is one thing to dislike something because you do not understand or know about it; it is something else to dislike something you really understand. There are some theories in psychology that I understand that I still think are wrong and offensive. I will be honest about the ones I think are bad theories, but you have the right to like them even if I do not!
There is a difference between a spirited discussion and an out-and-out rant. Be spirited. Try to avoid rants. Avoid shouting rants where you type in all caps.
Show your respect for your opinions and the opinions of others by "owning" your personal feelings or beliefs instead of making them into "statements of fact." If you think something is wrong, say: "I think it is wrong to . . ." instead of "It's wrong to. . ." If you don't like an assignment, simply say "I don't like this. . ." or "I didn't get much out of. . .because. . ." Remember: The things you think are true are just as likely to strike someone else as wrong, and assignments that didn't work for you may be very significant to someone else.
Some students are really great with computers, know every techie trick, and speak in the latest lingo. Others of us, and I include myself in this group, use computers, but are not very sophisticated with some of the slang and technology of the computers. I love learning new tricks and ways to make things work and welcome suggestions from everyone.
There are a couple of assignments where students can use library resources. If you have not worked with our online library resources, this will be a great introduction. We have great librarians and growing online resources. You can get a lot of handouts, tips on using resources, etc., simply by visiting the library online. Just go to the College's home page and look for library services.
There is an old rule of thumb that says that a three-credit course requires three hours of class and an additional six hours of study each and every week. Since we do not have class time, this means you are expected to put in about nine hours of work every week for this course. Applying psychology to yourself takes some time. You need to set aside time to take the self-tests and do the activities, time to reflect on what you learned, and time to write up your short projects.
I think of each class as unique. I think of the class as our class; not my class, not your class, but our class. There are fewer things in life I enjoy more than learning and helping others learn. I expect to learn a lot this semester and have tried to create a structure to facilitate student learning. I want everyone in the class to feel successful and will do all that I can to bring this about.
One of the things that can derail a class faster than just about anything is a failure in communication. I need to hear from each and every one of you on a regular basis and you should expect to hear from me. This is one of the reasons that I have made the weekly discussion board postings a key component in the course. If anyone feels he or she is getting behind or is a bit lost, don't hesitate to bring it to my attention by email, a phone call, or a posting. This is especially true if something in the class is not working for you. You can gripe to your friends and family or even put it in your blog, but since I am probably the only one who might be able to fix it, it makes the most sense to share your concern with me.

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