PSY 150 I - INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

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PSY150I Introduction to Psychology

Professor Information

Patrick Cooper, PhD

Associate Professor of Psychology

pcooper@lynn.edu

Office: 1-561-237-7407;

Office Location: AS107; Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all meetings will be held on Zoom.

Zoom-Only Office Hours: by appt.

Course Description

This course will explore the scope and methods of psychology with a view to understanding the human organism, the basic phases of human behavior and the relevance of psychology in contemporary society.    

Credit Hours: 3 credit hours. 150 contact-minutes per class session for the 15-week term, or equivalent.  All course descriptions, credit hours, and prerequisites are located in Lynn University Academic Catalogs.

Course Objectives

  • SLO 1.1: Articulate major theories and findings in the field of psychology.
  • SLO 1.2: Explain the scientific method as a means of assessing these theories.
  • SLO 1.3: Describe the various fields of psychology as well as the types of careers the field lends itself to.
  • SLO 2.1: Explain the scientific method as a means of assessing hypotheses and theories.
  • SLO 2.5: Design, conduct, and statistically analyze a complex empirical study testing a psychological hypothesis.
  • SLO 3.3 Write in APA format and correctly cite sources. Make and defend an argument with correct citation of evidence.
  • SLO 4.1 Explain the concepts of social justice and social advocacy
  • SLO 4.2 Articulate the value of human diversity.

Required Learning Materials

  • All course materials will be posted on Canvas; students will submit assignments to Canvas, and grades will be posted on Canvas..
  • All required readings for this course are free and are available here: Open Stax Psychology 2e

Grading Criteria

Assignment Groups Weight
Assignments 25%
Discussion Boards 25%
Quizzes 25%
Final Project 25%

Grading Scheme


Grade Range
A 100 % to 92.5%
A- < 92.5 % to 89.5%
B+ < 89.5 % to 86.5%
B < 86.5 % to 82.5%
B- < 82.5 % to 79.5%
C+ < 79.5 % to 76.5%
C < 76.5 % to 72.5%
C- < 72.5 % to 69.5%
D+ < 69.5 % to 66.5%
D < 66.5 % to 59.5%
F < 59.5 % to 0.0%

Course Schedule

Please scroll to the bottom of this page to view the course summary and due dates.

Policies Specific to PSY150

Late Work

Canvas will automatically deduct 10% per day late for all assignments. If you want to discuss removing the late penalty, you can set up a meeting with me during the last week of class to discuss what you have learned and whether the late penalty should be removed. If you demonstrate exemplary work submitted in a timely manner for all other assignments and demonstrate good attendance, the late penalty will be removed.

Resubmitting assignments

Under no circumstances can assignments be re-submitted after grading. However, if you want to receive feedback before the due date, please submit your completed document to Canvas no later than 48 hours prior to the deadline and then email/text me requesting some feedback prior to final submission.

Attendance

Attendance is updated solely on whether you showed any activity on Canvas during the week. 

LockDown Browser

All quizzes require LockDown Browser with Respondus Monitor (Links to an external site.). This software will prevent you from using other applications on your device and will also take a webcam recording of you during the exam to ensure academic honesty.

You may not use any other devices during the quiz, and you must be fully visible to the camera throughout the exam. If suspicious activity is flagged, I will set up a meeting with you to discuss the quiz, and report the findings to the Academic Dean for review of potential academic dishonesty.

LockDown can be used on iPad or a computer, and you must have a webcam in order to take your exam (such as the one on your iPad). 

You can also view the setup information here.

Teacher Expectations of Students

Learning Materials

Students are expected to read, watch, or listen to all assigned learning content in this course. Every learning material posted was specifically included in order to help you successfully master the learning objectives and complete required assignments, so students will need to review each content in sequence before attempting any assignments.

Professionalism

In all interactions with classmates and the instructor, students are expected to behave, speak, and write in a professional manner. Language, spelling, and grammar should be appropriate for aspiring professionals. Presentation materials should be clear and professional.

Course Schedule

Students must carefully follow the Course Schedule in order to succeed with learning objectives. Each assignment will provide the foundation for the next assignment, so staying on task and submitting high-quality work in each module is necessary in order to continue proceeding through the course.

Institutional Academic Course Policies

Add/Drop and Withdrawal from a Course

Request by students to withdraw from a course must be made in writing to the Registrar’s Office.  Courses may be dropped without record until the add/drop deadline (see table below for Add/Drop dates).  After this period, the grade would be recorded as "W".  No quality points will be given and the credits earned will not figure in computation of the GPA.  Withdrawal from this course is permitted without a grade penalty until the withdrawal deadline (see table below for Withdrawal dates).

Term Start Date Drop/Add Deadline  Withdrawal Deadline  End Date
Undergraduate Spring Day 01/10/2022 01/14/2022 04/29/2022 05/06/2022
Undergraduate Spring I Online 01/10/2022 01/14/2022 02/25/2022 03/05/2022
Graduate Spring I 01/10/2022 01/14/2022 02/25/2022 03/05/2022
Undergraduate Spring I 01/10/2022 01/14/2022 02/25/2022 03/05/2022
Undergraduate Spring Session A 01/10/2022 01/12/2022 01/28/2022 02/04/2022
Undergraduate Spring  Session B 02/07/2022 02/09/2022 02/25/2022 03/04/2022
Undergraduate Spring  Session C 03/14/2022 03/16/2022 04/01/2022 04/08/2022
Undergraduate Spring  Session D 04/11/2022 04/13/2022 04/29/2022 05/06/2022
Graduate Spring 01/10/2022 01/14/2022 04/29/2022 05/07/2022
Undergraduate Spring II Online 03/14/2022 03/18/2022 04/29/2022 05/07/2022
Graduate Spring II 03/14/2022 03/18/2022 04/29/2022 05/07/2022
Undergraduate Spring II 03/14/2022 03/18/2022 04/29/2022 05/07/2022
Summer Day Term 05/09/2022 05/11/2022 05/27/2022 06/03/2022
Summer Internship Day Term 0509/2022 05/13/2022 08/12/2022 08/20/2022
Undergraduate Summer I Online 05/09/2022 05/13/2022 06/24/2022 07/02/2022
Graduate Summer I 05/09/2022 05/13/2022 06/24/2022 07/02/2022
Undergraduate Summer I 05/09/2022 05/13/2022 06/24/2022 07/02/2022
Graduate Summer 05/09/2022 05/13/2022 08/12/2022 08/20/2022
Undergraduate Summer  II Online 07/05/2022 07/11/2022 08/12/2022 08/20/2022
Graduate Summer II 07/05/2022 07/11/2022 08/12/2022 08/20/2022
Undergraduate Summer II 07/05/2022 07/11/2022 08/12/2022 08/20/2022

Attendance and Absence Policy

Although attendance is not a factor in the determination of the final grade, each student is expected to attend all classes and is responsible for all classroom material regardless of attendance.

In the case of an injury or prolonged illness causing absence in more than three consecutive class meetings, it will be the student’s responsibility to contact the Dean of Students and provide documentation for this nonattendance. In such a situation, the Dean of Students will notify the appropriate instructors, informing them of the absences and that the appropriate documentation has been provided by the student. The University has adopted a mandatory policy for reporting class attendance requiring each faculty member to submit attendance reports via the Attendance App.

Academic Honesty Policy

Integrity and honesty are essential to Lynn University’s mission and community standards.  As an academic community, honor, integrity and truthfulness are essential to the pursuit of knowledge and to establishment of mutual respect and trust among faculty, staff and students. Personal and professional integrity are also essential to our mission to educate students to become responsible and ethical citizens within a global community.  Violations of the academic honesty policy undermine the fundamental values and standards of our community, and therefore, faculty, staff and students must accept their responsibility to uphold and abide by the highest standards of integrity and honesty.

Definitions

Violations of the Academic Honesty Policy include, but are not limited to the following:

Cheating

Intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise. Infringing on the academic rights of others, such as defacement or theft of library material is considered cheating.

Fabrication

The intentional and unauthorized invention or falsification of any information or citation in an academic exercise.

Plagiarism

Intentionally or unintentionally representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise.

Facilitation

Intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to commit an act of academic dishonesty, including unauthorized collaboration on academic assignments.

Procedures

Faculty members who have evidence of a possible violation of the academic honesty policy must formally report the incident to the Office of Academic Affairs. Under no circumstances is the faculty member permitted to resolve the alleged incident on a unilateral basis. The Office of Academic Affairs will review the faculty member’s report, and if sufficient evidence exists, notify the student(s) of the alleged infraction(s). The allegation can be adjudicated by either the informal or formal process. The formal process must be used if a finding of guilt might result in the suspension of the student, including all cases of second violations.

Informal Resolutions

The Office of Academic Affairs will send the student a formal written notification of the allegations and the possible sanctions.  The student will then have ten (10) days to respond in one of the following ways:

  • Sign the form and request a meeting with the Office of Academic Affairs to discuss the allegations and or proposed sanctions;
  • Sign and return the form to the Office of Academic Affairs accepting responsibility for the violation and agreeing to the recommended sanction(s).

If the student fails to respond within thirty (30) days, a hold will be placed on the student’s account and the right to participate in the resolution of the allegation will be forfeited.       

Formal Resolutions

If the alleged violation could result in the suspension or dismissal from the university, or if the student or faculty member requests a formal resolution, the Office of Academic Affairs will notify the faculty member and the student(s) that a formal hearing of the Academic Dishonesty Committee will be convened. The committee will be comprised of seven (7) full time faculty members to be appointed by the Vice-President for Academic Affairs on an annual basis. The Office of Academic Affairs will serve as chair and will not have voting privileges. The Vice-President for Student Development will serve as an ex officio member of the committee.

The Office of Academic Affairs will schedule a hearing in a timely manner and all parties will be notified of time and location. If the accused student(s) requests, the Office of Academic Affairs will assist the student in securing a member of the university community to advise and assist the student in preparing for the hearing.

All parties will have the opportunity to present their evidence to the committee. The documents, testimony and record of the hearings will be confidential. Upon completion of the testimony, the Committee will meet in closed chambers and vote on the disposition of the student’s status at the university.

Penalties

Depending upon the intent and severity of the violation, a student found responsible for any act of academic dishonesty will be subject to one or more of the following penalties:

The student is placed on academic honor probation until graduation. For any student on academic honor probation, a second violation will result in a minimum sanction of one semester of suspension from the university.

In addition to academic honor probation, a student might also receive a grade of “F” on the assignment or test; students might also receive an “F” in the course; or be suspended or dismissed from the university. No provision will be made for the student to receive a “W” regardless of whether the professor or student initiate said request.

If the student receives a grade of “F” for the course or is suspended or dismissed from the university, the transcript will indicate the grade with “HF” and/or the notation “Academic Honor Suspension (Dismissal).”

All students found guilty of academic honor violations shall have a written letter detailing the violation and sanction placed in their permanent record.  Copies of this letter will also be sent to the faculty member of the course, appropriate College Dean, and to the Vice-President for Student Development.

Appeals

A student may submit a written appeal of a guilty finding to the Vice-President for Academic Affairs within ten days of receipt of the original decision.  Appeals must be based on new evidence, additional information, or procedural errors or misconduct.  The Vice-President’s decision is final.

A student can petition to have the grade of “HF” removed during their last semester as long as there are no further incidents of dishonesty.

Grade of Incomplete

For a student to be eligible to receive an incomplete for a course:

  1. The student must provide to the Dean of Students documentation of the extenuating circumstance(s) that prevent them from satisfying the course requirements and learning outcomes of that particular course.
  2. The student, at the time of applying for an incomplete, must have completed two-thirds of the term and have a passing grade.

The application process

  1. The student will have the option of applying for an incomplete in one or more courses.
  2. The student will obtain and complete the incomplete application form and bring it to the dean of students with appropriate documentation. The dean of students will verify that the student’s application satisfies the eligibility criteria. If the application satisfies the eligibility criteria, then the dean of students will return the approved form to the student who will then take the form to the professor of the course. The professor and student will draw out a contract, which includes but is not limited to: all course work to be completed and the deadline for this material to be submitted. After the student agrees to the terms of the contract and signs the form, the professor will take the contract to the dean of their college. The dean will then review the contract and sign the form upon approval. The “I” is now official and the contract is binding. The dean of the college will distribute copies of the contract to the professor, the student, the dean of students and the Registrar. Each recipient will place the copied contract in the appropriate file. The professor will keep one copy and the original will be placed in the student’s file in the college of their major.

The form

  1. Will be available online.
  2. Will contain current grade, what specific assignments are to be completed due date for all material (not to exceed one year beyond the original term final grade due date), and state that the final course grade will be a “W” if the student does not complete the requirements.

Similarity Report (Turnitin)

Students agree that by taking this course all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin (via learning management system, Canvas) for the detection of plagiarism. Turnitin generates a report on the originality of your writing by comparing it with a database of periodicals, books, online content, student papers, and other published work. This report can help you discern when you are using sources fairly, citing properly, and paraphrasing effectively—skills essential to all academic work. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. The use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Usage Policy posted on the Turnitin site.

Accommodation Statement

Lynn University makes reasonable accommodations for qualified students with documented disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If special accommodations are needed, please contact the Academic ADA Specialist, Dr. Catherine Wharton at 561-237-7105 or CWharton@lynn.edu to assist in documenting and defining those needs. 
Accommodations are not retroactive therefore, to receive any accommodation(s) the instructor must be presented with the formal form specifying the needs each semester. The Academic ADA Specialist is located in the Green Center.

Recording Policy and Restrictions

In order to provide access to all LU students, we are recording and publishing all course sessions. However, certain policies must be followed and violations of this policy could subject a student to discipline under the Lynn University Code of Conduct or to liability under copyright laws and/or civil litigation must be aware of the following restrictions:

  • The class recording is only for that specific students’ own academic purpose. 
  • The recording may not be used or released for any other purpose.
  • The recording may not be shared with others. This includes sharing it with other people, including other Lynn University students, non-Lynn University students, friends or family, or posted it on social media. 
  • The information contained in the course session is protected under federal and international copyright legislation and may not be published, released, or quoted without the lecturer’s explicit written consent and without properly identifying and crediting the lecturer. 
  • All lectures and course materials, including Power Point presentations, tests, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright law.

Audio Recording Policy and Restrictions: 

  • Unauthorized recording of classes is prohibited. A student seeking to record any class must receive permission through the ADA Office. Once the ADA Office has granted you the accommodation to audio record classroom lecture and discourse, you must provide that notification to your professors. In order to protect the privacy of the other students and professors, while accommodating students with disabilities, certain restrictions must be followed. Violations of this policy could subject a student to discipline under the Lynn University Code of Conduct or to liability under copyright laws and/or civil litigation. Students availing themselves of the audio-recording ADA accommodations must be aware of the following restrictions:  
  • The class audio recording is only for that specific students’ own academic purpose. 
  • The recording may not be used or released for any other purpose.
  • The recording may not be shared with others. This includes sharing it with other people, including other Lynn University students, non-Lynn University students, friends or family, or posted it on social media. 
  • The information contained in the audio-recorded lecture is protected under federal and international copyright legislation and may not be published, released, or quoted without the lecturer’s explicit written consent and without properly identifying and crediting the lecturer. 
  • All lectures and course materials, including Power Point presentations, tests, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright law.

Observance of Religious Holidays

Lynn University respects the rights of all individuals to observe customarily recognized religious holidays throughout the academic year.  If a student intends to be absent from classes as a result of any such observance, the student should notify their professors in writing prior to the specific holiday.

Title IX Statement

Sexual and or gender-based misconduct (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking) and discrimination are prohibited by University policy. Individuals experiencing or affected by such behavior may obtain confidential support from the Counseling Center (561-237-7273), Health Center (561-237-7231), and from the Confidential Student Advocate (561-237-7955). To report sexual or gender-based misconduct, contact the Title IX Coordinator (561-237-7727) or Campus Safety (561-237-7226).  Disclosure to University faculty or staff of sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sex discrimination must be shared with the Title IX Coordinator who will provide the affected student with information regarding rights and assistance. The Title IX Coordinator will consider any requests for confidentiality. For more information, see my.lynn.edu/Titleix

Learning Management System

Lynn University is now delivering all academic course materials through the Canvas Learning Management System. It can be accessed through my.lynn.edu, Quick Links, Canvas.

Changes or Modifications

The instructor reserves the right to change or modify the syllabus when necessary to meet course objectives.

Course Syllabi Statement

This syllabus is informational in nature, and is not an express or implied contract. It is subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances, as a result of any circumstance outside the University’s control, or as other needs arise. If, in the University’s sole discretion, public health conditions or any other matter affecting the health, safety, upkeep or wellbeing of our campus community or operations requires the University to make any syllabus or course changes or move to remote teaching, alternative assignments may be provided so that the learning objectives for the course, as determined by the University, can still be met. The University does not guarantee that this syllabus will not change, nor does it guarantee specific in-person, on-campus classes, activities, opportunities, or services or any other particular format, timing, or location of education, classes, activities, or services.

Course Summary:

Date Details Due
CC Attribution This course content is offered under a CC Attribution license. Content in this course can be considered under this license unless otherwise noted.