AP Psychology and Research

AP Psychology and Research is a full year social science Advanced Placement course on introductory psychology. Psychology is the study of the mind and mental processes, especially in relation to behavior. The major topics discussed throughout the course include behavior, perception, memory, cognition, intelligence, and psychological disorders, among other topics. There are only two classes, and the class is currently being taught solely by Ms. Marianna Reep.

Although the Stuyvesant course site states that Regents Living Environment must be taken as a prerequisite, it can be taken as a corequisite for juniors who took Regents Physics as a freshman.

Curriculum
The course strictly follows the sequence of chapters in the textbook: Myers' Psychology for AP. The fall term consists of the first seven to eight chapters of the textbook, which will discuss the history and definitions of psychology, the biological and evolutionary basis of behavior, the senses and perception, consciousness and the mind, learning, memory, cognition, and intelligence.

The spring term continues with the remaining chapters in the textbook, which consists of human development, motivation, emotion and health, human personality, psychological disorder and their treatments, social cognition and relationships, and social processes and culture.

General
Ms. Marianna Reep is a very interactive teacher who is generally easy to get along with, and is not very strict with her grading policy. She does not solely lecture during class, and will sometimes provide interactive demonstration of a certain concept being studied then. She fully prepares all of her students for the AP exam.

Ms. Reep's class does not have a general structure that is followed every day. However, during days in which she gives a lecture, she will usually pose a question or ask her students to perform a paper and pencil task. After explaining the answer or the purpose of the exercise, she will use an overhead projector and display her handwritten notes on the board. She will elaborate on her notes and answer any questions, then proceed to the next sheet. Ms. Reep almost never writes on the board.

Tests and homework
Ms. Reep will usually assign reading from the textbook to do as homework, and she occasionally asks students to outline the text or assigns questions for students to answer.

Her tests are usually all multiple-choice and generally straightforward, testing students on concepts learned in the textbook. Some of her questions may be difficult, but most of the questions are simply a test of knowledge. The test is usually around 45 to 60 questions long, yet most students will finish long before time is up, giving them ample time to check. Ms. Reep also asks that each student's final answers on the NCS form be slashed in ink (as to prevent the changing of answers after students receive their tests back.

At the end of the first term, students complete book reports on psychology books of their choice.

At the end of the year, Ms. Reep will ask her students to form into groups of the students' choice and do a presentation on a topic in psychology of the students' choice. Most groups will pair a video or a skit with a powerpoint presentation that can be anywhere from 15 minutes to the entire period.

There are neither labs nor class trips in this course.

Grading Policy
NOTE: Ms. Reep never gives exact numbers for anything but the outlines.
 * Participation &mdash; 10%
 * Homework/Outlines &mdash; 10%
 * Tests &mdash; 60-70%
 * Projects &mdash; 10-20%

AP Exam
The AP Exam consist of two parts. The first part is multiple choice, and consists of 100 questions in 1 hour and 10 minutes (70 minutes). It accounts for 2/3 of the exam grade. The second section includes two questions, both of which has two parts. These are long answer questions that should be written in paragraphs, but does not necessarily need a introduction or conclusion, as there are only 50 minutes in this section for 2 questions and their 4 subsections.

Though the test's lack of time may prove difficult, most Stuyvesant students are well prepared for the test, and according to Ms. Reep, almost everyone in her class who takes the exam get a 5.