AP Psychology Syllabus



Advanced Placement Psychology

2020-2021

Dr. Brandon Gilliland

Course Description: AP Psychology will be an intense and fascinating course focusing on the scientific study of the behavior and mental processes of human beings and animals. You will learn psychological facts, principles and phenomena within the various fields of psychology. This will be equivalent to a college level, introductory general psychology course.

• Students will think critically about the world of psychology and their relationship to it.

• Students will master the content to pass the College Board Exam and earn College credit for Introductory Psychology.

• Students will learn about psychologists, their experiments and theories, over the past century.

• Students will assess differing theories of psychologists such as psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, biological and will explore socio-cultural perspectives.

• Students will demonstrate an understanding of how psychologists think and the ethical ways in which they test their hypotheses.

• Students will read, understand and perform ethical research.

• Students will be able to relate psychological theories to current events, think critically, and draw their own conclusions

Grading Policy

Your final grade will be based upon the following: The grading scale is:

Gold Measures (Major Tests/Exams, Major Projects) 60% A = 90-100

Silver Measures (Quizzes, Small Assignments) 30% B = 80-89

Bronze Measures (Homework, Daily Work) 10% C = 70-79

D = 60-69

F=59 or below

All tests will reflect the AP Psychology Test format and will include multiple choice questions and free response. You will be tested on each unit. Periodically, you will have a Domain Exam. These are exams that are cumulative. This is to ensure retention of material throughout the school year and to help prepare you for the AP Exam. Quizzes may be announced or unannounced. Quizzes may be on current material or prior topics. Test corrections will be offered for mastery exams.

For Homework, you will need to read the chapters and take notes. We will be discussing different formats that you can use for your notes (this includes color-coding your notes). These notes should be completed in a way that will help you to engage with the text and study the material. I will be checking your notes and will be giving periodic reading quizzes. Class discussion will often be based on the prior day’s reading assignment. We will be moving quickly, so it is important that you keep up.

Textbook:

Myers Psychology for AP Second Edition

You should also purchase the AMSCO text to help you review for the exam.

Supplies:

• 3-ring binder

• Loose-leaf paper

• Pencils

• Pens (blue or black ink ONLY!)

Classroom Policies

▪ Assignments are expected to be turned in on the assigned date. If you turn in a late assignment (accepted ONLY at the beginning of the next class period), the highest possible score you can earn is a 70%.

▪ If you are struggling to understand the material, it is your responsibility to ask questions or for extra help.

▪ You must treat classmates and teachers with respect.

▪ You must actively participate in class! Make sure your cell phone is turned off and out of sight.

▪ Any form of academic dishonesty (copying, plagiarizing, etc.) will result in a zero for the particular assignment with no possibility of making up the work. This includes having a cell phone during a test.

▪ Come to class prepared and on time.

▪ No food or drink! (You may bring bottled water.)

Course Outline (Subject to change at the teacher’s discretion)

|Unit: Topic |Readings/Major Projects |

|Unit 1: Psychology’s History and Approaches (Units 1|Mods 1-3 |

|& 2 combined) | |

|Unit 2: Research Methods (Units 1 & 2 combined) |Mods 4-8 |

|Unit 3: Biological Bases of Behavior |Mods 9-15 |

| |Project: Brain Model |

|Unit 4: States of Consciousness |Mods 22-25 |

|Unit 5: Sensation and Perception |Mods 16-21 |

| |Project: Sensation Games |

|Unit 6: Learning |Mods 26-30 |

|Unit 7: Cognition |Mods 31-36 |

|Unit 8: Motivation, Emotion and Stress |Mods 37-44 |

|Unit 9: Personality |Mods 55-59 |

| |Project: Personality Collage |

|Unit 10: Developmental |Mods 45-54 |

|Unit 11: Testing and Individual Differences |Mods 60-64 |

|Unit 12: Abnormal Behaviors |Mods 65-69 |

| |Project: Fractured Fairytales |

|Unit 13: Treatment of Abnormal Behaviors |Mods 70-73 |

|Unit 14: Social Psychology |Mods 74-80 |

|Review and Final |Review all |

| | |

COVID-19: Due to the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19, certain assignments may be moved online. In the event that remote learning is ordered by the Superintendent, all lectures/class discussions will be held on Zoom. These sessions will be recorded and provided for student use.

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