Applied Psychology
Psychology 26 (Fall 2011)
Syllabus

Instructor Information
Instructor:  Lisa Harrison, Psy.D.
Telephone #:  415-239-3352
E-Mail:  lharriso@ccsf.edu  (In an effort to avoid playing telephone tag, I prefer that you use my email address to contact me.  If you do not receive a response from me within 24 hours, please resend your email message.)
Homepage:  http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lharriso
Office:  Batmale 334
Office Hours: M/W 10:10-11am (These are times for students to drop by without an appointment.  Meetings on other days and times can also be arranged.)
Class Days, Time, Location: T/TH 930-11am & T/TH 11am-12:30pm (CLOU 260)

Welcome to our class! Please be sure to read this course syllabus very carefully. It contains information that is vital to your success in this course, including expectations, policies, and due dates. I suggest that you keep it handy at all times, such as in the front of your notebook. I'm glad you're in the class and look forward to spending the semester with you!

Required Text
Santrock, J. W. (2006).  Human Adjustment.  Boston: McGraw Hill.  This text comes with a free CD-ROM when purchased new.

Website for Text
www.mhhe.com/santrockha
This website has chapter quizzes, self-assessments, adjustment strategies, critical thinking exercises, a glossary of terms used in the text, and web links.  I highly suggest that you use this website to help you master the course material. 

Where to Find the Text
You have several options. First, this text is available, used and new, at the CCSF bookstore. You can also find used and new copies online at www.amazon.com or other locations. Or, if you prefer, there is also an eBook that is a lot less expensive (approximately 1/2 the cost of a new print textbook). To check into this option for yourself, you can visit any of these websites to see who has the best deal.

http://www.coursesmart.com  (you will find select titles and can purchase and view online)
http://www.vitalsource.com (you will find select titles and can purchase online and download a digital file)
http://ebooks.primisonline.com (you will find customized McGraw-Hill titles here and can view online or download)

Course Description
Psychology 26 is an applied psychology class.  It is designed to give you an introduction to psychological theory and research as it applies to everyday goals and concerns with an emphasis on self-awareness, personal growth, and relationships.  Therefore, in teaching this class, I have two goals.  The first is to help facilitate an increase in your knowledge and understanding of certain areas in psychology.  The second goal is to teach the practical application of this knowledge and understanding to your life.  We will cover a variety of topic areas, and while everyone has different needs and interests, most people find that the information they learn in this course is personally helpful and relevant in some way.  See the learning outcomes below and the course schedule to get a sense of the topics we will cover.

Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of Psyc 26 you should be able to:

• Compare and contrast major perspectives on personality development.
• Describe the developmental influences on identity and self-esteem.
• Explain the factors that influence motivation and personal control.
• Summarize the influence of beliefs and self-talk on emotions and behavior.
• Describe and distinguish between effective and ineffective communication styles and choices.
• Summarize predictors of successful interpersonal relationships and discuss psychological theories and models that explain relationship development and maintenance. 
• Identify major predictors of career satisfaction and demonstrate understanding of steps to career development.
• Describe how stress influences psychological and physical well-being and identify various active and palliative coping strategies for personal application.
• Analyze and discuss the causes of psychological disorders and the major treatment options.
• Explain the roles of positive and negative health habits in determining long-term health and well-being.
• Demonstrate the ability to critically interpret and apply psychological theory and research to their everyday lives.

Course Requirements and Obtaining the Most from the Course      
It is my hope that you will benefit greatly from taking this course.  In order for this to occur, we all have to do our part.  Lectures are meant to be a complement to the text, allowing for class discussion and new ideas to be presented, as well as developing important points more thoroughly.  However, it will be difficult for you to follow class lectures and effectively participate in class discussions and activities if you have not read the assigned material.  Therefore, it is required that you regularly keep up with the course reading.  By reading the material before class you will be prepared to contribute to class, and it will provide you with a framework to structure the information in the lectures.  This will also give you a better understanding and memory for the information presented.  In general, students who come to class and complete the reading assignments understand the material better and earn better grades than students who do not.  Please plan to attend regularly and on time.

Time Management and Participation
Attendance is extremely important in this class, and it is not optional.  You are expected to attend all classes.  Class time will be spent engaging in a wide variety of active learning activities that are designed to help you to understand, remember, and apply information about psychology.  These active learning activities include interactive lectures, large and small group discussions, films, and small group collaborative exercises.  MUCH information will be presented during lecture that does not appear in the textbook but that does appear on the exams.  You will receive 5 points each day for time management and participation, for a total of 140 points possible (points begin to be earned beginning 9/6/11--with 28 class meetings).  Class will start promptly at 10 minutes after the hour.  This is when I take roll; if you are not there by the time I have finished taking roll, you will miss these points.  So, to be clear, if you come in and I have finished taking roll, you are late.  If you are late, please do come up to me after class and ask me to mark you as late.  I will not, however, mark you as present. You must also stay in class for the entire period and participate in class activities to receive these points.

"Allowed" absences are for emergencies and illnesses.  If you know you have to be absent due to an emergency or an illness, ask a classmate to collect class materials for you and teach you the material/exercises from that day.  You are responsible for the content covered and for making up required course work.  Do not ask me to teach you the material or to give you my notes.  Furthermore, if you will be missing class, it is your responsibility to call me and inform me about your absence. You are allowed a total of 4 absences.  If you have more than 4, I will drop you from the class.  However, do not assume that I will drop you from the class if you stop attending; it is your responsibility to drop the class if you feel you cannot complete the course.  So, please let me know if you do not intend on completing the course.

Turning in Assignments & Late Assignments
Please read this section carefully.  For the possibility of full credit, assignments are due at the beginning of class (see exception described below).  I will begin taking roll at 10 minutes after the hour.  If I am still in the process of taking roll when you arrive, you should leave your assignment on the front desk and take a seat.  However, you will be considered late and so will your assignment if you come in after I have finished taking roll.  If you leave your assignment on the front desk after I have finished taking roll (that is, anytime between the end of roll and the time class ends), I will accept it, but you will receive a point penalty of 15 percent.  That means I will deduct 15% from your final score on the assignment.  For example, if you earned 85/100 on your assignment, I would subtract 12 points (which is about 15% of 85), and your final grade would be a 73.

If you do not come to class the day something is due, you can still turn in your assignment up until 5pm.  However, if you miss class and you turn it in late, you will receive a point penalty of 30 percent.  I will not accept assignments at all after 5pm on the day they are due.  Obviously, procrastination is not a good idea in this class.  Please do not put me in the position of having to refuse your assignments; I will refuse all assignments submitted after 5pm on the due date. 

This late assignment policy can be summarized as follows:

There is a tiny bit of leeway with all of this, and here it is:

If you arrive on time and stay for the entire class period on the day an assignment is due, then you can turn the assignment in by 5pm on the listed due date without point penalty.  You may NOT take advantage of this cushion if you do not arrive on time and attend the entire class period that day.  In other words, if you will be missing class the day something is due or have to arrive late, your only options will be to turn the assignment in early or by 5pm that day and receive a 40% point penalty.  If you have not finished the assignment due that day, your best option would be to attend class on time so that you can take advantage of the 5pm cushion. 

*All assignments must be typed.  I will not accept assignments that are not typed, unless it is the rare situation that I specifically state that it is OK to turn in a handwritten assignment.  There are computers available for use in Rosenberg Library where you can type and print your assignments.

*All assignments must be printed on paper when you turn them in.  In other words, you may not email me your work.  If you email it to me, I will send it back ungraded.

Missing an Exam & Exam Makeups
There are no exam makeups in this course. There will be three different exams during the semester (before the final, which is required). Only two of these exams will be calculated into your final grade. Therefore, I will drop your lowest exam grade and count only the two highest grades. If you miss more than one exam, you will NOT be able to make it up. Therefore, please plan carefully. For instance, I do not advise that you intentionally skip an exam (especially the first one) because you want to sleep in or because you didn't study just incase you need to miss exam 2 or exam 3 due to illness or emergency. Please keep in mind that the final exam counts for EVERYONE. Exams consist of multiple choice and short answer essay questions.

Other Course Policies
1. I hold high expectations for my students. 
2. Performance, not solely effort, is what determines your final grade.
3. Grades are rounded to the nearest whole number.  For example, an 89.4 rounds down to an 89 while an 89.6 is rounded up to a 90.
4. You are strongly encouraged to ask a classmate for notes if you miss a lecture.  Notes cannot be borrowed from me.
5. Feel free to eat and drink in class as long as you don’t disturb others with your munchin’ and as long as you clean up after yourself.
6. Do NOT talk with other students during class unless directed to.  Please share your thoughts with me and the entire class, not just a select few!  Talking with your classmates distracts you, your classmates, and me.
7. Turn off all cell phones, smart phones, ipods, and all other mobile communication devices before class begins. Hopefully, this goes without saying, but it is inappropriate and disruptive for you to talk on your phone or text during class. If you text during class or talk on your phone, I will ask you to bring me your device until the end of the class session.
8. You are permitted to use a computer during class for note-taking and other class-related work only as long as your typing does not disturb the students around you. If I discover that you use your computer for anything else during class, I will ask you to bring it to me until the end of the class period. If your keyboard is loud, I will need you to take notes using another method.
9. I reserve the right to make adjustments or changes to the course and/or syllabus throughout the semester. You are responsible for learning about these changes, if any should be made, if you miss class.

Academic Honesty
To plagiarize is to steal and use the ideas and writings of another as one’s own. 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. All work and reference lists must be submitted using the American Psychological Association (APA) style. This format can be found at www.apastyle.org.  Cheating includes copying someone else's answers during an exam, plagiarism, getting papers off the Internet, etc.  I will not tolerate it.  It is also against the college's code of conduct. Cheating of any sort will result in a failing grade.

Student Services
If you are a student with a disability and you require accommodations, please let me know as soon as possible. Students who need academic accommodations should request them from the Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS) located in the Rosenberg Library, Room 323 on the Ocean Campus. Telephone: 415-452-5481 (V) 415-452-5451 (TTY). DSPS is the campus office responsible for verifying disability-related need for academic accommodations, assessing that need, and for planning accommodations in cooperation with students and instructors as needed and consistent with course requirements. I will be happy to work with you and Disabled Student Programs and Services. I will be happy to work with you and Disabled Student Programs and Services.

Grading
Your final course grade will be based on the following.

Proposed Reading, Assignment, and Examination Schedule
You will need to look at this schedule regularly.  It contains due dates for all assignments, exam dates, and reading assignments.  Remember, I do not accept late assignments, and there are no exam make-ups.  I highly recommend that you regularly use the website for the text (www.mhhe.com/santrockha); check it out to help you study and learn the material for this course. I reserve the right to make adjustments to this schedule as needed.