Table of Contents
2. Course Goals
3. Required Textbook and Readings
10. Troubleshooting
11. Reminder
PSY 100 General Psychology is an introduction to the science of psychology, including a review of major historical perspectives, methods of research, and contemporary theory and knowledge. Major areas of study include the biological basis of behavior, emotion and motivation, learning and conditioning, human development, personality, and abnormal behavior. 3 credits.
1. To acquire a basic understanding of the nature and scope of modern psychology.
2. To analyze, comprehend, and appreciate the basic aspects of scientific methodology in answering the vital questions in psychology.
3. To recognize the contributions made to the development of psychology by such historical figures as Freud, Watson, Skinner, Piaget, for example.
4. To become more tolerant of individual and group differences through increased knowledge and awareness of diversity in learning styles, origins, environment, and behavior.
TEXTBOOKS (available at
Students are expected to read the appropriate chapters and/or lecture material PRIOR TO ANSWERING QUESTIONS OR TAKING THE EXAMS. This is important as students must participate and are graded on their participation.
This site contains information about the online courses at BMCC
including resources such as the virtual library, CUNY WriteSite,
downloads, links, Blackboard Server, and more.
http://www.bmcc.cuny.edu/distance/
Students are required to attend class regularly. Three absences is the maximum number allowed in a regular semester and in the summer, the equivalent number of hours is the maximum. Excessive absence may lead to a failing grade. Since we do not have actual "days" of class, attendance will be monitored by your posts. If you do not post your responses in a forum before the due date, that will be considered an absence. Since we have two due dates per week, not posting to a forum at all will count as 2 absences.
Students who are absent are responsible for all material covered, including any assignments given or due. Since you can check the ANNOUNCEMENTS everyday, you can't say you "didn't know."
If an assignment is due and you are going to be absent or need an extension, it is your responsibility to find a way to get the assignment in on time and/or notify the instructor IN ADVANCE. No excuses will be accepted if advance notice is not given.
Students must participate in the class via the discussion board and email. After each lecture, you should visit the discussion board for questions that I will post. You must reply to my questions directly. This reply is an essay which must be written in proper English and proofread for spelling and grammar. The essay must be informative and exhibit your grasp of the material.
For example, if we are discussing child abuse, a response such as "Child abuse is a very big problem in this country. It is horrible that parents hurt their own children. Something needs to be done to stop the abuse. Parents should be punished and the kids should get therapy." is not substantial. This response is superficial and doesn't show any insightful thought process into the lecture material.
In addition to answering my questions, you must respond to posts written by your classmates. You must respond to their answers to my questions, not to their responses to your answers. That means if Bob responds to your original post and you post a response to Bob's response, that doesn't count as your main discussion post. Replies must also be substantial. Posts that merely say "thank you" or "I agree with you" will be deleted and will not count.
There will be either one or two discussion forums per week. You must respond to at least one of your classmates. So each week you will have written at least 2 to 4 messages. I will post questions on Thursday afternoons. You must reply to my questions by midnight on the due date and you must post your responses to your classmates by midnight on the due date. On due date at midnight, the forum will close and no further posts will be accepted for that forum. Once closed, the forums will not be re-opened. This means that you cannot "cram" or save your posting until the end of the semester. You MUST keep up.
In order to keep the number of posts manageable, there is a limit to how many messages you may post per lecture. After posting your required number of messages, you may post UP TO TWO ADDITIONAL posts per forum if you wish. If you feel you want to respond to more of your classmates, you may respond to many of them in one post. The responses to classmates must be substantial, i.e. you don't write a response just to say "I agree with you," or "Thanks for your response." The responses must also not be too personal or exclusionary since ALL your classmates have to read them. You should always be speaking to the class. Posts that are not substantial or are just personal messages will be deleted and will not count toward your weekly quota.
Posts must always remain on the topic at hand. Often a conversation goes astray and leads to numerous posts that are off the topic and not relevant to the lecture or your classmates. If anyone wants to continue a conversation, you may do so "outside of class" via the Student Lounge or by e-mail.
Since there are so many posts in one forum and several different conversations going on at once, it is important to keep the posts structured. When you are answering my question directly, click on "New Thread" and give it a title in the subject line that lets us know what you'll be talking about. When you want to respond to a classmate, click on "reply" rather than starting a new thread. Any additional posts should be given a proper subject heading (i.e. To Bob and Susan) if you need to alert someone that they need to read that post.
There will also be a separate discussion forum for your questions called the Q&A. This is where you can ask questions regarding the lecture material, course calendar, etc. I will respond to questions as soon as possible but since I am not online all day, students should help out their classmates. I will probably be online once or twice a day during the week and at least once during the weekend (Friday-Sunday). However, I try to stay off the computer on the weekend so do not become alarmed if you post a question Friday afternoon and I don't respond until Monday. This is why students need to help each other. Again, this Q&A forum is not for personal conversations. Personal issues should be reserved for the Student Lounge and e-mail.
Please note that my responses may not be immediate and that I will probably not respond to every single post. This would lead to too many posts for all of us to read. I may post a response that answers several people's questions at once or one that comments on several students' posts at once. I will respond promptly but don't get worried if you don't see an answer to your question immediately.
You need to check your e-mail almost EVERYDAY so you will know what is going on in class, any changes, etc. If I send you an e-mail, please respond as promptly as you can.
In this class we cover some sensitive topics such as rape, abuse, mental illness, homosexuality, learning disabilities, etc. I urge you to remember that we do not know the personal histories of those in the class or their families, so it is important to be respectful when discussing these sensitive topics.
While humor is a healthy outlet, do not tell jokes if there is any possibility of offending someone.
Most importantly, words which degrade the worth of any human being are NOT to be used in this class. This includes ethnic/racial/religious/gender/sexual orientation/physical or mental disability slurs, slang terms, or insults. In regards to people with mental illnesses, words such as "crazy," "psycho," "loony," "nuts," etc. are NOT to be used in this class. Every human being is deserving of respect.
Feel free to disagree with me or your classmates but do so with respect. Everyone in class has a right to their opinions. Challenge the theories but not the person.
Please use polite and proper language. Street language, obscenities, and chat language (i.e. LOL, ROFL, BTW, etc.) is NOT ALLOWED. Remember, this is a formal class and you will be graded on your writing. You must use proper grammar and spelling (please use spell check). In this class, writing counts for everything since it's our only means of communication. If you are asked to proofread and edit your writing, you need to do so or your grade will be lowered.
Remember that in this cyber-environment, we cannot hear a person's tone of voice or see a facial expression so sometimes something said in jest is taken seriously or vice versa. So if you are making a joke or are concerned that what you write might be taken wrong, it is ok to add a smiley face :) or expression (i.e. just kidding) so we all know you're joking.
The discussion board is for posts relating to class material ONLY! It is NOT for chat, i.e. So what did you do on Saturday night?; How 'bout those Yankees? There is a "STUDENT LOUNGE" in the discussion board that students can use just to chat with each other. There is also a virtual chat room that students can use whenever they want (unless a class chat has been scheduled).
Cheating and plagiarism are contrary to the purpose of any educational institution and must be dealt with most severely if students' work is to have any validity. If it is determined that a student has cheated on a test or assignment they may receive a grade of "F" for the test or assignment and/or the course.
Plagiarism is the appropriation of words or ideas of another without recognition of the source. An instructor who determines a student has plagiarized may give an "F" for the paper or project and may give an "F" for the course.
Normally, the matter is dealt with by the instructor and the student but the division chairperson may be consulted by either party to ensure fairness.
1. EXAMINATIONS: There will be several exams. Each exam is treated like a take-home exam which means you may use your textbook and your class notes. Exams may be combinations of multiple-choice, matching, and essay questions. Questions will relate mostly mainly to your notes but will also cover textbook readings, class discussions, and web sites you have been directed to visit during the semester.
2. WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS AND HOMEWORK: Students are required to complete and submit all written assignments/projects on time. Late submissions will not be accepted. All writing assignments must be proofread for proper spelling and grammar.
3. PARTICIPATION: Attendance and class participation are required. Failure to participate or attend will lead to a drop in the final grade or failure. Class participation is measured by the postings on the discussion board. It is neither the length of the postings nor the number of postings (past the required number) but what you say in the postings that matter. The posts will be graded for their substantive content as well as submission of the required number of posts. This is worth a lot of your final grade. Please be aware that missing even one post drops this part of your grade by over 2 points.
As life is not perfect, there will probably be times when things go wrong. The server may be down, your computer breaks or freezes, you "lose" your paper from your disk, etc. So here are a few tips:
Please do not be hesitant to talk to me if there is a problem that may affect your studies, concerns you may have about the class, assignments or school in general. You have my office number and email address. Appointments can be made for face-to-face meetings. Feel free to use them or drop by.
Please do not just "disappear" from the class. If you decide to drop the class, let me know so I can try to help solve any problem or at least just stop sending you class-related e-mail. Most problems can be worked out. Never be afraid to ask for help, understanding, etc. Remember if you ask, the worst you can hear is "No" but if you don't ask, you will certainly not hear "Yes."
Dr. Rhea Parsons
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