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INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY (PSYC 201-51-4235)

Summer Term 2 2023

Fully Online Class
Section 51

Faculty facilitator
Benjamin T. Mast, PhD, ABPP
Professor & Chair, Psychological & Brain Sciences

Communication
Contact information: b.mast@louisville.edu
Email is the best and quickest way to reach me. I am available by telephone by advance appointment. If you
would like to make an appointment, please let me know by contacting me by e-mail (using your UofL e-mail
account!).

I check email during the hours from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Eastern Time on weekdays. Although it does not generally
require this much time, please allow me 24 hours to respond to your emails (excluding the weekends and
holidays, when it may be 48 hours). If you do not get a response back from me within that time frame, please
assume that I did not get your email and resend. For security reasons and the spam filtering of many non-UofL e-
mails, I will respond only to emails sent from your UofL account.

Course Overview
Psychology 201 fulfills a General Education (Gen-Ed) requirement in Social and Behavioral Sciences. Social
and Behavioral Sciences (9 hours: one course in the Department of History; the remaining 6 hours in two other
disciplines) are concerned with understanding human behavior, human interactions, human environment, and
the related social structures and forms.

Psych 201-51 is an online class that will cover a full semester’s content in about 5 weeks. This means that the
pace will be much faster than a traditional 15-week semester. You will need to plan your schedule and pace your
work accordingly. You will also need to check your UofL e-mail daily and correspond with me using your UofL e-
mail account.

Our class will begin on May 30 and end on July 6. Online course information and activities will be conducted
through the UofL Blackboard via the Psych 201-51 site. You must also register for and access Achieve, an online
system that is a mandatory accompaniment to the required course text. Since this class is compressed to less
than 3 weeks, it will be important to acquire your text and Achieve system access right away.

Required text and Achieve access

The required text for the course is Discovering Psychology (Ninth Edition) by Nolan & Hockenbury and the
accompanying Achieve access code. The text must be the Ninth Edition. Achieve contains an interactive e-book
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version of the text and this is a good option (most economical). The Achieve assignments and ebook can be
accessed directly through Blackboard. This course is part of a Follett Access pilot where the cost of Achieve is
added directly to your student account, so you will not need to purchase anything else. You can opt out of this
pilot, but you would then need to purchase Achieve on your own.

Course Objectives
The overall goal of this course is to introduce students to the fundamental principles and major concepts of most
areas of academic Psychology, including learning, memory, neuroscience, life span and development, cognitive,
social and health psychology and psychological disorders and their treatments. Upon completion of this course,
students should demonstrate the following learning outcomes:

 Recognize and explain how social science knowledge is established and how and why it changes over
time.
 Recognize and identify scientific evidence that explains and supports relevant psychological theories
about human thought and behavior
 Accurately identify and explain the basic assumptions and underlying principles of the various schools
of psychology.
 Determine how psychologists, who study a sub-discipline, seek to describe, explain, predict, and/or
control behavior with depth and breadth
 Identify the basic underlying perspective (point of view) of the major psychological sub-disciplines
 Identify and explain how psychological principles and findings influence individuals’ everyday lives

An additional goal of the course will be to practice and develop your critical thinking skills. Key elements of
critical thinking include: identifying the question or problem, analyzing evidence and assumptions, integrating
knowledge and demonstrating an awareness of multiple points of view, and drawing conclusions based upon
evidence (data).

Reading, Assignments, Exams

All the due dates and points for each of the assignments can be found in the schedule at the end of this document.
1. Syllabus quiz and Discussion Board introduction: You will be given two “Introduction to the Class”
assignments (a personal introduction on the Discussion Board section of Blackboard and
syllabus/blackboard quiz). There will be one 10-item online True/False and multiple choice item quiz on
the syllabus and Blackboard content in Week 1. These are due by 4pm on June 1.
2. Reading and Achieve assignments: In this course, you will be assigned readings from the course text.
Accompanying online activities through Achieve will be provided to help you master the course content
and will account for a substantial part of your course grade. Learning curve (LC) assignments will be
included in your Achieve assignments.
3. Exams: There will be two 50 item multiple-choice exams covering text and Achieve content. Both Exams
will be administered online through Blackboard. They will be preset to be available for a window of
several days and timed for completion once the exam is initiated. Exams must be completed in one sitting.
You will be able to take each exam twice and the higher score will count toward your final grade. Specific
exam instructions, including how to access and complete the online format, will be posted in advance of
each exam period.
4. Critical thinking assignment: You will also be assigned a specific Science Blog article to read that will be
posted on the course Blackboard site. This article will serve as the forum for the reflection assignment as
well as for honing your critical thinking skill set as you integrate what you have learned from your text
readings and Achieve activities into your reflections. Due 6/26/23 4pm.
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Grades will be based on: completion of the Introduction to the class assignments, Achieve assignments, critical
thinking reflection, and exams. Specific information on these assignments will be provided on the course
blackboard site. A schedule is listed at the bottom of this syllabus

Late Assignments
Late assignments will not be accepted. There are no make up or late exams. The expectation is that you will
complete all assignments by the posted due dates. The rationale for this policy is to discourage falling behind
and to keep the class on the same schedule. Students who fall behind typically have difficulty catching up in this
fast-paced, reading intensive course. If you know you will be offline the day an assignment is due, please make
sure to post it early. Late assignments will not be accepted for full or partial credit. You may complete
assignments early within the course week, the final due date listed is the final time for submission before the
Blackboard and Achieve submission portals are set to close.

Grades
The Final Course Grade = sum of points earned divided by total possible points.

Course Assignments and Exams Points Percentage of total possible

possible points
Total Achieve Assignment points: 124 41%

Total Exam 1 and Exam 2 combined points: 100 33%

Total reflection (critical thinking) points 50 17%

Total Class Introduction and Syllabus/blackboard
26 9%
quiz points

Sum of assignment and exam points possible 300 100%

The Final Course Grade = sum of points earned divided by total possible points (overall percentage earned). The
total possible points used to calculate your overall percentage will remain the same (300).

Percentage earned in course and corresponding grade earned:

94-100 = A
90-93 = A-
87-89 = B+
84-86 = B
80-83 = B-
77-79 = C+
74-76 = C
70-73 = C-
67-69 = D+
64-66 = D
60-63 = D-
59 and lower = F

In order to make sure that this class goes smoothly for you and you can plan accordingly, I am providing a heads
up about an important detail regarding the course policy on late assignments:
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Please note: ***Technological issues are not considered valid grounds for missing an assignment submission***.
Submission portals are set to close at the due dates and times for all assignments and if you miss the deadline,
both Blackboard and Achieve will shut off access and you will not be able to complete a late submission, even if it
is already in progress. This means that attempting to upload assignments, submit exams or do activities close to
the deadline puts you at risk for missing the deadline, particularly if you experience technological problems at
the last minute. It is important that you are aware of this risk and the firm course policy on no make-ups for late
or missed assignments. In order to be fair to all students, getting shut out of a submission up against the final
deadline will be considered a missed assignment and in order to be fair to all students and consistent in policy,
no late submissions or make-ups will be accepted. That is why it is important to carefully review the due dates
and times and plan well in advance for your submissions. That way, you will have sufficient time to reach out for
technological should it be needed. Taking online exams during Delphi Center staff hours is particularly
encouraged.

If you have technical problems, please contact the appropriate technical support (either Blackboard or
Achieve) WELL IN ADVANCE OF THE DEADLINE FOR THE ASSIGNMENT!! Tech support contact information
for Achieve, the Help Desk and Delphi Blackboard Support are all posted on Blackboard with course materials.

Technical Support
I cannot provide technical support for computer problems. Resources and contact information for Blackboard
and Achieve are provided on the course blackboard site.

Blackboard computer problems

For help with problems with Blackboard, please call the University of Louisville HelpDesk at (502) 852- 7997 or
contact them online at helpdesk@louisville.edu. If you need help quickly, utilize Live Online Support
http://louisville.edu/it/support/helpdeskand receive help in just minutes.

HelpDesk Hours (Eastern Time):

 Monday thru Thursday: 6am-10pm
 Saturday: 7am-5pm
 Sunday: 10am-10pm
 University Holidays: 7am-5pm
If you have an emergency during off hours, call the HelpDesk to be transferred to an on-call technician, or leave
your request on voicemail. Your call will be returned the next day starting at 6 a.m. UNLESS you specify a
different time.

Delphi Center Blackboard resources:

Student and After Hours Support IT Help Desk: 502-852-7997

Email the Help Desk (http://louisville.edu/cgi-bin/uofl.mail?helpdesk)

Instructor and Staff Support

Monday - Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Delphi Center: 502-852-8833
Email the Delphi Center (http://louisville.edu/cgi-bin/uofl.mail?bbsupprt)
Student Training Reach: 502-852-7569
Ekstrom Library, 1st Floor

PLEASE ALSO NOTE THAT THE BLACKBOARD SYSTEM IS UNAVAILABLE from 10pm
Friday nights through 2am Saturday mornings because of routine maintenance.

If after working with the help desk, you continue to have issues with blackboard, student technology help
specific to blackboard is available from The Delphi Center.
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http://louisville.edu/delphi/blackboard/help answers questions regarding UofL’s online technologies. This
course does not incorporate all technologies presented. Basic computer knowledge including Word, email, etc. is
required.

ACHIEVE computer problems

Achieve support recommends using the support chat at https://mhe.my.site.com/macmillanlearning/s/chat-
with-us - Someone is available at all hours, except on some major holidays.

BASIC COURSE POLICIES

University Email: Check it daily! Make it a habit. Be sure to only use your UofL email account for
correspondence with me! You can work with the HelpDesk to have your University email forwarded to an
account you already check daily. Checking is a requirement.

Academic Integrity: Instructors may use a range of strategies (including plagiarism-prevention software at the
university) to compare student works with private and public information resources in order to identify possible
plagiarism and academic dishonesty. Comparisons of student works may require submitting a copy of the
original work to the plagiarism-prevention service. The service may retain that copy in some circumstances.
For more information about the SafeAssign plagiarism-prevention tool visit
http://louisville.edu/delphi/blackboard/resources/safeassign.

Plagiarism (or any other incident of academic dishonesty) is an affront to the educational system and will not be
tolerated. If you are caught in this situation, a letter will be placed in your academic file documenting the
incident. You will receive a zero on any plagiarized assignment:
 Copying someone else’s work and claiming it as your own, including but not limited to, work accessed in
person, from computer files, or from the internet.
 Paraphrasing someone else’s work and claiming it as your own.
 Collaborating excessively with another person and claiming it as your own.

Title IX/Clery Act Notification:

Sexual misconduct (including sexual harassment, sexual assault, and any other nonconsensual behavior of a
sexual nature) and sex discrimination violate University policies. Students experiencing such behavior may
obtain confidential support from the PEACC Program (852-2663), Counseling Center (852-6585), and Campus
Health Services (852-6479). To report sexual misconduct or sex discrimination, contact the Dean of Students
(852-5787) or University of Louisville Police (852-6111).

Disclosure to University faculty or instructors of sexual misconduct, domestic violence, dating violence, or sex
discrimination occurring on campus, in a University-sponsored program, or involving a campus visitor or
University student or employee (whether current or former) is not confidential under Title IX. Faculty and
instructors must forward such reports, including names and circumstances, to the University’s Title IX officer.

For more information, see the Sexual Misconduct Resource Guide

(http://louisville.edu/hr/employeerelations/sexual-misconduct-brochure).

Students with Disabilities

Individuals with disabilities who need reasonable modifications to complete assignments successfully and
otherwise satisfy course criteria are encouraged to meet with the instructor as early in the course as possible to
identify and plan specific accommodations. Students may be asked to supply a letter from the Disability
Resource Center or other documentation, which will assist in planning modifications.
The University of Louisville is committed to providing access to programs and services for qualified students
with disabilities. If you are a student with a disability and require accommodation to participate and complete
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requirements for this class, notify me immediately and contact the Disability Resource Center (Robbins Hall,
852.6938) for verification of eligibility and determination of specific accommodations.

The Disability Resource Center can be reached by telephone: (502) 852-6938 or on the web at:
http://louisville.edu/disability

University REACH Center Resources

REACH is not available during Summer session. If you believe that you need REACH services, please reconsider
whether taking this class in the compressed summer session is right for you. You should consider taking it
during the Spring or Fall semesters when REACH is available for Psyc 201.

Course Calendar

Classes start May 30, 2023 (Tues)

Last day to drop/add June 1, 2023 (Thurs)
Juneteenth Holiday June 19, 2023 (Mon)
Last day to withdraw June 20, 2023 (Tues)
Provost Approved Holiday July 3, 2023 (Mon)
Independence Day holiday July 4, 2023 (Tues)
Last day of classes July 6, 2023 (Thurs)

Text Reading, Homework Assignments, and Exam Schedule

Intro to Psychology. Summer Term 1, May 30, 2023 through July 6, 2023

*Note: This is an accelerated pace, 5 week course.

All due dates are listed below. Pay careful attention to this schedule. I have given you flexibility as to when the
Achieve assignments are due (Chapters 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 are due 6/16/23; Chapter 9, 11, 12, 14, 15 are due 7/5/23. Feel free
to create your own schedule for completion of these assignments, but remember that due dates listed in bold are final.
All work must be completed and submitted by that date and time.

ALL TIMES LISTED ARE EASTERN TIME ZONE

DATES READING ASSIGNMENTS DUE DATES POINTS

PART 1 Introduction on Due by 4pm 6/1/23 26 (6 for

Discussion Board introduction and 20
Due by 4pm 6/1/23 for syllabus quiz)
Blackboard syllabus quiz
Achieve (LP)
Chapter 1 Due by 6/16/23 16 (4 for each LC)
Assignments for
Intro and Research 4pm
chapter 1:
Methods
-LC 1a The
origins of
psychology
-LC 1b
Contemporary
psychology
-LC 1c The scientific
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method & research
methods
-LC 1d Experimental
methods & ethics

Achieve (LP)
Chapter 2 Due by 6/16/23
Assignments for
Neuroscience and 4pm 12 (4 for each LC)
chapter 2:
behavior
-LC 2a
Introduction to
neuroscience &
the neuron
-LC 2b The nervous
system & endocrine
system
-LC 2c The brain

Achieve (LP)
Chapter 5 Assignments for Due by 6/16/23
Learning Chapter 5: 4pm 12 (4 for each LC)
-LC 5a Introduction to
learning
& classical conditioning
-LC 5b Operant
conditioning
-LC 5c Contemporary
views on operant and
observational learning

Achieve (LP)
Chapter 6 Due by 6/16/23 12 (4 for each LC)
Assignments for
Memory 4pm
Chapter 6:
-LC 6a What is memory
-LC 6b Memory
retrieval and
problems with
memory
-LC 6c Biological basis of
memory

Achieve (LP)
Chapter 7 Assignments for Due by 6/16/23 8 (4 for each LC)
Thinking, Chapter 7: 4pm
Language, and -LC 7a Thinking and
Intelligence language
-LC 7b Intelligence

EXAM #1 on chapters No late exams will

Exam 1 - Open 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 be accepted. No 50
6/13/23 5am until make up exams will
6/16/23 4pm be given.
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Must be completed
and submitted by
6/16/23 at 4pm
40
Critical thinking Due by 6/26/23
reflection 4pm

Chapter 9 Achieve (LP) Due by 7/5/23 4pm

PART 2 Lifespan Assignments for 12 (4 for each LC)
Development Chapter 9:
-LC 9a Genetics &
prenatal
development
-LC 9b Infancy &
childhood
-LC 9c Adolescence and
Adulthood

Chapter 11 Achieve (LP) Due by 7/5/23 4pm

Personality Assignments for
Chapter 11: 12 (4 for each LC)
-LC 11a Personality and
the psychoanalytic
perspective
-LC 11b Different
perspectives on personality
-LC 11c Assessing
personality

Chapter 12 Achieve (LP) Due by 7/5/23 4pm

Social Psychology Assignments for 12 (4 for each LC)
Chapter 12:
-LC 12a Person perception
and attribution
-LC 12b The psychology of
attitudes and prejudice
-LC 12c Social influence
and aggression

Chapter 14 Achieve (LP) Due by 7/5/23 4pm

Psychological Assignments for 16 (4 for each LC)
Disorders Chapter 14:

-LC 14a
Understanding
psychological
and anxiety
disorders
-LC 14b Mood
disorders and eating
disorders
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-LC 14c Personality
and Dissociative
disorders
-LC 14d
Schizophrenia

Chapter 15 Achieve (LP) Due by 7/5/23 4pm

Therapies Assignments for
Chapter 15: 12 (4 for each LC)

-LC 15a Psychotherapy

and humanistic therapy
-LC 15b Behavior,
Cognitive, Group and
Family Therapies
-LC 15c Evaluating the
effectiveness of
psychotherapy

No late exams will

Exam 2 - Open Exam 2 on chapters be accepted. No 50
6/29/23 5am until 9, 11, 12, 14, 15 make up exams will
7/6/23 4pm be given.
(Eastern) Must be completed
and submitted by
7/6/23 4pm Eastern

Blackboard is sometimes unavailable Friday night 10pm until 2am Saturday morning every week (for routine maintenance).

To whom it may concern,

I do not come from a privileged family. When I was very young my mother ate some contaminated meat and
fought off the parasite giardia, after months of fighting this she recovered, and almost immediately developed a life
threatening case of pancreatitis. For almost a year she experienced long stays at the hospital, during which times I
would question my father as to where she was. I remember one such occasion. I asked when she would come back,
through tears he said that this time she may not be coming back. But thankfully she did, and her pancreatic condition
has stabilized, to this day, with just the occasional flare up. But something had changed. My parents, at this time in my
life, had both been sober from drugs and alcohol for over a decade. After the course of her treatment, and countless
filled painkiller prescriptions, her addictions flared, beginning the cycle of addiction and despair for her once again.
After divorce rehabs and the not so graceful destruction of my family unit, she has continued struggling with her
addictions. My father moved to Florida during my freshman year of high school, and I stayed with my loving, but
struggling, mother. Eventually I found the same and similar substances, through friends, what my mother had been
using to cope with her problems. Between the ages of 13 to 21 I developed my own drug and alcohol problem. After a
traumatic experience which landed us in Oregon, we both turned to our respective solutions to life's problems as we
both tread the path to death and insanity.
Thanks to a helpful high school teacher I applied for the fafsa in my senior year of high school and received
numerous grants and scholarships which enabled me to pursue a path I had never before thought meant for me, higher
education. My behavior continued but I was on a path of some improvement. My mother had another child in 2016,
after his birth she went to rehab, this time to remain sober, well for the most part. Happy my mother was seeking help,
but facing the minor issue of the loss of my free board, I became homeless. I lived in a tent for over three months in the
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southern Oregon summer heat. I miraculously got on my feet and continued my higher education with the help of some
kind souls. Two years later after continuing along the paths I was on, both higher education, and my destructive and
illicit coping mechanisms, a breaking point had been reached. A decision had to be made. Continue walking towards
death and destruction, or find a new way to live. I had dropped out of school, I was evicted from my apartment, I
worked temp jobs, I was suicidal, I was looking for a lifeline, or for an end of it all.
After some more seeking, and an inner anguish which I can only begin to describe, I found the assistance of yet
more kind, and this time sober, individuals. I discovered and took to a twelve-step program. I've since been sober for 3
years, and I have helped and sponsored others like me along the way. I found happiness, contentment, community, and
coping mechanisms from healthy sources. I worked on myself, and eventually I found myself back in university. I am
now just 7 classes away from receiving my Bachelors degree in Biology so that I may enter a career field pertaining to
the one non self-destructive escape I had always enjoyed and took to in times of strife, the great outdoors. I hope to
become an environmental scientist, to maintain, sustain, and understand the workings of nature. Times have been good,
and bad, there have been real struggles, challenges, and growth in my life.
Another hiccup though, which I have certainly learned life is full of. I found out that due to my age and
independent filing status I will no longer be receiving any grant or scholarships from the FAFSA applications.
Currently I will be receiving zero dot zero zero dollars to continue and finish my education. In previous years I had
always earned the total amounts available which has made it possible for me to make it this far. With some financial
assistance I can pass the finish line found at the end of the long and challenge ridden ride which has been the first
quarter of my life. Thank you for reading, and thank you for the consideration.
Sincerely,
Taylor Cowles