Course Syllabus

Course Name: Psychology	Course #: 94049-2	Course Credits: 1(quarter elective)
Credentialed Teacher name: Mx. Harris		Number of equivalent school days: 45 days (9-week quarter)

Course Description

Psychology is a quarter-length elective introducing students to the scientific study of behavior and mental processes. Grounded in the APA National Standards for High School Psychology Curricula, the course samples the discipline’s five core pillars — Biological, Cognition, Development and Learning, Social and Personality, and Mental and Physical Health — built on a foundation of scientific inquiry and research methods. Throughout the course, students examine psychology through seven Integrative Themes, including the principle that psychology values diversity, promotes equity, and fosters inclusion in pursuit of a more just society. Rather than focusing on a single national or cultural context, the course draws on global and cross-cultural research and examples so students see how psychological principles play out across the world. Students build scientific literacy, critical thinking, and the ability to apply psychological concepts to their own lives, their communities, and global issues.

Course Objectives

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Identify and describe key contributions to the field of psychology and its major historical perspectives
• Explain how psychological research is conducted, including research methods, measurement, and ethical standards for research with human and non-human participants
• Evaluate test standardization, reliability, and validity
• Explain the cognitive, physiological, and social development of the human life span
• Describe the parts and functions of the brain and the biological bases of behavior
• Explain the principles and techniques of classical and operant conditioning
• Identify and explain cognitive psychology theories, including memory, thinking, and language
• Evaluate major personality theories and views of intelligence
• Examine psychological disorders, their causes, and approaches to treatment across cultural contexts
• Examine universal emotions and culturally shaped ways of expressing them, and how they relate to stress and physiological response
• Apply psychological science to questions of bias, equity, and inclusion using cross-cultural and global evidence, without reducing this analysis to any single national or ethnic framework
• Apply psychological principles to real community, organizational, or personal issues

Suggested Materials and Equipment

• District-issued device. (Personal devices do not provide access to all district-purchased resources and can cause issues when taking exams.)

Need a computer? Please contact our school.

• District-adopted introductory psychology textbook (assigned by chapter/section)
• Access to Google Workspace (Docs, Slides, Forms) and Canvas

Course Outline

Week 1 — Orientation. Course introduction, expectations, academic integrity, and how to navigate the online classroom.

Week 2 — Foundations of Psychological Science. What is psychology? Research methods, data analysis basics, and ethics in research. Introduction to the course’s seven Integrative Themes.

Week 3 — Biological Bases of Behavior. The brain and nervous system; the interaction of biology and environment in shaping behavior.

Week 4 — Cognition. Memory, thinking, language, and problem solving.

Week 5 — Development and Learning. Physical, cognitive, and social development across the life span; classical and operant conditioning.

Week 6 — Social Psychology, Multiculturalism, and Gender. Social influence and group behavior; in-group/out-group bias; cross-cultural research on individualism and collectivism, using global examples.

Week 7 — Personality, Motivation, and Emotion. Major personality theories; motivation; universal versus culturally shaped emotional expression.

Week 8 — Mental and Physical Health. Psychological disorders, global mental health, stress and health psychology, and therapy approaches across cultures.

Week 9 — Application and Synthesis. Culminating project applying psychological science to a real community, organizational, or personal issue; course wrap-up and reflection.

Methods of Evaluation

• Computer-based assignments
• Student formative and summative instruments and assessments (exit tickets, quizzes, tests, reflective journals, etc.)
• Student participation (teacher observation/evaluation)
• Culminating synthesis project (Week 9)

Course Grading

Your final grade is based on your performance throughout the class. Exams account for 20%; Weekly assignments account for 40%; Discussions account for 30%; and the Final Project accounts for 10% of your course grade..

100–90% ————-A

89%–80% ————B

79%–70% ————C

69%–60% ————D

59% or below ——F

PLEASE NOTE: Each assignment has its own due date, there is NO one day all work is due. Students should try and have all weekly assignments submitted by Friday so that they remain on pace.

Class Rules & Expectations

• Treat others the way you want to be treated. Be respectful.
• Keep devices charged at all times. Be prepared.
• Keep questions and discussions relevant. Stay on topic.
• Engage respectfully with material on mental health, culture, and identity — this course discusses sensitive topics with care.

Participation & Attendance

Attendance at Launch Virtual Academy is a combination of student digital engagement and work completed. To complete this class within a 9-week quarter, students are expected to dedicate 10–12 hours a week. Students are encouraged to attend all synchronous online LIVE meetings, if offered, to support course progress. Attendance will depend on successful completion of both weekly digital engagement tasks and class assignments.

Participation in an online classroom requires that students take responsibility for their own learning. Students who demonstrate exemplary citizenship in class will complete assignments in a timely manner, be mindful of school rules, listen to others, and engage with their classmates via Canvas and MS Teams. Furthermore, these students will contribute to a positive learning environment by demonstrating integrity and honesty in their learning as well as treating members of the staff and their peers with respect.

Course Resources

• Computer-based (online & offline) resources
• LIVE Academic Sessions (if offered)
• Small group academic support/interactions
• One-on-one online academic support — as needed

Course Policies and Information for Students

At Launch Virtual Academy, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive atmosphere, in which all participants can contribute, explore, and challenge their own ideas as well as those of others. Every participant has an active responsibility to foster a climate of intellectual stimulation, openness, and respect for diverse perspectives, questions, personal backgrounds, abilities, and experiences. Launch Virtual Academy makes every effort to accommodate individuals with academic/learning, health, physical, and psychological disabilities. To obtain accommodations, students must identify themselves and provide documentation from a qualified professional or agency to the appropriate campus designee. If you have already been identified as a student with a documented disability and are entitled to classroom or testing accommodations, please inform the instructor of the accommodations you will require for this class at the beginning of the course.

DISCIPLINARY POLICY FOR DISRUPTIVE AND PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOR

Students participating in disruptive or problematic behavior will receive a maximum of 2 formal warnings. Behavior that may constitute disruptive or problematic conduct may include: bullying, distracting others during synchronous class time, frequently interrupting the teacher during a lesson, inappropriate use of discussion boards, etc. After the third warning the teacher will call home to determine the next disciplinary action appropriate for the student. If problematic behavior continues after communicating with parents, the student will be referred to the Assistant Principal.

ACADEMIC HONESTY POLICY

Students are expected to understand, and adhere to, the school’s academic honesty policy, which can be found in the student handbook.

Students who violate this policy will be referred to the Assistant Principal (AP). Penalties for violating the policy will be determined by the AP and can include failure of the assignment and failure of the course. If you have any doubts about what constitutes a violation of the Academic Integrity policy, or any other issue related to academic integrity, please ask your teacher. Students are expected to do their own work. If a student turns in a project done by someone else, they will receive 0 points for that project and will not be allowed to make it up.

• Be sure to always cite your sources when you present ideas and/or language that you have not developed yourself.
• Violation of this policy includes submitting work that is not your own.

LATE WORK POLICIES, MAKE-UP EXAMS, AND REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS

Due to the online nature of the class, students have the privilege of completing work at their own pace. To stay on pace during the quarter, deadlines are still expected to be met. Turning in late assignments forfeits your right to timely feedback. You will receive a 0 for any assignments missing until you have completed the assignment and turned it in for a grade. If you know in advance you cannot meet a deadline, speak to your teacher so an extension can be arranged.

RE-GRADING POLICY

Students may resubmit an assignment with revisions for a better grade. For instructor feedback, please check the comments on graded assignments. Make sure your sharing permissions are set to public — if the teacher cannot access the document, credit cannot be given for the submission. When submitting an assignment for re-grading, always notify your teacher after re-submitting.

COURSE EXTENSION POLICY

Students have the ability to work over their scheduled breaks, Q1, Q2, and Q3 to improve their grade.

To qualify for this opportunity, students must:

• Schedule a 1-on-1 meeting with the teacher to review work to focus on during the break and sign an agreement that they will work over the break, otherwise their grade will default to what they had at the end of the quarter.
• If working over the break, the grade will be submitted as an “I” (incomplete), then changed after work is graded.

NOTE: Students who work on assignments over the breaks but did not meet with the teacher and have an agreement in place will not have their work graded.