Calumet College of St. Joseph
SYLLABUS FOR RESEARCH FOR BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES

 

 

Term: Fall, 2000-2001  (00-1)   September 5 - December 16, 2000

Course Number:  PSY 210X

Instructor: Dr. Joseph Kovach

Office:  Room # 528

Office Phone: #219-473-7770, ext 261

E-mail:  jkovach@ccsj.edu

Website: www2.ccsj.edu/~jkovach

Home Phone: #708-862-7777

 

Office Hours: Monday 4:00 to 7:00

                       Wednesday 7:00 to 9:00 a.m.

                                          12:00 to 7:00 p.m.

                          Other times by appointment

 

Course Time:  Wednesday 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.

 

Course Description: 

This course includes training in laboratory procedures and research methodology to provide the individual student with the opportunity to pursue the field of psychology from an empirical point of view.  The student will be expected to design, implement, and construct a formal report on a research topic.

 

Prerequisites: 

Psychology 100

Material Fee:  See current fee schedule.

 

Textbooks:    

Research Methods, Annual Editions 01/02

Practical Researcher by DS Dunn

The Craft of Research by WC Booth, GG Colomb and JM Willams

                        Writing Papers in Psychology by RL Rosnow and M Rosnow, 4th ed. (optional)

                        Publication Manual of American Psychological Association, 4th ed. (optional)

 

 Statement of Plagiarism:

If an instructor or other Calumet College of St. Joseph personnel find that a student has plagiarized or been involved in another form of academic dishonesty, the instructor or other personnel may elect to bring the matter up for judicial review. The maximum penalty for any form of academic dishonesty is dismissal from the College. The procedures for judicial review are listed under the section of CCSJ handbook that addresses student grievances.

 

Calumet College of St. Joseph adheres to citation guidelines as prescribed by the particular discipline (i.e., MLA, APA, and Chicago Manual of Style or Turabian.).  All of these guidelines are available in the Calumet College of St. Joseph library or bookstore.  These texts outline how to cite references from a variety of sources, including electronic media.   See below for required style format.

 

 

 

 

Withdrawal from Classes Policy:

After the last day for class changes has passed (see College calendar), students may withdraw from a course in which they are registered with permission from the faculty member conducting the course. A written request detailing the reason(s) for the withdrawal must be filed with the Registrar. Written request for withdrawal must be received by the Registrar by the last day of classes prior to the final examination dates specified in the catalogue. Written requests may be mailed to the Registrar or faxed to the College fax number 219-473-4259. Students are to make note of the refund schedule when withdrawing from courses. The request is forwarded to the faculty member, who makes the final determination to accept or deny the request. If the request is honored, the student will receive notification of official withdrawal; if denied, the notification will indicate why the withdrawal is disallowed. Note: Degree Completion Program (DCP) students should consult the DCP Student Handbook for information on DCP withdrawals.

 

An official withdrawal is recorded as a "W" grade on the student's transcript. Dropping a

course without written permission automatically incurs an "F" grade for the course (see

Refund Schedule).

 

Class Policy on Attendance:

It is the student's responsibility to attend all class meetings and to acquire the necessary assignments.  Lab assignments cannot be done if absent. 

Attendance will be taken according to Federal guidelines and reported for financial aid purposes only.

 

Class Policy For Assignments:

§         Lab assignments are due the following week.

§         Critiques are due weekly beginning the 5th week of class, 7 February 2000.  Critiques turned in late will be assigned a grade of "D".

§         Reports handed in late will be assigned a grade of "D".

 

Class Participation:

Students are expected to participate fully in class discussion and lab periods.

 

Learning Outcomes/Student Competencies:

Students in this course will:

·         Be able to critically evaluate selected research,

·         Have the basic tools to critically construct and execute research,

·         Be able to scientifically state a problem, research it, and report the findings in a scientific manner, and

·         Appreciate the ethical and legal issues involved in conducting research.

 

Assessment:

1.       Tests: Two (2) tests will be given.  The test will be announced at least one (1) week prior to administration.  NOTE:  NO make-up tests will be given.  The tests will contribute 20% of your final grade.

2.       Critiques:  Five critiques are required.  One each week for five weeks beginning no later that the fifth (5th) week of the semester.  These critiques will form part of your final project.  Critiques contribute 25% of your final grade.

3.       Research:  Two (2) research projects are required.  The first will be the result of work performed during the lab sessions.  This report is worth 20% of your grade.  Lab assignments are worth 5% of your grade.  The last report will consist of an experimental design of the student’s choosing.  Critiqued material is to be incorporated in the History and Background section of the report.  The report will contain all customary sections.  This experiment need not be executed.  This report is worth 30% of your final grade.  The project grades will be the average of a content grade and a style/writing grade.  Reports are to be written in APA style.

 

Class participation/collaboration/attendance/assignments/Labs         5% of grade

Exams (Midterm, Final)                                                              20% of grade

5 Critiques                    5% each                                               25% of grade

Research                                                                                  50% of grade

Project 1.......20%

                        Project 2.......30%

 

Timeline - Projects due

Critique 1        Week 4, September 27

Critique 2        Week 5

Critique 3        Week 6

Critique 4        Week 7

Critique 5        Week 8

Project 1         Week 10, November 8

Project 2         Week 13, November 29

 

In summary, your course grade will be determined by weighting your timeliness and performance on the various activities as follows:

A performance of 90% or better will give you a grade of “A”, 85% equals “B+”, 80% equals “B”, 75% equals C+, etc.  Final grades are NEVER posted.  Should you want your grade prior to the registrar’s mailing, you must supply me with a self-addressed stamped manila envelope.

 

Grading Scale:

A:  B+:  B:  C+:   C:  D+:  D:  F

 

As the course is based on a competency-performance model, written assignments will be returned to students for correction and accuracy.  Incompletes “I” will be given if these assignments are not corrected and returned by the end of the semester.  A one-month extension will be given for revisions of returned assignments, ONLY.  After that period of time grades will be changed to “F”. 

 

Format for Written Assignments:      Style of the American Psychological Association (APA)

 

CLASS FORMAT:  The class will be divided into lecture and lab periods.  The lecture will take the shape of a tutorial-discussion format.  This format is recommended due to the nature of the subject matter, diverse student interest, and the possibility to exchange a greater amount of information.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revised: 9/06/99

Updated 9/5/0