Content Area:
Course Outline
1.
Prologue
a. History
b.
Contemporary Psychology
2.
Thinking Critically
a.
Types of Research
b.
Correlation
c.
Experimentation
d.
Statistical Reasoning
3.
Neuroscience and Behavior
a.
Neural Communication
b.
The Nervous System
c.
The Brain
d.
The Endocrine System
4.
The Developing Person
a.
Prenatal Development
b.
Stage Theories
c.
Infancy and Childhood
d.
Adolescence
e.
Adulthood
5.
Sensation
a.
Basic Principles
b.
Vision
c.
Hearing
d.
Touch, Taste and Smell
6.
Perception
a.
Selective Attention
b.
Perceptual Organization
c.
Perceptual Interpretation
7.
States of Consciousness
a.
Waking Consciousness
b.
Sleep and Dreams
c.
Hypnosis
d.
Drugs and Consciousness
8.
Learning
a.
Classical Conditioning
b.
Operant Conditioning
c.
Learning by Observation
9.
Memory
a.
The Phenomenon of Memory
b.
Encoding
c.
Storage
d.
Retrieval
e.
Forgetting
f.
Memory Construction
g.
Improving Memory
10.
Thinking and Language
a.
Thinking
b.
Language
11.
Intelligence
a.
The Origins of Intelligence Testing
b. What is Intelligence
c.
Assessing Intelligence
d.
The Dynamics of Intelligence
e.
Genetic & Environmental Influences
12.
Motivation and Work
a.
Motivational Concepts
b.
Hunger
c.
Sex
d.
Belonging
e.
Motivation at Work
13.
Emotion
a.
Theories of Emotion
b.
Embodied Emotions
c.
Expressed Emotions
d.
Experienced Emotions
14.
Stress and Health
a.
Stress and Illness
b.
Promoting Health
15.
Personality
a.
Historic Perspectives on Personality
b.
Contemporary Research
16.
Psychological Disorders
a.
Perspectives on Psychological
Disorders
b.
Anxiety Disorders
c.
Mood Disorders
d.
Schizophrenia
e.
Personality Disorders
17.
Therapy
a.
The Psychological Therapies
b. Evaluating Therapies
c.
Biomedical Therapies
18.
Social Psychology
a.
Social Thinking
b.
Social Influence
c.
Social Relations
AP Central Course Information
This year long course is intended to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of behavior and mental processes and students will increase their understanding of psychology, its methods, theory and research. AP psychology is a survey course, so students will focus on bits of information from many different areas in psychology. Primarily, the course will explore the psychological facts, principles and phenomena associated with each of the major sub fields of psychology (consciousness, learning, personality, cognition, etc.).
Course Goals
The objective of this course will be that each student take and pass the Advance Placement Exam for psychology and all aspects of the course will reflect this fact. AP psychology will be taught at the college level and student study habits and participation should reflect this fact. All vocabulary, information and activities will be intended to prepare you for the AP exam. Students will be asked to complete many writing assignments and projects. Students should be prepared for work outside of class.
Prerequisites
Although enrollment in AP psychology is open to any students in the 11th or 12th grade, students do need to possess strong language and writing skills and have adequate technical skills and personal characteristics for success in a web-based course.
Textbook Information
“Psychology”, 7th edition by David Myers
ISBN: 0-7167-5251-4
Publisher: Worth Publishers; 7th edition (June 6, 2003)
Hardcover: 740 pages
Amazon.com price = $92.95 new on 4/12/05
*The textbook is the responsibility of the student. Textbooks may be obtained from the students home school, or from online sources.
Grading
Grading will be done on a points system (20 out of 20, 100 out of 100, etc.) in a six week grading period. Everything turned in will be assigned a value according to importance and points will be tallied at the end of each six weeks. Students should expect 2-3 test, 2-3 vocabulary quizzes, 1 book analysis, and 1 major project each six weeks. Students will also be expected to participate in class discussions using Moodle throughout the week.
Late work
Small homework or in-class assignments (anything under 25 points) will not be accepted late. Turning in any major assignment late will result in the loss of one letter grade for each day it is late. If you are in the building on the day a major assignment is due, it must be completed and/or turned into me. This includes tests!
Honor code
Any assignment that you are caught cheating on will be given an automatic 0 with no chance to make up the points.
Course Expectations
Students are expected to spend at least five hours a week on homework in addition to the daily class period.
THIS COURSE IS FULL for the 2005-06 school year.
If you have specific questions, please call the Virginia Department of Education at (800)246-8736
Tuition for this course is $600.00.
Special Technical Requirements
This course is taught using the Internet and Moodle. The latest version of Internet Explorer, Firefox or Safari web browsers are required.
PC - Windows 95, 98, 2000, XP, or NT
The Windows computer should have at least a 233 MHz or higher processor, 32 megabytes of system RAM, Super VGA monitor or higher resolution, active Internet connection, CD-ROM drive, sound card with speakers, at least 20 MB hard drive space available.
PC - Macintosh PowerPC
The Macintosh computer should have at least a 100MHz or higher processor, System X, 24 megabytes of system RAM, monitor with high resolution, active internet connection, CD-ROM drive, sound card and speakers, at least 20 MB hard drive space available.
Common school and household supplies and standard laboratory measuring devices such as meter sticks, stopwatches, and mass balances are needed for experiments (check with your home school science lab).
Instructor
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Nicole Leighton teaches at Blacksburg High School. She has an undergraduate degree in history with a minor in psychology/sociology. She has a masters degree in education - curriculum and instruction. This semester begins her 6th year teaching and her 3nd year teaching AP psychology. |