Course Syllabus - Department of Psychology - University of Alberta

Psychology 372Winter 2011, TR 11:00-12:20http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/~msnyder/p372/main.htmlInstructor: Dr. M.R. SnyderOffice: BSP-241Phone: 492-3834e-mail: mrsnyder@ualberta.caOffice hours: Tuesday and Thursday 1:00-2:30, or by appointmentRequired Textbook:Plomin, R., DeFries, J.C., McClearn, G.E., & McGuffin, P. (2008). Behavioral Genetics, Fifth Edition. New York: Worth.Predicted Reading Schedule:Chapters 1-4: 11-25 Jan.Chapters 5 & 6: 27 Jan. - 8 Feb.Chapter 7: 15-17 Feb.Chapters 8 & 9: 1-3 MarchChapters 12 & 10: 8-15 MarchChapters 11 & 13: 22-29 MarchChapter 14: 31 March – 5 AprilChapters 15, 16 & 18: 7-12 AprilNote that the instructor will not be covering all topics from the assignedchapters during class time. Nonetheless, students are expected to be conversantin all assigned readings. Similarly, the instructor will be presenting sometopics not covered in the textbook. Again, students are expected to know thismaterial. Exams can test any material presented in the text and the lectures.Students are expected to come to class prepared, having read theassigned chapter being covered.Course Evaluation:Midterm 1 exam (20%, chapters 1 to 6 in textbook and lectures): 10 FebruaryMidterm 2 exam (20%, chapters 7, 8, 9, 12 and 10 in textbook and lectures): 17 MarchFinal exam (35%, cumulative): TBAPaper (25%): 22 MarchOther Significant Dates:21 Jan. Winter Term registration deadline21 Feb. Statutory Provincial holiday22-25 Feb. Winter Term Reading Week7 March 12:00-1:00 Students’ Union election forum; no classes18 March Last day for withdrawal from Winter Term courses13 April Last day of Winter Term classes15-30 April Final examinations22 April Good Friday; University buildings closed25 April Easter Monday; University buildings closedExams:The midterm exams and final exam will include both multiple choice and short written answers.Midterm 1 covers material taught in class from 11 January – 8 February and chapters 1 to 6 in the textbook. Midterm 2covers material taught in class from 15 February – 15 March and chapters 7, 8, 9, 12 and 10 in the textbook. If you miss amidterm exam you must give the instructor appropriate documentation within two working days or you will be assigned azero for the exam (see the University Calendar, section 23.5.6.1a, for information on what constitutes an acceptable excusefor missing an exam). The weight of an excused midterm exam will be reallocated to the final exam; there will be no reexaminationfor a missed midterm exam.The final exam is cumulative; that is, all material covered in class during the course and all assigned chapters canprovide material for question; a somewhat greater emphasis will be placed on the lectures and chapters not covered in eitherof the midterm exams. If you miss the final exam and are granted a deferral by your Faculty (see the University Calendar,section 23.5.6.2), you will write the deferred final exam on 13 May 2011, 2:00-4:00 PM, room BSP-241.Exam fine print: Students are not allowed to have ANY electronic devices with them during any of the exams. Thisincludes, but is not limited to: CD/MP3 players, cell phones, PDAs, electronic translation devices, calculators. Alsoforbidden are any and all hats, sunglasses, rulers, dictionaries, ouija boards, etc.Paper:A list of paper topics will be made available on the course website. A student will select one of the topics to write a 5page paper on. The paper will require at least 6 references (at least 4 of which must be from peer-reviewed journal articles)and must adhere to details that will be made available on the course web site.

The paper must be turned in to the instructor by the 22 March class. For every day, including weekends and holidays,the paper is late, starting with the end of class on the day it is due (and measured in 24 hour periods from this pointonwards), 10% will be deducted.DO NOT put the paper under the instructor's door! Late (or early!) papers must be submitted directly to the instructor,may be turned in to office staff at the Department of Psychology office (BSP-217, hours of operation are Monday – Friday,8:00-12:00 and 1:00-4:00), or may be thumbtacked to the bulletin board outside the instructor’s office (in this case, latepenalties will be assessed based on when the instructor actually finds the assignment).Grading Scheme:Mark (%) Grade Letter Grade Descriptor94-100 4.0 A+ Excellent88-93.9 4.0 A Excellent83-87.9 3.7 A- Excellent78-82.9 3.3 B+ Good73-77.9 3.0 B Good68-72.9 2.7 B- Good63-67.9 2.3 C+ Satisfactory58-62.9 2.0 C Satisfactory55-57.9 1.7 C- Satisfactory52-54.9 1.3 D+ Poor50-51.9 1.0 D Minimal Pass0-49.9 0.0 F or F(R) FailureExam, assignment, and paper marks will be tallied at the end of the course and converted to the 4-point/letter gradeUniversity grade scale. Note: this course is not graded on a curve. The mark received translates directly to the letter gradegiven.Posting of Grades:Student grades will be listed (by student ID) off the course website(http://www.psych.ualberta.ca/~msnyder/p372/grades/372grades.pdf). Any students who do not want their grades posted inthis manner should contact the instructor in writing during the first two weeks of class to make alternative arrangements.Prerequisites:To receive credit for Psychology 372 a student must have previously passed Psyco 104 and 105, STAT 141 or 151, andBIOL 207. Students who do not have the required prerequisite will have their registration in Psyco 372 cancelled; this mayresult in a loss of fees paid for this course.Course Objectives:The course will cover Mendelian and Non-Mendelian genetics, molecular and neurogenetics, current views on theNature/Nurture issue, identification of genes through techniques such as quantitative trait locus mapping, the role of geneticvariation in individual differences in cognitive and personality traits, and psychopathology.Cheating and Plagiarism:The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students areexpected to be familiar with these standards regarding academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in thisrespect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behaviour(online at www.ualberta.ca/secretariat/appeals.htm) and avoid any behaviour that could potentially result in suspicions ofcheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offenceand can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.In particular, please note: No student shall represent another’s substantial editorial or compositional assistance on anassignment as his or her own. Also, no student shall submit in any course or program of study, without the written approvalof the course instructor, all or a substantial portion of any academic writing, essay, thesis, research report, projectassignment, presentation or poster for which credit has been obtained by the student or which has been or is being submittedby the student in another course or program of student in the University or elsewhere. With respect to the assignments, thismeans that unless you are working as part of a group (and are being graded as such) you must submit your assignments onyour own; should substantive similarities in wording, content, ideas, etc. be found between different students' individualassignments this will be treated as a potential case of plagiarism, and will be investigated as such.Details on the appropriate use of academic referencing of sources for the paper will be provided on the course web site.Even if you are well familiar with academic referencing you are encouraged to review the material provided.