Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Fall Semester 2025

Psychology as a Science and Profession (Face-to-Face)

PSY 2010-03

Course: PSY 2010-03
Credits: 3
Term: Fall Semester 2025
Department: PSY
CRN: 30747

Course Description

This course applies psychology to life. It also lays the foundation for further studies in psychology. Self-discovery; paradigm exploration; life, career, and education planning; professional organizations; research opportunities; graduate school; APA writing format; goal setting; decision-making; life and stress management; learning and memory skills; diversity; and psychology department resources are among the topics addressed. This class is required for Psychology majors. Psychology minors or anyone interested in a career in Psychology are also welcome. Students wishing to major in Psychology should take this course their freshman or sophomore year as it is a prerequisite for later courses. (Fall, Spring, Summer [As Needed]) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): PSY 1010 and (INFO 1010 or INFO 2010) - Prerequisite Min. Grade: C- Prerequisite Can Be Concurrent? Yes (INFO 1010 or INFO 2010) Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

Landrum, R. E., & Davis, S. F. (2020). The psychology major: Career options and strategies for success (6th ed.). Upper Sadler River, NJ: Pearson.
ISBN: 9780135705100

Stanovich, K. E. (2019). How to think straight about psychology (11th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Pearson Education.
ISBN: 9780134478623 

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge of Human Cultures and the Physical and Natural World
Students demonstrate knowledge of human cultures and the physical and natural world through study in the fine arts, humanities, social and behavioral sciences, life and physical sciences.

Communication
Students develop and express ideas and will be able to do so in a variety of ways, namely in writing, by speaking, visually, kinesthetically, through design or aurally. 

Critical Thinking
Students demonstrate disciplined processes of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observations, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.

Ethical Reasoning
Students describe and analyze positions on ethical issues, apply reasoning about right and wrong human conduct, demonstrate ethical decision-making skills, and demonstrate an evolving ethical self-identity.

Integrative Learning
Students make connections among ideas and experiences and can synthesize and transfer their learning to new, complex situations within and beyond the campus.

Course Requirements

Readings: Please complete all assigned readings for a particular class date prior to the beginning of that class. Assigned readings are on the Calendar section of the syllabus.

Quizzes: There will be regular reading quizzes, each worth 10 points for a total of 140 points.  

In-Class Activities: We tend to understand things best when we have a chance to talk and write about these topics. Therefore, we consider your participation in discussions and activities to be a very important part of your learning. We will be having In-Class Activities (ICAs) regularly that will consist of many of the following – reflections, case scenarios, problem-solving situations, etc. Many class sessions will have ICAs. The total number of points dedicated to ICAs will be 70 points. The point value for each individual ICA will depend upon the total number of ICAs given throughout the semester by each professor. 

Final Exam: There will be a final exam scheduled for your class section during Final Exam Week.  The final will be cumulative, will consist of questions from both sections of the course, and will be in a similar format to the weekly quizzes. The Final Exam may include some short-answer or essay questions. More information will be provided during the semester.  (100 points) 

Class Projects/Homework:

Memory Identification & Reflection Activity (Strosser): This activity will involve observing and documenting your memory strategies and trying out new memory strategies not previously used over a period of a few days. The objectives of this assignment are to 1) allow you to explicitly identify strategies that are successful as well as potentially unsuccessful as a student and 2) give you an opportunity to try new strategies that you have not used previously. More details for this assignment will be provided as described in the Calendar section of the syllabus. (35 points) 

Observational APA Research Paper (Strosser): This project will involve creating a hypothesis that you develop and testing this hypothesis by observing public behaviors of others. Your observational study will be reported in APA format as a formal research paper. The objectives of this assignment are to 1) provide you an opportunity to design a study, 2) collect data, and 3) write up the study using APA formatting. The intention of this assignment is to give you first-time exposure to the full research process and lay the foundation for future research-oriented courses. More details for this assignment will be provided as described in the Calendar section of the syllabus. (115 points)

O*NET (Koenig): O*NET is an acronym for Occupational Information Network. It is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. For this assignment, you will complete two activities on O*NET. You will complete the O*NET Interest Profiler by answering questions about your interests. You will also research careers in its career database. More information will be provided in class. (30 points)

Job Ad/Grad School Posting and Resume (Koenig): This and the next project should help you better understand the realities of entering and working in your desired profession. In this assignment, you will find and think about an advertisement for a job or graduate program in which you might be interested. What are the qualifications? What are the necessary skills? What does the employer/graduate program want in an applicant? Write a one-page report that summarizes the ad and your thoughts about it. Also, write a CV or one-page resume given your current qualifications and think about ways to become a more competitive applicant. (40 points).

Informational Interview (Koenig): What is it like to work as a counselor, research psychologist, and so on?  How do I get there? To learn more, conduct an interview with someone in your desired profession. Ask questions relevant to the field and profession. Ask about things such as what they spend most of their time doing, what they love and don’t love about their work, how they got there, and any advice they have. Write a 1-2 page report about what you learned about the interviewee and their career path (not about the interview, and do not submit interview notes). (30 points). You will do a brief class presentation on what you learned in your informational interview (10 points).

Your Roadmap to Success (Koenig): This assignment is the culmination of the class component on career planning. This written essay should build on an outline wherein you identify one (or more) career goal(s), then identify key steps that would enable you to achieve that goal(s). The key steps should be fleshed out by addressing issues such as what you have to do to achieve the key steps, and what resources are available to help you on the way. This assignment is intended to help you think through how you might start working now to achieve a career that you find satisfying. 2-4 pages. (40 points)

Course Outline

Introduction, Syllabus
College (Strosser first day)
Memory & Practical Learning 
Memory & Practical Learning (cont.)
Internships
Ethics
Ethics (cont.)
Research Logic
Research Logic (cont.)
Observational Studies & Topic Brainstorming 
Observational Studies & Topic Brainstorming (cont.) 
Literature Review 
Observational Studies & Topic Brainstorming (cont.)
Literature Review (cont.) & Activity
Literature Review (cont.) & Activity
APA Writing Style
Method Section Review 
Introduction Review
Results & Discussion Review/Data Collection Due
Introductions. Syllabus (Koenig first day)
What is Psychology?
Is Psychology for me?
Careers with a Psych Bachelor’s
Pursuing Bachelor-level Careers
Careers with an Advanced Degree
Applying to Graduate Schools
Presentations How-to 
Interview Presentations 
Roadmap to Success Explained (How-to)
Interview Presentations (continued)
Psych. Dept. and Professional Organizations
Final Exam

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

Missed assignments and late work will not be accepted unless you have made alternative arrangements with the instructor ahead of time. Documentation may be required. In the case of an emergency, contact the instructor as soon as possible. Work is due on the date provided on the schedule, unless noted otherwise by the instructor.

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance is encouraged. Please have the reading completed prior to the start of class in order to contribute meaningfully to discussions. If you miss a class, you will be responsible for any material that you missed. Many class meetings will have In-Class Activity assignments. 

Course Fees

$12 Fee

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.