University of Connecticut

ConnCAP
PSYCH 1100
Summer 2024
Instructor: Dr. Michele Magliulo Email: [email protected]

Course Objectives: Basic principles that underlie mental processes and behavior; research methodology,
biopsychology, sensation, perception, learning, memory, and language.

Course Description: This course is an introduction to psychology as a natural science. We’ll be focusing on the
scientific study of mind and behavior, along with basic scientific literacy. This will include foundational concepts as
well as emerging approaches to psychology. This course is designed to fulfill UConn’s CA3 (Science and
Technology) General Education requirement, meaning that this class will “acquaint students with scientific thought,
observation, experimentation, and formal hypothesis testing, and enable students to consider the impact that
developments in science and technology have on the nature and quality of life.

Well-Being, Growth, and Success

Success in our course, your educational career, and your life beyond college depends on your
personal health and well-being. Stress is an expected part of the college experience, but it can be
compounded by unexpected setbacks or life changes outside the classroom. I encourage you to reframe the
challenges and the obstacles that you will overcome this semester as part of the pathway to success, and
research suggests that this growth-focused mindset has powerful benefits even beyond the classroom.
Remember that you are not alone. Reflect on your role in taking care of yourself throughout the semester
before the demands of exams and projects reach their peak.

Adopting a growth-focused mindset can help you grow as a learner and a person. All students can succeed in
this class, and we are here to help you along your journey. If you face a problem this semester—in our class or out
of it—take a look at these resources and make a plan. Remember to ask questions, take advantage of my student
hours, reach out to your academic advisor, and seek out the support services at UConn that are eager to help you
with your physical, mental, and academic well-being.

Course Goals and Objectives

By the end of the summer, students will:

… build a knowledge base about psychology as a natural science. (Goal 1)

 For each major research area of psychology, students will be able to define its specific focus, summarize
important findings, evaluate potential research methods to test hypotheses from it, and connect it to other
areas of psychology.
 Students will also be able to illustrate the complexity of the brain-body-environment system in shaping
behavior and cognition.

… grow scientific literacy. (Goal 2)

 Students will be able to describe how the steps of the scientific method fit together, define the basic
elements of statistics and evaluate the merits of scientific studies.
 Importantly, students will also be able to explain the current state of the ethics in psychology and the
reasons for our current system and evaluate novel ethical issues when presented with new studies or
research methods.

… hone critical thinking skills. (Goal 3)

  Students will be able to critique popular portrayals of the science of psychology (including in the media and
in public discourse) and will be able to defend those critiques with improved analytical thought and specific
scientific findings.
 Students will be able to assess their own thinking and learning, create a plan to meet their educational
goals, and evaluate their own success.

… relate psychology to a variety of domains. (Goal 4)

 Students will be able to analyze how specific findings in psychology impact society, public policy, other
academic fields, other professions, and even their everyday life.

Course Materials

Textbook, Readings, and Supplementary Media

Phelps, E. A., Gazzaniga, M. S., & Berkman, E. T. (2022). Psychological science. WW Norton.
Materials needed will be provided to you by instructor.

Software and Technology

Our activities will require you to be able to access course material and assignments. To do this, you will need
the following software and/or technical requirements:

 Laptop computer
o NOTE: Smartphones and tablets may not allow you to access required materials.
o If you do not have access to a laptop computer, you can borrow one for up to 4 hours from the
UConn Library or request a 7-day loan from UConn Information Technology Services.
 An internet browser (ideally Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox)
o Access to high-speed internet with a minimum speed of 1.5 Mbps (4+ Mbps recommended)
o HuskyCT (HuskyCT/ Blackboard Accessibility Statement, HuskyCT/ Blackboard Privacy Policy)
o Speakers (required) and/or headphones (recommended)

If you need help with technology, I’ve listed a few UConn services in the Additional Resources section of the
syllabus. For information on managing your privacy at UConn, visit UConn's Privacy page.

Course Overview

Course Overview Course Commitment to Well-Being

The syllabus is an aspirational statement of what we could and should do, and it projects how the semester will unfold for
us as a community of learners. However, circumstances may shift for reasons outside of our control. We must
acknowledge that the syllabus cannot predict challenges we might face: our own health, the health of our loved ones,
struggles with jobs and employment, caregiving responsibilities, and more. I want us to begin our semester with the
understanding that it is hard for us to know the issues that will affect us individually or collectively and with the request
that we all approach our time together with compassion and empathy.

My biggest priority this semester is your physical, mental, and emotional well-being. To that end, our grading system has
built-in flexibility for assignments and assessments (see Course Requirements and Grading section). Please be in touch if
you are facing issues that impact your ability to participate fully in the class, and I urge you to reach out as soon as you
can so that we can work together to try to find solutions. If you encounter challenges that fall beyond the purview of the
course, I am happy to serve as a sounding board or to help you find the resources at UConn that can best meet your needs.
I’ve put many of those resources into our syllabus, but don’t hesitate to reach out if you are unable to find what you need.
If you are not feeling good, please do not come to class; it is far more important to protect yourself and those around you.
Remember, we are part of a community, and your actions will affect the well-being of those around you. If you need to
miss class, please email me letting me know and you will be responsible for making up missed work.
Throughout the semester, always remember to practice kindness and forgiveness for others and yourself. I hope that we—
as a collective—can continue to learn from each other as we navigate our changing lives. Course Content and Format Our
class’s structure and expectations will likely be very different from other classes you’ve had. Our class embraces an active
and collaborative learning style, with everyone participating in the co -creation of our learning space. Everyone can
succeed in our class by becoming an engaged, active, and autonomous member of our learning community. Learning
should challenge you to integrate new information with your

Course Content and Format

Our class’s structure and expectations will likely be very different from other classes you’ve had. Our class embraces an
active and collaborative learning style, with everyone participating in the co -creation of our learning space. Everyone can
succeed in our class by becoming an engaged, active, and autonomous member of our learning community. Learning
should challenge you to integrate new information with your own experiences, goals, and knowledge, with plenty of
opportunities to learn from and share with others. Being a successful learner—and not just a successful student—requires
active participation, and our class is designed to help you do just that.

Course content is organized into modules, and each module includes folders on HuskyCT with all associated
content. Each module includes 3-4 general topics and includes about 6 lectures. Each module ends with an exam (see
Exams section). All of the course content and assignments associated with each lecture are grouped in a single folder on
HuskyCT with that lecture number. For more information on how to navigate the lecture folders, see the “Course
Orientation” module on HuskyCT.

Readings and lecture videos are the core of the course material. Readings and videos will be posted on Perusall. I will
post PDFs of the slides so that you can take notes while following along with the videos. Be sure to complete all assigned
readings and view all lectures prior to coming to class.

Class meetings are dynamic and engaging opportunities to engage more fully with the material, your classmates,
and me. Attendance is not graded or tracked, but some group assignments are only available during class periods. Please
be respectful of the learning environment and others in it by engaging fully with class activities. Feel free to use your
digital devices to take notes or work on group assignments, but please refrain from using them for non-course-related
activities during class time. All digital devices should be silenced during class to avoid disrupting other students’ learning.

Evaluation/Grade:

Grade Components Total Number of Points Grade Percentage

Attendance 19 points 19%
Exam 1 25 points 25%
Exam 2 25 points 25%
Exam 3 25 points 25%
Extra Credit Quizzes 2 points each (6 points total) 6%
Maximum Total Points 100 points 100%

Cheating is the willful giving or receiving of informationin an unauthorized manner during an examination, illicitly
obtaining examination questions in advance, copying computer files, copying internet material, using someone
else's work for assignments as if it were one's own, or any other dishonest meansof attempting to fulfill the
requirements of a course.

Collusion is intentionally aiding or attempting to aid another in an act of scholastic dishonesty, including but not
limited to providing a paper or project to another student, providing an inappropriate level of assistance;
communicating answers to a classmate during an examination; removing tests or answer sheets from a test
site, and allowing a classmate to copy answers.
 Course Calendar

W Day Class Date Topic/Special Location Day Objectives Assignments Due (To Be
Completed Before Class
Meets)

1 June -Welcome -Introductions

24th -Syllabus Overview
2 June -Chapter 1: The Science of -Intro to Psych
Week 1

25th Psychology (Room 3.05) -Critical Thinking

3 June 26th -Chapter 3: Biology and Behavior -Neurons Extra Credit Quiz
-Structure of the Brain
4 June 27th -Chapter 4: Sensation and
Perception
5 July 1st -Chapters 1,3, and 4 Review -Study Guide/Jeopardy Extra Credit Quiz
Week 2

6 July 2nd Exam 1:

Chapters 1, 3, and 4
7 July 3rd -Chapter 6: Learning Extra Credit Quiz
8 July 8th -Chapter 7: Memory

9 July 9th -Chapter 8: Thinking, Decisions,

Week 3

Emotion, and Motivation

10 July 10th -Chapters 6,7,8 Review -Study Guide/Jeopardy Extra Credit Quiz
11 July 11th -Exam 2:
Chapters 6, 7, and 8
12 July 15th -Chapter 10- Emotion and
Motivation
13 July 16th -Chapter 12- Social Psychology Extra Credit Quiz
Week 4

14 July 17th -Chapter 13- Personality

15 July 18th -Chapter 14- Psychological

Disorders
16 July 22nd -Chapters 10, 12, 13, and 14 Extra Credit Quiz
Review
17 July 23rd -Chapters 10, 12, 13, and 14
Week 5

Review
18 July 24th -Exam 3:
Chapters 10,12, 13, and 14
19 July 25th Closing Ceremony
Discipline: The school discipline policy will be followed to address all offense