Discipline: Psychology Degree Credit  [X]
Non Credit  [ ]
Nondegree Credit  [ ]
Comm Service  [ ]
 

Riverside Community College District
Integrated Course Outline of Record

Psychology 1


COURSE DESCRIPTION
1 General Psychology Units: 3.00
 
Prerequisite: None.
 
Historical and philosophical antecedents of contemporary psychology; the scientific study of behavior as systemized in learning, motivation, emotion, personality, intelligence, and thought. 54 hours lecture.
 
SHORT DESCRIPTION FOR CLASS SCHEDULE
A survey of the scientific study of behavior, including learning, emotion, motivation, emotional problems and therapy.
 
ADVISORY ENTRY SKILLS
None.

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Upon successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

1.   distinguish the unique characteristics of the discipline of psychology

2.   define the psychologoical concepts of behavior and cognition

3.   apply the methods of psychological research and analysis, giving
      attention to the strategies of psychological methods and to the
      significance of the scientific approach for formulating and testing
      hypotheses

4.   discuss the dynamic nature of psychology, and identify forces that
      lead to psychological changes

5.   discuss the value of psychological perspectives and methods for
      addressing and understanding personal and societal problems.
 
COURSE CONTENT
  TOPICS
 
  1. The Discipline of Psychology
    1. the holistic perspective: psychology compared to disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences and the humanities
    2. the history of psychology as a discipine in the social and behavioral sciences
    3. the relationship between each subfield of psychology (abnormal, biological, clinical, developmental, health, personality, and social)
  2. The Scientific Basis of Psychology
    1. the value of utilizing scientific methods when examining issues in behavior and cognition
    2. descriptive methods and their use in psychological research
    3. animal and human subjects, and the ethics of psychological research
  3. The Biological Basis of Psychology
    1. the human nervous system and its role in behavior and cognition
    2. the phenomena of sensation and perception and their influence on behavior and cognition
    3. biological imaging tools and their use in examining behavioral, cognitive, and emotional processes
  4. Altered States of Consciousness
    1. circadian rhythms and their relationship to wakefulness, sleep and sleep disorders
    2. the processes of dreams, hypnosis and meditation
    3. psychoactive drugs and their influence on behavior, moods and cognition
  5. Cogntivie Processes
    1. learning and memory systems and their role in predicting changes in behavior and cognition
    2. descriptive linguistics: phonology, morphology, syntax, grammar
    3. thinking strategies including algorithms, heuristics, and mental sets
  6. Intelligence
    1. definition of intelligence and how it is measured
    2. principles of intelligence test construction
    3. biological, environmental, and cross-cultural influences on intelligence
  7. Emotion and Motivation
    1. theories of emotion including the James-Lange theory and Cannon-Bard theory
    2. the measurement of emotional states
    3. instinct versus drive theories of motivation
  8. Development of the Self
    1. psychological development states from infancy through late adulthood
    2. psychoanalytic, humanistic, social cognitive, and trait theories of personality
    3. the assessment of personality through projective and self-report tests
  9. Psychological Problems, Disorders and Treatment
    1. stress and its relationship to health and disease
    2. symptoms of anxiety, mood, personality, dissociative and schizophrenic disorders
    3. psychological and medical treatments for mental illness.
  10. The Person in Social Context
    1. social categorization and its influence on person perception
    2. prejudice, stereotyping, and ethnocentrism
    3. the influence of groups on individual behavior
 
METHODS OF INSTRUCTION
 Methods of instruction used to achieve student learning outcomes may include, but are not limited to:

  • class lectures, discussions, and demonstrations in order to explain psychological concepts and allow students the opportunity to respond to them and relate them to their own knowledge and personal experiences
  • videos, films, and slides in order to illustrate research methods, to present examples of psychological concepts, and to examine atypical behaviors (e.g., catatonic schizophrenia) that may be subtle and difficult for those unflamiliar to psychology to describe or conceive
  • pair, small group, and class exercises, such as simulations that allow students to discover the meaning of psychological concepts (e.g., fundamental attribution error and person perception) and experience them in a classroom environment
  • instructor generated handouts that help students acquire and organize information in assigned readings and in classroom presentations (e.g., study guides, outlines, and video guides), and that provide students with guidleines necessary for interpretation of psychological concepts
  • web-based/web-enhanced/online activities in order to present key psychological concepts and to supplement and enrich those presented during class or in texts
 
METHODS OF EVALUATION
 Students will be evaluated for progress in and/or mastery of learning outcomes by methods of evaluation which may include, but are not limited to:

  • quizzes and examinations designed to determine knowledge of psychological terminologicy and concepts and demonstrate their application to psychological examples
  • essays, reports, posters, diagrams, and research papers designed to demonstrate knowledge and application of methods of psychological research
  • short assessment tools (e.g., cognitive maps, summary statments, graphic organizers, video questions) that verify and assess individual, pair, and group participation in classroom activities designed to identify psychological examples and the application of psychological perspectives
  • a final examination that assesses mastery of basic concepts of the course, the ability to interpret psychological information, and the ability to apply psychological perspectives to personal and societal situations and problems.
ASSIGNMENTS

Required Reading Assignments


Required Writing Assignments


Other Outside-of-Class Assignments
 
COURSE MATERIALS
 All materials used in this course will be periodically reviewed to ensure that they are appropriate for college level instruction. Possible texts include:

  • Feldman, Robert. Essentials of Understanding Psychology. 5 ed. any: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
  • Kalat, James. Introduction to Psychology. 6 ed. any: Wadsworth, 2002.
  • Lahey, Benjamin. Psychology: An Introduction. 8 ed. any: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
  • Myers, David. Exploring Psychology. 5 ed. any: Worth, 2002.
  • Plotnik, Rod. Introduction to Psychology. 6 ed. any: Wadsworth, 2002.
  • Santrock, John. Psychology:Essentials. 2 ed. any: McGraw-Hill, 2003.
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