Fall 2026
General Psychology
Instructor: Carol Barbay, Ph.D.
Email: barbacm@lamarpa.edu
Phone: 409-984-6311
Office Hours and Office Location:
MON & WED: 9:00-9:50 AM; 1:30 – 2:40 PM
TUE & THU: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM; 12:30-1:45 PM; 2:00 – 2:30 PM
Office Location: EDUC 1-ROOM 110
Additional Contact Information:
Additional office time availability by appointment;
| General Psychology is a survey of the major psychological topics, theories and approaches to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. The psychological topics include overview of psychology, psychological research methods, psychological disorders ans treatment for those disorders, perception, learning, thinking and intelligence and lifespan growth and development. |
The required textbook for this course is Psychology published by OpenStax.
The link to the textbook is as follows:
Textbook Purchasing Statement: A student attending Lamar State College Port Arthur is not under any obligation to purchase a textbook from the college-affiliated bookstore. The same textbook may also be available from an independent retailer, including an online retailer.
Instructor recommends student purchase an inexpensive hand-held calculator which provides for the following mathematical calculations: multiplication, division, addition and subtraction; also finding square roots of numerical values and squaring numerical values.
You must have access to the following Microsoft Office applications to view the course lecture notes: Word and PowerPoint.
If you do not have access to Microsoft Office applications, you can gain access by going to the following webpage:
Access to Microsoft Office Suite, including MS Word and MS PowerPoint.
ENGL-0302 College Reading Skills
| Course Learning outcomes 1. Identify various research methods and their characteristics used in the scientific study of psychology. (Core Skills 1,2) Measured by course assignments and activities. 2. Describe the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped the field of psychology.(Core Skills 1,2) Measured by course assignments and activities. 3. Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study of psychology.(Core Skills 1,2) Measured by course assignments and activities. 4. Use terminology unique to the study of psychology.(Core Skills 1,2) Measured by course assignments and activities. 5. Describe accepted approaches and standards in psychological assessment and evaluation.(Core Skills 1,2) Measured by course assignments and activities. 6. Identify factors in physiological and psychological processes involved in human behavior.(Core Skills 1,2) Measured by course assignments and activities. 7. Calculate current course grade accurately, using information provided by instructor relating to individual scores from projects, assignments, quizzes and exams.(Core Skill 3) Measured by course assignments and activities. 8. Explain how personal ethnic heritage is similar to and different from other cultural perspectives in effects on social cognition. (Core Skills 1, 2, 5 ) Measured by course assignments and activities. |
| * Communication skills: Students will demonstrate effective written, oral and/or visual communication. |
| * Critical Thinking Skills: Students will engage in creative and/or innovative thinking, and/or inquiry, analysis, evaluation, synthesis of information, organizing concepts and constructing solutions. |
| * Empirical and Quantitative Skills: Students will demonstrate applications of scientific and mathematical concepts, such as multiplication, division, addition and subtraction; also squaring numerical values and .finding the square roots of numerical values. |
* Social Responsibility: Students will demonstrate intercultural competency and civic knowledge by engaging effectively in local, regional, national and/or global communities
| MODULE 1 Syllabus review; Chapter 1 introduction to psychology; Chapter 2 psychological research; ; Chapter 15 psychological disorders; Chapter 16 therapy and treatment; MODULE 2 Chapter 3 biopsychology; Chapter 6 learning Chapter 7 thinking and intelligence Chapter 8 memory ; MODULE 3 Chapter 9 lifespan psychology; Chapter 10 emotion and motivation; Chapter 11 personality Chapter 14 - stress, lifestyle and health MODULE 4 Chapter 4 states of consciousness; Chapter 5 sensation and perception; Chapter 12 social psychology; Chapter 13 industrial-organization psychology |
| MAJOR ASSIGN DUE DATES MAJOR ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES 16 WEEKS CLASS - DUE DATES MAY BE CHANGED AS NEEDED MODULE 1 PSYC 2301 WEEK 1 BONUS OPTIONAL Course Pretest Online ____SUN _AUG 30____ WEEK 2 Required Attendance Assignments 1 and 2; WED ___SEP 2_____20 WEEK 2 Required Regular Assignment 1 WED ____SEP 2___25____ WEEK 2 Required Special RQA Assignment 1 WED ___SEP 2___10_ WEEK 3 Required TED Talk Assignment 1; WED _SEP 9___20__ WEEK 3 Bonus Module 1 SOAR Assignment WED __SEP 9___ WEEK 3 Required Preview Version 1 Psychology Core Assignment; FRI __SEP 11____10_ WEEK 4 Bonus ICC Opinion Survey Module 1 MON SEP 14 _____ WEEK 4 Required Quiz 1 - Chapters 1,2,15,16 – Online SUN _SEP 20_25 WEEK 4 Required Exam 1 Chapters 1,2,15,16 - Online SUN __SEP 20__100___ MODULE 2 PSYC 2301 WEEK 5 BONUS ICC OPINION SURVEY MON _SEP 21__ WEEK 5 Required Preview Version 2 Psychology Core Assignment; TUE _SEP 22_10_ WEEK 5 Required Regular Assignment 2; WED __SEP 23__25__ WEEK 5 Required Special Assignment 2; WED _SEP 23__10__ WEEK 6 Required Attendance Assignments 3 and 4; MON ___SEP 28__20__ WEEK 6 Required TED Talk Assignment 2 ; WED ___SEP 30____20 - WEEK 6 Bonus Module 2 SOAR Assignment; WED __ SEP 30___ WEEK 7 Optional BONUS Grade Calculation Assignment WED OCT 7 __ WEEK 8 Required Quiz 2 Chapters 3,6,7,8; ONLINE SUN _OCT 18____25 WEEK 8 Required Exam 2 - Chapters 3,6,7,8; ONLINE SUN __OCT 18__100__ MODULE 3 PSYC 2301 WEEK 9 Module 3 Bonus ICC Opinion Survey _ WED _OCT 21__ WEEK 9 Optional Course Bonus Syllabus Module3 Quiz Online SUN __OCT 25______ WEEK 10 Required Regular Assignment 3; FRI OCT 30___25___ WEEK 10 Required Special Assignment 3 FRI; OCT 30______10__ WEEK 10 Required Attendance Assignments 5 and 6; FRI OCT 30_____20__ WEEK 11 Required TED Talk Assignment 3 ; WED NOV 4____20_ WEEK 11 Bonus SOAR Assignment 3 WED NOV 4____ WEEK 12 Required Quiz 3 – Chapters 9,10,11,14; Online SUN NOV 15___25____ WEEK 12 Required Exam 3; Chapters 9,10,11,14; Online SUN NOV 15____100_ MODULE 4 PSYC 2301 WEEK 13 Required Regular Assignment 4; MON NOV 16___25__ WEEK 13 Required Special Assignment 4 MON NOV 16____20 WEEK 13 Optional Bonus AA 123 Assignment WED NOV 18 ____ WEEK 13 Required Preview Version 3 Core Assignment; FRI NOV 20_____10__ WEEK 14 Required Attendance Assignment 7 MON NOV 23_ _ 10__ WEEK 14 Required Grade Calculation Assignment MON NOV 23 ____20____ WEEK 14 Bonus SOAR Assignment 4 WED NOV 25_ ___ WEEK 14 Module 4 Required TED Talk Assignment 4; WED NOV 25__40_ WEEK 14 Optional Bonus Orientation Assignment FRI NOV 27 _____ WEEK 14 Optional PERMA Bonus Assignment FRI NOV 27______ WEEK 15 Required Final Version Core Assignment TUE DEC 1 _130_ WEEK 15 Required Quiz 4 – Chapters 9,10,11,14; Online SUN _DEC 6__25___ WEEK 15 Required Exam 4; Chapters 9,10,11,14; Online SUN __DEC 6__100 |
| December 2, 2026 - 12:0 AM Through December 6, 2026 - 11:59 PM |
90 - 100=A
80 - 89=B
70 - 79=C
60 - 69=D
Below 59 = F
NOTE: THE NUMERICAL VALUES IN THE ABOVE CHART REFER TO APPROXIMATE PERCENTAGES OF
1000 REQUIRED COURSE POINTS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS COURSE.
| Your FINAL course letter grade will be based on an approximate percentage of 1000 total possible points as follows: Letter Grades Point Totals Approximate Percentages A 900-1000+ 90%+ B 800-899 80-89% C 700-799 70-79% D 600-699 60-69% F 599 and below 59% and below HOW TO CALCULATE YOUR GRADE AT ANY TIME DURING THE SEMESTER 1. Add all of the points you have earned as of today's date, excluding any points from practice activities. 2. Request current required total course points from instructor. 3. Divide your total points by the total number of required points as of today's date. 4. For your final semester grade divide your current total by 1000 or use the grade chart above. 5. Your final grade or interim grade will be calculated based on total points only, NOT AN "AVERAGE" GRADE. 6. Remember a request for an AVERAGE GRADE IS MEANINGLESS and should be avoided. 7. Your grade at any time during the time of the semester is based on a percentage of total earned points relative to total required points at the time of calculation CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR FINAL GRADE FROM REQUIRED POINT SOURCES REQUIRED EXAMS = 400/100 = 40% REQUIRED QUIZZES = 100/1000 = 10% REQUIRED REGULAR ASSIGNMENTS = 100/1000 = 10% REQUIRED SPECIAL ASSIGNMENTS = 50/1000 = 5% REQUIRED CORE ASSIGNMENT = 160/1000 = 16% REQUIRED TED ASSIGNMENTS = 100/1000 = 10% REQUIRED GRADE CALCULATION = 20/1000 = 2% REQUIRED ATTENDANCE ASSIGNMENTS = 70/1000 = 7% TOTAL 1000/1000 REQUIRED POINTS = 100% |
| INSTRUCTOR COURSE POLICIES THE CONTENT OF THIS DOCUMENT MAY BE CHANGED AS NECESSARY DURING THE SEMESTER *For further details about assignments, see additional information using link in Blackboard section of this course. 1. This course will be a 16-week course. 2. Please consider this message your invitation to explore the Start Here section of this course once you have access to the course as well as a welcome to this course. 3. The MID-SEMESTER REVIEW section has useful information for assisting you in being more successful in online courses in general and in this course specifically. 4. This course will involve an introductory survey of the major areas of psychology, such as learning, social, testing, personality, developmental and physiological. 5. The emphasis in this course will be on psychology as the scientific study of behavior and we will study both human and animal behavior. In order to do your best in this course, you will need a basic level of skill in reading English. 6. This course is an on-campus course with in-person face-to-face meetings. and online assignments, exams, quizzes and assignments. 7. All assignments, projects, quizzes, exams and other course activities will be completed online. 8. In order to complete this course you will need a reliable computer with a reliable connection to the internet in order to complete the course activities. 9. If you do not have a computer with reliable connection to the internet, you will need to arrange access to these resources. 10. You should have basic computer-related skills as described in Step Five of the MID-SEMESTER REVIEW section of the course (Technical Requirements for the Course). 11. Because this course is a partially online course, you will need computer-related skills and a reliable connection to the internet. 12. There will be an orientation meeting during the semester, probably during the first face-to-face meeting. 13. If you cannot attend the orientation meeting, please get in touch with me if you have questions about the course. 14. During this orientation meeting, we discuss the syllabus for the course as well as course policies and procedures. 15. The required written assignments and optional written project documents will be graded as they are received. There will be no re-submissions or corrected documents accepted. 16. You will have 2 opportunities to complete each required quiz and exam. The higher of the 2 grades for each required quiz and exam will be used as the recorded score for purposes of calculating your final course grade. 17. All quizzes and exams in this course will be completed online using the Blackboard Learning System. Students must use a wired, dedicated connection to the internet for completing exams and quizzes, which will be timed activities. . This requirement means that difficulties because of dropped internet connections associated with wireless connections will not be used as a reason for extended quiz or exam availability time. 18. All submitted assignments will be graded and marked with the number of points assigned. An explanation for the grading details result will be available by email request. The purpose of this policy is to encourage more effective two-way communication between the course instructor and individual students. 19. All late assignments will be assigned a point credit of 1 point. Late reception of assignments will be defined as reception by the Blackboard system after the due date and due time. There will be a 15 minute grace period after the due date and due time, during which there will be no late penalty assessed. 20. All assignments created by students must be saved doc or docx file format. Using any other file format will result in a 1-point penalty for each assignment not created in doc or docx file format. Any document submitted in pages file format (default format for Apple devices, such as imac notebooks, ipads and iphones) will receive zero points credit. 21. GRIEVANCES, COMPLAINTS, AND CONCERNS REGARDING THIS COURSE: If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that cannot be resolved through discussion with the instructor, please consult GEDS Department Chair. Physical location: EDUC 1- Room 131-133. DR. STEVEN ZANI-CHAIRPERSON; EMAIL: ZANISJ@LAMARPA.EDU; CAMPUS PHONE: 984-6431. 22. Research has shown a strong positive relationship between attendance, participation and college success. 23. I STRONGLY recommend regular participation in this course, both mental and physical. Participation will help you succeed in this course!! Caution: I will not automatically drop your name from the class roll because you do not participate in class activities. 24. MAKEUP POLICIES - There are limited opportunities to make up missed work in this course. 25. Required assignments, quizzes and exams may be submitted late by instructor approval. 26. Students who have missed required work because of official college business and who can provide verification from a college official such as an athletic coach or student organization sponsor may turn in required work late for credit such as an assignment, quiz or exam. Bonus or extra credit work may not be submitted late for any reason. 27. No other justification will be accepted for turning in or completing work after the published due date. 28. If there is a technical problem with BlackBoard which affects all students, such as the system not working properly, there may be an extension of the availability for the quiz or exam or due date for a required assignment. 29. All students are responsible for reading and understanding these guidelines. 30. All students are responsible for maintaining a reliable connection to the internet for completing work in this course. 31. Failure to complete an exam or study guide quiz because of a failed wireless connection is not an acceptable reason for an extension of quiz or exam 32. All work will be graded as submitted. 33. The instructor will accept NO re-submissions or corrected documents. 34. The instructor will consider an assignment submission with no document attached as an incomplete and incorrect submission. 35. Instructor agrees to grade all assignments submitted in Blackboard within 14 calendar days after the stated due date in course syllabus. 36. Students will not bring drinks or drink containers into face-to-face meetings for this course without instructor permission. 37. Students may partially compensate for lost course points by completing bonus course activities. 38. Students may complete practice versions of course written assignments and submit them via email attachments to the instructor a minimum of 48 hours before the due dates for those assignments and receive comments from the instructor for making necessary changes to the assignment documents. These practice versions carry no course credit and serve information purposes only. |
| ATTENDANCE POLICY Research has shown a strong positive relationship between attendance, active participation and college success. INSTRUCTOR STRONGLY recommends regular participation in this course, both mental and physical. Participation will help you succeed in this course!! Caution: Instructor will not automatically drop your name from the class roll because you do not participate in class activities. |
IMPORTANT SEMESTER DATES STUDENTS SHOULD BE AWARE OF
FIRST DAY OF CLASS: MONDAY AUGUST 24, 2026
LABOR DAY HOLIDAY: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 7, 2026
CENSUS DATE: WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 9, 2026
FINAL DROP DATE WITHOUT PENALTY: MONDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2026
FINAL DROP DATE WITH ACADEMIC PENALTY: MONDAY NOVEMBER 23, 2026
ENERGY CONSERVATION DAY: WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 25, 2026
THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY: THURSDAY AND FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 26 AND 27, 2026
LAST CLASS DAY:THURSDAY DECEMBER 10, 2026
GRADES DUE FOR GRADUATING STUDENTS: THURSDAY DECEMBER 10, 2026 BY 4:00 PM
GRADES DUE FOR ALL OTHER STUDENTS: FRIDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2026 BY 12:00 NOON
COMMENCEMENT: FRIDAY DECEMBER 11, 2026 11:00 AM AND 5:30 PM
Be sure to check your campus email and Course Homepage using MyLSCPA campus web portal. You can also access your grades, transcripts, academic advisors, degree progress, and other services through MyLSCPA.
Academic honesty is expected from all students, and dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please consult the LSCPA policies (Academic Dishonesty section in the Student Handbook) for consequences of academic dishonesty.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. Among other things, this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation, please contact the Disability Services Coordinator, Room 117, in the Student Sucess Center. The phone number is (409) 984-6241.
No food or tobacco products are allowed in the classroom. Only students enrolled in the course are allowed in the classroom, except by special instructor permission. Use of electronic devices is prohibited.
This syllabus is part of LSCPA's efforts to comply with Texas House Bill 2504.
As per Texas law and LSCPA policy, all LSCPA employees, including faculty, are required to report allegations or disclosures of child abuse or neglect to the designated authorities, which may include a local or state law enforcement agency or the Texas Department of Family Protective Services. For more information about mandatory reporting requirements, see LSCPA's Policy and Procedure Manual.
LSCPA is committed to establishing and maintaining an environment that is free from all forms of sex discrimination, including sexual harassment, sexual violence, and other forms of sexual misconduct. All LSCPA employees, including faculty, have the responsibility to report disclosures of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sexual assault (including rape and acquaintance rape), domestic violence, dating violence, relationship violence, or stalking, to LSCPA's Title IX Coordinator, whose role is to coordinate the college's response to sexual misconduct. For more information about Title IX protections, faculty reporting responsibilities, options for confidential reporting, and the resources available for support visit LSCPA's Title IX website.
For more information about the Clery Act and crime reporting, see the Annual Security & Fire Safety Report and the Campus Security website.
If you have a grievance, complaint, or concern about this course that has not been resolved through discussion with the Instructor, please consult the Department Chair.