Class meeting:  10:30 - 12:10 MWF                                        Classroom: Krug 242
Instructor:  Joan Crawford                                                        Office:  Krug 201 E
E-Mail:  jcrawfo5@gmu.edu                                                    Telephone:  993 3660
Homepage: http://mason.gmu.edu/~jcrawfo5

Textbook: Gazzaniga & Heatherton, Psychological Science

Course Goals:
    The class is designed to support comprehension and review of the Psychology 100
lecture material while at the same time developing academic study skills.  The emphasis shifts over the course of the semester from lecture support to academic preparation. Specifically, by the end of the course students will be able to:
    - read an average of 20 pages of academic text per day with moderate difficulty
            and adequate comprehension
     - write a summary or paraphrase of academic reading without plagiarizing
     - participate in extended discussions about psychological issues using
          appropriate vocabulary, with minimal effort required by listeners
     - grasp main ideas of lecture and take notes on at least 75% of the material
     - assume full responsibility for meeting Psychology 100 course requirements
    - make an effective, well-organized and comprehensible oral report

 Course Content:
1) writing: summarizing; paraphrasing; short written assignments
2) interactive vocabulary activities
3) interviewing native speakers
4) study skills & strategies
5) reading for main ideas, implied ideas, bias & inferences
6) oral presentations
7) critical thinking skills
8) note-taking skills

Grading Criteria:
     Quizzes (announced/unannounced)   40%
    Written assignments/homework   30%
     Oral presentations     15%
     Attendance & participation in class     5%
     Final Exam      10%

Assessment:

 Quiz grades, written and oral assignments and exam grades will be available to you on a daily basis online.  Written assignments will be assessed on a point basis of 1 – 3 points for daily work. (+) = 4 points: excellent; 3 (V+) good; 2: (V) okay; 1 (V-) incomplete but okay; R = rewrite for credit; ( - ) missing = 0 points, which can be made up with TWO extra credit assignments.

Final Grades:
  The end of the semester grade will be a letter grade corresponding to the
same scale as Psychology 100:

  98 -100:  A+
  93 -  97:  A
  90 -  92:  A –
  88 -  89:  B+
  83 -  87:  B
  80 -  82:  B-
  78 -  79:  C+
  73 -  75:  C
  70  - 72:  C-
  Below 70:  NG (no grade)

Course requirements:

1.  Consistent attendance.  In the ELI you are officially allowed 6 absences for the semester and more than six will give you “NG” (no grade).  In this class, however, since attendance will account for 5% of the final grade, only one absence will be allowed without penalty; thereafter, each absence will count as 5 points off your attendance grade.   In other words, six absences would mean that your attendance/participation grade would be 75.  If you miss a class, call a classmate or e-mail the instructor to find out the homework assignment.  Absence is not an excuse for missed assignments.

2.  Written assignments.  There are 20 required written assignments and various optional assignments.  Assignments will be grade on a point scale of  5-1. Assignments and quiz grades will be available on online.   Required assignments may be turned in up to one week late, but will be penalized one grade.  Assignments turned in later than one week will be read, but not recorded.  Should you omit a required assignment, TWO optional assignments can be substituted.  Please note that written assignments constitute 30% of your grade.

2. Participation.   Come to class on time.  Tardiness exceeding 10 minutes will be counted as a major tardy; three tardies equal one absence.  Attendance and promptness is important, since recommendations for fulltime admission will be influenced by your attendance and will be reflected in your quiz grades.

3.  Quizzes.  There are no makeups for missed quizzes.  The midterm and final exam may be taken early, if needed.  Some quizzes are announced, others are unannounced, open note quizzes on the day’s lecture.   Quizzes will account for 40% of your final grade. The midterm exam will each count as two quizzes. The quizzes will include psychological terms and concepts, vocabulary, reading and summarizing.

4.  Oral reports.  A minimum of  two oral presentations reports are required for this class.  The final oral presentation will account for 15% of your final grade.

5. Plagiarism.  Academic standards in this country prohibit the copying of published or printed material without acknowledgement.  If you turn in written work that is plagiarized from the web or other source you will receive an automatic NG for the class.  This is a serious matter and can result in expulsion from the university.  Material must be paraphrased or summarized in your own words or placed in quotation marks.  Copying work without crediting the source is a violation of GMU’s honor code.

6.  Conferences.  Two individual teacher-student conferences are required for transition.  These will be held following the first and second exams in Psychology 100.  There will be no class held on those days,  but a special project or task will substitute instead.

9. Reminder.  Cell phones and beepers should be turned off during class time.  Give your family the ELI office number (993 3660) to use while you are in class if there is an emergency.  See the ELI Handbook for additional information.

10.  English Only.  All classroom interaction should be conducted in English only.