Professor:   Eric Laws
Office:         Ruffner 302
                    (434)395-2841
                    lawsel@longwood.edu
Office Hours:  M,W: 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
                          T,Th:   9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
                          and by appointment 

Course Description (from catalog):  "The development of psychology from ancient to modern times."

Goals and Objectives:

1.    To gain an understanding of the development of the history of psychological concepts.
2.    To gain an understanding of the historical influences on modern schools of thought in psychology.
3.    To gain an understanding of current controversies in psychology in their historical context.
4.    To gain an undeerstanding and appreciation of the indivuduals who have greatly influenced the development of psychology.

Texts and other materials:

    Goodwin, C. J. (2005). A history of modern psychology (2nd ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Prerequisites:    6 hours of psyc - majors and minors only.

Course Content:

    The course is intended to be a survey of the historical evolution of modern psychology from different perspectives.  We will study the development of many schools of thought in psychology including neurophysiology, content psychology, structuralism, functionalism, behaviorism, Gestalt psychology, psychoanalysis and cognitive psychology to name only a few.  We will consider these developments from a great man and a zeitgeist framework.

Attendance:

    You are responsible for all material discussed in class and any handouts, etc. given out in class sessions you missed.  This class will be consistent with the Longwood University attendance policy that is 1 grade reduction for 10% (3) unexcused absences and a failing grade for 25% (8) excused or unexcused absences. Additionally, you will receive an unexcused absence for every 5 tardies.  If you walk in and I'm talking, you're late.  Make sure though that I change it from absent to late in my records.

Honor Code:

    Longwood University does have an honor code (see current academic catalog) and this class will operate with strict adherence to it.  Any and all instances of cheating, stealing, falsification, plagiarism and academic dishonesty will not be tolerated and will involve immediate notification of the Longwood University Honor Board and automatic failure of the course.

Miscellaneous:

    Any student who believes that he/she is disabled should see me ASAP to discuss your needs and accommodations.  Your disability must be on record with the office of Disability Support Services.
    You are expected to conduct yourself in an appropriate manner in the classroom, respecting the rights and opinions of other students.  You are also expected to remain engaged in the subject matter of the course.  To this end, such behaviors as reading assignments or other materials during class, sleeping, talking and disturbing other students should be avoided.  Cellular telephones will be turned off upon entering the classroom.  The professor reserves the right to remove, on a temporary or permanent basis, any student whose behavior becomes disruptive to the classroom environment.

    There will be a total of  three(3) exams throughout the semester, two of which will be worth 50 points.  Test 3 (Final Exam) will be given during the last day for the class.  Each test will be some combination of multiple choice, short answer and essay questions.  The exams will cover material from the lecture, textbook and any other ancillary materials used in class (videos, etc.).  Test 3 (Final Exam) will be half-cumulative and half-new material, and will be worth 100 points.  All exams will be taken during the scheduled time (see below for tentative test dates).  Exceptions will only be made for serious and unavoidable conflicts and emergencies, and only when I am notified before the scheduled exam AND when I receive proper written notification from the Dean's office, or other official source.

Paper:

    As this is a writing intensive course, you will write an APA style literature review for the class.  I expect that the paper will be 15 pages in length and constitute a thorough review of your chosen topic.  Potential paper topics and more explicit criteria will be discussed in class.  Two copies of each paper must be submitted (one hard copy and one electronic via e-mail).

Grading Scale:

    Grades will be awarded on the following scale (out of 300 total points):

        290 - 300 (97% - 100%) =    A+
        278 - 289 (93% - 96%)   =    A
        269 - 277 (90% - 92%)   =    A-
        260 - 268 (87% - 89%)   =    B+
        248 - 259 (83% - 86%)   =    B
        239 - 247 (80% - 82%)   =    B-
        230 - 238 (77% - 79%)   =    C+
        218 - 229 (73% - 76%)   =    C
        209 - 217 (70% - 72%)   =    C-
        200 - 208 (67% - 69%)   =    D+
        188 - 199 (63% - 66%)   =    D
        179 - 187 (60% - 62%)   =    D-
        Below 179 (Below 60%)  =    F

    You may keep track of your grades and progress below:

        Exam #1 (50 points)                   ________

        Exam #2 (50 points)                   ________

        Exam #3 (100 points)                 ________

        Paper (100 points)                     ________

        Total for Class (300 points)  = ________