Course Objectives -  

1. To be able to accurately describe the various fields of Psychology and identify an area of personal research interest
2. To be able to find relationships between the various fields of Psychology
3. To be able to analyze and develop studies that cross relate and link fields of psychology
4. To develop anaysis skills necessary to answer prompts based on three types of stimulus inquiry:
    a. Text
    b. Studies
    c. Excerpts from books
5. To develop and master writing skills including:
    a. The formation of a thesis and thesis statement
    b. Analysis using different types of examples
    c. The formation of a concluding statement
    d. To apply these skills to Long Response, Document Based Questionis, and Short Response prompts
6. To develop a knowledge base of the contributions of significant historical figures

Students need to do the following to excel -

1. Take careful notes by completing the notes posted in class
2. Read the assigned pages each night
3. Follow up on any areas of interest or difficulty using the supplemental web resources
4. Make an effort to improve writing

Grading

1. Grades will be assigned as follows:
    a. Tests at the end of each unit, AP format. Approximately 2 per quarter
    b. Periodic quizzes
    c. Weekly essay writing assignments
    d. Daily participation points, unauthorized use of phone or excessive time out of class will result in an automatic "0" for the day.

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I. DESIGNED LEARNING OUTCOMES AND EVIDENCE FOR ASSESSMENT

1.  To express verbally or in writing an awareness XXX
2.  To understand current issues and how to reason towards solution.
3.  To analyze and interpret YYYY
4.  To write essay examinations and analytical papers 
5.  To express themselves with clarity and precision and know how to cite sources and credit the phrases and ideas of others 
6.  To understand the causes and effects of XXXX
7.  <>To see trends in areas YYYYYTo express an appreciation of the student’s own identity, his own worth, and his place in the society in which he lives

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1. Students are expected to keep a notebook on the material covered during class lectures, discussions and presentations.
2. Students are given regular reading assignments in their text, Myer's Psychology for AP
3. They are expected to do these assignments since the reading directly relates to the class discussions.
4. For each class, the students should construct several discussion-based questions pertaining to the reading assignment. Through these questions, the class can discuss those things that were unclear in the reading as well as explore opinions and implications to other topics not mentioned in the reading.
5. Each semester, the students are expected to give a brief presentation on one topic mentioned in the readings. On his assigned day, the student must be well organized and interesting. He must present the topic as well as provide stimulating questions to help direct the class discussion.  Each presentation/discussion should last about 15-20 minutes.
6. Since a constant effort is made to relate historical topics with what is happening in the world today, each class will begin with a brief discussion on a current event topic. Each student will be expected to keep abreast of events taking place in the world today by watching the news, reading the newspaper or listening to a news-based radio station.
7. Class discussions are a daily item. They are based on the text reading and the daily presentations. Each student is expected to participate in the class discussions. During each lesson several students will be called upon to provide brief summaries of the reading assignment.
8. Each student will write a research paper on a topic agreeable with the instructor.  More information on these will be given at a later date.

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III. METHODS OF EVALUATION

1. Occasional quizzes will be given to ensure that reading assignments are being done and that students are aware of current events. These quizzes will be small (10 – 15   questions).
2. Tests are given at the end 0f each unit. They will consist of multiple choice/true-false and essay questions. The tests will count for approximately 60% of the student's semester average.
3. Topic presentation is worth 40 pts. Students will be evaluated on their organization, knowledge and creativity. <>
4. <>At the end of the first semester, a comprehensive examination is given. This exam counts as two test grades.  

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1. Text,  Myer's Psychology for AP
2. Handouts from current articles.
3. Relevant readings from books, articles and the Internet.
4. Materials discoverd during the year by students and the teacher.
   

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Darwin Biography

Primary Document - Dawin On The Origin Of The Species By Natural Selection

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