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PSYC 1101 - Introduction to Psychology

Class Meeting: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 10:50 am - 11:50 am in CAB 318

                           

Office: CAB 306

Available by appointment. See the scheduler to the right to make an appointment. Check the locator on my door if you stop by my office and would like to know if I'm available.

Email: ssthomas@lagrange.edu

(use subject: PSYC 1101)
 

Phone: 706-880-8298 


Twitter@SocialPsySteph (Class hashtag: #PSYC1101) 

 

Please see the course calendar at the bottom of the page for assignment and exam dates.

 

All students enrolled for Spring 2020 should complete the following survey. All surveys should be completed by Monday, February 3rd at 8:00 am. This survey will count as your first participation points for the course.

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Introduction to Psychology software from Hawkes Learning

You can purchase an access code through the College bookstore or purchase directly through Hawkes ($40). The guided notebook is not required, only the software.

 

A copy of the guided notebook will be available on reserve through the library if you would like to utilize that

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Course Objectives
Course Requirements
Exams and Quizzes
Participation and Assignments

Course Description

Introduction to Psychology is a science-based class designed to establish a basic understanding of the major concepts, theories, and research findings throughout the field of psychology. Topics will include the historical foundations of psychology, learning and memory, biological psychology, social interactions, personality, psychological disorders, and therapy options. The main goal of this class is to not only introduce psychological topics, but also provide you with the ability to discuss those topics, understand how psychologists conduct science, and critically think about information pertaining to the topics.

 
Course Objectives

LaGrange College Student Learning Outcomes (LC SLO):

1. Students will demonstrate creativity by approaching complex problems with innovation and from diverse perspectives.

2. Students will demonstrate critical thinking by acquiring, interpreting, synthesizing, and evaluating information to reason out conclusions appropriately.

3. Students will demonstrate proficiency in communication skills that are applicable to any field of study.

 

Course Learning Objectives:

There are 6 categories of learning objectives listed below along with the assessment tools used to evaluate both your performance as a student and my performance as an instructor. Additionally, each course learning objective is associated with the corresponding LC SLO. This list is adapted from the Assessment Cyberguide for Learning Goals and Outcomes (Pusateri, Halonen, Hill, & McCarthy, 2009) and APA Guidelines for the Undergraduate Psychology Major (American Psychological Association, 2007) both produced by the American Psychological Association.

1.    Knowledge Base of Psychology (Assessed by Exams) LC SLO 2, 3

  • Understand the major perspectives of psychology (e.g., behavioral, biological, cognitive, evolutionary, humanistic, psychodynamic, and sociocultural).

  • Identify the leaders in the following fields of psychology: learning, personality, development, and memory. 

  • Understand the broad theories that explain behaviors within the following fields: learning, personality, development, memory.

  • Understand the broad theories that explain abnormal behaviors and psychological diseases.

  • Understand the basic anatomy of the brain and cellular structure of neurons.

  • Understand and accept that some amount of ambiguity is present when discussing the cause of behavior, no matter which perspective is used


2. Research Methods in Psychology (Assessed by Exams) LC SLO 2, 3

  • Understand the basics of each step of research including research design, basic data analysis, and interpretation.
  • Understand why research is so important to science and psychology specifically.
  • Value empirical evidence and discount assumptions or common myths regarding psychology and behaviors

3. Applications of Psychology (Assessed by ETHOS Project) LC SLO 1, 2, 3

  • Apply psychological concepts, theories, and research findings as these relate to everyday life.

  • Reflect on personal and social experiences and find meaning in them.

  • Enact self-management strategies that maximize healthy outcomes.

  • Apply knowledge of psychology (e.g., decision strategies, life span processes, psychological assessment) when formulating career choices.

4. Communication skills (Assessed by class discussions, emails, and note-taking *these are ungraded activities) LC SLO 2, 3

  • Demonstrate effective writing skills in various formats (e.g., essays, correspondence, note taking) and for various purposes (e.g., informing, explaining, persuading, questioning, teaching).

  • Develop professional communication skills through email and class discussions.

 

5. Professional development (Assessed by discussion and one-on-one meetings *these are ungraded activities) LC SLO 1, 2, 3

  • Demonstrate ability to apply psychological content and skills towards chosen career path

  • Apply psychological principles to promote personal development, including self-efficacy and self-regulation

  • Exhibit the ability to collaborate effectively.

Course Requirements

All graded activities should follow the LaGrange College Honor Code and should be your own work. Unless otherwise noted, all work receives an individual grade; thus graded items cannot be completed with the input of others.

 

Exams and Quizzes

There will be 6 exams during the course of the semester, each covering about two chapters of course material. All exams, including the final, are NOT cumulative. The exams may entail multiple choice and short answer questions. These exams will be based on lectures, in-class exercises, film clips, and outside readings and assignments including material covered in the textbook and online assignments. It is very important to attend each class and to take good notes. To take the exam you must arrive before the first person leaves the room. To see the specific dates for all exams, please check the course calendar at the end of the syllabus.

 

To do well on the exams: you will need to regularly attend class, take good notes, keep up with the reading material, and study both this material and the notes with the aim of fully understanding it (not just memorizing it). The exam questions will emphasize understanding and mastery of concepts and theories rather than memorization of information. Completion of the Certify modules (see later section) and online study aids are also good ways to study and test understanding. However, these should not be your ONLY method of study, as stated, the exams will focus more on understanding than memorization. I will focus mainly on questions that assess whether you have a thorough understanding of these concepts and theories and whether you can apply this understanding to new situations.

Final exam: The final exam will take place on Friday, May 8th at 11:30 am. The final exam will cover information from the last 2 sections only. There will be no make-ups or early exams given for the final exam.

Absence during an exam: Please notify the instructor on the day of your absence from a test by phone or e-mail. To make up an exam, a student must have an excused absence. An excused absence is determined by the instructor and may include an illness that requires the student to remain at home/in their dorm room, a death of someone close to the student, court date during class time, school-sponsored event that occurs during class time, or other events at the discretion of the instructor. To notify the instructor of an excused absence, you must turn in an absence form (this can be found on Connect). If documentation is available, that should be submitted along with the form. This form will not be accepted electronically. Only one undocumented exam absence will be counted as excused per student. After that one, all exam absences must be accompanied by written documentation to count as excused. To designate a missed exam as excused (whether it has documentation or not), you must submit an absence form on the day you return to class to be able to make up the exam and receive full credit; 20% will be deducted from your exam grade if you turn in the absence form after the day you return to class. You must then arrange to make up the exam as soon as it is convenient, but definitely within 1 week of the original exam date. If more than one student needs to make up the exam, one common time may be arranged for all makeup exams to be given. If no absence form is turned in, the exam cannot be made up and the student will receive a grade of "0" for that exam. If the exam has not been made up within one week of the original exam date (unless prior approval has been obtained by the instructor), the exam cannot be made up and the student will receive a grade of "0" for that exam. The instructor will not contact the student to determine if a missed exam is excused. If no contact is made by the student, it is assumed the missed exam is unexcused. Zeros will be given for exams when it is determined that the absence is unexcused. Please note the following examples of unexcused absences: absences due to vacations or leaving early before a scheduled break, except under extenuating circumstances, work schedules are not considered an excuse for missing an exam. 

 

QuizzesThere will be at least one planned quiz given throughout the course of the semester. This quiz will be over information found in the syllabus and will be given through Connect. See Connect for more information. No make-ups will be given for this quiz as it is online and students can complete it at any point before the due date. The instructor reserves the right to give pop quizzes in class at any time.

 

Participation and Assignments

Another contribution to your overall grade will be your participation in active learning exercises such as in-class activities, in-class discussions, completion of personality scales, doing fun field experiments outside of class, and tweeting about class topics, and so on. These activities are designed to help you learn concepts in an active and memorable manner. By participating in these active learning exercises, you will learn much more (and have more fun) than would be possible if this class consisted solely of lectures and multiple choice tests. These activities will often not be announced in advance.

 

TwitterFor some of the in-class assignments we will be using Twitter. Therefore, students should set up a Twitter account if they do not already have one. Students will also need to approve follow requests from the instructor for this course; if students would prefer to set up an account specifically for this course (instead of using their personal account), that is perfectly acceptable, and in most cases, highly recommended. The Twitter participation will occur in-class, therefore, students must have a device which can access Twitter with them in class (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc...). To get credit for these activities, you must fill out the survey (linked at the beginning of the syllabus) in which you provide the Twitter handle that you will be using for the course.

In addition, I will use Twitter to send out additional reminders and announcements (in addition to what I post on Connect). Students are strongly encouraged to follow me to easily receive this information. When I post information relevant to our class, I will use #PSYC1101. I encourage students that have questions or comments related to class to post using this # as well or send me a direct tweet. I will also post a list of all students Twitter handles on Blackboard (for those students who have indicated they are willing to share this information) so that students may connect using Twitter. This offers an easy way to ask questions of other students, post information relevant to the class, set up group study sessions, etc...

 

Online Forums: For some topics this semester, you will be asked to participate in an online forum discussion on Connect. This will consist of you reading a short article, posting your thoughts about the reading including a question to further discussion, and then you will respond to another student's question. These will be announced in class.

Psychology in the Workplace Reflection Paper: Throughout the course of the semester students will work on completing a paper for inclusion in their ETHOS e-portfolio. The finished paper will then be uploaded into the student's e-portfolio as part of their ETHOS requirements. If a student is not under ETHOS, completion of this paper is still required. This paper will be completed in several steps throughout the course of the semester. The final draft is due at the final exam. All information regarding this paper can be found on Connect. 

Missed Participation: To make up a graded assignment that was due on the day a student was absent, a student must have an excused absence. An excused absence is determined by the instructor and may include an illness that requires the student to remain at home/in their dorm room, a death of someone close to the student, court date during class time, school-sponsored event that occurs during class time, or other events at the discretion of the instructor. To notify the instructor of an excused absence, the student must turn in an absence form (this can be found on Connect). If documentation is available, that should be submitted along with the form. This form will not be accepted electronically. Only two total undocumented absences will be counted as excused per student (an undocumented exam absence is counted in this two). After two, all missed participation must be accompanied by written documentation to count as excused. To designate a missed participation as excused (whether it has documentation or not), the student must submit an absence form on the day they return to class to be able to make up the exam and receive full credit; half credit will be given if the student turns in the absence form after the day they return to class. The student must then arrange to make up the missed participation as soon as it is convenient, but definitely within 1 week of the original participation date. If no absence form is turned in, the participation cannot be made up and the student will receive a grade of "0" for that participation. If the participation has not been made up within one week of the original participation date (unless prior approval has been obtained by the instructor), the participation cannot be made up and the student will receive a grade of "0" for that participation. The instructor will not contact the student to determine if a missed participation is excused. If no contact is made by the student, it is assumed the missed participation is unexcused. Zeros will be given for participation when it is determined that the absence is unexcused. Please note the following examples of unexcused absences: absences due to vacations or leaving early before a scheduled break, except under extenuating circumstances, work schedules are not considered an excuse for missing a class. Once answers to a graded item have been distributed in any format (orally, online, returned work, etc.) the graded item may no longer be made up and the instructor will provide the student with other options to make up the missing grade. Twitter participation cannot be made up as these assignments involve reflecting on class discussion. However, students may drop two excused Twitter assignments from their grade. Absence forms are still required for a missed Twitter participation. If an assignment is assigned on a day that a student is absent but is not due until a later date, the student is still responsible for completing this assignment on time unless prior approval has been obtained by the professor. There will be opportunities throughout the semester for students to earn extra credit toward their participation grade. Students are encouraged to complete these opportunities as much as possible to help in case of more than two missed Twitter assignments, less than ideal performance on a graded participation assignment, etc.

 

Participation in Research: The Psychological Science Program regards your exposure to psychological research as an educational experience. The participation of students is appreciated and essential to the research of our program. Students' research contributions become a lasting part of the body of scientific psychological knowledge. Therefore, all students registered for PSYC 1101 will be required to participate in research. 
 

Step 1: All students should read the user guide before proceeding with this requirement! This can be found on the course’s Connect page and linked above. The user guide contains important information on how to effectively use this system and earn credits.  This will count as part of your Participation grade. 
 

Step 2: Then you must activate your account on the Research & Experiment Participation System (REPS) using the username and password emailed to you and complete the prescreen survey, link found on the course’s Connect page. The deadline for completing the prescreen is Friday, February 21st. In this survey, you are freely giving researchers some basic information. This information includes your demographic information so that researchers can choose appropriate participants that fit their study and questions that are specific to a certain study. These questions will change each year depending on what research projects are currently in progress. Some projects might include an electronic survey while some require a face-to-face meeting. 

 

Step 3: You must earn 1 credit by participating in research studies or completing the alternative assignment. Once researchers are ready to begin collecting data, they will post their available timeslots on REPS. You should periodically check REPS to see if new sessions are available and you can receive emails with updates on new timeslots. Spots will be filled on a first come, first served basis. If you sign up for a session, please don't miss it. If you accrue 3 no-shows, you will be barred from REPS and will have to complete your credits using the alternative assignments. You are required to participate in as many studies as you need to reach 1 credit. The amount of credits earned per study is stated in REPS (please note, most studies will be worth less than 1 credit so you will most likely have to participate in multiple studies). After you participate in a study, the researcher will note on REPS that you participated. There is nothing that you have to turn in. You can track your own credit progress directly on REPS

Participation in research is voluntary. Thus, if you choose not to complete the research option or are unable to complete it, you have a different option to earn these required points. The alternative assignment can be found below and more information can be found on Connect. 

 

Step 4: The deadline for completing your participation or alternative assignment is the last day of classes, Tuesday, May 5th. As soon as there are sessions that fit your schedule, you should sign up. Do not wait to complete this participation as there is no guarantee when study sessions will be offered. 
 

Alternative Assignment - In some situations, you may not be able to participate in research. Perhaps it is held at a time that is not possible for your schedule. Perhaps there were no timeslots due to a shortage of research projects. Or, perhaps you decided you did not want to participate! Remember, ethically, no one can force you to. In any of these situations, you can complete the following alternative assignment in lieu of research participation. The fact that you chose this assignment will not alter your grade and you will be able to earn as many points as your other classmates.

Step 1: Navigate to the Psi Chi Journal of Psychological Science. This is a journal of undergraduate research projects submitted by college students. You can look through the most recent issue and several past issues. Find one that you would like to read.
Step 2: Read your chosen article. Be sure to read it carefully and take notes if needed. 
Step 3: Fill in the following information. These should be typed following all paper formatting guidelines for this course. Once you have completed this last step, submit the document to the REPS administrator at research@lagrange.edu. Your submission should be a .doc, .docx, or .pdf file type. The deadline for submitting this assignment is the last day of classes. Remember, these papers should be written in your own words! Do NOT copy and paste information from the article, this is plagiarism. Evidence of plagiarism will be turned over the Honor Council and the student will receive an "F" for the course.
Title of article:
Year of publication:
Authors:
Location of Authors:
Summary of article in your own words:
Discuss 4 things you found interesting:
Discuss 4 things that confused you:
Discuss 4 things that you learned:

 

Certify Modules: For each chapter, there will be an online Certify modules that you will need to complete. These are NOT a substitute for reading the book. Each module is meant to assess understanding and comprehension of the material covered in that section. You should first complete the Learn module, then the Practice module, and then move on to the Certify module. You may skip the Practice module if you already feel confident with the material. When you enter the Certify module, you will have a certain number of strikes that you can obtain. Once you receive that number of strikes (wrong answers), you will be be forced to quit that attempt and will be asked to go back to Practice and Learn since you do not yet understand the material. If stay under the maximum number of strikes and successfully meet the set number of learning objectives you will receive your points. These are meant to prepare you for in-class discussion as well as to serve as one possible means of studying for exams. As such, they will point out areas where you might need some work. It is highly encouraged that you plan to complete these assignments well in advance of their due date as they are difficult to complete to 100% at the last minute.

Certify modules are due at the beginning of class when each chapter will be covered (see schedule for actual due dates). Because these are online assignments and are all available for completion starting on Day One, late submissions will be penalized. For each day the assignment is late, students will receive a reduction of 20% to their earned grade. After 3 days, no late assignments will be accepted. There are also Certify modules to review each chapter. These review modules are due at beginning of the exam time for the corresponding exam (see the course schedule for actual due date). Students are encouraged to complete the assignments well in advance of the due date to avoid any conflicts or technical mishaps. You will receive a grade for each module based on the percent of the assignment that you have completed by the due date (i.e. if you complete half of the learning objectives, then you will receive a 50% for that module). 

The Certify and Practice modules also serve as an excellent study tool. The modules will point out areas that need to be refreshed so you can go back to previous modules and use them as study guides for upcoming exams. The software also offers many study options including quizzes.

Please note: These modules only pull information from the book. My lectures often include other relevant information that was not included in the book. Therefore, Certify and Practice modules should not be your only study tool as they will not cover all of the information that may be present on an exam

 
Overall Grading

The different types of assignments that you will encounter in this class will each contribute a unique amount of weight towards your final grade in the class. The following table lists the percent of your final grade that will come from each of the designated types of assignments. Note: an average grade of D or F on exams may lead to a final grade of D or F in the course.

Certify Modules
Course Description
Final Exam
Absence During Exam
Quizzes
Twitter
Online Forums
Missed Paticipation
Participation in Research
Psychology in the Workplace Reflection Paper
Overall Grading
Maintaining a Good Learning Environment

See the recommended study strategies if you would like information on how to more effectively study for this class.


The following factors may also affect a student's grade:

 

Grades may also reflect class behavior, and those students who behave in a way deemed disruptive by the instructor may have their grades reduced and/or be referred to Student Judiciaries. Likewise, students that are active in class discussion may have their grades increased.

 

Academic misconduct. Any student who cheats or plagiarizes will be given a grade of “F” for the assignment and will be referred to the Honor Council. Cheating includes, but is not limited to: wearing earphones or hats to the test session, attempting to or leaving the classroom with a copy of the test or answer sheet, looking at another student’s test or answer sheet, or using a phone during the exam period. Plagiarism involves any attempt to pass off work from another source as your own. This applies to both tests and assignments.

 

Extra Credit Assignments

Extra Certify Modules

There are some sections that will not be assigned and required for completion. However, if you choose to complete the Certify modules for those sections, you can earn extra credit. For each Certify module that you complete that is designated as extra credit, you will earn extra credit added to your lowest exam score. All extra Certify Modules are due at the final exam time (see course calendar) however they can be turned in at any point up to the final exam.

Essay Extra Assignments

Students may also earn extra credit by answering the essay prompts posted on Connect. These prompts will address some aspect of the material discussed in each chapter. Students will have to construct an essay of no less than 2 full pages as a response. Students may earn credit for a maximum of 5 essay assignments. These submissions must follow the paper formatting guidelines found here and should be written in full paragraph format with correct grammar and spelling. Each of the extra essay assignments that you complete to an "A" level will gain you extra credit added to your lowest exam grade. There will be no partial credit (i.e. you must receive an "A" to receive any credit). Students have 3 attempts to submit assignments. Students can submit attempts at any time by dropping them off in the box on the professor's door. If full credit is not earned by the 3rd attempt, no credit is earned. If a student does not earn an A on a submission, it will be returned to them with notes for edits to be made. The student can then make those edits and resubmit. When resubmitting, students must turn in both the old and new submissions to demonstrate what they have changed. Because you can earn 3% for 5 total essays, you have the opportunity to earn a total of 15% added to your lowest exam grade from these assignments.

 

Do NOT wait until the weekend before the final to start on these as I will not be obsessively checking  to see what needs to be graded nor staying up all night to grade essays. I will grade assignments, at a minimum, every other week. These assignments should be worked on throughout the semester to ensure you have enough time to complete them to 100%. For essays, there should be plenty of detail! This is EXTRA credit so the bare minimum will not be accepted. Answers will be graded for clarity, grammar, and professionalism, as well as accuracy. Given that you have an entire semester to complete these assignments and they are for EXTRA credit, these questions will be graded harshly. This is another reason why you should not wait until the last minute to complete the assignments. 

 

Finding Errors

To encourage the reading of all class materials, I offer extra credit to the first person to notice errors in any class documents. If you spot an error (this can be as simple as a misplaced comma or a misspelled word), please send me an email with a screenshot and explanation of the error. Each found error will earn you extra credit towards the Participation portion of your grade. This not only encourages deep reading and attention to all class materials but ensures that the class materials are continually improving.

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Maintaining a Good Learning Environment in the Classroom
Phones

Please silence your phone and put it away during class. Yes, I can see you texting, tweeting, and snapping even when you put your phone under the desk or try to hide it on your desk. This not only distracts other students around you but also distracts me from my lecture. If I see a phone out an inappropriate time, I will call you out in front of everyone and your grade WILL be negatively impacted by repeated issues. In addition, please do not wear headphones during class. Once class begins, headphones should be removed from your head/ears and put away.

 

That said, I would like for you to bring a mobile device to class as we will use them often for participation via Twitter and polling.

 

In order to encourage correct behavior regarding electronic devices in the course, if the class can go the entire semester without the professor reprimanding a student for inappropriate electronic device usage, then ALL students in the class will receive 2 points of extra credit added to their Participation grade. However, each time the professor must reprimand a student for using a cell phone during class (including a cell phone ringing or vibrating during class) than the entire class loses one of these points.

 
Laptops

Please do NOT use laptops in class. Research has shown that not only is writing information better for memory but attempting to multi-task during class worsens performance and memory (e.g., this article). You will receive handouts in class that correspond to the slides presented, so there is no need for a laptop. If you have concerns about this policy, feel free to come and talk to me about it. If there are reasons to make exceptions, that can be done.

 

Attendance

Attending class is very important for you to be able to do well in the course. You are responsible for all content covered in class that does not appear in the textbook. If you miss class (regardless of the excuse), it is your responsibility to find out what you missed from a classmate. I am happy to answer specific questions about material after you have obtained materials from a classmate, but I will not re-give lectures to students who missed class. Students will still be tested on material even if they missed that class period. I do not send slides or materials to students by email.

 

Many classes include videos or active participation activities that relate important and valuable information related to the current topic. Therefore, it is strongly encouraged that you attend all possible class sessions.

 

Early in the semester, you should get contact information from one or more of your classmates and set up a "buddy system" for the purpose of letting you know what was covered in class, any changes made to the course outline (including information regarding deadlines for various assignments), and giving you copies of any handouts.

If a graded assignment or exam is missed due to absence, it may only be made up if the absence is deemed excused. See the Exams and Quizzes section and Class Participation section for information on absences for each particular graded assignment. For an absence to be excused, an absence form must be completed. This form can be found on Connect. Absence forms are only required when a graded assignment was missed. Because attendance is taken in every class period, attendance forms should be turned in even if no graded assignment was missed.

Students who achieve perfect attendance for the whole semester will earn extra credit towards their participation grade. If a student is absent and completes the required steps to make up their absence, this absence will not count against their perfect attendance.

 

If a student has a chronic illness, are on an LC sponsored sports team, or have other situations that may cause the student to miss class or to cause the student to fall behind in class work, it is the student's responsibility to notify the instructor at the beginning of the semester or as soon as the conflict arises. Students should not wait until an assignment deadline or exam day to let the instructor know that of an ongoing problem that is interfering with the student's ability to keep up in the course.

 
Email

Please use polite email etiquette and don't email me about these issues or your email may be deleted. In general, my email responses will be very short (1-sentence). I am not trying to be rude, just efficient as I get many emails in a day. If your question requires a lengthy response, I would suggest scheduling a meeting with me instead. For all email responses, please permit at least 24 hours before expecting a response (e.g., you are unlikely to get a response to your email the night before an exam). In general, emails may not be answered over the weekend, holidays, or after business hours.

Extra Credit Essays
Finding Errors
Extra Certify Modules
Other Administrative Details
Other Administrative Details
 

All papers submitted in this class should follow the paper formatting guidelines found here

All exams and handwritten work turned in for a grade must be completed in pencil if not typed. Do not use pen/marker/highlighter to complete any graded work.

The course outline is a guide. The coverage of certain topics or participation in class activities may take more time or less time than was originally expected. The instructor reserves the right to alter the course outline at any time. Students will be notified in class and/or by email of any changes in the course outline. If given as an option, the student majority vote will decide changes in exam dates that may occur.

All due dates and times in this course are given in eastern time. Please note! If you travel to central time, your work is still due at the stated eastern time!

In the case of an emergency such as severe weather or an influenza or zombie outbreak, I may be obliged to make changes to course content, assignments, or other substantive elements of the class.

The syllabus may be corrected or amended if errors or omissions are discovered after the syllabus is posted. Corrections will be posted to the course Connect site and/or the instructor's Twitter page.

 

ADA Statement:  Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, LaGrange College consistently undertakes to provide, by every reasonable effort, assistance and appropriate accommodations to qualified students with disabilities. If you have a disability, please contact Brandi Cameron, Coordinator of Learning Disability Support Services at 706-880-8269.  She is located in Smith Hall in room 121. Students with documented accommodations that they wish to utilize must speak with the instructor & present documentation by the end of the 2nd week of the semester. 

Acts of academic misconduct (e.g. cheating, plagiarism) may result in course failure and will result in referral to the Honor Council. No electronic devices may be on a student's person, out, or in use during exams or other graded activities. If that rule is violated, it will be assumed that the device is used for cheating. The matter will be referred to the Honor Council. Unless told otherwise by the instructor, assume that all graded work uses only the student's brainpower and is closed book/notes/internet and is an individual assignment. During exams and graded activities, students may only have a pencil and an eraser on the table top (aside from any materials provided by the instructor). During exams, all belongings should be closed and stowed under the table. All notes/books must be in a zipped bag and placed under the table. You must turn in your exam if you leave the room.

Honor Code:  “As a member of the student body of LaGrange College, I confirm my commitment to the ideals of civility, diversity, service, and excellence.  Recognizing the significance of personal integrity in establishing these ideals within our community, I pledge that I will not lie, cheat, steal, nor tolerate these unethical behaviors in others.” 

All tests, papers, etc... will be destroyed during week 5 of the following semester. Any questions regarding grades or assignments must be addressed before that time.

You are required to get permission from the instructor if you wish to audio record, video record, or take pictures of a class.

 

Important information from the instructor will be sent to student's via their LaGrange email account or via announcements within the Connect course site. Students are responsible for all messages and materials sent via these routes. Reminders and hints may also be sent via the instructor's Twitter account. Any changes to course policy, dates, or assignments will also be sent via email or Connect.

 

DropGuard: The faculty, staff, and administration at LaGrange College want students to succeed in every aspect of their college experience. One of the tools we use to help us in that process is called DropGuard. The DropGuard system allows faculty and staff members to enter information when they are concerned about students – perhaps because of absences from class or other activities, or because of irregular performance, and so on. If there are several indications that things may not be going well for a student, it’s possible that the student will be contacted by their advisor or by another campus official. Students may receive email notifications from DropGuard when the instructor notes a concern. If a student finds themselves in a situation where they could use some additional assistance, please set up a meeting with a faculty member or academic advisor. Naturally, academic support services are readily available in PACE, Tutoring Center, the Writing Center, and in the Counseling Center (study skills, time management, etc.). If students have specific questions about DropGuard itself, please feel free to e-mail: studentsuccess@lagrange.edu.


If you ever encounter an issue with an online assignment, please email me and you MUST include a screenshot that documents your issue. Failure to follow this guideline may result in a denial of your request for late submission of the assignment. As a note, technical errors are bound to occur, therefore, it is HIGHLY recommended that you do not wait until the last minute to complete assignments.

 

Responsible Employee Reporting Obligation: All faculty and staff share in the responsibility to create a safe learning environment for all students and for the campus as a whole. As members of the campus community, all faculty and staff (other than those designated as confidential reporters) are designated as responsible employees and therefore have the duty to report any instances of sexual harassment, sexual violence and/or other forms of prohibited discrimination. If a student would prefer to share information about sexual harassment, sexual violence or discrimination with a confidential employee who does not have this reporting responsibility, a list of those individuals can be found at http://www.lagrange.edu/about/security/sexual-harassment-violence.html.


*Instructor reserves right to alter schedule due to any unforeseen circumstances*

Course Calendar
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