Course Syllabus

COURSE:  PSYC101-0D: Introduction to Psychology (ONLINE)

SEMESTER: Fall 2025

INSTRUCTOR: Prof. Samantha Knight-Williams, LMHC, LPC 

OFFICE HOURS: Mondays by appointment.

Email from appointments (sknight@sussex.edu)

REQUIRED TEXT

This course utilizes open educational resources which are free and can be found on canvas.                                           

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course is an introduction to the science of human behavior and mental processes.  Emphasis is placed on the relationship between the nervous system and behavior, learning, perception, development, motivation, personality, attitude formation and prejudice, psychopathology and psychotherapy.

TOPICS TO BE COVERED

  1. The nature-nurture interaction (may include mind-body connection, diversity, and social construction of reality).
  2. The fundamentals of social science research (may include varied research methodologies).
  3. The active construction of reality (may include sensation, perception, altered states of consciousness, and sociocultural influences).
  4. The basics of lifespan development (may include cognitive, physical, moral, social and personality development).
  5. The fundamentals of learning (may include classical, operant , and observational/cognitive learning paradigms).
  6. The understanding of the unique qualities of being human (may include personality theory, psychological health, psychological disorders, psychotherapy, mind-body connections, and selected aspects of evolutionary theory).

 COURSE COMPETENCIES/LEARNING OUTCOMES:

In a manner deemed appropriate by the instructor, students should demonstrate the ability to:

  1. Discuss key concepts as they are manifested in the major fields and theoretical perspectives of psychology. (GE 5, 6, 7; PG2, 3)
  2. Apply psychological principles to everyday life by critically evaluating information from a variety of sources. (GE 3, 5, 9; PG 1, 2, 3)
  3. Describe sociocultural influences on mental processes, behaviors, and social interactions. (GE 5, 6, 8, 9;  PG 2, 3)

ASSIGNMENT POLICY:

Please note that I do not prefer to accept late assignments, however, life happens... If there is a  reason as to why you cannot complete an assignment, please reach out to me and we will work together to figure it out an alternative due date. All assignment due dates are clearly posted in the syllabus and on Canvas.

Methods of Evaluation

Grading Contents
Quiz One 10%
Quiz Two 10%
Quiz Three 10%
Quiz Four 10%
Weekly Discussions 30%
Mid-Semester Paper 15%
Final Paper 15%
Total 100%

CRITICAL THINKING :

This course incorporates critical thinking throughout the curriculum. The rationale behind this is that critical thinking is a topic that requires practice in addition to theory.  The discussion assignments in this course are intentionally designed to assist students to interpret information, consider the influence of context, pose logical arguments, examine existing knowledge, and develop new ideas. 

DISCUSSION BOARDS/CLASS ATTENDANCE:

Students are expected to log into the Canvas system and respond to the postings placed there by the professor before the due date designated on the calendar.  Students are expected to participate in the discussion boards by posting their original responses to the professor’s posts, as well as to posts made by their peers. In order to receive full credit you must respond to each post made by the professor, at least 3 peers' posts, and do so by the target deadline. Posts should be a paragraph in length (5-7 sentences).

Scholarly writing across all disciplines is one of our goals at SCCC. With that in mind, Discussion Board topics are posted on Canvas. Topics will relate to the material in our textbook, and will require some real-life application of your knowledge. Your writing should be of a scholarly nature: eliminate use of slang language, back up your answers (where appropriate) with research from your textbook, the Internet, or other readings, and respond to your classmates in an inquisitive manner that will further the discussion. Please use your textbook as well as other sources. Make sure your post is substantive. (Substantive: Having a firm basis in reality and therefore important, meaningful, or considerable.)

QUIZZES/EXAMINATIONS: 

All quizzes are taken through the Canvas system.  All quizzes are to be taken prior to the due date indicated on the calendar.  All quizzes are to be completed independently by each student.

 

Grade to Point Value

NUMERICAL SCALE

LETTER

95-100

A

90-94

A-

87-89

B+

84-86

B

80-83

B-

75-79

C+

70-74

C

65-69

D

Below 65

F

Students who stop attending at any time before the end of the semester but did not officially withdraw.

Examples: 

  • Student attended up until end of semester but did not take final exam.
  • Student stopped attending 5 weeks into the semester and did not officially withdraw.

 FN (Failure/No Show)

 

 DISABILITIES ASSISTANCE:

Students who require accommodations in order to pursue their higher education goals need to make an appointment with the adviser to the Disabilities Assistance Program (973-300-2153). The DAP office is located in the Learning Center. It is the student’s responsibility to provide current and comprehensive documentation, which would warrant such accommodation. The need to provide documentation applies to both academic and facilities accommodations.

RESPECT, CONFIDENTIALITY, AND ONLINE ETIQUETTE:

Class discussions via posts may sometimes contain personal concerns and self-disclosures.  These discussions will, at all times, be conducted within an atmosphere of mutual respect and confidentiality by all class members. If I feel that a student is violating this trust, I reserve the right to dismiss the student from class.

Conversations that do not pertain to class material during a lecture or class discussion are unacceptable. If a student engages in conversation unrelated to course material and I find that conversation disruptive, the student will be dismissed from the course and will receive a zero for class participation that day.

SMOKE AND TOBACCO FREE CAMPUS POLICY:

Sussex County Community College focuses on providing a healthier, cleaner environment for students, employees and visitors. Eight other community colleges in New Jersey also have a complete ban of smoking and tobacco on their campuses. While smoking has been off limits inside buildings, the campus grounds are also smoke free including the parking areas. This policy applies to employees and students as well as visitors, vendors and contractors.

IMPORTANT DATES:

Academic Calendar

March 20 

Classes Begin; Late Registration begins 

March 21

Last day to late register or add a class 

March 26 

Last day to drop a class with a 100% refund (tuition & fees). 

There are no partial refunds after this date. 

March 26

Last day to change to an audit 
April 29th  Last Day to withdraw from late start with a "W"
May 9th  Final day of Late Start 
April 30th - May 11th  Final Grades Entered

Helpful Information

This course is asynchronous which allows you the freedom to work at your own pace—except for due dates for assignments. I encourage you to work at a pace that is best suited for you and your learning styles.

How to make this course manageable and enjoyable!

I have broken down the course into weeks. To make best use of your time, it would be beneficial for students to set aside about 6 - 8 hours weekly to learning/reviewing the material and completing assignments as needed.  Setting aside two days weekly for Introduction to Psychology will allow you to be most successful in learning the material in a manner that is digestible and not overwhelming.  

Feel free to submit in a fashion that suits your schedule but that does not surpass any deadlines! You can find all deadlines and due dates in this document and on Canvas. All assignments, discussions, quizzes, and projects will be submitted through Canvas. For any issues with Canvas, please contact me via email asap. As this course is information heavy it is very important to give yourself ample time to read, watch, and complete coursework.

Course Work:

Discussion Posts: Discussions will be due weekly on Sundays by midnight. Most discussion posts require at least 100 words and a response to at least 3 peers’ posts to receive full credit. Others may require you to use citations in the APA formatting for full credit. Please read all instructions before submitting.

Assignments: There will be a few assignments due throughout the semester. Assignments will have varying due dates. Assignments do not require peer response posts.

Quizzes: There will be a total of 4 quizzes. Quizzes will be due on Tuesdays. 

Mid-semester and Final Papers: Please complete them as they are big portions of your grade! Any student who does not complete their midterm will find their grade significantly suffering. Any student who does not complete the final will receive an FN grade. (Please see the syllabus for more information on FN grade). 

 

All assignments and work due can be found on Canvas under the corresponding Chapter. Early Assignments are always accepted! No late assignments will be accepted past that following Monday at midnight and a 2-point deduction will be taken off of any late assignments! If you are running into any issues with meeting deadlines, please email me in advance of the due date (as much as possible) to discuss further.