LaGuardia Community College, CUNY
SOCIAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT
Course Description:
- Part of LaGuardia’s First Year Experience, this course is designed to assist incoming students majoring in Psychology to make a successful transition to their major and college life. It introduces psychology and ways to think about different theoretical approaches, research that is relevant to student success, such as learning, identity, and motivation, and research methods. This course addresses issues related to navigating personal development and academic achievement in psychology.
Goals
- Career Development: Developing an understanding of the psychology major and possible career paths
- College 101: Becoming acquainted with the college, its requirements, and its resources
- Personal Development: Investigating paths to college success and personal challenges to being successful
Course Objectives
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Demonstrate basic understanding of the diversity within psychology, potential careers for students studying psychology, and the uses of different research methods and fields within psychology. (Inquiry, Problem Solving, Integration)
2. Identify different (major) theoretical approaches to psychology as they occurred across time and into the present. (Inquiry, Integration)
3. Critically evaluate different approaches to research, including different types of research designs and methods.
4. Interpret the ethics and values of psychology as they relate to research. (Problem Solving and Integration)
5. Interpret research results as they relate to student activity and personal lives. (Problem Solving and Integration)
6. Define the purposes of higher education and the policies and expectations of LaGuardia Community College and its faculty; engage with the life of the College through active curricular, advising, and co-curricular participation. (Inquiry and Integration)
7. Locate the multiple resources available at LaGuardia and use these to complete assignments and solve academic problems related to advising, course selection, academic skills, and extracurricular activities. (Inquiry and Problem solving)
8. Identify education and career goals and prepare potential paths for the future. (Inquiry and Integration)
9. Define and practice academic survival and success strategies (e.g. note-taking, active reading, test preparation and -taking, collaborative learning skills) and the self-management habits necessary for academic success (e.g. time management, motivation, self-responsibility and financial literacy). (Problem Solving and Integration)
10. Demonstrate the use of skills and knowledge gained from diverse experiences to enhance learning and development. (Integration)
Studio hour: Attendance in the studio hour is a requirement and will be considered in the evaluation of student performance and final grade. The studio hour attached to the First Year Seminar for Psychology will be led by a Student Success Mentor to support the integration of course content with ePortfolio activities to accomplish the following learning objectives: Inquiry, Problem Solving, and Integration. In the studio hour students will have the opportunity to work with an SSM and classmates to explore and complete various activities integrated into the First Year Seminar for Psychology, including college and discipline expectations, relationships between curricular and co-curricular, advisement, and health and wellness activities.
Grade Guidelines: All of the following requirement will be graded by percent credit earned. The following table indicates how grades are assigned:
| A- = 90 to 92% | A = 93 to 100% | |
| B- = 80 to 82% | B = 83 to 85% | B+ = 86 to 89% |
| C- = 70 to 72% | C = 73 to 75% | C+ = 76 to 79% |
| D- = 60 to 62% | D = 63 to 65% | D+ = 66 to 69% |
| F = Below 59% |
Important Digital Tools
- ePortfolio: A digital tool that enables students to collect and store their academic work, to select their best work to showcase, to reflect on their learning over time, to share important information with faculty and staff to facilitate advisement, and to share with classmates, friends, family, and potential employers. This course uses ePortfolio to structure many activities that are necessary for success in the course and to develop ways of thinking and skills that help students succeed in college. Students begin the staged process of building their ePortfolios during their first semester at the College and continuously reflect and refine their presentation as they progress. At each stage, students add more work and reflect on their learning. Because the student work collected in ePortfolios helps LaGuardia faculty assess and improve the College’s academic programs, students are also required to deposit work into an assessment site connected to their ePortfolios. The Student Success Mentor will provide hands-on assistance in beginning an ePortfolio during the Studio Hour.
- Blackboard: All students must have a working blackboard account with an email account associated with it that you use. Use of Blackboard is necessary to access supplementary readings, keep a track of your grades and progress throughout the course, and receive announcements Personnel in computer labs and the course instructor are available for assistance.
- Student Email, LIVE@LaGuardia: All students are given a LaGuardia email account upon their first registration. Student email is the preferred method to contact students to share College-related news and information about advisement, registration, academic calendar, payment options and weekly updates about campus events.
Responsibilities and College Policies
- Incomplete Grades: Incomplete grades are not automatically granted but must be agreed to through prior consultation with the instructor and the department chair, all of who must sign and submit the appropriate form before the end of the semester. Incomplete grades are only permissible where students have legitimate reasons for not completing all the work of the class, have furnished appropriate documentation, and have agreed to a deadline by which all unfinished work must be completed. Failure to submit all assigned course work or to appear for a final exam are NOT legitimate reasons for granting an incomplete grade. As the instructor I have little discretion in this matter and must act in accordance with college policies.
- Classroom Behavior: Appropriate classroom behavior is required at all times and disruptive behavior (such as talking, cell phone use, taking breaks, etc.) will not be tolerated. Use of cell phones and text messaging devices in class is prohibited. The college prohibits the consumption of food and beverages in the classroom and mothers are not allowed to bring small children with them into the classroom. Persons unregistered for the course are not permitted in the classroom when class is in session. During exams students are not allowed to leave the classroom. Please remember to use restrooms before exams start.
- Academic Integrity: Please refer to the College Catalog (pg. 114). Cheating and Plagiarism: This class will be conducted in compliance with LaGuardia Community College’s academic integrity policy. All cases of cheating or plagiarism will be penalized by a failure on the examination or paper at a minimum and may result in failure in the course. All violations will be reported to the College. Please refer to the handout on APA formatting for additional information about plagiarism.
- Students with Disabilities: Under Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, LaGuardia Community College has an implicit responsibility to ensure that students with disabilities have equal access to its programs and services, and that the rights of students with disabilities are not denied. The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides advocacy to ensure access to all college programs and facilitates the transition to college life for students with disabilities. All students are required to register with supporting documentation. Appropriate accommodations and services are determined and include: • academic, career and personal counseling • priority registration • academic advisement • support services such as assistive technology and tutors; proctoring exams for students.
| September: Welcome to the First Year Seminar! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Y9Qo0boYlIru0VrLXfXXCaTRFpKmwI-UGZPm1_GcDos/edit?usp=sharing | |
| 09/10 | Introduction to Course *Studio Hour: Intro to studio hour. My LaGuardia exploration. Sign up for nytimes.com |
| 09/12 | Introduce Unhinged and read Chapter 1 |
| 09/17 | Co-curricular event: A Gendered Brain? Shattering Sexist Science (6:30-8:00pm) |
| 09/19 | Unhinged: Read chapter 3 |
| 09/24 | Introduce the Personal Narrative *Studio hour: “Getting Untapped Money” by Rhonda Mouton. Create an e-Portfolio. Work on “About me” page. |
| 09/26 | Continue the Personal Narrative |
| October 4: Daylights Saving Time! Oct 3rd! | |
| 10/01 | No class (Tuesday) Studio hour: No studio hour |
| 10/03 | “Financial Aid; Get it! Earn it! Keep it!” by Annette Hamilton The Psychology Curriculum at LaGuardia; Intro to Degree maps |
| 10/08 | No classes (Tuesday) Studio hour: No studio hour |
| 10/10 | Exploring course selection for Spring 2020 |
| 10/15 | Library workshop Studio hour: Finding sources and creating a collection of relevant resources |
| 10/17 | Narrowing down a research topic, designing a research question |
| 10/22 | Designing an Interview Studio hour: Complete Understanding Myself |
| 10/24 | Designing an Interview II |
| 10/29 | Career pathways in Psychology. Scholarship and Transfer opportunities Studio hour: Career exploration and planning |
| 10/31 | Revising a research question |
| November: Studying is much easier in groups! Make sure to find a study partner! | |
| 11/05 | Thematic data analysis and Interpretation of data Studio hour: Degree planning section on e-Portfolio |
| 11/07 | Thematic data analysis and Interpretation of data II |
| 11/12 | Writing the final paper Studio hour: Transfer planning section on e-Portfolio |
| 11/14 | Practicing the Oral Presentation |
| 11/19 | Milgram on Obedience Studio hour: Practicing the Oral Presentation |
| 11/21 | Workshop on Educational digital tools |
| 11/26 | Scavenger hunt Studio hour: Upload scavenger hunt in the College Resources section of e-Port. |
| 11/28 | No class: Thanksgiving holiday |
| 12/03 | Writing the final paper Studio hour: Make up any work due on e-Portfolio |
| 12/05 | Final Presentations |
| 12/10 | Final Presentations |
| Grading Breakdown | ||
| Assignments | Total Points | |
| Research paper | 60 | |
| Presentation of research paper | 50 | |
| Personal Narrative/College Readiness | 20 | |
| e-Portfolio assignments | 40 | |
| Participation | 25 | |
| Attendance (including Studio hour) | 25 | |
| Total = 220 points |
Required Assignments:
- Research paper:
- This paper will focus on describing the results and conclusions of conducting the semester-long research project. Also, the personal narrative and college readiness assignments will be incorporated.
- This paper will focus on describing the results and conclusions of conducting the semester-long research project. Also, the personal narrative and college readiness assignments will be incorporated.
- Presentation of research paper:
- Students will develop a 5-7 minute power point presentation focused on a) research question; b) participants; c) findings and conclusions. Each presentation will be followed by Q & A and feed back from the class.
- Students will develop a 5-7 minute power point presentation focused on a) research question; b) participants; c) findings and conclusions. Each presentation will be followed by Q & A and feed back from the class.
- Personal Narrative:
- This assignment is the first step in a semester-long project. It is a high-stakes assignment with a chance of revising the paper. It is a short (550-600 words) reflection paper.
- This assignment is the first step in a semester-long project. It is a high-stakes assignment with a chance of revising the paper. It is a short (550-600 words) reflection paper.
- Conceptualizing College Readiness:
- Students read a paper on college readiness (CR), and apply the four facets of CR as categories to reflect on their experiences as described in their Personal Narrative, their strengths, skills and knowledge they would like to further develop. Based on provided framework, students thus analyzed their own personal narrative.
- Students read a paper on college readiness (CR), and apply the four facets of CR as categories to reflect on their experiences as described in their Personal Narrative, their strengths, skills and knowledge they would like to further develop. Based on provided framework, students thus analyzed their own personal narrative.
- E-Portfolio Assignments:
- Your e-Portfolio is where you will place all of your assignments as well as where you will record your college progress while at LaGuardia. For this course, all reflections, written paper, and co-curricular reports will be displayed in your e-Portfolio.
- Your e-Portfolio is where you will place all of your assignments as well as where you will record your college progress while at LaGuardia. For this course, all reflections, written paper, and co-curricular reports will be displayed in your e-Portfolio.
- Participation:
- The more effort and energy you put into this course, the more we will all learn. This is your class and I expect you to be present to participate and engage yourself and your peers. Class discussions are a vital part of our class and it is essential that all be actively involved. Discussion is encouraged but you must always be respectful of ideas shared by your peers; the classroom should be a challenging, fun, and positive place for all.
- The more effort and energy you put into this course, the more we will all learn. This is your class and I expect you to be present to participate and engage yourself and your peers. Class discussions are a vital part of our class and it is essential that all be actively involved. Discussion is encouraged but you must always be respectful of ideas shared by your peers; the classroom should be a challenging, fun, and positive place for all.
- Attendance:
- The College’s attendance policy reads as follows: “Attendance in class is a requirement and will be considered in the evaluation of student performance. Instructors are required to keep an official record of student attendance” (2011-12 catalog, p. 114). Excessive Absences: Please come to class prepared, with readings and assignments completed. It is important that you attend class and arrive on time. Excessive absences (2 classes or more) will result will lower the final grade one letter grade down. Consistent tardiness may also lower the final grade (three late appearances will be counted as one absence).
- The College’s attendance policy reads as follows: “Attendance in class is a requirement and will be considered in the evaluation of student performance. Instructors are required to keep an official record of student attendance” (2011-12 catalog, p. 114). Excessive Absences: Please come to class prepared, with readings and assignments completed. It is important that you attend class and arrive on time. Excessive absences (2 classes or more) will result will lower the final grade one letter grade down. Consistent tardiness may also lower the final grade (three late appearances will be counted as one absence).