This is where I will announce changes to our class, reminders, interesting events, etc.  Please check this page twice each week to stay up to date.  It is laid out so the most recent announcements are at the top.  Scroll down to see what you've missed.

12/18/07

       I have now posted the final gradebook which contains Final Project scores (as a class you did magnificently!) and final course averages, as well as the grades submitted to the registrar which you should also see on MyHanover.  Please come pick up your papers which will be outside my door at the start of Winter term.

       Have a healthy and relaxing holiday break!

12/17/07

       I have posted the final exam grades: mean was 83.4% and range: 68% - 94%.  In addition, Participation scores are available.  The average you see for the course is just an estimate until final project scores are recorded.  You should see your final course grade by tomorrow afternoon, I hope to update the gradebook by late Weds.  If you have any questions about how grades were derived or anything else about the course, please contact me when school resumes in January, we can meet then.

12/12/07

       I have finished the final exam; it consists of 50 multiple choice questions - no short answer or essays.  As we discussed in class, it contains many items on ch. 12 material and essay #6, including both topics covered in lecture alone and aspects from the book we did not discuss in class.  In addition, there are a few questions on Rogers' and Cushman's articles, as well as some cumulative questions related to the course as a whole: psychological perspectives, research methods, and general issues which we discussed throughout the semester.  In addition, the extra credit points are now in the gradebook, look for additional info over the coming week, by 12/20 the latest.

      Once again, it was a pleasure teaching you all and I will see you in ROOM SC-136 at 9am tomorrow (Thursday) morning.  [Please bring pencils!]

12/7/07

       I have confirmed w/the library reserve desk:  they have the video in which Hal goes to three different therapists, it’s called Three Approaches to Psychotherapy.  You will need to view it in the library, I think they check it out by the hour, but it's only 30 min long. 

12/5/07

   Those of you new to the Psych major, may not have seen this note:

    The semi-annual psych 220 research methods poster session will be held this Friday from 1 to 1:50 pm in the Bison Bison Antiquus lounge outside SCC 147.  If you have a moment, please come observe the good work these 6 groups have done over the semester and ply them with challenging questions [about their perspectives, methods and results! -MM].   The first 10 attendees will be awarded a cast-iron replica of Maslow’s ego*.  Hope to see you there.

--Bill Altermatt

11/29/06

    Just a reminder: Extra Credit forms (complete with signatures, debriefing forms for online studies, and with your study summaries attached) are due in class on Weds, 12/5.  I will not be accepting them after that time.

11/28/06

    The video I mentioned in class (in which a well-respected surgeon, Sherwin Nuland, speaks of his experiences with Major Depression and E.C.T.), from TED.com, is here.  It's about 20 min long and may require some video software to view.

11/26/06

    The exam scores are posted.  Mean: 81.96%; range: 69.5% - 99.2%.  Nice job, everyone!  We'll review them on Weds.

11/19/06

    The exam scores will not be posted for a while due to make-ups.  Check back toward the end of break.  In the meantime, do be sure to get the Rogers article from the library Reserve Desk (circulation) and copy it to read; bring the copy Monday to review together.

11/16/06

    The answers to the Defense Mechanism Handout are  here you should be able to answer them from your reading.  If you are confused, you may email me this weekend w/questions but since we discussed these at length, I'm assuming they are fairly clear. 

     Once again, Exam III is on all material since Exam II: video clips, lectures (including transparency material) and all material in ch 9-11 & essays 4 & 5, whether discussed in class or not.  There will be 40 multiple choice questions, 10 matching and 9 short answer.   Be sure to review relavant tables, figures, summaries in the text.

     Please review the gradebook to see that there are no type-os in entering your Sub 2 scores; I have also transferred your current FP % from the FP page to the Grades page so your average for the course is up to date.

      Finally, if you are participating in research for extra credit, those forms w/study summaries are due on Weds of the last week of classes: 12/5. 

11/14/07

      For anyone who missed this, the Final Project, Submission #3 is now due 12/3/07 (Monday).  Speak to me if you foresee problems, otherwise I will collect the hardcopy of your revised summary and critique, as well as the Sub 2 version w/my comments, and your article.

     For whoever is interested, Dr. Bill Altermatt will be giving a talk tomorrow night (Thurs 11/15) on “the psychology of sexual orientation” sponsored by Love Out Loud.  It will focus on evidence for a biological / genetic contribution to sexual orientation, will be 50 minutes, and will be in SCC 137 at 8pm.

11/6/07

  All this week there are events being put on by People for Peace and other groups (more details on intranet), which relate to social/cultural forces and human behavior:

11/1/07

       The gradebook now shows all received Sub 2s, as well as a newly updated average column incoroprating Exam II.

10/29/07

      For those of you who have not submitted Sub 2, be aware that you are losing points with every passing day.  As soon as you have your submission completed, I suggest you email it to me so you can 'stop the clock' and then you should follow up with a hard copy turned in at the next class period.  If you have already emailed me the paper (before today's class) it is not going to be marked late, but I still need the hard copy of both your article and the submission, so I can grade it. 

10/26/07

         As promised, the gradebook is now up for you to check Exam II scores.  Again, the average was 80.5% and the range: 55%-98%.  Great Job, everyone!  While we will not be able to go over these until Weds or Thurs, if you are concerned about your score, your overall performance in this class, or anything else, please come see me during office hours or make an appointment. 

10/22/07

         As we discussed in class, Exam II covers Chapters 5, 6, 7, Esays 2, 3 and the video clips we've seen.  You may skip the pages we omitted along the way, but remember to review the section on IQ from ch. 3 (p. 102-107).  There will be 40 questions,  ALL multiple choice (no short answer questions).  As with our first exam, the questions are designed to test not only your retention of factual knowledge but also your ability to apply concepts from the course to new examples. 

        Remember that chapter 9 is due for Thursday.  We will be watching a film depicting a study described in that chapter.  The film will take all of class time, so we will discuss it on Friday.  Please try not to miss either the film or the discussion.  

         Thank you all for your very helpful feedback!   I am glad so many of you feel things are going well and I appreciate the constructive suggestions from those who feel the course could be improved.  I will continue to consider your ideas and will share with you what I've learned sometime next week.

10/19/07

      The gradebook is now up to date and you can see the pink column containing your mid-term grade.  This grade is an estimate based on the exam and your first paper submission (weighted 80/20).  Only reports mandated by the registrar are being sent, but you should review the gradebook to see how you are doing, check for accuracy, see how many absences you have, etc.   If you have concerns about this class, please come see me after break, during office hours.  Again, the last day to Withdraw without penalty is Tuesday October 30th - speak with me and your advisor about the repercussions of withdrawing.   

        Also, advising week starts soon; as you plan your Spring schedule you may want to consider the 200-level Psychology course I will be teaching.  It counts as an elective for Psychology Majors/Minors.  For those of you who will be taking Child and Adolescent Development in Winter term (244), this may be of interest.  This will be the last semester the course if offered.

Loss and Trauma in Life and Literature

 Psychology 245

   This course explores how experiences of suffering can derail, alter or strengthen the process of human development.  We will explore issues such as early parental absence, childhood maltreatment and deprivation due to such events as war and disaster.  Both psychological and literary works will be used to examine how specific developmental challenges impact identity formation.

Pre-requisites: Psy 111 or permission of instructor

Have a nice break!

10/12/07

     Once again, the first Hanover Psych research opportunity is being run by Karin Schubert, Isaac Weinkauf and Jacob Cooper.  They have posted a sign-up sheet for an extra credit opportunity on the bulletin board by room 147. The study will take place on Oct. 17th and 18th (next Wednesday and Thursday), at 6:00PM and then again at 7:00PM each evening. It is titled, "Media and Privacy" (#07-27), will consist of a short video and questionnaire, and will take no more than 30 minutes. They are seeking up to 32 participants (eight per session), so there is plenty of room for anyone who wants the credit. 

      The form you need is now linked to my main coursepage.

10/8/07

    As you know, Essay #2 is due for Weds.  Just a reminder: in addition to Ch. 7 due on Thurs we also have p. 102-107 due from ch. 3.  This is the section on Behavior Genetics which summarizes intelligence and how IQ scores are obtained: material we will review in the coming days.  Also, the gradebook has been re-posted for those who are expecting a change on their S.A. scores from Exam I.

10/5/07

    For those of you who lost points on formatting errors, I have posted notes in response to your  first submissions.  Go back to MyHanover and see what needs to be changed so you can correct it for your reference page in Sub 2.   If anything is unclear, please come see me. 

10/4/07

    The gradebook has now been updated w/ Sub 1 scores.  Also, if you are interested in Stress Reduction, I'll be doing a workshop at the Learning Center tonight, 7pm, main floor.   Also, as promised, here is a summary from the American Psychological Association about research on corporal punishment (spanking):

http://www.apa.org/releases/spanking.html

10/1/07

    Please remember it is your responsibility to sign the attendance sheet.  I caught two people today who did not sign and would have been marked absent, tho they were only late.   Also, the people who had errors on scoring, your Exam I is now updated.

9/28/07

Please note: I will not be checking the MyHanover page this weekend, but I assume you all will be posting throughout the coming days.  Once Submission 1 is due (i.e., at class time), I will change the settings so you will no longer be able to edit your submissions.  You need to have them exactly the way you want them for grading purposes before then - Submissions posted after class time will be marked late.   So far they look pretty good - remember to double-check that punctuation, etc. conform to the A.P.A. guidelines.

9/27/07

9/25/07

In addition to yesterday's chat w/David Reetz, I wanted to let you know that there is also a hotline w/ info about what to do in case of a sexual assualt against a friend or yourself, that number is x6742.   It has recorded contact numbers and options for handling such an event.           

9/24/07

      Just to remind you about the exam, for anyone who missed it - please bring a pencil and a pen.  Be prepared for about 35-40 multiple choice + a few fill-ins / identification questions.  As always, everything in the text or lecture is fair game for the exam - be sure to review the chapters, Essay 1, your notes, etc.  Pay attention to the boldface terms, tables/graphics and summaries in each chapter.  I will expect you to be able to not just recognize a concept, but apply it to an example.  Use your study groups; remember ch. 5 is due Thursday.  I'll see you on Weds.

9/21/07

         For anyone who is interested, I highly recommend celebrating the completion of your first 111 exam with the reward of a film at the Shoebox:

      People for Peace is sponsoring a movie event next Wednesday Sept. 26th at 7:30 in the Shoebox . The Movie is "The U.S. vs. John Lennon" and there will be a discussion to follow with Dr. Skip Dine-Young, psychology professor who has an expertise in film analysis. 

     I have recently seen this movie and it shows how a single individual or two can impact society in a powerful way.

9/20/07

       Just a reminder to check out Ramachandran's BBC talks - linked to our coursepage.  Since the video I hoped to show on Phineas Gage is not available, please view this Scientific American video on him.  It is called "how Phineas lost it" and has lots of good imagery to help visualize this case and brain areas further:

http://www.pbs.org/saf/1302/video/watchonline.htm

    I think it is about 15 min long and it requires a video streaming pgm such as Windows Media Player.

9/14/07

    For those who missed it - you may omit pages 95-110 in chapter 3.  I recommend you read that section, but you will not be tested on it now.  However, we WILL be reading p. 102-107 during chapter 7, so be prepared to come back to it later.  For those of you who find the other material interesting, I'm happy to discuss it during office hours, and you will certainly encounter it in other psych. classes.

    Also, I meant to draw your attention to the link on our page called "APA Journals List."   If you are still confused about whether the article you found is published by the Am Psychological Assn, you can check that list.  If the journal name is not on that list, it is not an APA journal.

9/12/07

As you may have noticed, the attendance sheet did not go around today.  I have done my best to recreate the class, please let me know if you think I got something wrong.

The Learning Center’s Spotlight on Academics talks occur at 7 p.m. each Thursday night this fall. These talks are given by faculty and staff and designed to provide students with concrete, nuts-and-bolts strategies for making the most of their classes.  I will be leading the one on 10/4.

9/5/07

An event from career center you may be interested in:

Are you Considering a Career in Law?

Participate in a mock law school class and find out how it feels to be a law student!

Tuesday, September 11

6:00 - 6:30 PM   Pizza and informal law school chat with Professor Organ

6:40 - 7:30 PM   Mock Law School Class

Science Center 107

Presenter: Jerome Organ, JD

Professor of Law and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs

University of St.Thomas Law School, Minneapolis

Sign up in advance by calling 7127, or emailing careercenter@hanover.edu

to receive your reading for the class and so that we have pizza for you!