advanced placement psychology 2020-2021 dr. brandon gilliland course description: ap psychology will be an intense and fascinating
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.
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Students will think critically about the world of psychology and
their relationship to it.
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Students will master the content to pass the College Board Exam
and earn College credit for Introductory Psychology.
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Students will learn about psychologists, their experiments and
theories, over the past century.
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Students will assess differing theories of psychologists such as
psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, biological and
will explore socio-cultural perspectives.
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Students will demonstrate an understanding of how psychologists
think and the ethical ways in which they test their hypotheses.
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Students will read, understand and perform ethical research.
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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:
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3-ring binder
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Loose-leaf paper
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Pencils
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Pens (blue or black ink ONLY!)
Classroom Policies
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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%.
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If you are struggling to understand the material, it is your
responsibility to ask questions or for extra help.
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You must treat classmates and teachers with respect.
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You must actively participate in class! Make sure your cell phone
is turned off and out of sight.
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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.
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Come to class prepared and on time.
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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 & 2
combined)
Mods 1-3
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.