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Canyon College
Canyon College
COURSE SYLLABUS: PY394 - Evolutionary Psychology

Course Title: PY394 - Evolutionary Psychology
Department: Social and Behavioral Sciences / Social Work
Instructor: This course is available now. Instructors assigned as required
Office Hours: Telephone conferences set by email


Software Recommendations: Compatibility Note: If you have a "very old" or "very new" word processor, or you're unsure, please save your documents in "Rich Text Format" (.rtf) for compatibility with Office XP.

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In the subject line, please put PY394, Canyon College, your name Course Description:

This course examines human behavior and cognition from a revolutionary new perspective synthesized from modern principles of psychology and evolutionary biology. The topics covered include: the foundations of evolutionary psychology, problems of survival, challenges of sex and mating, challenges of parenting and kinship, and problems of group living.

Course Objectives:

Specific outcomes expected of students enrolled in this course include the following:
  1. An understanding and application of evolutionary psychology.
  2. The ability to see the impact of social forces and evolution on behavior.
  3. An enhanced understanding of self and others.
  4. An awareness of the relevance of evolutionary psychology to social change.
  5. The ability to apply the principles of evolutionary psychology to daily life.
  6. An understanding of appropriate and relevant technical vocabulary and concepts.
  7. An awareness of the scientific method and research techniques used to test new principles.
  8. An awareness of sources of reliable data.
  9. An interest in and a desire to keep abreast of developments, problems and research findings.
REQUIRED TEXT: - Online Bookstore

Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind, 3/e
by David Buss. Allyn & Bacon, 2008.
ISBN: 0205483380 ISBN-13: 9780205483389

Attendance Policy:

Regular attendance and assignment submissions are essential to maximum learning and academic success. This means staying in touch by email as required. The records and registration office at the University are informed of excessive silences. Excused absences such as illness or emergency must be reported to the instructor. If you can not be in touch by email, please notify Dr. Wolford from someone else's computer.

Zero Tolerance Plagiarism and Cheating Policy:

Plagiarism and other forms of cheating may result in failure of the assignment and/or the failure of the course.

Examinations
Examinations are as follows:

The midterm and final examination will be chapter summaries of each of the chapters 1 -8 and 9 – 13 as they apply to your career goals. Please make these summaries as useful to you as possible.

Special Assignment

Students are expected to complete an additional self-selected written assignment and compile the information using APA format. Correct APA format counts for 15% of grade on the Specially Assignment. Choose a topic that is of interest to you so it will be fun to write. The paper should be around 1500 to 2000 words.

Choice #1
Read 7 scholarly articles dealing with one self-selected major aspect of Evolutionary Psychology and write a 7 page paper synthesizing their contents. You must include the source of each article on the Bibliography page to receive full credit. *

Choice #2
Read 7 scholarly articles about Evolutionary Psychology and write a 7 page paper taking a position on the topic "The perception of change: How we as a species are changing" Students must include the source of the articles on the Bibliography page to receive full credit. *

* The special assignment paper will be in American Psychological Association (APA) format. This is the standard format recognized for writing in the social sciences. Use one inch side margins, one and one half at the top and one inch at the bottom. Double space and use the following format for citations in your bibliography:

For further information on APA style,
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html#General%20Format
Mid-Term and Final Exam Chapter Summaries
Both exams will consist of roughly 300 words based on each chapter.

Total Points:

Midterm Exam 400
Final Exam 400
Special Assignment 200
Possible Score 1000


Grading Scale:

92-100 = A
82-91 = B
70-81 = C
60-69 = D
0-59 = F

Disabilities Statement:

Students with special needs due to disabilities should inform the instructor prior to the second class meeting. If I do not hear from you, I will assume that you do not require special accommodations.

Weather and/or Down Server Policy:

We do not generally cancel classes due to inclement weather. If weather prevents you from finishing your class work or getting online, please inform the instructor as soon as possible.

Tentative Class Schedule.

Students will read the chapters in the time frame assigned below. Please direct questions directly to your faculty at wolford@canyoncollege.edu. In most cases, you will have a reply within the day. Telephone calls must be pre-arranged by email.

The Final Paper will be emailed by the student to the instructor. Students may email attachments in Word or Open Office format.

Session 1
Read Part One, Chapters 1, 2

Session 2
Read Part Two, Chapters 3 & 4

Session 3
Read Part Two, Chapters 5 & 6

Session 4
Read Part Two, Chapters 7 & 8 – midterm chapter paper due

Session 5
Read Part Three, Chapters 9 & 10

Session 6
Read Part Three, Chapters 11 & 12 – Final chapter paper due

Session 7
Chapter 13

Session 8
FINAL EXAMINATION Paper due

Please be professional and on time. I am usually available by email seven days a week if you need help. Please don't hesitate to ask. My MSN account name is profwolford. When you log in, please tell me your name and what class you are in.

APA FORMAT REQUIRED CORRECT FORMAT IS A PART OF YOUR GRADE
For all writing assignments in this class you are required to use the American Psychological Association (APA) 5th Edition style of format and source citation. An example of this can be found at the OWL site. Below the OWL site is a link for citing e-sources.. Use the link below to resolve any questions you may have about APA format. You may also request a model APA paper from me by email. Here is a web link for additional information.

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html#General%20Format

http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html for electronic citations.

Plagiarism:

Main Entry: pla•gia•rize
Function: verb
Etymology: plagiary
transitive senses : to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive senses : to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
Do not plagiarize ! I use an Internet service to scan all papers. If I find a plagiarized paper, you will receive an F for that paper. A second offense results summary expulsion with an F.