Psychology 2035B-650

Understanding Yourself and Others

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

This course examines ways in which recent research findings in psychology may be applied in the individual's life. Emphasis on psychology as an empirical science and on avenues of self-understanding and personal growth. Topics include personality, stress and coping, person perception, interpersonal communication, friendship and love, sexuality, vocational development.

Antirequisite: Psychology 2050

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.

0.5 course

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor:Dr. John Campbell
Office and Phone Number:  SSC 7440
Office Hours:By Appointment, TBA
Email: jcampb7@uwo.ca 

Teaching Assistant: Dora Ladowski
Office:
Office Hours: January & February: Wednesdays 4-5pm
                   March & April: Mondays 1-2pm
Email: dladowsk@uwo.ca

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

Required: Weiten, W., Lloyd, M., Dunn D. S., & Hammer, E. Y. (11th ed., 2014). Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course provides a broad introduction to theories and findings associated with the scientific study of human behaviour. By understanding the psychological processes that influence behaviour, it is hoped that you will develop a greater appreciation for how these processes might influence your own behaviour in everyday life. Indeed, actively applying the material to your everyday life should enhance not only your self-understanding and personal growth, but also your understanding of other people.

5.0     EVALUATION


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 the University of Western Ontario 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

Student evaluation will be based on two exams and quality of participation in discussions.
 
Exams: The midterm exam will last for 90 minutes and will contain approximately 80 multiple choice questions. The final exam will last for 2 hours and will contain approximately 100 multiple choice questions. All exams will test your knowledge of the course readings (textbook and additional readings). All exams will be closed book – no books, notes, calculators, electronic dictionaries, or aids of any type will be allowed. All students are expected to complete exams on the scheduled dates.
 
Discussions (25% of final grade): There will be 5 online discussions. Each discussion will be graded out of 5 marks. Students are required to post one original response and two replies to other students for each discussion. Additionally, you are strongly encouraged to respond to other students’ responses to your post. Receiving a good mark will require creative, insightful posts that show accurate knowledge of the material, elaborate on information posted earlier in the discussion, and involve a meaningful dialogue with classmates. More information about the discussions will be available on the course website.


6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Exam

% of Final Grade

Date

Midterm Exam

35%

Saturday, Feb. 6th (exact time TBA)

Final Exam

40%

April 9-17

(exact date and time TBA)

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

WEEK

 

Jan 4

 

Jan 11

 

Jan 18

Topics                                                                     Reading Schedule                            Discussions

               

Introduction and Overview                                  Chapter 1                                           

 

Theories of Personality                                         Chapter 2                                     

               

Stress and Its Effects                                 Chapter 3                                     Discussion 1

 

Coping Processes                                                   Chapter 4                                           

 

 Jan 25

 Psychology and Physical Health Chapter 5 (pp. 130-137 only)                     Discussion 2

The Self                                                                     Chapter 6

                                                                                             

 Feb 1

 Social Thinking and Social Influence                 Chapter 7                                                                        

 

 

 Feb 6

***MIDTERM EXAM (35%)****                      

         

 

 Feb 22

 Interpersonal Communication                            Chapter 8                                           

 Feb 29  

 Friendship and Love                                                                                  Chapter 9                                    Discussion 3

Marriage and Intimate Relationships                 Chapter 10

Development & Expression of Sexuality    Chapter 12 (pp. 353-365 only)

 Mar 7

 Gender and Behaviour                              Chapter 11                                                                                    Discussion 4

 Mar 14

 Careers and Work                                                   Chapter 13                                                 

 Mar 21

 Psychological Disorders                               Chapter 14                                   Discussion 5

Psychotherapy                                             Chapter 15

 Mar 28

 

 Prepare for 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

The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html

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
- 2015 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.