2990A-650

Psychology 2990A-650

Applications of Psychology

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

1.0    CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

The purpose of this course is to acquaint students with some of the ways in which psychological evidence and techniques can be applied to the practice of law, business, education, the health sciences, etc.

 

Prerequisite: At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course

0.5 course

 

Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.


2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor:              Dr. Stelian Medianu                          

       Office:                SSC 6300

       Email:                 smedian@uwo.ca

       Office Hours:      Because this is an internet-based course, the best way to contact me is by

                                 email. I will do my best to respond to your emails as quickly as possible. If you

                                 would like to meet in person, please email me to set up a meeting. Please

                                                include "Psych 2990B" as part of the subject of your emails.

If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you.  Please visit:  http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.

3.0  TEXTBOOK

 

Textbook (required):

 

Hazlewood, D., & Janes, L. (2017). Topics in applied psychology. 5th Edition. Pearson Custom

Publishing.

 

***Please be sure to purchase the fifh edition of this text!***

Additional Readings (required):

Additional readings (1-2 readings per week) have been prepared for each topic. The additional readings will be available as PDF files from the course website. The readings for each topic will be available at least one week prior to that topic's listed date on the Psychology 2990A (650) Schedule. The material from these additional readings will be tested on the exams.

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course covers a number of areas of applied psychology, including sports psychology, consumer psychology, forensic psychology, engineering psychology, environmental psychology, health psychology, and psychology applied to the courtroom and the classroom. The intent of this course is to expose students to the use of psychology in a wide range of occupations.


   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

 

After successfully completing this course, you should be able to:

  • Describe theories, research methods and findings regarding a wide range of topics in applied psychology, including sports psychology, consumer psychology, forensic psychology, engineering psychology, environmental psychology, health psychology, and psychology applied to the courtroom and the classroom. Measured through exams.
  • Apply theoretical principles and research findings covered in this course to everyday examples. Measured through online discussions with colleagues.
  • Locate and critically evaluate information. Measured through online discussions.

5.0     EVALUATION

Student evaluation will be based on 2 exams and participation in discussions.

 

Component

% of final grade

Exam 1

20%

Exam 2

30%

Exam 3

30%

Discussions

20%

 

Exams

 

Students must complete 3 exams. Exam 1 is worth 20% of your final grade. Exam 2 and Exam 3 are each worth 30% of your final grade. Exams will last for 90 minutes and will consist of multiple choice questions. The exams are not cumulative. Please see the Psychology 2990A (650) Schedule for a list of topics and readings covered on each exam.

 

All exams will be closed book -- no books, notes, calculators, cell phones, dictionaries, or aids of any type will be allowed. Please bring a couple of pencils, a good eraser, a watch, and your student identification to the examinations.

It is recommended that you do not bring items such as laptops, backpacks, textbooks, notes, etc. with you to the examinations. At the beginning of every examination you will be asked to place all such items in a common area in the exam room and neither the instructor nor Western can be responsible for the theft, damage, or loss of such items.

Discussions (5 x 4%)

 

There will be 5 online discussions (each worth 4% of your final grade). Receiving a good mark will require creative, insightful posts that show accurate knowledge of the textbook material, elaborate on information posted earlier in the discussion, and involve a meaningful dialogue with classmates. More information about the discussions will be available on the course website.

 


Discussions will take place during the following weeks:

 

 

Start Date

End Date

Topic

Online Discussion 1

May 22

May 28

Psychology and Health

Online Discussion 2

June 5

June 11

Psychology and Education

Online Discussion 3

June 12

June 18

Psychology and the Workplace

Online Discussion 4

June 26

July 2

Consumer Psychology

Online Discussion 5

July 10

July 16

Psychology and the Environment

 

Each discussion will be open for 7 days: from 12:01am on Monday until 11:59 pm the following Sunday. Once the discussion closes, no more posts can be made.


Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:


70%     1000-level and 2000-level courses
72%     2190-2990 level courses
75%     3000-level courses
80%     4000-level courses
   
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):

A+  90-100      One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A    80-89        Superior work that is clearly above average
B    70-79        Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C    60-69        Competent work, meeting requirements
D    50-59        Fair work, minimally acceptable
F    below 50    Fail



6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Exam 1 is tentatively scheduled for Saturday May 27th, 2017 (time to be announced) and will cover all of the material in Part 1 of the course.

 

Exam 1 is tentatively scheduled for Saturday June 24th, 2017 (time to be announced) and will cover all of the material in Part 2 of the course.

 

Exam 2 will be held sometime during the final exam period (July 31st – August 3rd, 2017; date and time to be announced) and will cover all of the material in Part 3 of the course.

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Week

 

PART 1

May 8

 

May 15

 

May 22

Online discussion 1 begins

 

Exam 1: Saturday May 27th, 2017 (time to be announced). Covers all textbook chapters and additional readings in Part 1 of the course.

PART 2

May 29

 

June 5

Online discussion 2 begins

 

June 12

Online discussion 3 begins

 

June 19

 

 

Exam 1: Saturday June 24, 2017 (time to be announced). Covers all textbook chapters and additional readings in Part 2 of the course.

PART 3

June 26

Online discussion 4 begins

 

July 3

 

 

July 10

Online discussion 5 begins

 

July 17

 

 

July 24

 

 

Exam 2: Sometime during the July/August 2017 final exam period (July 31st - August 3rd, 2017). Exact date and time to be announced. Covers all textbook chapters and additional readings in Part 3 of the course.

 

 

8.0     STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link:  http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com

Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.



9.0    POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS

Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2017/pg954.html 

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html


10.0        OTHER INFORMATION

Office of the Registrar web site:  http://registrar.uwo.ca

Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca

Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:

    http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html

- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2017 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.