Introduction to Psychology Ms. Whitten Classroom: 241 Buckman swhitten@stmarysmemphis.net Welcome to Introduction to Psychology!

We are going to have a fantastic semester! In this class we will learn about why we as human beings operate the way we do. My masters degree is in Educational Psychology and Research, and that emphasis will be reflected in the topics we cover during the semester. *Modern psychology approaches *Learning (classical and operant conditioning, cognitive learning, memory, specific learning skills) *Intelligence (theories of, multiple intelligence psychometrics) *Motivation and Achievement *Emotion *Human Development (infancy through old age) *Personality Theory (Freud, Jung, Adler, Bandura/Skinner, Gestalt/Existential) *Health, Stress, & Coping *Mental, Anxiety, Mood Disorders and Diagnosis (descriptions and testing/evaluation) *Therapies (insight and behavior) *Social Psychology This is not to say that all of the biological/physiological aspects of psychology (covered in text modules 3-6) are not important, but much of that information is covered in anatomy courses, and I would rather focus on the behavioral aspects of the field. Speaking of the text, it is Introduction to Psychology (8th edition) by Rod Plotnik and Haig Kouyoumdjian. Please bring it to class every day, along with whatever you choose to keep your notes in (paper folder with brads or dedicated portion of a binder). Additional resources will include videos, textbook webpage tools, current research articles in psychology, and perhaps an occasional outside speaker. I consider this class an exposure course, which means I am much more interested in your exploring, questioning, evaluating, applying, etc. the information as opposed to your memorizing it and giving it back to me on a test. Our class periods will be times to discuss the material you read about for homework, and I will enjoy hearing and learning from your perspectives and questions. Grading: Your grade will be derived from: 1) Reading guides These are study guides to help you actively learn the reading material. Each module has one reading guide associated with it, which you can

find on each modules page in Haiku. We will cover roughly one module per week, so you will be completing roughly one reading guide per week. I will let you know the specific portions of each reading guide that will be due. You are welcome to work ahead if you would like. 2) Class discussion Since this is a discussion course, we will have wonderful discussions on the material we are learning. I value your opinions and perspectives and as a class we will learn a great amount from your ideas and questions. I encourage you to prepare for each discussion by reading the material to be presented prior to that class and to complete the associated piece of each study guide. 3) Final Project This is a creative and fun assignment that will be presented in detail to you at a later date. I do my grade calculations on cumulative total number of points.

Class Policies: St Marys Episcopal School Honor Code applies to all situations in this class. In case of excused absences from class, please see me to determine what was missed and make up work within two days (unless special permission is given otherwise). Please be aware that work handed in late will be lowered ten points per day late. My office is across the hall from Mrs. Parkers office in Garrott. I encourage you to stop by with questions, concerns, or just to chat at any time. I can also be reached at any time via email. Being of service to you is my number one priority I hope this will be a great learning experience for all of us. Please do not hesitate to ask for outside help if you are having a difficult time understanding certain concepts/theories. I will be happy to help you before school, after school, or during any common free period we may have.