Psychology 2990A-001
Applied Psychology
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with some of the ways in which psychological evidence and techniques can be applied to the practice of law, business, education, the health sciences, and other areas.
Prerequisite(s): At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course.
3 lecture hours, 0.5 course.
Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Graeme Haynes
Office and Phone Number: SSC 7440
Office Hours: Tues. 10:30 A.M. – 11:30 A.M., or by appointment
Email: ghaynes@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: TBA
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
Time and Location of Classes: Tues. 7:00 P.M. – 9:30 P.M., SSC 2050
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Hazlewood, D. and Janes, L. (2017). Topics in applied psychology. Pearson Custom Publishing. (Be sure to purchase the 5th edition)
Note: This is a “custom” textbook that was specifically designed for our course. In one (relatively affordable) package, it contains chapters from several sources that provide an introduction to the course material. For each topic, we attempted to select a chapter that provided the broadest coverage of material, coupled with an engaging writing style (and Canadian content, whenever possible).
Additional Readings (required):
Additional readings have been prepared for some topics. These readings will be made available as PDF files on the course website at least one week prior to that topic's listed date on the Psychology 2990A Schedule. The material from these additional readings will be tested on the exams.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course covers various areas of applied psychology, including sports psychology, consumer psychology, forensic psychology, engineering psychology, environmental psychology, health psychology, and psychology applied to the courtroom and the classroom. The intent of this course is to expose students to the use of psychology in a wide range of occupations. Whether you choose to pursue a professional career in these areas, or are simply curious about these areas in your everyday life, it is hoped that you will discover how the scientific study of human behavior can be used to enhance your understanding of these areas.
4.1 LECTURES & CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE
Lectures are intended to complement the textbook. Thus, I will present some material that is not in the book, and will be tested on the exams. Class attendance will significantly increase how much you get out of this course. I post the lecture slides AFTER we have finished a chapter, so if you miss a class and want the notes right away, it is recommended that you obtain notes from a classmate. I will be happy to answer specific questions about class notes once you have obtained them.
I expect that each of you will respect your classmates and me by arriving to class on time, ready to listen and participate. Please turn off your cell phone ringers when you arrive to class, and be sure to put away all other personal devices (e.g., iPods). Devoting class time to non-academic activities such as watching videos or listening to music is disruptive and creates a negative impression of the students engaging in such activities.
In addition, a growing research literature strongly demonstrates that inappropriate use of technologies during classes negatively impacts students’ ability to learn material. As such, students are kindly requested to turn off their device WiFi during lecture. Give yourself the best chance to do well and to be engaged!
In a class this large, some students will be unaware that their private conversations are distracting to other students. If you feel that students are distracting your attention from the material, then you should ask them to be quiet. If you feel uncomfortable doing this (or if the problem persists), then please see me and I will make an announcement to the class and/or arrange to meet privately with the students.
During class, you are encouraged to ask questions about concepts that are unclear; I’m also happy to answer questions during the 5 minute break or at the end of the lecture. Outside of class, I encourage you to meet with me during office hours (or set an appointment) to discuss any questions or concerns. E-mail is the best way to contact me outside of class.
4.2 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
~ identify major concepts and theories in applied psychology (including examples);
~ interpret the results of research that has examined these concepts and theories; and
~ apply these concepts and theories to professional (and everyday) life.
Measured through exams.
5.0 EVALUATION
To ensure fairness, please be aware that final grades in this course are based exclusively on students’ performance on the three exams. Exams may not be rewritten, nor will the exams be reweighted in calculating final grades. Grades will not be adjusted on the basis of need or a subjective evaluation of effort, and students will not be able to improve their marks by completing additional assignments.
Students are responsible for material assigned in the textbook, as well as material covered in lectures. Note: “lecture material” includes films, demos, and anything else presented during class time.
The First Exam (October 2), worth 30% of the final grade, will cover material from September 11 through September 25. The Second Exam (November 6), worth 30% of the final grade, will cover material from October 16 through October 30. The Final Exam (during the Midyear Exam period December 10-21), worth 40% of the final grade, will cover material from November 13 through December 4.
Make-Up Exams: Tests must be written on the scheduled dates unless you have a legitimate excuse recognized by the university administration (see Section 9). Valid reasons include medical or compassionate reasons, and must be substantiated by proper documentation (e.g., a medical certificate, which will be verified by the Office of the Dean). A student who misses a regularly scheduled exam for other reasons, or who cannot justify a claim, will be assigned a 0 for the exam.
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows Western's grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Value |
|
|
Midterm #1 |
Oct. 2 (during classtime) |
30% |
|
Midterm #2 |
Nov. 6 (during classtime) |
30% |
|
Final Exam |
Dec. 10-21 |
40% |
Note 1: There will be no lecture after the exams.
Note 2: You must go to your assigned room! Room assignments will be announced in class, and posted on the course website a few days before each exam. Please do not contact the department secretaries for this information!!
Note 3: Electronic devices (e.g., cell phones, dictionaries, ipods/earbuds) are NOT permitted during exams. Please leave these devices at home or in your book bag.7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
|
Date |
Topic |
Read |
|
Sept. 11 |
Intervention and Evaluation |
Reading on website |
|
Sept. 18 |
Psychology and the Law |
Chapter 1 |
|
Sept. 25 |
The Psychology of Police Investigations |
Chapter 2 |
|
Oct. 2 |
Midterm # 1 |
|
|
Oct. 9 |
No class: FALL READING WEEK |
|
|
Oct. 16 |
Psychology and Health |
Chapter 3 |
|
Oct. 23 |
Applying Psychology to the Media |
Reading on website |
|
Oct. 30 |
Sport Psychology |
Chapter 4 |
|
Nov. 6 |
Midterm # 2 |
|
|
Nov. 13 |
Psychology and Education |
Chapter 5 |
|
Nov. 20 |
Workplace Psychology |
Chapter 6 |
|
Nov. 27 |
Consumer Psychology |
Chapter 7 |
|
Dec. 4 |
Psychology and the Environment |
Chapter 9 |
|
December 10-21 (TBA) |
FINAL EXAM |
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2018 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
