Instructor: Brina Friedman, M.Ed., CAC, ICADC, CCJS

Office Telephone: 215-619-7460 ext. 4385#

Email: Brina Gwen@aol.com (for ISP subscribers other than AOL use BrinaGwen@aol.com)

Text: Wood and Wood (2000). The Essential World of Psychology. Allyn and Bacon

This course will serve as an overview of the field of psychology and introduce to you the theories, methods, concepts, principles and issues in the study of human personality and behavior. Students can expect to develop competency and understanding of basic psychology.

I am available to meet with students for extra help to understand course content, design projects and meet course requirements. Quick concerns can be addressed before or after class. If more time is needed you may schedule an appointment with me. I do not have office hours at the college. Please do not hesitate to talk with me if I can be of assistance.

Please note: The student code of conduct is a binding part of this syllabus in both academic and disciplinary matters.

Exam Construction: The midterm and final consist of 25 objective questions worth 2 points each and a choice of 2 out of 3 essay questions worth 25 points each. There will be a review before each exam. There will not be a review before the quizzes. The quizzes are short answer and will be given during the first 15 minutes of class time. If you come late or miss a quiz there is no make-up. The quizzes are designed to help you pace yourself and prepare for the exams. They may also take pressure off of the other course requirements. If you miss an exam you will take a make-up immediately upon return to class. The make-ups are all essays and test upon everything covered prior to the exam. You are allowed only one make-up during the semester. An optional take home case study may be substituted or the essays on the final exam.

The class lectures and assigned readings will focus on the theoretical foundations of psychology. Clinical application will be examined as it relates to theory. The project requires the student to select an area of research related to the field, research the topic and present the material to the class at the end of the semester. The topics will be approved and dates assigned by the instructor.

The project will be graded on

• Relevance to psychology
• Integration of theory
• Comprehension of the materials
• Effort and Creativity
• Use of reference resources
• Ability to demonstrate interest in the selected topic
• The presentation reflects the student's efforts through the semester.

Presentations should be at least 5 minutes and no longer than 10 minutes in duration without prior approval. Sources of research must be submitted in writing. Make certain to confirm the reliability of any web sites referenced to assure materials presented are recognized as accurate. The semester project is weighted as one-third of the final grade. As such, it is expected that students will submit a selected topic by the midterm exam and use out of class time for research. Use of visual displays, videos, handouts or other mediums is welcomed but not required. Equipment requests must be reserved in advance. Time remaining during scheduled class time will be spent brainstorming topics and identifying the focus of research. For additional topic ideas visit my faculty page or any of the web sites listed on the following page of this syllabus. This syllabus offers many helpful websites to get you started and the library subscribes to eight psychology journals and Psychology Today.

• American Psychological Association (APA): http://www.apa.org/
• American Psychological Association of Graduate Students (APAGS): http://www.apa.org/apags/
• American Psychological Society (APS): http://psych.hanover.edu/APS/home.html
• Association for Humanistic Psychology (AHP): http://ahpweb.bestware.net/
• Center For Modern Psychoanalytic Studies (CMPS): http://www.cmps.edu/
• Clinical Psychology Resources: http://www.psychologie.uni-bonn.de/kap/li_home.htm
• The Counseling Web, Counseling Psychology Resources: http://seamonkey.ed.asu/%7Egail/assoc.htm
• The Federation of Behavioral, Psychological and Cognitive Sciences: http://www.am.org/federation.info.htm
• The National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists (NACBT): http://www.nacbt.org/
• The National Association of School Psychologists (NASP): http://www.naspweb.org/
• National Technical Assistance Center for State Mental Health Planning (NTAC): http://www.nasmhpd.org.ntac/
• Sidan Foundation: http://www.sidan.org/
• Society for Consumer Psychology (SCP): http://www.cob.ohio-state.edu/scp/
• The Society for Computers in Psychology: http://www.lafayette.edu/allanr/scip.html
• Society for Experimental Social Psychology (SESP): http://www.wesleyan.edu/spn/sesp/
• Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP): http://psy1.clarion.edu/mm/spsp/spsp.htm
• The Society for Police and Criminal Psychology (SPCP): http://www.jmu.edu/psyc/spcp

• National Institute of Mental Health 301-443-4513
• Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR offers a free copy of their guidelines on depression.) 800-358-9295
• National Mental Health Association 703-684-7722
• National Alliance for the Mentally Ill 800-950-NAMI
• National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse 800-553-4539
• American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy 800-374-2638
• American Psychiatric Association 202-682-6220

Course Design: As an introductory course we will examine various topic areas pertinent to psychology. It is unlikely, however, that we will be able to survey all of the information reviewed in the text book Students are encouraged to review text materials of interest independently. Therefore, the course is designed to first cover those topic areas that are necessary for demonstrating competency in an introductory course. Additional topic areas have been selected based upon what is of greatest interest to most students.

Note to students: Additional chapters will be covered only as time allows. Students are encouraged to review these chapters independently.

• Introduction to the course and the study of psychology, Chapter 1
• Personality and the psychoanalytic perspective, Chapter 10

	"I have found little that is good about human beings on the whole. It is my experience that most of them are trash" ~ Sigmund Freud Yes, we will be learning about Freud.
	Interested in other neo-Freudians? www.cgjungpage.org

• Optional Quiz #1; Humanistic Perspective, Chapter 10 (cont.)
• Learning and Behaviorism, Chapter 5

Charlotte Malachowski Buhler, Ph.D. is credited as the "mother" of Humanistic Psychology. She is not mentioned in the textbook. Why do you imagine that is?

• Optional Quiz #2, Cognition, Chapter. 7
• Memory, Chapter 6

Entering the teaching profession and interested in improving your classroom management skills visit www.lausd.kiz.ca.us/offices/newteacher/elem/hints.html

• Cognition, Mental Abilities and Language Chapter 7

Fascinated by bilingualism? Check out www.byu.edu/~bilingua For more information on Piaget check www.oikos.org/Piagethom.htm

Web sites for developmental psychology: Houghton Mifflin's Psychology Web Site http://www.hmco.com (click college divisions psychology web page) Applied Psychology Web Site (with some fun activities) http://longman.awl.com/psychzone Prentice Hall Psychology Web Site http://www.prenhall.com/psychmap American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP): http//www.aap.org American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry http://www.aacap.org

• Emotion, Chapter 9
• Life Span Development, Chapter 8 and Midterm Review
• Midterm Examination
• States of Consciousness, Chapter 4

Can you control what happens in your dreams? Learn about Lucid Dreaming at: www.lucidity.com

Experiencing difficulty getting a good nights sleep visit www.nap.edu, www.sleepfoundation.org, www.silentpartners.org, or www.asda.org

• Midterm Exam Challenge
• Stress and Health Psychology, Chapter 11
• Guest Lecturer / Hypnotist: Dr. Richard Rapoport (For maximizing this experienced it is recommended you bring a tape recorder and exercise mat or blanket to class.)

• Psychopathology, Chapter 12

• Social Psychology, Chapter 14
• Optional Quiz #3
• Psychotherapy, Chapter 13

Electroconvulsive Therapy may not be what you imagine it to be.

• Start of Presentations
• Optional Quiz #4, Projects Due
• Final Review
• Final Exam

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