Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2027

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

PSY 2010-01

Course: PSY 2010-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2027
Department: Psychology
CRN: 11594

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

To help reduce the economic burden my students face, I have chosen a textbook that is available to you for free online. Required texts will be provided by the instructor.

Learning Outcomes

ESSENTIAL LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1.     Digital Literacy: Students strategically and responsibly employ appropriate technologies to explore, create, collaborate, and organize in a digital context. 

2.     Information Literacy: Students identify, locate, evaluate, attribute and share information effectively and ethically. 

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

Course Requirements

Your grade in the course will be based on your performance on 2 exams, 12 homework assignments, 4 discussion boards, research participation, a final research paper, and 2 final projects (both of which have 2 parts).  

Course Outline

*See Canvas after Exam 1 for discussion board due dates.
DATE | TOPIC | ASSIGNMENTS
9/3/26 | Welcome/Syllabus | Commenced Attendance Quiz
Welcome assignment
9/8/26 | Psychology as a Science:
Research Ethics |
9/10/26 | Psychology as a Science:
Research Ethics | HW #1
9/15/26 | Psychology as Science: APA Format |
9/17/26 | Psychology as a Science
Introduction to Finding the Original Source | HW #2
9/22/26 | Psychology as a Science:
Research Methods/Design | HW #3
9/24/26 | Psychology as a Science:
Research Methods/Design | Final Project #1: Part 1
9/29/26 | NO CLASS: Take Exam 1 |
10/1/26 | NO CLASS: Take Exam 1 | HW #4
10/6/26 | Experimentation |
10/8/26 | Experimentation | HW #5
Final Project #1: Part 2
10/13/26 | Careers in Psychology:
Choosing a Career |
10/15/26 | Careers in Psychology:
AA and B.S. Jobs | HW #6
10/20/26 | NO CLASS: Fall Break |
10/22/26 | Careers in Psychology:
Resumes | HW #7
10/27/26 | Careers in Psychology:
Resumes |
10/29/26 | Careers in Psychology:
Cover Letters | HW #8
11/3/26 | Careers in Psychology:
Interviews |
11/5/26 | Careers in Psychology:
Graduate School: Introduction and Applying | HW #9
11/10/26 | Careers in Psychology
CV’s and Personal Statements |
11/12/26 | Careers in Psychology:
Graduate School Interviews | Final Project #2: Part 1
11/17/26 | Careers in Psychology:
Areas of Psychology |
11/19/26 | Careers in Psychology
Areas of Psychology | HW #10; HW 11
11/24/26 | NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break |
11/26/26 | NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break |
12/1/26 | NO CLASS: Take Exam 2 |
12/3/26 | NO CLASS: Take Exam 2 | HW #12 due
12/8/26 | NO CLASS: Take Optional Final |
12/10/26 | NO CLASS: Take Optional Final | Final Project #2: Part 2; SONA Hours; All Work
 
***You will also have 4 discussion boards due after exam 1 that will all be completed by 12/11 Dates will be released in the second half 

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

1. Homework assignments: Late assignments will result in a 10% deduction each day for a maximum 50% point deduction. For example, if you turn something in one day late you will receive 10% off your grade for that assignment. If you turn something in 5 days late or 50 days late you would receive a 50% deduction from your grade on that assignment. All late homework is due by December 11th at midnight. Any assignments turned in after this will not be graded. 
2. Discussion Boards:  No late discussion boards will be accepted. 
3.Research Participation: All SONA participation is due by December 11th. No late research credit will be accepted. Waiting until the last week to contact SONA with any issues or to try and earn your credit may result in you not being able to receive full (or any) credit for this assignment. 
4. Final Projects: You will be asked to complete 2 final projects at the end of each section of this class. There will be 2 parts to both of these finals.  Late final projects will result in a 50% deduction.
5. Exams: Makeup exams will only be granted to students who have requested them 2 weeks in advance or contact me within 24 hours of the exam with a documented emergency that clearly prevented them from making it to the exam each day it was available. Makeup exams are not a right and are not guaranteed. It is up to my discretion to approve all makeup exams and I reserve the right to deny a makeup exam request for any reason. Therefore, it is strongly recommended you do not miss any exams. 
6. Optional Final Exam: There will be no makeup final exams offered under any circumstances.



Attendance Policy

This is an in-person course. Classes will not be recorded and there will not be a zoom link for you to access. Although you will not be given class credit for attendance, attendance is required. There will be material covered in class that isn’t in your textbook. Additionally, there will be material covered in your textbook that we do not go over in class. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you attend class and keep up with the readings in order to do well on the exams. If you do miss class, it is your responsibility to catch up on your own (i.e. asking your classmates for notes, going to office hours, etc.)

Course Fees

No additional fees associated with this class. 

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.