Fall 2025
General Psychology
Approved: Initials/date General Psychology (2301) CREDIT 3 Semester Credit Hours (3 hours lecture, 0 hours lab) MODE OF INSTRUCTION Online PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: TSI Complete in Reading COURSE DESCRIPTION General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories, and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. COURSE OBJECTIVES Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology. • Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology. • Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology. • Use terminology unique to the study of psychology. • Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation. • Identify factors in physiological and psychological processes involved in human behavior. INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Brittney Strother Email: bstrother@lit.edu Office Phone: N/A Office Location: Virtual (Online) Office Hours: By Appointment Only REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS Your textbook is provided for you through blackboard. You can access this link anytime and can download a PDF file if you choose to do so. Title: Psychology 2e Open Stax Author(s): Rose M. Spielman, William J. Jenkins, and Marilyn D. Link: https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/preface ATTENDANCE POLICY For every hour in class (or unit of credit), students should expect to spend at least two to three hours per week studying and completing assignments. For a 3-credit-hour class, students should prepare to allocate approximately six to nine hours per week outside of class in a 16- week session OR approximately twelve to eighteen hours in an 8-week session. Online/Hybrid students should expect to spend at least as much time in this course as in the traditional, face-to-face class. Please note that while this is an online class, ‘attendance’ still matters. Students will meet the attendance requirement by following the course schedule in order to submit assignments by specific due dates each week. Students are also expected to participate in a discussion board each week that also counts towards attendance and participation. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. COURSE CALENDAR DATE TOPIC Due Dates Week 1 (Module 1) August 25th – 31st Introduction to Course Chapter 1: Introduction to Psychology 08/29/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 08/31/2025 - Syllabus Quiz @ 11:59 PM 08/31/2025 - Chapter 1 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 08/31/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM Week 2 (Module 1) September 1st – 7th Chapter 2: Psychological Research 09/05/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 09/07/2025 - Chapter 2 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 09/07/2025 - Discussion board peer reply@ 11:59 PM Week 3 (Module 1) September 8th – 14th (Exam 1 open the 14th through 21st) Chapter 3: Biopsychology 09/12/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 09/14/2025 - Chapter 3 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 09/14/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM Week 4 (Module 2) September 15th – 21st Chapter 4: States of Consciousness 09/19/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 09/21/2025 - Chapter 4 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 09/21/2025- Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM 09/21/2025 - Exam 1 @ 11:59 PM Week 5 (Module 2) September 22nd – 28th Chapter 5: Sensation & Perception 09/26/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 09/28/2025 - Chapter 5 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 09/28/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM Week 6 (Module 2) September 29th - October 5th (Exam 2 Opens 29th -12th ) Chapter 6: Learning 10/03/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 10/05/2025 - Chapter 6 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 10/05/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM Week 7 (Module 3) October 6th – 12th Chapter 7: Thinking and Intelligence 10/10/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 10/12/2025 - Chapter 7 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 10/12/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM 10/12/2025 - Exam 2 @ 11:59 PM Week 8 (Module 3) October 13th – 19th Chapter 8: Memory 10/17/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 10/19/2025 - Chapter 8 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 10/19/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM Week 9 (Module 4) October 20th – 26th (Exam 3 Opens 20th -November 2nd) Chapter 9: Lifespan Development 10/24/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 10/26/2025 - Chapter 9 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 10/26/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM Week 10 (Module 4) October 27th – November 2nd Chapter 10: Emotion 10/31/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 11/02/2025 - Chapter 10 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 11/02/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM 11/02/2025 - Exam 3 @ 11:59 PM Week 11 (Module 4) November 3rd – 9th Chapter 11: Personality 11/07/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 11/09/2025 - Chapter 11 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 11/09/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM Week 12 November 10th – 16th (Exam 4 Opens 10th – 23rd) Chapter 12: Social Psychology 11/14/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 11/16/2025 - Chapter 12 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 11/16/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM Week 13 (Module 5) November 17th - 23rd Chapter 14: Stress, Lifestyle & Health 11/21/2025 - Discussion Board Response @ 11:59 PM 11/23/2025 - Chapter 14 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 11/23/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM 11/23/2025 Exam 4 @ 11:59 PM Week 14 November 24th – 30th (Exam 5 opens 24th – December 7th) Chapter 15: Psychological Disorders Chapter 16: Therapy & Treatment 11/28/2025 - Discussion board Response @ 11:59 PM 11/30/2025 - Chapter 15 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 11/30/2025 - Chapter 16 Quiz @ 11:59 PM 11/30/2025 - Discussion board peer reply @ 11:59 PM Week 15 (Module 5) December 1st – 7th Final Week 12/07/2025 - Exam 5 @ 11:59 PM 12/07/2025 - Module 5 Core Assignment COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: • Exams: 5 in total (Lowest grade dropped) = 50% • Quizzes: 15 in total (Lowest 3 grades dropped) = 15% • Discussion Boards: 13 in Total = 15% • Core Assessment: 1 = 20% GRADE SCALE • 90-100 A • 80-89 B • 70-79 C • 60-69 D • 0-59 F Exams There will be 5 exams in this course, each covering 3 chapters of the module they are assigned in. Students will have a week to complete each exam, with 60 minutes to complete them in. Each exam is force completed meaning the student has once chance to the exam. This means that students cannot save and resume later, it needs to be completed the first time it is opened. At the end of the semester the lowest Exam score will be dropped from the students overall grade. Quizzes There will be 15 quizzes in this course, each due at the end of the module they are assigned to. Students will have 2 attempts at each quiz with 20 minutes to complete them in. These are forced completion meaning the student cannot not save progress and return later, it needs to be completed once it is opened. At the end of the semester the 3 lowest quiz scores will be dropped from the student’s overall grade. Discussion Boards There will be 14 discussion boards in this course (Week 16 does not have a discussion board). Students are expected to respond to the prompt of the discussion board by Friday of each week and respond to at least two peers by Sunday of each week. Please follow the individual directions for each discussion board. Core Assessments There will be 5 core assessments in this course, one is to be completed at the end of each module. Please follow the directions for each individual assessment as they do change in style and type of assignment they are. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc. can be online at https://lit.edu/online-learning/online-learning-minimum-computer-requirements. A functional broadband internet connection, such as DSL, cable, or WiFi is necessary to maximize the use of online technology and resources. DISABILITIES STATEMENT The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are federal anti-discrimination statutes that provide comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. LIT provides reasonable accommodations as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to students with a diagnosed disability. The Special Populations Office is located in the Eagles’ Nest Room 129 and helps foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment by maintaining partnerships with faculty and staff, as well as promoting awareness among all members of the Lamar Institute of Technology community. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (409)-951-5708 or email specialpopulations@lit.edu. You may also visit the online resource at Special Populations - Lamar Institute of Technology (lit.edu). STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STATEMENT It is the responsibility of all registered Lamar Institute of Technology students to access, read, understand and abide by all published policies, regulations, and procedures listed in the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook. The LIT Catalog and Student Handbook may be accessed at www.lit.edu. Please note that the online version of the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook supersedes all other versions of the same document. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recognizes the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, have changed the landscape of many career disciplines and will impact many students in and out of the classroom. To prepare students for their selected careers, LIT desires to guide students in the ethical use of these technologies and incorporate AI into classroom instruction and assignments appropriately. Appropriate use of these technologies is at the discretion of the instructor. Students are reminded that all submitted work must be their own original work unless otherwise specified. Students should contact their instructor with any questions as to the acceptable use of AI/ChatGPT in their courses STARFISH LIT utilizes an early alert system called Starfish. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails from Starfish regarding your course grades, attendance, or academic performance. Faculty members record student attendance, raise flags and kudos to express concern or give praise, and you can make an appointment with faculty and staff all through the Starfish home page. You can also login to Blackboard or MyLIT and click on the Starfish link to view academic alerts and detailed information. It is the responsibility of the student to pay attention to these emails and information in Starfish and consider taking the recommended actions. Starfish is used to help you be a successful student at LIT. Late work Policy Students are expected to turn in assignments, quizzes, and exams on time. However, the instructor does acknowledge that things can happen in life that can prevent students from submitting work on time. • Students may submit assignments and quizzes late with five points being deducted each day after until the grade equals 0. • Discussion boards and Exams will not be accepted after the due date unless there is an excused absence. This can be achieved by emailing the instructor prior to the due date with an appropriate excuse like a Dr. note, etc. **Pease note that the instructor will not take any late work past the last day of the course. Please refer to the course calendar for that specific date.**