Psychology 2035B-001

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.

 

Revised Jan 5, 2022

WESTERN UNIVERSITY

LONDON   CANADA

Department of Psychology

2021 - 2022

 

Psychology 2035B   Section 001

Understanding Yourself and Others

 

 

  • 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 and vocational development.

 

Antirequisite: Psychology 2050

 

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. 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.

 

3 lecture hours, 0.5 course 

 

2.0  COURSE INFORMATION

 

       Instructor:   Dr. Adriana Diez                                   

       Office and Phone Number: SSC 7400           

       Office Hours: by appointment only                          

       Email: bdiezmen@uwo.ca                                                  

 

Appointments: If you are interested in scheduling an individual meeting with me at any point, please contact me via email to arrange it. Please note: Only virtual appointments will be available.

 

Email Policy: I check my email regularly and will respond to emails within 24 hours on weekdays and 48 hours during weekends. Please include the course code (PSYCH 2035B) in all email subject lines. This enables me to track emails and ensure they are answered in a timely manner.

 

       Teaching Assistant: Somer Schaffer

       Office and Phone Number: TBD

       Office Hours: by appointment only                

       Email: sschaff4@uwo.ca                             

 

Time and Location of Classes: Mondays, 7-10pm, SSC 2050 

Delivery Method: In-Person 

 

Course delivery with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic

Although the intent is for this course to be delivered in-person, the changing COVID-19 landscape may necessitate some or all of the course to be delivered online, asynchronously (lectures will be posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change.  Any assessments affected will be conducted online as determined by the course instructor.

 

When deemed necessary, tests and examinations in this course will be conducted using a remote proctoring service.  By taking this course, you are consenting to the use of this software and acknowledge that you will be required to provide personal information (including some biometric data) and the session will be recorded.  Completion of this course will require you to have a reliable internet connection and a device that meets the technical requirements for this service.  More information about this remote proctoring service, including technical requirements, is available on Western’s Remote Proctoring website at: https://remoteproctoring.uwo.ca

 

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.

 

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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.

 

3.0  TEXTBOOK

 

Psychology Applied to Modern Life: Adjustment in the 21st Century, 2018  (12th Edition)
Authors: Wayne Weiten; Dana S. Dunn; Elizabeth Yost Hammer

 

The online (MindTap) version of the textbook is required and is an essential part of the course content, as weekly readings and activities will be completed through this site. Additional information regarding the online textbook format will be provided on OWL. In the MindTap version, just like in a paper version, you can highlight text, make notes, and keep track of your progress. In addition, the online format offers adaptive practice material which modifies based on your progress, and it also provides study support like flashcards and extra quizzes.

Instructions on how to sign up and gain access to the course will be provided in the OWL page. When you get access to the course MindTap textbook website, please make sure that you register with the same name (i.e., an exact match) to your WESTERN ID (OWL) name. If you do not, this may result in a delay of your grades in OWL.

 

You can purchase the MindTap version of the book through the campus bookstore, or directly through the textbook website.

Campus Bookstore: https://bookstore.uwo.ca/product/cebcodeid24501 | ISBN: 9781337112062

 

 

 

4.0  COURSE OBJECTIVES & LEARNING OUTCOMES

 

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.

 

Student learning outcomes

 

Learning Outcome

Learning Activity

Assessment

Depth and Breadth of Knowledge.

  • Identify, differentiate, and understand different psychological theories that allow the understanding of yourself and others.

 Lecture, videos, and online activities

Weekly MindTap activities, midterm exam and final exams

Knowledge of Methodologies.

  • Identify how the different psychological theories of behavior gather, review and interpret information that leads to their understanding of human behavior.

Lecture, videos, online activities, and analysis of peer review papers

Weekly MindTap activities, midterm exam and final exams

Application of Knowledge.

  • Based on the knowledge acquire within the course, develop strategies to apply in day-to-day interactions with others, to modify own behaviors and to develop coping strategies.

Lecture, videos, online activities, and reflection activities

Weekly MindTap activities, midterm exam and final exams

Communication Skills.

  • Identify the main aspects, barriers and styles involved in the communication process to promote assertive communication with others.

Lecture, videos, online activities, and reflection activities

Weekly MindTap activities, midterm exam and final exams

Awareness of Limits of Knowledge.

  • Acknowledging that the field of Psychology is constantly evolving due to new discoveries and methodologies to understand human behavior and there are still many questions unanswered in the topics examined.

Lecture, videos, and online activities

Weekly MindTap activities, midterm exam and final exams

Autonomy and Professional Capacity.

  • Applying the topics discussed during the course to increase self- understanding, understanding of others and the development of positive strategies to cope with daily life situations.

Lecture, videos, and online activities

Weekly MindTap activities, midterm exam and final exams

 

 

5.0  EVALUATION AND POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK

 

This course grades are divided between 2 IN PERSON MULTIPLE-CHOICE EXAMS (midterm and final) and different ONLINE WEEKLY TASKS found in MindTap.

 

EXAMS

Midterm exam (Monday February 14, during class), worth 30% of the final grade, will cover material from January 10  through February 7.  

Final exam (during the exam period in April) worth 40% of the final grade, will cover material from February 28 through April 4

For both exams students are responsible for material assigned in the textbook, as well as material covered in lectures.

 

If you miss an exam and have an excuse documented by either a Self-Reported Absence (Midterm exam only), or another accommodation approved by the academic counselling office in your home faculty, you will be offered a make-up exam time.

 

Exam grades will be posted to the course web site as soon as possible after each exam.

 

 

ONLINE WEEKLY TASKS.

You are required to complete 3 types of online tasks (mastery training, activities, and quizzes) each week. The deadline to finish the activities for the previous chapter (s) is the Sunday before class.  All the tasks are found in the MindTap website.

 

  1. Mastery training (10%). It is mandatory for you to complete 10 out of 12 Mastery Trainings. The purpose of Mastery Training is to familiarize yourself with the important terms and concepts. This tool is adaptive, so it will provide additional practice on concepts that you may not know as well and phase out concepts that you have demonstrated that you already know; this streamlines your review. There is 1 Mastery Training per chapter, you can choose 10 out of the 12 chapters covered from January 10 to March 21 (Chapters: 2, 14, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 3, 4, 5, 15). These are summative assessments and therefore only graded for completion (not performance / correctness). You are required to complete 10 out of the 12. Each Mastery training is worth 1%.
  2. Quizzes (12%). You are expected to complete weekly quizzes for each chapter. Quizzes will cover the weekly material; the purpose of them is to help keep you up to date on the course material and to provide you with the opportunity to get a sense of your learning progress. There is 1 quiz per Chapter (14 total) and they graded for correctness. However, only your highest 12 grades will count towards your final grade.

  3. Online activities (8%). You are required to complete weekly online activities for each topic. The goal of these activities is for you to connect with the material in interactive ways. There are 2 mandatory activities per chapter (28 total), they are graded for correctness. However, only your highest 24 will count towards your final grade. 

 

Because each individual component of all the online tasks is worth less than 1% of your final grade and because you have the opportunity of not writing 2 of the mastery trainings and 2 of the quizzes and 4 of the online activities, I will not accept any accommodations or excuses for missed tasks, and late submissions will not be accepted.

 

Final Grades will be rounded only to the nearest whole number, that is, marks ending in a 4 or a 9 (e.g., 74 and 79) will not be rounded up a mark. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade, nor will any requests be considered for additional marks because they are needed for a grad/law/med school application, etc. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every component during the course. Please contact me directly if you are struggling with the material as soon as possible, in a way that we can make a plan to support your learning.

 

 

The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages:

 

70%      1000-level to 2099-level courses

72%      2100-2999-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

 

Note that in the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components.

 

Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course.

 

6.0  ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE

 

Component

 

Date

% of the final grade

Information covered

Midterm exam

February 14

30%

January 10 through February 7

Final Exam

TBD

40%

February 28 through April 4

Online Tasks

Sundays before class

30%

Weekly chapter(s)

 

 

7.0  CLASS SCHEDULE

 

Week

Date

Topic (s)

Reading (s)

1

January 10

Introduction

Chapter 1

2

January 17

Theories of personality

Chapter 2

3

January 24

Psychological disorder

Chapter 14

4

January 31

The self

Chapter 6

5

February 7

Social thinking and social influence
Interpersonal communication

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

6

February 14

Midterm exam

Chapters 1,2,14,6,7,8

7

February 28

Friendship and love

Gender and behaviour

Chapter 9

Chapter 11

8

March 7

Careers and work

Stress and its effects

Chapter 13

Chapter 3

9

March 14

Coping processes

Chapter 4

10

March 21

Psychology and physical health

Chapter 5

11

March 28

Psychotherapy

Chapter 15

12

April 4

Positive psychology

Chapter 16

 

 

8.0  Land Acknowledgement

 

We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum.

 

With this, we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation, as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service.

 

 

9.0  STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

 

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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).

 

Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.

 

In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.

 

Possible penalties for a scholastic offence include failure of the assignment/exam, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.

 

10.0      POLICY ON THE USE OF EXAM PROCTORING SOFTWARE

 

When examinations and tests cannot be given in person (e.g., in courses coded as Distance Studies; in the event of a lockdown order), they may be conducted using either a monitoring platform such as Zoom or a remote proctoring service, such as Proctorio. If Zoom is used for exam invigilation, you will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session using Zoom will not be recorded.*

If a remote proctoring service is used, the service will require you to provide personal information (including some biometric data). The session will be recorded. The instructor will alert you to the use of this software as close as possible to the start of the term, however, in the event that in-person exams are unexpectedly canceled, you may only be given notice of the use of a proctoring service a short time in advance. More information about remote proctoring is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines. Please ensure you are familiar with any proctoring service’s technical requirements before the exam. Additional guidance is available at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf

 

* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination. See this link for technical requirements: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us  

 

11.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES

 

Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12

 

If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
  2. For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
  • For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.

 

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods:

 

https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/faculty_academic_counselling.html

 

Students seeking academic consideration:

  • are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;  
  • are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
  • must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hoursafter the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence

 

Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term.

 

12.0 Contingency Plan for Return to Lockdown: IN-Person & Blended classes

 

In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or any other event that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online, as determined by the course instructor.

 

13.0      STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE

 

In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette:

  • please “arrive” to class on time
  • please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet)
  • please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material
  • to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise
  • In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak
  • In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable
  • Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting

 

The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following:

  • If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question.
  • Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking.
  • Self-identify when speaking.
  • Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise).

 

General considerations of “netiquette”:

  • Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course.
  • Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing.
  • Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate.
  • Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately.

 

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct.

 

14.0 OTHER INFORMATION

 

Office of the Registrar: http://registrar.uwo.ca 

 

Student Development Services: 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

- 2021-2022 Calendar References

 

If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf

Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca).

 

Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.

 

Policy on the Recording of Synchronous Sessions: Some or all of the remote learning sessions for this course (if scheduled) may be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. Participants in this course are not permitted to privately record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the student has the prior written permission of the instructor.