COURSE OUTLINE

CLP 2001 U01 –Personal Adjustment -Spring 2020

FIU Modesto A. Maidique Campus

INSTRUCTOR: William Berry, L.M.H.C., C.A.P.

DEPARTMENT: Psychology
EMAIL CONTACT: wberry@fiu.edu
PHONE CONTACT: 754 366-0720
MEETING TIME: Mon, Wed, Fri 9:00 to 9:50am
ROOM: SIPA 100
OFFICE HOURS: Arrangements made by appointment

I. COURSE CATALOG DESCRIPTION:

This course will cover some basic information about the facilitation of personal
adjustment in the social and occupational life of the individual. Emphasis is on
interpersonal aspects of effective behavior.
COURSE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Students will be able to
 Identify major components of personal growth.
 Relate aspects of personal growth to the student’s own psychological growth.
 Explain the importance of mindfulness to happiness.
 Define aspects of effective interpersonal communication.
 Describe aspects of self-actualization.
 Explain how to better cope with and manage emotions.
 Relate aspects of personal and psychological growth to happiness.

REQUIRED TEXT:
Goud, Nelson H. (2009)
Psychology and Personal Growth, (8th ed)
Pearson Publishers
ISBN 13: 978-0-205-62675-5

II: COURSE REQUIREMENTS AND POLICIES

 Courtesy: Cell phones or similar devices other than computers should be placed
in silent mode or turned off. Text messaging during class is not allowed. Such
activity is insensitive, rude and disruptive. Your cooperation is requested and
greatly appreciated.
 Participation: Opportunity will be provided to discuss concepts and to share
ideas as well as to earn points toward your final grade. Your active participation,
courtesy, and respect for the perspectives, ideas and opinions of others will make
time spent in class more productive and stimulating. “Participation” means
activities other than just sitting and listening. A reminder: participation and
attendance make up 40% of your course grade.
Late to Class Policy: Students are expected to attend classes on time. It is
understood that occasionally one may encounter traffic or have some personal
issues which delay arrival. Students who are habitually late (three or more late
 arrivals) will have each three late arrivals counted as an absence. Students who
arrive in class more than twenty (20) minutes late without an acceptable excuse
will be admitted to class but will be marked absent.
 Absence: Attendance is essential to gaining an understanding of the material, and
as this is a discussion class, to the overall functioning of the course. Absence will
result in a deduction from the class participation grade. Role is taken
spontaneously throughout the semester. If a student’s number is called and the
student is not present, a loss of 3-points results, and it cannot be earned back.
Students are responsible for any material missed in the class.

III: ASSIGNMENTS, EVALUATION PROCEDURES, AND GRADING POLICY:

Students will be graded on their performance in the following:
 CLASS PARTICIPATION- Students are expected to actively participate in the
discussion of course related issues. Student participation should reflect knowledge
of assigned readings. This comprises 40% of your overall grade.
 CLASS ATTENDANCE IS MANDATORY
Attendance is essential to gaining an understanding of the material. Students are
responsible for any material missed in the class. As this is a short class and
attendance will not be taken every class, it will be taken randomly during the
semester. If you are absent the time it is taken, you will lose 2% of the overall
grade for each recorded absence. Additionally, if your name is called for
discussion in class, and you are not there to respond, 2 points will be deducted
from the possible participation points.
 THREE QUIZZES- There is a total of three quizzes, approximately for each
third of the semester. Online quizzes will be given on the scheduled dates.
Material covered will include assigned readings, lecture material, and/or materials
presented in video format. These quizzes are considered open notes, but there
will be a time-limit so one should know the material well enough to access it.
Make-up quizzes, except for a reason other than illness or an emergency, are not
allowed. Should illness or emergency prevent you from taking the quiz, please
email the instructor. Documentation of the illness or emergency will be required,
and the make-up quiz would be administered ASAP. A documented absence for
the quiz still results in a loss of 5% (as the make-up allows more time to study
than peers have). The grades for the three quizzes will be averaged and will
account for 20% of your overall grade.
 FINAL EXAM- There will be a cumulative final exam at the end of the semester
(during finals week). The exam will be proctored, and the student is responsible to
purchase the proctoring application (it will be less than $15 and is purchased
when one is about to take the final). The exam, like the quizzes, will be taken on
one’s home computer. However, unlike the quizzes, the final exam is not open
note / text and you will be monitored by the app for cheating. Google Chrome
should be used with this system. You can learn more about the proctoring
program here: https://honorlock.com/students/
The grade of the final will be worth 20% of your overall grade.
 ONLINE PAPER: Students will be required to submit a short paper online
through Canvas. These papers will be related to topics discussed in class. Topics
 will be announced, and students should expect to complete one of three short
papers of approximately two pages each. The grade will account for 20% of
your overall grade.
 EXTRA CREDIT: Students can obtain up to 5 extra credit points by participating in
SONA System experiments at the university. Students would need to list this class with
me as the professor to obtain said credits. The credits are reported to the professor at the
end of the semester. The deadline for credit would be April 15 th.
 GRADING POINTS:
o Class Participation and Attendance 40
o Online Paper 20
o Three Quizzes 20
o Final Exam 20
100 points
 GRADING- The university’s grading policy is as follows:
93-100 A
90-92 A- 77-79 C+
87-89 B+ 70-76 C
83-86 B 60-69 D
80-82 B- below 60 F

IV. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Florida International University is a community dedicated to generating and
imparting knowledge through excellent teaching and research, the rigorous and respectful
exchange of ideas, and community service. All students should respect the right of others
to have an equitable opportunity to learn and to honestly demonstrate the quality of their
learning. Therefore, all students are expected to adhere to a standard of academic
conduct, which demonstrates respect for themselves, their fellow students, and the
educational mission of the University. All students are deemed by the University to
understand that if they are found responsible for academic misconduct, they will be
subject to the Academic Misconduct procedures and sanctions, as outlined in the Student
Handbook.
Students should be aware of the University Policies on academic honesty, as these
standards will be strictly enforced. According to the student handbook, cheating is
defined as “unauthorized use of books, notes, aids, or assistance from another person with
respect to examinations, course assignments…examination papers or course material,
whether originally authorized or not” (p. 103-104). If a student is found cheating they
will be subject to discipline by the University authorities.
V. SCHOLARLY CONDUCT:
Students are expected to participate in and contribute to an environment that is
conducive to learning. As such, students’ behavior in class should be of a nature that
fosters learning and discussion. Behaviors that are disruptive to this process will not be
tolerated. Arriving to class late or leaving early can be disruptive, and is discouraged.
Failure to create an environment conducive to learning will, at the minimum, affect the
student’s class participation grade, and possibly result in removal from the course.

VI. OTHER CLASS POLICIES:

The university is committed to the principle that there shall be no differences in the
treatment of persons because of race, creed, national origin, age, sex, or disability, and
that equal opportunity and access to all facilities shall be available to all. If you require
special accommodations in order to participate, please contact the instructor. Other class
policies may be announced as needed in class.
VII. THE AMERICAN DISABILITY ACT
Please visit our ADA Compliance webpage for information about accessibility involving
the tools used in this course. Please visit Canvas’ Commitment to Accessibility
webpage for more information. For additional assistance please contact FIU’s Disability
Resource Center.

TENTATIVE CLASS SCHEDULE

It may be necessary to make changes to the class schedule.
Students will be notified in advance of changes.

Date Topic Page

Section 1
Jan 6 Introduction to Course / Review of Syllabus
8&10 The Search for Identity 04

13 Last Day to Drop / Add

13 Mindfulness 16
15 Mindfulness
17 The Emerging Adult: Challenges 21

20 Martin Luther King Day / No Classes

22 CrazyBusy 25
24 Occupational Exploration 36

27 The Emerging Adult: The Work World

Section 2
29 Intro / Human Communication 59
31 Interpersonal Communication 61

Feb 3 To Hear and Be Heard 66

 5 Johnny Bear and the Empath 70
7 Continual Partial Attention 81

10 Assertive, Non-Assertive, and Aggressive Behavior 87

12 Review
14 Quiz 1

Section 3
17 Self-Actualization and Beyond 123
19 The Unpredictable
139
21 Fooling Yourself 155

Feb 24- Mar 1 Spring Break

Mar 2 Advice to William Somebody 166

Section 4
4 Making Marriage Work 190
6 Thoughts on Intimacy 204
9 Kinds of Friends 209
11 Thoughts on Friends 212
13 Resolving Interpersonal Conflicts 234
16 Review
18 Quiz 2

Section 5
Mar 20 Intro / What’s Your Emotional IQ 249 / 252
Last day to drop course with DR Grade

23 Worry 258
25 The Causes of Loneliness 266
27 Anger 276

30 Loss and Mourning 296

Apr 1 Having the Time of Your Life 309

Section 6
3 Man’s Search for Meaning 316

6 Man’s Search for Meaning 316

8 Thoughts on Money 341

10 Silicon Snake Oil 348

Dec 13 Personal Death Awareness 344
15 Course Wrap up
17 Quiz 3

Week of April 20 Final Exam / HonorLock