PSB 4002: Introductory Bio-Psychology

Florida International University Summer A 2020

Professor Eliza Nelson | elnelson@fiu.edu

Course Description and Purpose

Introductory Bio-Psychology is a course introducing students to the biological basis of behavior. The course is organized into three units: (1) neural foundations, (2) sensory systems and homeostasis, and (3) complex behavior. Topics include neurophysiology, neuropharmacology, sleep, stress, memory, and brain asymmetry.

Course Objectives

Upon successful completion of this course, will be able to do the following:

1. Describe and explain how the nervous system works
2. Critically discuss the reciprocal relationship between biology and psychology
3. Explain typical and atypical brain-behavior relationships

Course Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for this course.

Exam Policy

There are three non-cumulative unit exams, and an optional cumulative final in this course. Use of the textbook and personal notes is allowed on all exams, but students may not work together and should not google for answers. The writing on the exam must be the original work of the student. Any instances of copying (word for word from lectures, textbook, classmate, or online source) will result in an automatic score of "0" and a charge of academic misconduct. All exams are due on the date given in the syllabus by 11:59 pm. Exams are open for 24 hours. Students who need to submit an exam late must petition Dr. Nelson in writing.  All reasonable requests will be honored. 

Required Textbook

The Mind's Machine: Foundations of Brain and Behavior, Third Edition

Expectations of this Course

The course is fully online where all of the instructional materials and activities are delivered through Canvas. Please maintain a courteous and professional manner even though you might never meet your professor or your classmates in person. Time spent on this online course is no different from the time you would expect to spend in a typical face-to-face course.

Although the course is accelerated, the content is no different than a full-semester course. Assignments are due every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday to keep the pace of the course. Late assignments will be accepted without penalty up until the corresponding unit exam. Once the unit exam closes, no further assignments will be accepted for that unit. Students who need to submit an exam late must petition Dr. Nelson in writing. All reasonable requests will be honored.

As a student in this course, you are expected to do the following: 

• Be responsible for your own learning
• Log in to the course at least three times per week
• Follow the course calendar
• Interact online with instructor/s and peers
• Respond to emails within two business days
• Read assigned sections in the textbook 
• Review instructor-provided course material including lectures and videos
• Submit assignments, quizzes, and exams by the due date

As the instructor, I will do the following: 

• Log in to the course at least three times per week
• Respond to emails within one business day
• Grade assignments within two business days of the due date
• Be available  by Zoom for course questions and concerns

Course Communication

Email Policy

A professional email is very different from a text message you would send to a friend. Start your email “Dear Professor Nelson”. Include the course name, your PID, and the reason for the message in the body of the email. Sign your full name at the bottom. Select an informative subject line that contains the course name and summarizes what you are emailing about (do not leave the subject line blank). Many questions can be answered by the syllabus. Dr. Nelson and any teaching staff reserve the right not to respond to unprofessional emails. In this course, the response time for messages is 1 business day. Messages received over the weekend may not receive a response until the following Monday.

Office Hours Policy

Dr. Nelson is available via Zoom on Fridays from 11:00 am - 12:00 pm or by appointment (Zoom/phone). Office hours can be used for questions unrelated to class, such as advice on job applications or how to apply to medical/graduate/professional school. If you are struggling with the material or the workload, contact Dr. Nelson ASAP (elnelson@fiu.edu). If a significant personal or medical problem arises, do not wait to contact Dr. Nelson to make appropriate arrangements. Do not wait until it’s too late to get help! 

Graded Activities

Course Surveys

There are surveys available throughout the semester. Each survey is worth 1 point. Surveys are graded by hand. Points do not post automatically. There is no penalty if you choose not to do the surveys.

Assignments

This course uses case studies for each assignment. There is one assignment per module. Students should view the rubric prior to starting. Assignments use discussion forums. Keep in mind that your discussion forum postings will be seen by other members of the course. Care should be taken when determining what to post. Assignments must be the student's original work. No group work is permitted. Assignments may be turned in late without penalty until the corresponding unit exam. Once the unit exam closes, no further assignments from that unit are accepted. 

Quizzes 

In order to mitigate any issues with your computer and online assessments, it is very important that you take the Practice Quiz from each computer you will be using to take your graded quizzes. Please review the Important Information About Quizzes page. Quizzes in this course are designed as reading checks, and questions correspond closely to the textbook. All quizzes are multiple choice. Quizzes may be turned in late without penalty until the corresponding unit exam. Once the unit exam closes, no further quizzes from that unit are accepted. 

Unit Exams

Unit exams in this course are open-book and non-cumulative. Unit exams are a mix of open-ended/applied questions. Students should expect to do substantial writing on each exam. Students can use their personal notes and their textbook on exams. However, exams must be the original work of the student. Group work is not permitted. All parties involved in instances of academic misconduct will receive a grade of "0". Exams are available for 24 hours on the date given in the syllabus. Students who need to submit an exam late must petition Dr. Nelson in writing.  All reasonable requests will be honored. 

Final Exam

The final exam in this course is open-book and cumulative. All questions on the final are multiple choice. The final is optional, and can only be used to improve a student's grade. Students who take the final can drop their lowest unit exam score. If a student scores lower than their prior exam scores, the final will not count towards their grade. Students can use their personal notes and their textbook on the final. Group work is not permitted. All parties involved in instances of academic misconduct will receive a grade of "0". The final is available for 24 hours on the date given in the syllabus. Students who need to submit the final late must petition Dr. Nelson in writing.  All reasonable requests will be honored. 

Grade Reporting Policy

Dr. Nelson may send you a personal email if you are struggling in the course. It is your best interest to respond to help you through the course. FIU does not allow an A+. Psychology majors are required to earn a C or higher (i.e., at least 417 points in this course). Standard rounding to the nearest percentage is used to determine final letter grades. Requests for exceptions to the grading policy will not be honored.  Please note that the Total column in Canvas may not accurately reflect your performance until the course is complete. You can contact Dr. Nelson anytime for your standing. Extra credit is available in this course. All extra credit is due by 11:59 pm on June 19, 2020 (Note: date is a Friday).

Course Policies

What happens if I miss an assignment?

How does extra credit work in this course?

Dr. Nelson posted a set of articles with corresponding questions in Module 17 | Extra Credit.

There is one extra credit article per module. Your task is to read the article and answer the assigned questions. Answers are credited as 1 point each, and you must answer all questions for each article to earn points. No partial credit will be given. The minimum acceptable response is 3 sentences per question. Your work will be returned if your responses are too short. The deadline to submit extra credit  -- including any revisions --- is 11:59 pm on June 19, 2020.  Extra credit is the only way to improve your grade in the course . Grades are earned, and not negotiated, in this course. 

How to Submit Extra Credit:

Attachments are not permitted. Work offline in a word processing program and then copy and paste your work into the text box provided. Your work will not be graded if you do not use the following format:

Module Number

Question 1

• Response 1

Question 2

• Response 2

Question 3

• Response 3

Extra Credit Due Date:

Extra credit work can be turned in at any point during the semester. The deadline is 11:59 pm on June 19th, 2020. No late extra credit will be accepted for any reason. It is easy to fall behind when an optional assignment is not due until the last day of the course. The recommendation from prior students who have taken this course is to do the extra credit as you work through each module -- do not wait until the last minute and attempt to do it all at once.

Important Information

Before starting this course, please review the following pages:

• Policies
• Netiquette
• Technical Requirements and Skills
• Accessibility and Accommodation
• Academic Misconduct Statement

FIU Panther Care and CAPS Services

If you are looking for help for yourself or a fellow classmate, Panthers Care encourages you to express any concerns you may come across as it relates to any personal behavior concerns or worries, for the classmate’s well-being or yours. You are encouraged to share your concerns with FIU’s Panthers Care website.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) offers free and confidential help for anxiety, depression, stress, and other concerns that life brings. Learn more about CAPS. Professional counselors are available for same-day appointments. Don’t wait to call 305-348-2277 to set up a time to talk or visit the online self-help portal.

Staying Safe and Healthy

In collaboration with the Health, Safety, and Welfare Committee of the FIU Faculty Senate and the Healthy Panthers Council, the Provost encourages each faculty and student to take a proactive role in their safety, personal health, and well-being.

Through viewing the "Staying Safe and Healthy" video series, you will learn:

• How to respond to an active shooter situation
• Care of an unconscious person
• Care of the bleeding person
• Panther’s Care Initiative
• How to enhance your personal health and wellbeing

These 3-5 minute videos and related resources can be found for:

• On Campus Students in the Student Starter Kit in Canvas
• 2.0 Fully Online Students in Panther Den in Canvas

Statement on Civility

Course Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time (EST). Course due dates are according to this time zone.

If you encounter any technical difficulties, please contact the FIU Canvas Help Center.