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Dr. Terry F. Pettijohn Psychology -- OSU Marion AUTUMN 2008 |
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| 100 -- General Psychology -- 8-10 MW 9F |
| 505 -- History of Psychology -- 10-12 MW |
| Return to Pettijohn Psych Page |
COURSE INFORMATION FOR GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY 100 -- DR. TERRY F. PETTIJOHN
OVERVIEW
Psychology is the science of behavior and cognition. This course
views behavior and cognition from various perspectives. Emphasis
is on the experimental attitude. Psychology is relevant, and
students will apply findings to personal life. The course objectives
include: 1-knowledge of psychology, 2-development of scientific
attitude, and 3-personal awareness development. Every student
should be able to apply what he or she learns to everyday life, and
have fun doing it. This is a prerequisite to all other courses.
Students may be asked to participate in research studies. The
schedule may be changed due to unforeseen circumstances.
Always be prepared.
ASSIGNMENTS
This course will have 5 in-class tests and 1 final exam.
The tests will
include multiple choice questions, essay questions, and critical
thinking take home questions. The take home questions include
identifying important concepts in the course, conducting a research
study, and an Internet assignment (which must be emailed to me).
The tests will cover both the textbook and class lectures.
Return
Overview. Psychology 311, Motivation and Action is "a behavioral presentation of experimental work on learning and motivation." This 3- hour experimental course will view motivation from several perspectives: instinct, arousal, drive, reinforcement, cognitive, and humanistic. Part of the course will consist of a review of the important motivation concepts throughout history. The rest will focus on understanding various approaches to motivation, and applying this information to everyday behavior. Psychology 311 counts as a major or minor requirement in psychology. A basic goal is to help students understand why people behave the way they do. Students will be involved in learning through papers, class lecture and discussion, films, and readings.
Tentative Requirements. Psychology 311 will require students to become involved in understanding the theories and applications of motivation. To assess success, the class will have 3 tests and a series of 2 papers. The tests will focus on the major theories and important points covered in lecture and textbook. The papers will give students a chance to explore selected areas of motivation in more depth than will be possible in class. Papers do not have to be typed, but it would be appreciated. Students can use word processor for reports. Papers should be written neatly and follow APA style. I expect you to use journals in our library as well as use Psychological Abstracts to find references for your papers. The papers can be of two types: literature review or experiment.
Motivation is a very important concept in psychology. It is interesting, fun, relevant, useful, and should be challenging for everyone. Be prepared for an exciting quarter. Let's get motivated for a fun psychology course! Be creative and enjoy yourself.
MEMORY AND COGNITION is central in understanding human behavior. This course will examine the concepts of memory and cognition in psychology. Memory 312 will serve as "an introduction to experimental study of human memory and cognition." Emphasis will be on empirical discovery of the basic principles and development of theories of memory and cognitive processes. Students will become involved through individual learning activities as well as class lecture and discussion. This course has many applications in daily life.
RESOURCES. Some relevant journals in our library include Memory and Cognition; Journal of General Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition; Animal Learning and Behavior; Journal of Educational Psychology; Psychonomic Bulletin and Review; American Journal of Psychology. There are materials in the psychology lab, and the course will incorporate Internet activities and resources.
GRADING. Psych 312 is a 4 credit-hour course. There will be 5 tests each worth 100 points, for a total of 500 points. These tests will include take-home (probably essay, paper, and Internet activity) and in-class questions (probably essay, identification, multiple choice). The grade is based on a percent of the 500 total points possible for the course. The assignments will involve students in active learning and thinking.
Essays. Each test will include some essay questions to answer. Care should be taken to integrate what you have learned in class and from the textbook. Applications will be stressed.
Papers. Each test will include a paper assignment. Each paper should be about 600 words, and should include at least academic 3 references. Each paper will focus on a topic within the units covered for the particular test. Specific assignments will be made prior to each test. Papers should follow APA style for references. Resources available will include papers and abstracts in the psychology lab, Psych Abstracts available in paper and computer format in the library, and Internet resources available via computer center. (If internet resources are used, they need to be original and relevant. Two Internet resources count as one academic journal source generally.)
Internet activities. Students should not be limited by the physical constraints of a classroom or a campus. The Internet allows you to discover principles and concepts related to the course from throughout the world. There will be a brief Internet activity required for each test. To obtain the assignment and connect to the required site, you need to have access to the Internet, either from home or from the OSUM Campus Computer Center. Using your web browser, connect to my psychology page and follow the menu. Select Autumn Courses, Psychology 312, Course Assignments. You can then connect with the site and conduct the activity. Basically, students will be required to engage in the activity and then post a brief (100 word) reaction to the Discussion Page.
OTHER. Class time will be spent in lecture, discussion, film, and demonstration. Please feel free to ask questions and share your knowledge. If you have questions for me, my email address is Pettijohn.1@osu.edu. Memory and cognition are vitally important to our understanding of human behavior. Students may be asked to make presentations to the class. Much of the course will be applied to everyday situations. Hopefully, students will have opportunities to concentrate on areas of interest throughout the course. The textbook Internet website is at http://longman.awl.com/ashcraft/ I expect everyone to participate in this course, and apply what they learn. If you have any concerns, please see me early in the course. Also, university regulations concerning academic misconduct will be enforced, especially with plagiarism when writing papers.
Psychology 505, Contemporary Viewpoints in Psychology, is "a consideration of the development of modern scientific psychology from the roots in the school of the 19th century to its contemporary status." This 3 credit-hour course will survey the history of psychology. It will be taught by Dr. Pettijohn.
This course will help students understand the historical influences on modern psychology. It traces the development of the field, from the antecedents of the discipline to the founding of the science of psychology through the major schools of thought (structuralism, functionalism, Gestalt, behaviorism, and psychoanalysis).
The early influences will include the empiricists and associationists, and the philosophers and physiologists. We then discuss the founding of psychology with Wundt and Titchener, and the influence of the early German psychologists (such as Fechner, Ebbinghaus, and Stumpf). This moves into the Gestalt school and the development of clinical psychology and psychoanalysis. The school of functionalism is covered (including contributions of Darwin, Galton, Cattell, James, Hall, Clark, Woodworth, and Thorndike). Intelligence testing is discussed. The course concludes with a look at the influence of behaviorism (including contributions of Watson, Pavlov, Tolman, Guthrie, Hull, and Skinner). We will end with a look at modern psychology as influenced by all of the historical figures and theories.
The textbook will be "History of Psychology", written by David Hothersall, OSU's University Honors Director. This book looks at theories as well as biographies of the people who carved out the field we call psychology. It is easy to read and includes fascinating information about the people discussed.
Evaluation will probably include essay tests and perhaps a paper on a historical approach to psychology. Although it would be most interesting to psychology majors/minors, it is open to anyone and will help students understand intellectual thinking of the past century.
Prerequisite is Psychology 100 and an additional course. If students are unfamiliar with psychology, they need to review an intro textbook prior to the course. We will begin with basics and move on to the issues involved in psychology.
OVERVIEW. Psychology 394, Group Studies: Issues in Psychology, is a 1-credit hour course that is designed to help students become familiar with the writings and the ideas of some of the great psychologists of the past century. This is designed to be an informal Internet discussion group, with everyone participating. It is designed for anyone interested in gaining a better understanding of the issues and people in psychology. The prerequisite is Psychology 100, and a desire to learn more about psychology. Psych 394 will help students experience issues in psychology. The course should prepare them for future courses in psychology. It provides a historical context for concepts. Students will be encouraged to gain insight into psychological thinking through outside lectures and activities. This is a new adventure for me, so please help me by providing me with lots of feedback on how things are going.
TEXTBOOK. Unlike the traditional psychology course that uses a textbook to summarize the writings and ideas of psychologists, we will use a book of readings that contains writings from the psychologists who made a major impact on psychology. The topics will correspond with the general course, and will allow depth of coverage in these areas. The textbook is Pettijohn (Ed.), Sources: Notable Selections in Psychology (2nd ed), 1997, Dushkin/McGraw-Hill Publishing Co. This readings book includes 50 classic articles, book excerpts, and research studies that have shaped the study of psychology and our contemporary understanding of it. It provides the opportunity for readers to encounter many of the greatest thinkers in psychology first hand.
OBJECTIVES. After students have had this course, they will 1) be more familiar with the literature in psychology, 2) recognize some of the actual psychologists who made major contributions to the field, keep current in psychological issues, 4) understand some of the issues that psychologists consider important, and 5) feel comfortable communicating with the use of computers. Through computer-mediated discussion and paper evaluation writing, students will demonstrate mastery of these objectives.
REQUIREMENTS. For each unit students read several selections in preparation for discussing what they have learned via a website and e-mail. There will be no formal lectures. We will probably not physically meet during the quarter, but we will keep in touch through the website Discussion Page and through e-mail. Students must read 3 articles per unit and take notes on at least one of these articles. Students are expected to discuss the issues raised in the articles they select through contributions to the class discussion page. Students are also expected to explore other websites on the Internet and post their address (http://) and a reaction. Hopefully, students will read other students' postings and respond with their own postings on the Discussion page.
SELECTION EVALUATION (200). For each unit students write a summary evaluation of the 3 selections they have read. These evaluations are worth 20 points. The evaluation should be about 150 words (50 words per selection). It should include 1) identification of important facts, 2) application of the concepts, and 3) evaluation of the issues for each selection (name). Obviously these are going to be personalized, and the exact format is not as important as the effort. I want to see that students are thinking critically about issues in psychology. This is an opportunity for you to explore areas that you have an interest in. After you have read the selections you have chosen for the unit, you need to post your review on the class Discussion Page. You should also see what other students have posted, and if appropriate, react to their reviews.
INTERNET ACTIVITIES (100). I want students to learn beyond the book of readings, and thus, I am incorporating an Internet assignment to the course. Students need to explore Internet sites related to the readings, and then write their reactions. From either home or the OSUM Academic Computing Center (with Netscape), students need to go to my psychology page at http://kansas.marion.ohio-state.edu/fac/pettijohn Select Summer 1997 Courses, Psych 394, and Internet Assignments. There will be several sites for each unit's topic. Select an appropriate (and interesting) site, explore and learn, and then write your reactions in a posting to the class discussion page. Each of the activities is worth 10 points, totaling 100 points for the Internet activities during the quarter. If you would like, you can also search the Internet for sites that relate to your particular selections and interest areas.