Psychological science is the study of the mind and behavior using established scientific principles. Psychological science is a broad field, and in this course, we aim to provide you with an overview of several fascinating areas of study. This course will introduce you to topics such as how we perceive and process information; how thought and behavior are controlled by specific areas of the brain; how memories, thoughts, and emotions are formed; how children develop and come to know the world around them; the processes that affect judgment and decision-making; how personality traits and emotions interact with our social environment to give rise to our experiences; and the classifications, causes, and treatments of mental disorders.
This is an introductory course designed to introduce students to the diversity of questions, approaches, research, theories and areas that comprise the scientific study of the mind and behavior. With so many topics to discuss, we will not be able to cover everything in depth.

Exams: Your knowledge of the course material will be assessed through 3 exams, each of which is worth 33.3% of your final grade. Exams will consist primarily of multiple-choice questions, with the possibility of several fill-in-the-blank questions and short essay items. Exams will not be strictly cumulative; however, an understanding of some material from a previous section may appear in subsequent sections. Make-up exams will only be permitted for documented medical reasons.

Extra Credit Writing Assignment: In this course you will learn about a number of topics in psychology, and in your daily life you will continue to encounter psychological principles. Unfortunately, you also will encounter examples in which psychology is misrepresented or its principles misunderstood. You can earn extra credit by submitting a short essay (up to one page, double-spaced) explaining the psychological science behind common psychology myths. To get full points for extra credit, your short essay will need to demonstrate that you can apply information from the textbook, lecture, or both to dispel one of those myths. The list of myths will be distributed following Exam 2, and your essay will need to be submitted by Dec. 26th. For those who are taking WI course, your writing assignment should not have the same topic as your WI project paper.

Breakdown of Grade:
Exam 1 : 33.3%
Exam 2 : 33.3%
Exam 3 : 33.3%
Total : 100%
Extra Credit : 5%

Grading Scale:
Auditing of the class is not permitted without prior written approval of the instructor and must be approved by the add/drop deadline, Sep 15th.

PLEASE NOTE: We will round grades up or down to the NEAREST whole number. For example, 92.9 = 93%, 92.5% = 93%, 92.49% = 92%. For example, if you end up with a total of 144.5 points, your percentage will end up being 92.6%, which will round up to 93%.

Grade Appeals. If you feel that your grade on some test was unfair, you have the right to appeal. In such cases, use the grade appeal form distributed earlier in the semester indicating (a) what test item you are questioning and (b) your rationale for the appeal. Such appeals MUST be submitted within ONE WEEK in which grades for that exam are posted.

This schedule and/or topics to be covered are subject to change. Any changes, including
the addition of specific reading assignments, will be announced in advance in class.

Week 1 Course Introduction
Week 2 Research Methodology
Week 3 (no class) National Holiday: Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving Day)
Week 4 Biology & Behavior
Week 5 Consciousness
Week 6 Sensation and Perception
-Exam 1
Week 7 Memory
Week 8 Learning
Week 9 Thinking, Language, Intelligence
Week 10 Motivation & Emotions
Week 11 Development
-Exam 2
Week 12 Health, Stress, & Well-Being
Week 13 Social Psychology
Week 14 Personality
Week 15 Psychological Disorders
Week 16 Treating Psychological disorders
-Exam 3

온라인 병행 강좌
온라인 80% 실시간 20%

Format of the course: Because of COVID-19 pandemic, all lectures for this class will be prerecorded for viewing. These videos will consist of short lectures, demonstrations, videos, and other activities to augment your understanding of key concepts. You’re responsible for everything presented in these recordings AND for the material you’ve been assigned to read.
Live, synchronous first day of class: We will have a live session on the first day of classes. We’ll introduce the course materials and activities, and give you a chance to ask questions.

Live Review & Reflect sessions: In addition to the lecture recordings, once a week, for the last 30 min of the class (please see the schedule), we’ll have a synchronous Review and Reflect session where we’ll review material for the week, work through the learning check activities, and discuss any questions that arise. These sessions can be either Tuesday or Thursday depending on the course progress. The schedule will be posted on PLMS and announced during the class. The live session will be recorded for viewing and reviewing any time. You’ll have an opportunity to submit questions prior to and during our live conversations, and we strongly encourage you to attend these sessions each week, as the discussions have the potential to deepen your learning.

Attendance: You are responsible for everything presented in class, including lectures, films, and announcements. The class material complements the text material, but does not substitute for it. In some cases, material presented in class will overlap that in the textbook; in other cases, the lecture content will diverge from that of the text. Material covered in class will form a large part of the tests. A tentative schedule of lecture topics is listed in this syllabus. You are expected to attend every class. If you are unable to attend class, it is your responsibility to obtain notes from someone in class.