Introductory Psychology: Course Philosophy

Samuel D. Gosling & James W. Pennebaker

          Psychology is a field that examines how and why we think, feel, and behave in the ways that we do. The goal of this course is for you to get a basic understanding of the major topics surrounding the mind and behavior. As you will learn, there are a number of overlapping methods and theories. For example, people who study brain activity use the same general methods as those who investigate group behavior. As we move from topic to topic, pay attention to the continuity of ideas and approaches. We particularly want you to see how psychological theories relate to other concepts as well as to your everyday life.

 

          Two years ago, we introduced a new way of teaching psychology that had not been tried at UT before.  For most of our careers, we had both taught a variation of this class for several years on our own.  In 2006 we integrated our approaches into a single coordinated class.  Based on the student feedback, this new approach was successful. As you will see, our two back-to-back Introductory Psychology sections have the same lectures, syllabus, readings, and exam dates.  Except for slight differences in the exams and the assigned Teaching Assistants, the 2:00 and 3:30 classes will be the same.  Because we need to maintain the bureacratic divisions for the two classes, please attend and take the tests for the class that you signed up for.

 

          Each year, we survey the top books in the field.  This year we have decided to adopt the 7th edition of Exploring Psychology by David G. Myers.  This is a vibrant book that is beautifully written and is up-to-date. To get the most from the book and the course, be sure and read the assignments as we go along rather than the night before each of the exams. As with all textbooks in the field, new copies of Exploring Psychology (7th edition) are shamelessly expensive. You can buy it new from the bookstores around campus or you can get used copies.  To help your pocketbook, you can also purchase an online version of the book for $39. If you want to buy the online edition, go to:

 

http://www.coursesmart.com/9780716771401

 

          In addition to the book itself, take advantage of the free textbook website (although you will need to register for it as a student).  It has some great exercises as well as practice tests on it. Note that your reading/using it is completely optional.  You can get to it by going to:

 

http://bcs.worthpublishers.com/exploring7e/

 

          In many respects, you are getting two courses for the price of one. The lectures often focus on recent developments in the field, whereas the book presents a broad and even picture of the major topics in psychology. To get a thorough understanding of psychology, we urge you to attend all the lectures as well as read all of the book.  The best way to prepare for exams is to read all of the material and attend lectures. Afterwards, talk with others in the class about the topics we have covered. Actively talking with others about the theories and ideas of the course helps to organize them in your mind.

 

          Tests and grading. Although psychology is fun and exciting, don't expect it to be an easy course. Having taught this class dozens of times, we expect you to immerse yourself into the readings and lectures. As you can see in the syllabus, there are 4 tests and no final. This is an idea class as opposed to a simple fact class. We are more concerned with the ideas and implications of what Freud or Skinner thought than with their birthdays or favorite colors. All of the exams will stress psychological concepts and their relationships to other concepts and to practical examples.

 

          Although the lectures and readings are the same for both classes, the Pennebaker and Gosling sections will have separate exams.  If you are signed up for the 2:00 class, you can only take the 2:00 exam; ditto for the 3:30 class.  The two sections will have different test questions and may emphasize slightly different issues.  Because any given lecture may be somewhat different in one class versus the other, be sure and attend the class you signed up for.

 

          The final grade is based on four exams and the completion of the writing requirement. Your three highest exams are worth 28% each; your lowest exam is worth only 6%. In other words, you can do terribly on one of the exams and overcome it by doing well on the other exams. Everyone is expected to take exams at the regularly-scheduled time. Only documented significant illnesses, personal traumas, or official university events will be approved for make-up exams. The make-up exam day for all exams will be during the time our class should, in theory, meet: Thursday, December 4 (last official day of classes).

 

          Writing Requirement. One goal of this course is to provide you with information and techniques that help you think about psychological issues. The writing requirement for this course will involve your writing 4 short thought pieces. These writing samples will be very different from standard essays. During the first two weeks, for example, you will write a “stream of consciousness” paper. Later in the semester, three additional writing assignments will be announced. All of these samples must be written on the class web page. The writing samples that you turn in will not be graded in a classic sense. Rather, merely turning in all the samples will assure you full credit for the writing requirement. Note that we expect you to take the assignments seriously.

 

          The writing assignments are worth 10% of your final grade, or 2.5% for each one.  Another way to think about this is that the failure to turn in all of your writing assignments would be like taking 10 points off of your final test average. Or conversely, turning in all of the assignments will be like adding almost a full letter grade to your test average. But be careful in thinking about this.  Let’s say you take all the exams and your exam average is exactly 85%.  If you turned in all of your writing assignments, your final average would be:

85 X .90 + 100 X .10, or 86.5%

If, however, you didn’t turn in any of your writing assignments, you final average would be:

85 X .90 + 0 X .10, or 76.5%

In other words, the difference between turning in all of your assignments and none of them results in a 10 point difference.  However, it is a common mistake to think that turning them in will bump your grade up a full letter grade above your test average.

 

          You can connect to the Writing Assignment web page by way of the home page for this class on any computer on earth that has access to the Internet. Once there, go to the Writing Assignment that you need to complete and enter your UTEID and name, and then follow the instructions. When finished, press the SUBMIT button, and your life will be beautiful. You can use your own computer or any university computer in the various UT libraries or computer labs.

 

          Experiment Requirement. UT has one of the most productive research departments in the country. One reason for its success is that faculty and students are constantly conducting experiments that are eventually published in journals and books. As part of the educational experience of Introductory Psychology, you are required to participate in 5 hours of faculty-sponsored research or to write a 5-page research paper. To read more about the experimental requirement, go to:

 

http://www.psy.utexas.edu/psy/undergrad/courses/info/301experiment.html

 

If you do not complete the experimental requirement, your grade in psychology will be blocked and you will face a bureaucratic nightmare of epic proportions trying to deal with it in future semesters.

 

          Teaching assistants. For the Pennebaker-Gosling class, you are officially signed up for either the 2:00 or the 3:30 class.  Your exams and access to Teaching Assistants is based on the class time you signed with.  In both classes, we have a remarkable group of Teaching Assistants who are actively involved in graduate research.  If, at any time, you have any questions about the lectures, reading, or exams, don't hesitate to contact any of the TAs during their office hours or via email.  In addition to answering your questions about the readings and lectures, the teaching assistants will conduct periodic review sessions.

          For the 2:00 section, Michael Buhrmester and Sasha Wolosin will serve as TAs. Michael is in his second year of graduate school in Social Psychology.  His research focuses on identity and the nature of the self.  Sasha is a second year graduate student in Cognitive Psychology.  She is studying how motivation and attention influence the formation and retrieval of memories.

 

          For the 3:30 section, Fabian Aguirre and Rachel Berman will oversee the TA roles.  Fabian is a third year graduate student in Clinical psychology who is conducting research to understand why Mexican American college students underuse mental health services.  Rachel is in her second year of the graduate program in Clinical Psychology where she is studying neuropsychology, brain imagery, and sensory memory.

          Finally, Meg Cason will be in charge of the writing assignments.  Meg is a third year graduate student in the Evolutionary Psychology program.  Her research deals with sex differences in social status and hierarchy negotiation.  In her role as the Writing Czar, Meg will be responsible for keeping records about the writing assignments as well as exam scores.

 

Computing your final grade.  Your Final Grade will be computed in the following way:

                   Lowest exam                                    =         6%

                   3 other exams @ 28% each            =       84%

                   4 writing assignments @ 2.5%       =       10%

At the end of the semester, grades will be assigned in the following way:

89.5 – 100 = A; 79.5 to 89.49 = B; 69.5 to 79.49 = C; 59.5 to 69.49 = D; 59.49 and below = F

There are no exceptions to this grading scheme.  No extra credit.  No amount of begging, pleading, bribing, or heartfelt sorrow will change your final grade.

          In-class experiments and projects.  Over the course of the semester, we like to give people the opportunity to see psychology in action. Consequently, we will often include questionnaires, little experiments, or brief projects.  These are educational exercises that are entirely optional.  Because it can be helpful to tie people’s responses on one questionnaire with their responses on another exercise, we ask you to provide your UTEID as a way to connect your responses.  If you don’t want to do this, that’s OK.  We will never connect your responses to your name or grade. Participation in these exercises is completely unrelated to your grades or any other feature of the course. If you have any concerns, please contact us immediately.

          Other support.  UT runs the Learning Skills Center in Jester Hall that offers invaluable advice on studying and note-taking techniques in general. The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY.  Finally, it is common for students to feel a great deal of stress when starting college.  If you need to talk to someone, contact the Counseling and Mental Health Center at 471-3515. 

 

We hope you enjoy the course.  If you have any questions, email one of us or drop by our offices.