Course: Psychology 1101 -- Introduction to General Psychology

Class: MWF 11:00-11:50, 1-200 TLC,

Texts: Introduction to Psychology, by Rod Plotnik,

Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl

Professor: Dr. Eric Dodson

Office: 221 Melson Hall., ph. 836-4575, edodson@westga.edu

Office Hours: MW 12:00-4:30, F 12:00-1:00

Mailbox: Psychology Department Office, First Floor -- Melson Hall (to the left after you enter)

Course Objective: The aim of this course is to provide the student with a basic overview of the field of psychology in terms of both its principal schools of thought, as well as its basic theories and findings.

Course Content:

Module 1 -- Discovering psychology

Module 2 -- Psychology and science

Module 3 -- The brain’s building blocks

Module 4 -- The incredible nervous system

Module 9 -- Classical conditioning

Module 10 -- Operant and cognitive approaches

Module 17 -- Infancy and childhood

Module 18 -- Adolescence and adulthood

Module 19 -- Freudian and humanistic theories

Man's Search for Meaning, by Viktor Frankl

Module 22 -- Assessment and anxiety disorders

Module 23 -- Mood disorders and schizophrenia

Module 25 -- Social psychology

Grading: There will be four non-cumulative multiple-choice tests, each worth 25% of your final grade. The dates of the tests will be announced in class. The last of the four tests will occur during finals-week, as scheduled by the university. If for some reason you are unable to take a test at the assigned time, you must notify me ahead of time to arrange a make-up test, which will likely be a combination of essay, short answer and multiple choice. Be aware that the make-up tests are usually considerably longer and more challenging than are the regular tests, in order to compensate for the advantage you would have in taking the test at your convenience.

Attendance and absences: In this class there is no formal attendance policy, however I have found over the years that students who miss class frequently rarely do well on the tests, and hence rarely receive a good grade for the course. If you do need to miss class, you do not need to notify me (except for test days, as described above). Bear in mind that specific test dates are determined in class (except for the date of the last test), so you do need to keep apprised of any in-class announcements; this is YOUR responsibility. Also, since tests in this class tend to draw heavily from the class-notes, I highly recommend keeping your notes updated. Also, I don’t give out my own class-notes to people who are absent, so please don’t ask. It’s YOUR responsibility to obtain class-notes if you’re absent.

Extra-credit paper: You may opt to write an extra-credit paper worth 2 to 8 percentage points added to your final average. This paper is to be a critical and reflective examination of Frankl's book, Man's Search for Meaning. The paper is to be based upon your own perceptions and thinking, and should revolve around two basic questions. First, in your own perception what are the strengths and weaknesses of Frankl's views? You must not only present your views, but also justify them (argue for them, say why you think what you think). Second, how is it that Frankl's ideas matter (or fail to matter) to you personally -- in your own life, and in light of your own experiences? The basic format is this: 5 to 8 typed, double-spaced pages of text (not including title, table of contents, space for your name, lengthy quotes, pictures, references (if any), filler pages, etc.). The pages should have 27 lines of 12-point print per page, with 1-inch margins all around. If your word-processor doesn't easily conform to this format, that's okay -- just make sure that you write extra pages to compensate. The exact due-date will be toward the end of the term, and will be announced in class. All papers that are late, or that aren't long enough will be heavily penalized.

Special Arrangements: Any student who due to disability requires special arrangements to take this course should see me now.