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PSYC 3360 - Personality Psychology

Class Meeting:

Tue, Fri 9:40 am - 10:40 am

Wed 9:00 am - 10:00 am

All class sessions will take place on Microsoft Teams

Office: Only available via Microsoft Teams for Spring 2021

 

Email: ssthomas@lagrange.edu

(use subject: PSYC 3360)

Twitter@SocialPsySteph (Class hashtag: #PSYC3360)

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

All students enrolled for Spring 2021 should complete the following survey. All surveys should be completed by Monday, February 8th at 12:00 pm. This survey will count as your first participation points for the course.

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Larsen, R. & Buss, D. M. (2020). Personality Psychology: Domains of Knowledge About Human Nature. (7th Edition) McGraw Hill.

Connect and LearnSmart are required.

The hard-copy of the book is not required. Students may choose to purchase an all-digital copy of the book if they would prefer that format. One hard copy of the book will be available on reserve in the library if needed.

 

Additional readings may be provided and required throughout the semester.

Proctoring Software: In this class, LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor will be used to facilitate the online proctoring of assessments (such as quizzes or exams). Students will be able to download LockDown Browser from a link provided from within our course on Connect and will incur a one-time, $15.00 fee (payable only by credit card) for the use of Respondus Monitor. This one-time fee will entitle a student to unlimited use of Respondus Monitor for this course and any other on at LaGrange College for the time period of one year.

 

These pieces of software work only with a reliable desktop or laptop computers running Windows or Mac OS as well as modern iPads.  Devices used for testing must be equipped with a functional webcam and must have access to a stable, high-speed internet connection. LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor will not function with smartphones, tablets that are not iPads, or Chromebooks. 

 

If you do not have access to a personal computer that meets these specifications, laptops are available for checkout in Lewis Library. Campus Wi-Fi is robust and will satisfy your internet connectivity requirements.

 

Students having difficulties with the functionality of these tools should contact IT (support@lagrange.edu, 8049) for assistance.

Course Objectives
Course Requirements
LearnSmart Modules
Exams and Quizzes
Overall Grading
Class Participation
Course Objectives

Personality Psychology is the scientific study of the psychological forces that make people uniquely themselves. The subject matter of personality psychology is very broad. This course is designed to provide a selective survey of classic and contemporary research and theory on these and other topics in personality psychology. You will also be exposed to some of the methods personality psychologists use to test their theories. I will try to show how personality psychology can contribute to a better understanding of everyday life. 

 

In this class, students will: (1) Acquire basic knowledge of personality psychology through both primary and secondary sources, and will learn relevant terms, facts, concepts, and theories, including Psychoanalytic, Biological, Behaviorist, Cognitive, Trait, Cultural, and Social theories. (2) Improve their higher-order thinking skills, including (a) critical thinking about human nature, (b) evaluating theoretical assumptions, theories, and research, and (c) distinguishing between fact and opinion. and (3) Understand how personality psychology relates to important issues in their lives.

 
Course Requirements

Exams and Quizzes

There will be 5 exams during the regular term and a final exam, each covering about two-three chapters of course material; the final exam will contain two chapters worth of new material as well as a comprehensive take-home section. 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. A good portion of the material that I will cover in class will not be found in the readings. To take the exam you must arrive before the first person leaves the room. In addition, there will be at least one quiz given at some point during the semester which will contain multiple choice and short essay questions. To see actual dates for all exams, please see the appropriate course calendar at the end of the syllabus, found here).

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 LearnSmart 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.
 

Exam policy for Spring 2021: For Spring 2021, exams will change slightly to accommodate the changes due to COVID-19. All exams will be administered through Connect using Respondus. To use Respondus, students will be required to purchase access (a year subscription to the service is $15 and one subscription can be used for all of your courses that require Respondus). In addition, all students will need a working webcam and a computer (please note: Chromebooks will NOT work with Respondus). All students will complete their exams at the same time.

Final exam: The final exam will take place on Monday, May 3rd, at 8:00 am. There will be no make-ups or early exams given for the final exam. Your final exam will consist of two parts, an in-class portion and a take-home portion. The in-class portion is NOT comprehensive and covers only the Adjustment Domain. For the take-home portion, you will write a Psychoautobiography. See section below for information on Psychobiographies. This paper will be similar to the other 3 you will write throughout the course except that the paper will analyse yourself instead of a character and you will be required to utilize 3 domains of your choosing in your analysis.


Absence during an exam:  Please notify the instructor on the day of your absence from a test by 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, 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. 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. 

Quizzes: There will be at least two planned quizzes given throughout the course of the semester. The first quiz will cover information found in this syllabus and the second quiz will cover the information from Chapters 1 and 2 and both will be given through Connect. No make-ups will be given for these quizzes as they are online and students can complete them at any point before the due date. The instructor reserves the right to give pop quizzes in class at any time.

 

Psychobiography Papers

Throughout this course, you will surely see how the topics we are discussing relate to everyday life. Thus, in three papers you will use the information we discuss in class to describe an individual. The papers will involve critiquing the personality of a character in a movie, TV show, or book. You will use the information you observe in the film, TV show, or book to assess a character's personality from two different domains that we discuss in class. Each paper will utilize at least two different domains (Paper #1 will encompass the dispositional and biological domains, Paper #2 will encompass the intrapsychic and cognitive/experiential domains, Paper #3 will encompass the social/cultural and adjustment domains). You should use a different character for each paper.

 

You should (1) describe the character from the assigned theoretical perspectives. Be sure to summarize and present evidence from the theoretical perspectives using and citing resources, (2) be sure to include the benefits and drawbacks of the theoretical perspectives and (3) include reasons for why the character developed their personality (genetics, family, environment, etc.). More information can be found here.

 

Papers should be a minimum of 4 typed double-spaced pages with 1-inch margins, written in 12 pt. Times New Roman font. To adequately answer the prompt you will most likely need to write more than 4 pages. Papers must be professionally written and in paragraph form. Papers should be electronically submitted via Connect at the beginning of class on their respective due dates (see the course calendar for specific dates). No emailed papers will be accepted. Please keep an extra copy of your paper for yourself. Papers that do not follow this rubric may receive a grade of “0”.

LATE PAPERS: Papers are due by the beginning of class on their respective due dates. Students are welcome to turn in papers at any point prior to the due date if they finish early. Papers turned in after the due date will have 20% taken off of their grade. Papers over a day late (i.e. after 24 hours from the original due date) will not be accepted and will receive a grade of “0”. See the course schedule for actual deadlines.

Please see the additional page for more details.

 

Class participation

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, 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.

Twitter: For several 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. The Twitter participation will occur in-class therefore, students must have a device that 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 #PSYC3360. In order to see this information as soon as it is posted, you can set up an alert for this # on Twitter such that you will receive a notification every time someone posts with this #. 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 Connect (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, or set up group study sessions.

Missed ParticipationTo 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 these 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.

 

LearnSmart Modules: For each chapter, there will be an online LearnSmart module that students will need to complete. These modules are meant to be completed either concurrently while reading the associated chapter through SmartBook or after reading the entire chapter. These are NOT a substitute for reading the book. Each module is meant to assess the understanding and comprehension of the material covered in that chapter. You will not lose points for answering questions wrong, however, there are a set number of learning objectives that you must complete to 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. LearnSmart modules are due by the beginning of class on the day that each chapter will be covered (see the schedule for actual due dates). No late submissions will be accepted. 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 LearnSmart 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, LearnSmart 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.

Psychobiography Papers

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 the Honor Council. 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 course 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

Essays

Students may 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. 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 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.

 

Do NOT wait until the weekend before the final to start on these as I will not be 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%. 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.

 
Maintaining a Good Learning Environment

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. 

Laptops

You will need a laptop for this course as all class sessions will take place online.  Thus, a reliable computer and internet connection is required for this course. If you don't have a computer, you can check one out from the library.

Microsoft Teams

For Spring 2021 we will be using Microsoft Teams to live-stream class sessions as well as to aid in communication both inside and outside of the classroom. Thus, you are required to have Microsoft Teams setup on your computer. You are also strongly encouraged to set this up on your phone as well. There is a free app in the app store you can download. This software is free with your LC account. Do not create a new account, use your LC Microsoft account to log in. If you have trouble logging in, please contact IT. More information including tutorials on how to access and download Teams as well as a link to our course Team are provided on Connect.

 

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, 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. I do not send slides or materials to students by email. Recordings of class sessions will only be accessible to students who have an excused absence for the corresponding course.

 

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. 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 a class or to cause the student to fall behind in classwork, 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. This refers to DMs on Teams as well. Just because it is an "instant" message does not mean you will get an instant reply.

Extra Credit Assignments
Phones
Laptops
Attendance
Email
Finding Errors
Essays
Microsoft Teams
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.

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 Schedule

You can download the PDF of the schedule here or see the image below.

Course Calendar
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