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Description:

Why do we dream? What happens to your brain when you are in love? Why do all babies like peek-a-boo? The course is designed to introduce students to the systematic and scientific study of behavior and mental processes of human beings. Students are exposed to psychological facts, principles and phenomena associated with each of the sub fields within psychology. They also learn about the ethics and methods psychologists use in their science and practice. Students will be challenged to think like a psychologist as they analyze research and design future experiments.

This is a year-long, multi-level high school course. It will cover the nine major content areas covered on the College Board's AP Psychology Exam including: Scientific Foundations of Psychology; Biological Bases of Behavior; Sensation and Perception; Learning and Cognitive Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Motivation; Emotion and Personality; Clinical Psychology; and Social Psychology. Students will also learn to analyze data and psychological research studies. Themes in psychology are made tangible and approachable to students through rich, in-class discussion and debate, games, interactive models, and group work. Throughout the year, students will enjoy personalized surveys and assessments, such as those on learning style, parenting style, and personality type, and will complete individualized projects involving observations, case studies, interviews, or experiments.

The class offers a substantive, full-credit experience and will be a mixture of lecture, discussion, group work, and short videos. There is some mature content discussed in this course, especially as it pertains to abnormal psychology. A section on sexual motivation, including homosexuality, must be covered for the AP test. These topics will be discussed in a purely scientific manner, and students need to be prepared to have a respectful discussion about these subjects.

The course is offered at three levels, which meet together: Advanced Placement (AP), Honors, and On-Level. Students can pick their desired workload. Students can always do more if they would like, but at any level they are expected to keep up with weekly readings and homework which will prepare them for in-class discussions, assignments, and projects. Students who choose to take this class at the AP level will be prepared to take the AP Exam on Tuesday May, 11 2021.

All students will register online for the same course. Upon completion of the summer assignment, students must indicate which level they want to study by e-mail to the instructor on August 28. Once the course has begun, students may move down a level (from AP to honors, or from honors to on-level) at any time. However, once classes have started, students may not "bump up" a level.

Prerequisites: Students must be strong, independent readers at a high school or greater reading level. The text used is equivalent to a first year college textbook. Students can read a chapter excerpt here to confirm the reading level expected in the course.

Workload: All students must be prepared to read approximately 30 pages per week and should expect to spend 4-5 hours outside of class for reading and homework, regardless of level. The amount and type of homework varies for on-level, honors, and AP students.

Assignments: All assignments will be posted on password-protected Canvas classroom management site. There, students access assignments, upload homework, take automated quizzes and tests, track grades, and message the instructor and classmates. Students will also have practice assignments in the Launchpad system from the publisher, and AP students will have work in the virtual AP classroom site through the College Board. Summer Assignment: Students will have two weeks of work to complete before classes begin. This will give students a feel for the different levels offered in the class. The summer assignment will cover Unit 1: Scientific Foundations of Psychology and will be due at the end of August. Successful completion of the summer assignment is a prerequisite take the course at the AP level.

Assessments: Points will be assigned for completed homework, projects, quizzes, and tests. A letter grade will not be assigned, but parents can use total points earned versus total points offered to assign a grade for purposes of a homeschool transcript. Parents can view total points earned at any time through the Canvas site.

Textbook: With their license fee, students will receive access to the electronic version of their textbook, Myers' Psychology for AP, Updated 3rd Edition. Hard copies of the textbook are available for separate purchase. Contact the course instructor for details on different editions of the textbook. AP students will also need to have an AP Classroom account through the College Board website.

Lab/Supply Fee: A class fee of $85.00 is due payable to Compass on the first day of class for the access to the student Launchpad platform which includes the e-textbook and practice modules. The fee to take the AP exam in May 2021 is not included. Each family will be responsible for registering, scheduling, and paying for their student's AP exam.

Credit: Homeschool families may wish to count this course as a complete, full-year credit in Social Sciences for purposes of a high school transcript.