Download a Microsoft Word file of this syllabus
Instructor: Victor A. Shamas,
Telephone: 520-621-7447 (message phone only)
and Behavior by Benjamin Wallace & Leslie E. Fisher
Four Meditations, audio
Download a Microsoft Word file of this syllabus
Instructor: Victor A. Shamas,
Telephone: 520-621-7447 (message phone only)
and Behavior by Benjamin Wallace & Leslie E. Fisher
Four Meditations, audio CD
Hypnosis, Relaxation, Biofeedback, audio CD
Psychology began as the study of human consciousness, but with the advent of behaviorism in the Twentieth Century, psychologists distanced themselves from the subject of consciousness. Since the 1960’s, however, interest in consciousness research has slowly increased, largely because of the influence of consciousness-altering drugs and Eastern practices such as meditation and yoga. Today, psychologists who study consciousness focus primarily on the distinction between conscious and unconscious phenomena, the relationship of brain and mind, and altered conditions of consciousness.
In this course, we will cover the following topics, drawing primarily on the Consciousness and Behavior textbook:
Unit 1: Consciousness, Drugs & the Brain
This unit will begin with an overview of current theories of consciousness (Chapter 1). We will then explore the physiological foundations of consciousness (Chapter 2) and the effects of consciousness-altering drugs (Chapter 3).
Unit 2: Hypnosis, Biofeedback, and Meditation
In this unit, we will consider three common methods for altering consciousness: hypnosis (Chapters 4), biofeedback (Chapter 5), and meditation (Chapter 6).
Unit 3: Sleep, Sensory Deprivation and Parapsychology
This unit will examine the alterations of consciousness associated with sleep and dreams (Chapter 7) and with sensory deprivation (Chapter 8). We will conclude the course with an overview of parapsychology and its implications for the study of consciousness (Chapter 9).
In the classroom, you have the
1. You can ask the instructor questions and benefit from hearing what other students are asking.
2. You can discuss issues related to the course topic with the instructor as well as with your fellow students.
3. You can get immediate feedback from the instructor.
4. You can approach the instructor after class to clarify points of confusion.
5. You can meet with other students to study or socialize.
Correspondence courses offer
a different set of benefits:
1. You can take these courses from anywhere in the world.
2. You have a detailed outline of the course material with clearly-defined lessons.
3. You can count on the tests being consistent with the material in the book.
Here is how I have chosen to integrate these benefits into our online course:
1. There are two online forums
you will be using in this course, and you can find them all by clicking
on the Forums link on the Psychology of Consciousness home page (http://www.webct.arizona.edu).
These are: a) the Bulletin Board, where I will post announcements
on a daily basis and where you can post anything related to the course,
including questions about the material; and b) the Seminar, where you will
be expected to post your contributions to the Focus Topic discussions each
week (see Item 6 below).
2. Most of the assigned readings for the course are from the textbook, although a few are from online articles. On most days, you will be expected to work through an assigned reading and to complete the lessons corresponding to that reading (The lessons can be found in the Study Guide, which is described in Item 5 below). If you have questions about the material, post them in the Bulletin Board or send them to me via course e-mail (which you can access through the Mail feature of the course site). Either way, I will post my answers in the Bulletin Board for the benefit of all class members. My policy is to treat all questions with respect and consideration; please feel free to ask about anything that is unclear to you.
3. To make the course material easier for you to learn, I have broken it down into three units and each of those units into 16 lessons. There are usually about five lessons per chapter of material in the textbook. Each of the three units includes a practice test after every five lessons. The practice tests consist of five items that reflect the kinds of questions you will be asked on the actual exams. You will find the correct answer for each question in an answer key at the bottom of the Study Guide. These practice tests are purely for your benefit; you are not required to do them and I don’t want you to hand them in.
4. The sixteenth lesson in each unit will be taken from the Focus Topic readings (see Item 6 below) rather than the textbook. Although I have assigned the Focus Topic readings primarily to stimulate discussion in the Seminar, you will also be expected to know specific material from these readings on the exams. You can find these materialss by clicking on the Focus Topic Readings link, which is on the course homepage
5. Every lesson in this course consists of a set of Objectives and Key Terms (click on the Study Guide link from the course home page). The exams will consist ONLY of questions that relate to these Objectives and Key Terms. Here is my promis