Course Syllabus
Introduction to Psychology I: Basic Processes
Welcome to Introductory Psychology! This course is designed to provide you with general knowledge about major areas in the field of psychology, including psychological research, memory, biopsychology, evolutionary psychology, learning, thinking & intelligence, sensation & perception, and states of consciousness. By the end of this course you will not only be familiar with important issues, concepts, and theories from these areas, but will also be able to apply these ideas to your own life and the world around you.
Territorial acknowledgement: As members of the KPU community, we work, study, and live on the unceded traditional and ancestral lands of the Kwantlen, Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt and Kwikwetlen peoples.
Course Orientation: 4pm on May 8 in Cedar 2065 (KPU Surrey campus)
Moodle site (for quizzes and grades): Click here
Office hours: Available virtually or face-to-face. Click here to book a meeting
How best to contact me: Email (rajiv at kpu dot ca)
Required textbook: Textbooks are needlessly overpriced and I won’t support a system that preys on economically fragile students. Instead of a commercial textbook we will use this open textbook that I have adapted and remixed from a variety of sources.
Course format: This course includes weekly readings, online activities, online quizzes, three exams, and one assignment.
Tentative Course Schedule
| Date | Topic(s) | Reading |
| May 8 | Course orientation | Syllabus |
| May 15-19 | Introduction to psychology | Chapter 1 |
| May 22-26 | Psychological research | Chapter 2 |
| May 29-June 2 | Biopsychology | Chapter 3 |
| June 5 | Exam 1 | |
| June 5-9 | Nature, nurture, & evolution | Chapter 4 |
| June 12-16 | Learning | Chapter 5 |
| June 19-23 | Memory | Chapter 6 |
| June 26 | Exam 2 | |
| June 26-30 | Thinking & intelligence | Chapter 7 |
| July 3-7 | Sensation & perception | Chapter 8 |
| July 10-14 | States of consciousness | Chapter 9 |
| July 17 | Exam 3 | |
| July 24-28 | Assignment | |
| July 31-August 4 | Assignment |
Assessments
Online quizzes x 6 (5% each): 30%
There will be nine online quizzes over the semester, one for each of the course topics. These quizzes assess your ability to apply course concepts to a variety of real-world contexts. Each quiz will include 20 multiple-choice questions. You will have a single attempt and 20 minutes to complete each quiz. Only your highest six quiz grades will count towards your overall course grade.
Exams x 3 (20% each): 60%
The three non-cumulative exams will include multiple-choice and short-answer questions that will assess your ability to integrate course concepts and to apply these to real-world contexts.
Assignment: 10%
Details TBA
Course Policies
Missed quizzes
I do not provide make-up quizzes, so if you happen to miss one (for any reason), this will count as one of the three quiz grades that will not count towards your overall course grade.
Late assignment
Assignments that are submitted late will be subjected to a penalty of 10% per day; however, no assignments will be accepted more than 3 days past the due date.
Missed exams
I don’t reschedule exams except in the absence of supporting medical documentation. If you are ill and have to miss an exam, you or a caregiver must (1) notify me before the exam start time and then (2) provide valid medical documentation within one week. Unless both conditions are met, you will receive a zero. If you are granted a make-up exam, it may be of a different format than the regularly scheduled exam.
Email communication
I usually reply to emails pretty quickly. Please type your course and section number in the subject line of any email you send to me (it helps me to identify you more quickly). I would appreciate your emails to me beginning with “Dear Dr. Jhangiani” than “Hey Prof.” Note that questions appropriate for email are those that can be answered with 1-2 sentence replies. Anything longer than this (e.g., an explanation of a concept) probably requires a face-to-face or virtual meeting.
University email
From time to time I will send emails to your university email address. If you do not intend to check this email address, please make sure that you forward your email to an address that you check regularly (otherwise you might miss an important announcement!).
Student rights and responsibilities
You are responsible for being aware of your rights and responsibilities. These are posted online at http://www.kpu.ca/policies (see the section for “Students”). These include the following:
ST2 – Student Academic Integrity (Policy and Procedures)
HR15 – Diversity and Inclusiveness (Policy and Procedures)
Important dates
May 14: Last day to add/drop without “W” (70% refund)
