PSYCH
240 DSH
120
Section 003 MWF
1:00–1:50
|
Instructor: Office: Lab: Office Hours: E-Mail: Web Page: |
Eric Jackson Logan B10 --
277-3565 Logan 266 --
277-4725 Monday, 11:00 – 1:00 Thursday, 1:00 – 3:00 ejackson@unm.edu www.unm.edu/~ejackson |
TA: Office: Lab: Office Hours: E-Mail: |
Sandra Moses
Wednesday, 2:00 – 3:00 and by Appointment smoses@unm.edu |
Click the link above to view the
class schedule at any time. The
class schedule will be updated at this location.
Office Hours
My open
office hours are 11:00 am until 1:00 pm on Mondays and 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm on
Thursdays. Sandra’s office hours are
Wednesday from 2:00 to 3:00 PM. We will
be happy to set up an appointment with you outside these times if
necessary.
Class
Meetings/Lectures
Lectures
in this class are a cooperative venture between you, the student, and me, the
instructor. Your attendance is not required,
but it is highly recommended. You are
required to attend exams, as detailed below.
During lectures, I will present to you material that is of direct
relevance to doing well in this class.
Some of the material I present will be available in your textbook, some
will not. You are responsible for all
of it. If you are not able to attend a
lecture, make sure you have someone with whom you can share notes. My lecture notes will not be
available.
In addition to me presenting
material, lectures are an opportunity for you to ask questions and provide me
with your feedback about the material (this is the cooperative part I mentioned
earlier). If you have a question about
something from the textbook or something that was presented in class, then you
can rest assured that there are other people with the same question. Asking questions indicates to me that you
have thought about the information available to you.
Web Page
I have established a web page
specifically for this course. I will
post changes to the syllabus on that page.
If we change the course schedule, I will post those changes to the web
page, also. In addition, you will find
links to websites that contain information relevant to this course or that I
think you will find interesting. If you
come across a relevant, unlisted website, please e-mail me the URL (address) of
the site and I will include it on our web page.
Textbook
The textbook for this
course is An Introduction to Brain and Behavior, 1st
edition, by Kolb & Whishaw. The
textbook comes with a CD. If there is
not a CD with the copy of the book you are looking at buying, keep looking. Yes, the textbook is required. No, I will not read the book to you in class.
Exams
There will
be four exams in this class, one approximately every four weeks. The last exam will take place during the
scheduled final exam time. Each test is
cumulative to the extent that each subject in this class requires you to apply
knowledge developed in previous sections.
Each exam will be worth 150 points.
Exams will be a combination of multiple choice and “fill in the blank”
or short answer questions. I will not
provide you with a specific “study guide” for each exam, instead I will try to
make clear in the lectures the material that I consider essential to your
understanding of the topic. It is this
essential material that you will be tested on.
If you are
not able to attend an exam session, it is your responsibility to inform me of
that fact before the exam.
Unforeseen circumstances do arise on occasion, and these circumstances
may preclude you from contacting me in advance. In that event, you are responsible for contacting me as soon
as reasonably possible. You will be
allowed to take an alternate exam only if you can provide me with proper
documentation that you were physically unable to attend the exam session. Proper documentation includes letters from
professors or coaches (on letterhead stationery with contact information)
attesting to the fact that you were away from campus on official college
business, hospital discharge papers or a note from your physician, auto repair
receipts demonstrating an unexpected problem that rendered your transportation
unusable, etc. Creating exams requires
substantial time and effort on my part.
This time and effort is doubled if and when I have to make up a second
exam for people unable to take the first one.
I am happy to take that time for you, provided you demonstrate to me
that your absence was beyond your control.
If you do
not have acceptable documentation for your absence or you do not contact me
within a reasonable time, you will not be allowed to take an alternate exam.
Quizzes
You should expect at least one quiz every
week. Quizzes are not a form of
punishment. To the contrary, they are a
way for you to build up your points based on material recently presented in
class. Quizzes also provide you and me
with more immediate feedback on your performance than tests. Poor performance on a quiz will indicate
that you do not have sufficient understanding of a topic. You will, therefore, have an opportunity to
improve your understanding before the exam covering that topic. You will not have an opportunity to make up
quizzes. However, since there may be
times when you cannot attend class, I will drop your lowest three quiz grades,
including zeroes.
Research
& Writing Assignments
You will be responsible for turning in two (2) written research assignments during the semester. Each assignment will be worth a maximum of 50 points. The four written assignments can be turned in at any time until the last week of class. These assignments are intended to broaden your understanding of a topic covered in class. To gain the maximum benefit, I recommend you conduct your research and complete each assignment as that topic is covered. Completed assignments must be typed, spell-checked, double-spaced, in APA format (APA Publication Manual, 5th Edition), and three to five pages long.
To complete the assignment, select a covered topic and research the current state of that topic. What research has been conducted on the topic? How has the understanding of the topic developed/changed? If your selected topic is very broad, select a portion of it for your research. For example, rather than researching audition, research the regeneration of hair cells. Acceptable sources of information will be scientific and professional journals and magazines (Science, Nature, Journal of Neuroscience, etc.). Popular magazines (including Psychology Today, People, etc.) will not be acceptable sources.
Grades
– Revised 12/03/03
Your grade will be based on the percentage
of available points you have acquired throughout the semester.
The following scale will apply:
|
100 -
97% |
A+ |
88 – 85% |
B+ |
76 – 73% |
C+ |
64 – 61% |
D+ |
|
96 - 92% |
A |
84 – 80% |
B |
72 – 68% |
C |
60 – 56% |
D |
|
91 - 89% |
A- |
79 – 77% |
B- |
67 – 65% |
C- |
55 – 53% |
D- |
Acquiring less than 53% of the available
points will result in your failing of this class.
|
Tests: Written Assignments: Quizzes: |
400
points 100
points 80
points |
4 @100
pts each 2 @ 50
pts each 8 @ 10
pts each |
Drop/Withdrawal
Circumstances change and sometimes we find
ourselves unable to maintain the commitments we have made. Since you will be able to calculate how well
you are doing at any point in the semester, you are responsible for making the
decision as to whether you should remain in the class or not. I will not advise you to drop this course. Once the “add/drop” deadline has passed, you
will be able to drop the course with a “WP” if you have at least 60% of the
available points.
Class
Policies
All of the class policies are based on
respect: my respect for you, your
respect for me, and your respect for the other members of this class. While we are in the classroom, I expect your
undivided attention and will give you mine.
Disrespectful behavior will result in you being asked to leave the
classroom. You will receive no points
for quizzes taken on days that you are asked to leave. If you persist in being disrespectful, you
will be asked to withdraw from the course.
Following are some specific examples of disrespectful behavior:
Cheating
Cheating disrespects me and the other
members of the class. It disrespects me
by demonstrating that you don’t care enough about the material I present in
this class to even attempt to learn it.
It disrespects the other members of the class by getting ahead solely by
the sweat of their labor. Carry your
own burden.
Don’t cheat. If you cheat, I will know it. If I know it, I am ethically and
professionally bound to report your activities to the University. In addition, you will be withdrawn from the
class and receive an “F” as your final grade.
It is better to do poorly on an exam and drop the class than to get
caught cheating and fail the class.
“Prefer loss to the wealth of
dishonest gain; the former vexes you for a time; the latter will bring you
lasting remorse.” ~Chilo
Coming in Late / Leaving Early
If you find yourself unable to get to
class on time, then slip in quietly and sit near the door. Do not try to cross the classroom or make
your way to your regular seat. Such
actions are distracting and interrupt the class. If you have to leave class early, let me know in advance. Again, sit near the door and when you have
to leave, do so quietly without disturbing the class. You will receive no points for quizzes on days you arrive late or
leave early.
Reading in Class
Do not
read newspapers, magazines, or material for other classes. I am committing the time and energy
necessary to present course material to you.
If you do not wish to expend the time and energy to learn that material,
then don’t come to class.
Eating in Class
Don’t do it. It is not possible for you to eat and provide me with your
undivided attention or take proper notes.
I promise I won’t eat in class either.
Mobile Phones/Pagers
If you have a mobile phone or pager,
either turn the ringer off or set it to vibrate. Ringing phones or beeping pagers are a serious distraction and
undermine the mood of the class. If you
are anticipating a call that you must take (a deathly ill relative, etc.) then
sit near the door and quietly slip out to take the call.
Sleeping
At some point in our lives, we all find ourselves
suffering from a lack of sleep. Some
students are chronically sleep-deprived.
If you know you will not be able to stay awake for a class, then don’t
attend.
Guests
You are welcome to bring visitors or
guests, including your children, to class occasionally. Every person in the classroom is expected to
adhere to the principle of respect.
Should your guest become disrespectful or disruptive, I will ask you
both to leave. If you know that your
guest is incapable of sitting quietly for the duration of the class period,
then don’t bring them to class. Get
that day’s notes from someone else.
If you
have any questions about this class,
please
contact me either by e-mail
or during
my office hours.