Name: _____________________________________

Soc Sci 2 [1st Sem, 15-16]

ST. JOHN OF BEVERLEY

COURSE SYLLABUS
Social Science 2: Introduction to Psychology
First Semester, 2015 2016
Faculty: Marston S. Pascasio, Instructor of Psychology
Email: mspascasio@sjb.edu.ph
Facebook: http://facebook.com/sirmars.sjb
Office: Research Center Area (Batcave), or hanging out at the College Office.
Consultation Hours: Fridays 8:00 16:00

Course Code: SOCSCI 2

Course Title: Introduction to Psychology
Credit Units: 3

Introduction
Welcome to SocSci2, or Intro to Psych, your 3unit introduction to the science of human experience, behavior, and mental
processes. It is officially described in the institution as a survey of the broad content of psychology which provides the
basic science of human behavior as well as opportunitues to study [your] experiences and observations to contextualize
the different psychological theories, principles, and concepts.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the semester, we want to:

Possess a basic, meaningful analytic vocabulary related to how people think, feel, and behave.
Develop strategies for analyzing human experience based on critical and empirical reasoning.
Appreciate the current knowledge and methodologies of psychological science.
Increase our self-awareness and self-understanding.

Topics
Here are the topics that we will be exploring throughout the semester:
Module
1
2
3

Topics
Prep
Psychology as a Science
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 1
Neuroscience / Biopsychology
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 2
Perception: The Basis of Experience
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 3
Preliminary Examinations
Emotions
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 9
Behavior: Learning from Experience
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 5
Memory Processes
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 6
Categorization and Problem-Solving
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 7
Midterm Examinations
Consciousness
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 4
Stress
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 11
Social Psychology
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 12
Personality
Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 13
Final Examinations

4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

Main Reference
You can use any General Psychology Book. However, the main basis for our discussions will be:
Ciccarelli, S. and White, N. (2011). Psychology, 3rd Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.
Course Load
Aside from the three hours per week you will spend inside the classroom, you are expected to spend at least one or two hours
of preparation for each class session. What does preparing for the class involve?

Study the assigned chapter for the session give yourself ___ minutes per page.
Go over your notes from the previous meeting.
Write any papers required to be submitted for the meeting usually takes at least an hour.
Give yourself a little reward for each preparation well-done (See Ciccarelli and White (2011), Ch. 5, Operant
Conditioning).

It may not seem easy at first, but once you get into the habit of preparing for each class, it can serve as a challenge to
yourself to be an effective, discipline student. Also, it also leads to the development of automaticity (Bargh & Chartrand,
1999).

Name: _____________________________________

Soc Sci 2 [1st Sem, 15-16]

Although lectures will be uploaded and is accessible online through our Facebook groups, everyone in class is expected to
take notes. According to Kobayashi (2006), note-taking substantially enhances retention and overall learning. When we talk
about note-taking, were not just talking about transferring the information from the board to paper. It is about processing and
interacting with this information, selecting it, giving your own comments, and recording this dialogue between you and the
concepts in a clear, elegant form that can be useful to you later on.
Course Requirements
1.

Three Exams: Preliminary, Midterm, and Finals Examinations. All written exams will be in multiple-choice format
and will be objective scored to assess your mastery of the material discussed in class and in our reference text.
Emphasis will be on analytic thinking and applications, rather than low-level recall. Passing grade for all written
exams is 60%

2.

Papers: Papers are assigned texts to be written outside of class. The goal of papers is to demonstrate, via writing,
how well you can analyze an idea or experience using constructs we learn in class and from the reference text.
Papers can be submitted in the form of typed essays (in English or Filipino; font size 12, with at least 1.5pt spacing)
or handwritten essays, on short (8.5 x 11 inches) bond papers. Some tips on crafting quality papers:

3.

Block time in your agenda to write at least one uninterrupted hour or more.
Set up your environment notes, coffee, music, picture of your crush, etc.
Before actual writing, organize your thoughts in an outline or diagram
As you write, check the items in the outline to make sure you have them covered.
Use actual terms and concepts you learned in our class teachers love this
Read the completed text out loud to yourself (or to your crush)
Proof-read for errors in grammar and spelling before submission.

Attendance and Punctuality: You are encouraged to attend and demonstrate an active, thinking presence in all class
sessions. Being absent for more than 6 meetings will automatically result in a grade of 5.0 (unless you present
evidence that the absences are excusable, in which case the grade is a DRP).

EXAMS
PAPERS
CLASS PARTICIPATION AND REFLECTION
TOTAL

70%
20%
10%
100%

Other Matters
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

8.

9.

Unless stated otherwise, late submissions will not be accepted and will be marked zero.
Please switch off your mobile phones and other electronic devices during the class period. Keep your earphones to
your bags, not on your ears.
You will be marked late if you arrived later than me.
Eating is allowed inside the classroom during the class period as long as it does not distract you from listening to the
lessons.
Course resources such as assigned readings and slide presentations of lectures can be accessed at our Facebook
group. Please tell me in advance if you have problems with this arrangement.
You can ask me questions (or talk to me generally) during consultation hours and/or online through Facebook and
email.
Information regarding academic ethics and classroom behavior: Here at St. John of Beverley we expect the highest
standards of academic honesty. Academic dishonesty is prohibited in accordance with the rules of St. John of
Beverley. This policy prohibits cheating on examinations, unauthorized collaboration on assignments, unauthorized
access to examinations or course materials, plagiarism, and other proscribed activities. Plagiarism is defined as the
use of anothers ideas or phrases and representing those ideas as your own, either intentionally or unintentionally.
Disclosure and analysis: Various topics that we will explore are of personal interest to most of us. Keep an openminded attitude. Sharing of personal thoughts and experiences is encouraged but not necessarily required. This
means papers will not be graded on the number of revelations they contain. Likewise, soul-baring papers but with no
analytic value (i.e. no use of analytic tools and concepts we are learning, no linkage to a construct, no application of
theories, no citation of research) will make no impression either. Feel free to share experiences whether your own,
your friends, significant other, family, popular culture, literature, music, TV, movies coupled with sharp analytic
focus.
Personal Concerns: This course is not a counselling or psychotherapy space (nor am I a clinical or counselling
psychologist). However, if you find that along the way, you would like more information in handling psych-related
concern weighing on your mind, please let me know via email or in-person - so we can find quick and effective
solutions.

References:
Bargh, J.A., & Chartrand, T.L. (1999). The unbearable automaticity of being. American Psychologist, 54, 462-479.

Name: _____________________________________

Soc Sci 2 [1st Sem, 15-16]

Kobayashi, K. (2006). Combined effects of note-taking/reviewing on learning and the enhancement through interventions: A
meta-analytic review. Educational Psychology, 26, 459-477.