TEXTS:

Schultz, D. P. and Schultz,  (2000). A History of Modern Psychology  ^{7th Ed}. Harcourt College Publishers.

OBJECTIVES: This capstone lecture- and discussion-course will examine the history of modern psychology from pre-Socratic philosophers to contemporary perspectives.  Emphasis will be placed on the influential works of various schools of thought that have shaped the emergence of psychology.  You are the most highly educated Psychology Majors on campus - your contributions are an important part of the course.   I plan to treat this much like a graduate seminar (to the extent that I can still remember my graduate school days).

CLASS ATTENDANCE/PARTICIPATION:  For any missed class, you'll be responsible for preparing web resources (see below) for each question discussed on the missed day.  These web posting should be available within 2 class days of the missed class.  A "Pass" on these postings will not affect your grade - a "Low Pass" or "Do Over" will lower the grade of one of your regularly scheduled web postings (see below).

Each day, I will have a random list of student names and I'll go down this list as lulls occur in the class discussion.  If called upon, you'll be expected to demonstrate basic knowledge of the chapter-based question at hand.  On those rare instances in which someone fails to contribute, they will be responsible for contributing web materials on that topic by the next class day.  These postings will be graded in the same way as those in the paragraph above.

My procedures for dealing with missed exams are described below.

You are responsible for all announcements made in class, you may be tested on any class presentation material.

GRADING:

Examinations --

The results of each test will be "curved" (see below) on a 4.67 point scale. Typically, the top grade on each defines "4.67." Chance performance (that which could be earned merely by stabbing a pencil at the answer sheet) defines "0.0". For each test, additional raw scores will be announced that determine "1.0", "2.0", "2.67", "3.67", and "4.67". You can calculate your precise curved score by interpolation. For example, if 40= 2.67, 45 = 3.67, and you earned a score of 44 on Exam I, then your curved test score would be 3.47 (that is 2.67 + 4/5 = 3.47).  If you are unsure about what your grade is, or question if you calculated it correctly, consult one of the TA's, or myself.

Note: My curve is not based on number of people, rather, on percentage of earned points. Therefore, there is no limit to the proportion of students who can earn A's (or any other grade).

At the end of the course, your final grade will be converted from averaged number to letter grade based upon the numeric values of letters in calculating the GPA. For example, a B+ = 3.33 and an A- = 3.67; therefore, the A- range would be from 3.67 to 3.99. A grade of A would be earned for a course average of 4.0 and above. The 3.47 you received in the earlier example would be a B+, leaving you .2 below the A- range and .14 above the B range.

This grading procedure may at first glance seem a bit complex, but it is to your benefit. You know precisely what grade you have at any given point in the course--you don't have "about a B+," rather, you have a 3.47. Once you've gotten an exam back, you've got a grade that you can put in the bank, not an approximate value that may shift based on a final "mystery" grade distribution that won't come into existence until the end of the semester. Knowledge is power.

Grading:
For each exam you will receive a grade that ranges from "0.0" to "4.67", such as the 3.47 mentioned above. You can convert these numeric grades to letter grades using the following table.  On the table below, a 3.47 equates to a grade within the B+ range:
 

The final examination will primarily focus on material from the second half of the course.  Additionally, however, there will be GRE-type questions that assess factual knowledge from the first half of the course.  Your grade on the final will be based on the curved results of a simple sum of all points.

COURSE GRADING

TESTS (50 Percent of Course Grade): There will be a mid-semester exam and a final with a comprehensive element, see above. Your overall examination grade will be defined by these two tests--40% for the mid-semester exam and 60% for the final.

Tests will consist of: text figures, your reproductions of drawings, multiple choice, fill-in, and short answer essay questions drawn from both lecture and assigned readings.  You can ignore the personal lives and quirks of historical figures - they're fun to read about, but not very academically relevant.  You'll remember the weird stuff anyway.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ADDITIONAL ASSIGNMENTS (50 Percent of Course Grade): Throughout the semester, students will be responsible for facilitating discussions regarding the questions at the end of each text chapter.  By the class period following each discussion, you are responsible for publishing a carefully crafted answer to your discussion question on the the World Wide Web, linked off of, a page entitled "history.html" in your University of Scranton web directory.  The quality of these postings will be graded on a 4 level system:  High Pass (4.67), Pass (4.27), Low Pass (3.67), and Do Over (0.0).  Each time you are required to do an assignment over, the grading system for that assignment will be lowered by 1.0.  Only rarely can a High Pass be expected on an assignment, cherish them.  Typically, a High Pass will requiring going beyond the basic question and integrating material from other places in the text, other courses, or the real world.  The "average" well crafted capstone course level response will merit a "Pass."  Never be ashamed of a "Pass" in a capstone course.  Please protect your grade, and my time, by ensuring that your postings are well crafted and free from glaring grammatical errors.  Neither of us want "No Pass" grades to be assessed, trust me.