Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Welcome to PSY 101 Psychology and Human Relations!

This is a great class for focusing on applied psychology concepts to improve work and personal interactions.
This is intended to be a practical course. We will explore various psychological and interpersonal communication theories and concepts to understand and practice making changes to behavior.

Note: This course focuses on practicing the concepts that we're exploring in the course for skill development. You will need to be prepared to go beyond understanding and practice the skills. Main areas of practice include paraphrasing, perception checking, 'I' statements, and non-defensive responses to criticism.

Enjoy the course!
Briana Bastian

Required Textbook

See the information at the “Textbooks” link on the class schedule online.
Waitlist
There are often questions about how the waitlist works and whether you're likely to get into the class from the waitlist. I can tell you that typically I'm only able to let in the top 3 from the waitlist, but it depends upon whether students who are already registered in the course drop before the class starts. Not many students tend to drop once they've registered, but it can vary from term to term. I always let a few students in from the waitlist the first few days of the term. You will know if you've been added to the class from the waitlist as I will email you once I've submitted the permission for you.

Students must log into D2L at some point on day 1, Monday, and complete the required orientation items and get started on week 1 work no later than day 3, Wednesday, by 11:59 PM, for Fall 2023 so that students on the waitlist can be added. Those not logging in to participate in the course or not submitting the orientation items by the deadline will be dropped as no show. Also, dive into the week 1 assignments as there is a lot going on to get started on a successful footing!

Log into D2L
This course will be using D2L as our online classroom.
To login to your course, please go to: https://my.pcc.edu and click on the D2L login on the left side.
You can also log directly into D2L at online.pcc.edu and using your MyPCC log in information.
Click on 'Content' on the top navigation menu in D2L to access the weekly learning modules, quizzes, discussions, and assignments. There you will find the Introduction to Online Learning and Course Information modules, which include the Syllabus and Assignment schedule.

Course Organization
The main structure of this course will be the following:
1. Reading 1 chapter per week. (Note: It's a much faster pace during summer in only 8 weeks so make sure you're prepared for this!)
2. Quizzes on each chapter (not cumulative). There is no midterm or final test.
3. Responding to questions relating to the chapter via the discussion forums. You will be expected to contribute your own ideas as well as respond to the ideas of others in class. This acts as our 'classroom.'
4. Homework assignments every week relating to the chapter.
5. Participation is monitored by the amount of time you are logged into the class and your participation in the discussion forums. Your success in the course will depend upon how much time you devote to study and your ability to manage time. In an online class, you are in control of the learning process and you have to be very motivated to keep up with the material and assignments. You will get out of the course what you put in so approach the class as a serious endeavor. If you are interested in the class because you think you will not have to work hard, this course is not for you. Online classes are structured so you may actually have to devote more time to the course than a traditional on-campus class, however, your hard work will be rewarded with a deeper understanding of psychological concepts.
All communication for this course is through D2L and/or zoom. This class moves along at a fairly good clip through the term. There are aspects of the course that are flexible within the deadlines, however, regular student-to-student interaction via the discussion forums is a large part of how we explore and apply the material.
 

This includes online videos (including YouTube), software, apps, webcam, microphone and/or headset etc.

You will need access to the following hardware and software for this course:
1. A computer with reliable internet access at least several times per week. Make sure you have a backup plan for potential computer/internet problems or outages. (e.g., the library, computer lab, friend, neighbor, work, or relative, etc.)
2. A word processing program (save everything as .doc or .docx if you have Microsoft Word or .rtf (rich text format) if you are using any other word processing program) prior to submission online.
3. A smart phone or a webcam and microphone/headset microphone during week 1 and near the end of the term during weeks 8-10 (weeks 6-8 during the summer). Make sure you have one, purchase one, or can borrow one (from the library or someone you know) during these time frames.

PCC library checkout information for laptops, webcams, and headset microphones
http://www.pcc.edu/library/services/borrowing/technology-for-checkout/

We will be using YouTube (Unlisted, just for our class) at key parts of this course.

If you do not feel comfortable doing any of these tasks, please consider taking a different course instead.