Syllabus for Psych 459 (WI)  Fall  2002

Instructor:  Dr. Leon James, Professor of Psychology, University of Hawaii  Gartley 213A
Telephone contact and messages (call during normal office hours): 261-2382   
e-mail:  leon@hawaii.edu  Walk in office hours: Before and after classes (M, T, R)

Course Description:  Analyzing The Daily Emotional Spin Cycle
Focuses on the daily habits of the threefold self-- affective, cognitive, and sensorimotor, and on techniques of self-witnessing and self-modification. Students publish their reports on the Web, give oral presentations in class, and participate in an online class forum discussion on selected topics. Includes computer lab where students can work and are given help in Web publishing. This is a WI course and requires more writing than the average class. Students will publish a minimum of three reports and will have to make the requested changes when the instructor reads the drafts. Students also read each other's reports and make appropriate suggestions.

Required textbook:  Albert Ellis, Feeling Better, Getting Better, Staying Better: Profound Self-Help Therapy for Your Emotions. Impact Publishers, Inc.

GRADES: APPROXIMATE VALUE OF ACTIVITIES

15 points

Class oral presentations

5  points

 Participation in class discussion

10 points

Timely participation in the electronic Forum Discussions (minimum: 2 per week, every week)

70 points

Appearance, content, and quality of your Web site containing your reports and projects (Annotated bibliography report=25; Research report=30; Book review report=15)

Average grade=C || Doing well everything required on time=B || Going creatively beyond the instructions=A

A=100-85 points; B=84-70 points; C=69-60; D=59-50; F=49-0

Roll call is taken at the start of each class. Absence Penalty: - 3 points per absence. Also: - 1 point for entering after class starts (talk to instructor after class to change your absence penalty to a late penalty.) Late Work Penalty: - 1  point per day late (no maximum).   See Due Dates on the Web at: http://www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy17/g17duedates.html

Grading Policy:    (1) The grade of A cannot be earned unless you submit all work on time and show evidence of having gone beyond the instructions in a creative way.  If you have more than 15 penalty points you cannot receive a B. To receive a passing grade in this course you must submit all required work.   (2) If technical reasons prevent you from uploading any required work, you must submit on time a typed or printed version of it to the instructor.  Always keep a back up copy of your files on a separate disk besides your hard drive.  (3) You can apply for regrading a report after you submitted your last report. Send request to Dr. James by email. To be valid, your request must indicate: (a) name and pseudonym; (b) class; (c) report name and Web address; (d) prior grade; (e) what significant improvements you've made.

Class Structure: Every class is made up of three portions. First Portion: instructor answers your questions about doing the reports, and lectures on the topic. Second Portion: student gives scheduled oral presentation, and class discussion follows. Third Portion: Lab work in Saunders 635, reserved for this class.

Computer Lab:  Times when the computer lab is reserved for this class: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays: 2:30 to 3:30 Saunders 635.  Important: A personal password is needed to access lab computers.  So you MUST register as a Lab User during the FIRST TWO WEEKS of the semester at:
http://webdata.soc.hawaii.edu/lab_user   (Note that there is an underscore in the address between lab and user)

The G17 Class Web Page to access all course information is at:  
 www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy17/g17classhome.html

The Instructor's Home page is at:
www.soc.hawaii.edu/leonj/leonj/leonpsy/leon.html