🧠🧠🧠 PSYCHOLOGY SYLLABUS 🧠🧠🧠

FRIDAY HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL

SCHOOL YEAR 2024-2025

MS. CALDWELL
EMAIL: [email protected]

📖 Course Description 📖
The goals of this course include the student’s ability to describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in the field of
psychology. Interpret, design, and conduct basic psychological research while engaging in critical thinking. Explain the historical
trends in the discipline of psychology and note the psychologists who initiated the trends. Describe the basic characteristics of
psychology and explain different research methods used by psychologists. Understand the ethical principles psychologists follow and
the role of academic, professional, and personal integrity. Describe the socio-cultural influences on human behavior and
development. As well as understand how the brain (mind) influences behaviors while demonstrating effective writing and
presentation skills. This course is a one semester social science elective.

🔎 Content and Themes 🔍

This Psychology course is divided into six units:

Unit 1: Introduction to Psychology

Unit 2: Research Methods
Unit 3: Biological Bases for Behavior
Unit 4: Sensation and Perception
Unit 5: Emotions and Motivation
Unit 6: Development

A detailed description of each unit is provided at the end of this syllabus.

🚩 Class Policies and Procedures 🚩

Required Materials. All materials are expected to be with you every day. These materials are the tools you will need to
learn and engage with the material:

1. Chromebook with charger

2. Notebook for this class only. This cannot be a section in a notebook or loose paper. Spiral ring or composition notebook only.
3. A folder, binder or section in your binder to keep handouts for this class.
4. Highlighters (at least 4 different colors)

Required Reading:

All reading materials will be provided by Ms. Caldwell throughout the year. The following materials will be used, but are not
limited to the following:

● Articles from The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, National Geographic, Vox, Vice, and The
Atlantic, Psychology Today, Exploring Psychology by DeWall & Myers
📝 Grading and Classroom Policies 📝
Summative - 50% Formative - 40% Participation - 10%

- Exams - Homework - Active Participation includes

- Projects - Sometimes projects are - Classwork answering questions in class,
collaborative, in those cases, discussion, collaboration with
students receive a grade as a peers
group and as an individual - Passive participation includes
- Essays engaged listening (aka not
- Quizzes falling asleep or distracted by
work that is not for class),
cleaning up after oneself
- Present participation includes
being in class, on time, and
having all class materials ready
for use (this includes having your
Chromebook charged!)

Note taking:
Note taking is a necessary part of this course. World History is broad and expansive, and we have a lot of it to learn before May. At
times, it is the most efficient way for students to receive information. Notes can be taken in class or at home depending on how
they are assigned. Some lectures are by Ms. Caldwell, others are done by professionals online. Regardless, all notes must be
hand-written in a notebook in Cornell-note style. Not loose-leaf, not in a binder, not typed - in a special notebook reserved
just for AP World notes. Note taking is a skill that will follow you for the rest of your life. More and more science points to the fact
that digital note taking does not allow the brain to comprehend information in the same manner as handwriting notes. Random
notebook checks will occur and are a part of your present participation grade.

Late-Assignments:
Late assignments will be accepted with a 5% penalty each day the work is late and will be accepted for up to two weeks after the
original due date, with no credit received beyond that time period.

Make-ups:
For regular absences, quizzes, notes, and other assignments are due within one week of return with no penalty. Longer absences
may be negotiated. It is up to the student to complete missed assignments. All curriculum schedules are on the class website. If
you know you are going to be absent for any reason, do not email Ms. Caldwell (unless you have a question about how to
complete the work) - just look up what you have missed on the website or Google Classroom.

Reassessments/Retakes:
Students can retake any quiz or exam within two weeks of the original assessment date. Students must organize a date outside
of class time to retake the assessment. Students will receive the higher of the two scores in the gradebook.

Extra Credit:
No extra credit will be given throughout the year.

Plagiarism and Cheating:

Plagiarism or cheating of any kind is unacceptable. All members involved with plagiarism or cheating will receive zeros on plagiarized
assignments. In addition, students involved will be required to do the following:

1. Redo the assignment on their own for no more than 75% credit.
2. Type a two-page essay in MLA format answering the following prompt: “I chose to plagiarize/cheat on this assignment
because…” or “I allowed someone else to plagiarize/cheat off of my assignment because…” This should be answered
honestly as a form of restoration, not to shame the student. There are millions of different reasons why students cheat, and
often it comes down to a lack of reflection on this decision; it’s often an impulse or due to peer pressure. By writing a reflection
and reasoning behind the choice, it encourages the student to think about their decisions in an intentional manner. Practicing
reflection and intention supports growth and changes behaviors for the future.
3. A copy of the short essay will be given to Ms. Hillman and the student(s’) parent or guardian.

Cell Phone Policy:

Cell phones will be stored on the cell phone rack in class before the start of each day. If you do not have a cell phone, this needs to be
communicated to Ms. Caldwell on Day 1. If your cell phone has been removed from your possession by a parent or guardian or the
school, please have your parent communicate this to Ms. Caldwell as soon as possible.

Cell phones are never to be used without permission from Ms. Caldwell. Your cell phone will rarely be used for academic purposes in
class. If you are expecting a call or text from a parent or guardian, please have them call the front office instead.

Food Policy:

Students are not allowed to eat any food during class time. Students are allowed to drink water, coffee, or tea only during class.
Students are allowed to consume food and drink in the classroom during the lunch period, only if the classroom is open. All food
wrappers, products, and items must be thrown away outside of the classroom at the end of the lunch period.

Bathroom Policy:

Students are allowed to use the restroom after the first 15 minutes of class and before the last 15 minutes of class. Students must sign
out of class on the “Bathroom Sign Out” sheet and take the bathroom pass with them and then sign back in when they return from
the restroom. Emergencies happen and exceptions can be made, but this bathroom policy is set to limit the amount of time students
spend outside of class, keeping them consistently engaged.

📚 Curriculum Outline 📚
Unit I: Intro to Psychology (2 weeks)
● This unit is a brief overview of what a year-long psychology course would cover. It highlights the perspectives, the history,
the most known psychologists, and nature and nurture.
● Key Perspectives covered: Structuralism, Functionalism, Gestalt, Psychodynamic, Psychoanalytic, Humanistic,
Evolutionary, SocioCultural, and more!
● How has psychology been influenced by other disciplines? How has psychology evolved as a science?

Unit II: Research Methods (2-3 weeks)

● If you are teaching a year's worth of psychology in a semester, this is a unit that I would reduce for time purposes. Focus on
the main information about research and statistics.
● Research Methods focuses on the different types of research, independent, dependent, and confounding and control
variables, validity, ethics, the operational definition, and descriptive statistics.
● How is the scientific method utilized within the field of psychology? How do we investigate and study behaviors?

Unit III: Biological Bases for Behavior “The Brain Unit” (2 weeks)
● Students will examine neurotransmitters and how drugs influence them, the nervous system, how heredity and
environment impact behavior, the structure of the brain, and how the brain functions.
● How do the parts of the nervous system and the brain work to control our behaviors?
 ** Mid-Term Project**

Unit IV: Sensation and Perception (2-3 weeks)

● This unit explains the sensory process, sensory disorders, top-down and bottom-up processing, Gestalt principles,
thresholds, perceptual organization, and schemas.
● How do we pull in and interpret stimuli from our environment?

Unit V: Emotions and Motivation (2-3 weeks)

● This unit covers basic motivational concepts and theories, research about motivation, theories on stress, and cultural
influences on emotions and motivation.
● It also covers the key psychologists who contributed to the study of emotions and motivation.
● What motivates people?
● What impacts and why do people feel as they do?

Unit VI: Development (2-3 weeks)

● Students will examine one's development from the womb until the tomb, learning about various stages and theories.
● They will describe parenting styles and their influence along with covering the key contributors to this area of psychology.
● How does our cognitive and moral development take place?
● What stages do we go through physically and how does that influence our behaviors?

** Semester Final (Culminating Project)**

Final is a Current Events Presentation Project (non-group)
Final is worth 10% of your final semester grade

Disclaimer All parts of this syllabus can be changed under the discretion of the instructor. If the syllabus is to change, the teacher
will inform students of all changes made.

Cut here and and turn in to Ms. Caldwell

I have read and understand the above syllabus and have shared it with a parent or guardian.

Student Name (Printed)____________________________

Student Signature _________________________________
Date_______________________________________________

I acknowledge that my student has read and understood the syllabus. I acknowledge that this document can be
referenced throughout the year by student and guardian alike for any questions that might arise.

Parent/Guardian Name (Printed)__________________________

Parent/Guardian Signature _______________________________
Date_______________________________________________