JANET BACHANT'S PERSONAL WEB SITE

My office hours are Monday mornings and Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. I am located in Room 530 at 325 Hudson Street. The best way to reach me is by email but if you wish to leave me a phone message please repeat your number twice.

This study explores the domain of biological psychology. Its objective is to provide students with an understanding of the primary concepts, issues and controversies in the field. Core concepts include an introduction to the anatomy of the nervous system, including the structure of neurons, the nerve impulse, synapses, and the structure and functioning of the brain. We will also examine the neural basis of sensory and motor systems, internal regulation and the biological basis for reproductive, emotional and cognitive behaviors as well as the relationship between neurobiological pathology and psychological disorders..

TEXT: Kalat, J.W. (2007). Biological Psychology (9th Ed). Publisher: Cengage. Bundle Number: 0495258369

This study has a hybrid type of structure in that it integrates online resources and testing (quizzes on each chapter) with small group discussion. There are several advantages to this format: it offers technological resources to enhance learning (such as the generation of personalized study plans based on pretests you can take) and it allows for criterion learning – you can decide how well you want to do and take multiple quizzes on the material if you want to improve your grade. Your best score is the one that will count.

Students must obtain access to Cengage as part of this study. Go to www.cengage.com/login to register for online access to this study. CengageNow is packaged with new textbook purchases (www.esc.edu/bookstore -- Go to online ordering, textbooks, mentor list, and choose Biological Psychology text packaged with ThomsonNow. You may also purchase an optional Study Guide to this text if you desire.

YOU MUST REGISTER ONLINE FOR THIS STUDY GROUP IN ORDER TO GET CREDIT FOR IT AND IN ORDER TO TAKE THE QUIZZES . Register as soon as possible at: www.cengage.com/login.

All students must be registered by the first meeting. When asked to pick your college choose SUNY Empire State College/Saratoga. You will be prompted for your course key. It is: E-95246RKG7M5P. You will also be asked for the access code that comes with your book in order to get access to your course materials. Enter it when prompted. NOTE: use the “Sign Out” button when leaving the site rather than xing out of the page.

EVALUATION: Your evaluation will be based on three criteria:

• Weekly quizzes that you will take each week, online (I am instituting criterion learning for this study group which means that you will be able to take multiple quizzes on each chapter, in addition to a self test which will not count. I will record the highest grade for each quiz. I will also know if you are taking the quizzes on time or late.)
• Active participation in group discussion of the issues involved in each chapter demonstrating that you have read and understand the material.
• Presentation of a paper or project to the study group involving a more in-depth exploration of a topic in biological psychology that is of interest to you. Presentations MUST include handouts to your colleagues of references, websites, media resources, etc. that will be helpful to anyone wanting to pursue further learning in your topic area. Independent study students will write a paper in APA style, that reflects an interest in biological psychology.

Quizzes are located on the CengageNow site. In order to enter this site you will need the access code that comes with the purchase of your textbook. Begin by registering and then go to the student guide and work through the covered areas including an overview of getting started, completing your assignments, tracking your progress, taking advantage of instant feedback and getting technical support.

CengageNow gives you access to many resources that you will find very useful in learning this material, including self tests, the generation of study plans based on your self test results, post tests, flashcards, and references. Using these resources will substantially increase your grade.

Please read at least Chapter 1 before the beginning of the first class, (it is very helpful to also read the Appendix A: Brief, Basic Chemistry) and know how to navigate the student resources by that time.