PSY 215:Abnormal Psychology
Section 001a MW 9:30-10:45
Instructor: Dr. Amy E. Coren
Email address: (this is BEST way to contact me)
Phone: 703.845.6242
Office Location:Bisdorf A 427
Office Hours:MW11:00am – 12:00pm andby appointment
Reading materials: We will be using the following textbook:
- Comer, R. (9thed.) Abnormal Psychology. This book is available at the bookstore and from online stores such as Amazon.com
2. Selected weekly readings. These readings will be located online, on our course Blackboard under the file Course Documents Readings.
3. **OPTIONAL** (Recommended but NOT required): APA’s DSM-5
Course Description and Objectives:
This course is designed to provide you with an overview of mental illness and its assessment and treatment. During this course, we ask questions such as:
-What are the historic and current perspectives on abnormal behavior and mental health?
-What are the current diagnostic criteria for major mental illnesses?
-How do individual and social factors play a role in maladaptive behavior?
-What treatments and therapies are available to treat mental disorders?
We will also touch on the legal aspects of mental illness (e.g. involuntary commitment, insanity defenses, and mental health policy and law).
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
-Recognize the major topics in the field of abnormal psychology
-Identify the major categories of mental illness
-Use the DSM-V to make a basic primary diagnosis and suggest a treatment course
-Differentiate between the various disorders through their major defining features
-Evaluate which therapies may be most appropriate for treating a particular disorder
Course Format:
The course will be primarily lecture-based. I will post the lecture slides before the beginning of each class. Students often find it useful to print the slides out to make notes as we discuss each slide. You are expected to have read the assigned reading materials before each class period.
We will also engage in class discussions, small group activities, and watch short videos in an effort to solidify understanding of the concepts covered. Often I will use your assigned weekly readings as a starting point for discussion
You will have several short essays assigned over the course that we will discuss in class. Your two, in-class exams will draw heavily on the material presented in class and from the readings.
Course Requirements & Assignment Descriptions:
You are expected to have read the assignment reading materials before each class period. All grades will be posted on Blackboard in Grade Center. Your grade will be based on a combination of your essays, attendance and participation, 1 case study, and 2 exams.
Your course grade will be determined by the following assignments and based on the following scale:
Assignment / Points2 exams @ 200 points each / 400
2 essays @ 100ptseach / 200
1 case study @ 100pts / 100
Movie Analysis / 50
Attendance & Participation / 25
Total / 775
Grade / Points / Percent
A / 697-775 / 90-100
B / 620-696 / 80-89
C / 542-619 / 70-79
D / 465-541 / 60-69
F / 0-464 / 0-59
Essays (2 essays, each 100 points)
For your essays, you will be given a discussion prompt which you will write about. The essay prompts will deal with the material we coverin class and will usually involve aprovocative question related to the material.
Each paper should be around3-4 pages double spaced, in 12 point font. You should have a page for references and use APA format. Your essay prompts will located on the course’s Blackboard site, in the Assignments folder Essays.
Your essay should not to be a simple description of a disorder but a persuasive piece in which you present you own thoughts and opinions supported with outside references.
Late assignments will be accepted for a reduced grade (i.e. 1 day late = -10%, 2 days late = -%20). No papers will be accepted 5 days after the due date.
Case study(100 points)
You will be responsible for reviewing a “case” and assigning a diagnosis using the DSM-5. You will be responsible for justifyingyour diagnosis and answering the certain questions.
The written assignment should be at least 3-4 pages in length, double spaced, 12 point font.
Detailed information on this assignment is located in ASSIGNMENTS CASE STUDIES
Late assignments will be accepted for a reduced grade (i.e. 1 day late = -10%, 2 days late = -%20). No papers will be accepted 5 days after the due date.
Movie Analysis (50 points)
We will be watching the academy award winning film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) as a class. Following the movie, you will write up a short analysis of the film, its characters, and its portrayal of mental hospitals and mental illness more generally.
Information on this project is located in ASSIGNMENTS MOVIE ANALYSIS
Attendance and Participation (25 points)
You are expected to attend every class and be on time. We will cover material in class that is not in the text and you will be responsible for class and text material. If you are absent, it is your responsibility to get class notes from a classmate. If you are frequently absent, this may impact your grade.
I encourage all students to participate and will reward you for doing so. There will be many opportunities to voice your opinions and ask questions. I will occasionally break the class into small groups so that people will have a greater chance to participate.
Exams (2 exams, worth 200 points each)
You will have 2 exams – a midterm and a final. They will cover the assigned reading materials and lectures. The tests will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. For the multiple choice section,please bring a scantron and a No. 2 pencil.
There will be a study guide posted well in advance, for each exam. This guide is intended to help focus your studying but is not a substitute for coming to class and reading the material.
Please note that make-up exams will NOT be given, except for medical emergencies (doctor’s note required). Make-up exams for medical emergencies must be taken at the testing center within 1 week of the date of the original exam.
Extra Credit
For extra credit, you may submit 1 current real world examplerelating to aconcept covered in the course each week.
Each example will be worth up to 3 points toward your final grade.
These outside examples can come from recent cartoons, newspaper articles, song lyrics, something that happened in a movie or on a TV show, etc.
For each entry, you will:
1. Need to first describe your example. This may involve providing a web link to an article or cartoon or simply a short, written description of the TV show or news item.
2. Explain how your example relates to a concept in class, including defining the psychological terms. Entries that do not sufficiently explain how the example relates to class will not receive full credit. (E.g. posting a link and saying "This site talks about parts of the brain" is not sufficient)
Your examples are due by the end of a given week (e.g. EC for week one is due by JANUARY 15th). You will need to post your extra credit in the extra credit forum located in DISCUSSION BOARD on BB.
Cheating & Plagiarism:
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Cheating includes dishonesty of kind on test or assignments. Plagiarism includes the failure to give credit to another’s work. Giving and/orreceiving unauthorized help on tests or assignments are both considered cheating. NVCC and I regard these as serious offenses. The minimum sanction for such behavior is an F on the assignment; the maximum sanction by NVCC is dismissal from the college. Refer to the full policy on academic dishonesty in the Student Handbook.
Special needs and accommodations:
Please address with me any special problems or needs at the beginning of the course. If you are seeking accommodations based on a disability, please provide a disability data sheet, which can be obtained from the counselor for special needs (Bisdorf 185, 703-845-6208).
Schedule of readings & homework assignments
This schedule may change and I will notify you of any changes in advance. You are expected to have read the assigned reading materials before each class period, so that you can participate in the class discussions.
Article titles in Italics are located in the Readings folder.Chapters refer to your textbook.
WEEKLY TOPICS, ASSIGNED READINGS, & HOMEWORK DUE DATES ON FOLLOWING PAGE
WEEK / TOPIC / ASSIGNEDREADINGS / ASSIGNMENTS1 / Jan 9 / Course introduction; Abnormal psych in science and clinical practice / Chapter 1NAMI Facts about Stigma & Mental Illness in Diverse Communities;
Course Syllabus
2 / Jan 16 / MON HOLIDAY – MLK DAY;
Diagnosis, Treatment, & Assessment / Chapters 3 & 4;Seven facts about America’s mental health-care system
3 / Jan 23 / MOVIE WEEK – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest / On being sane in insane places
4 / Jan 30 / Schizophrenia / Chapter 14 & 15; Perpetuating Schizophrenia’s stigma / Essay #1 due on Weds. 2/1by NOON
5 / Feb 6 / Schizophrenia cont.; / Chapter 14 & 15; Perpetuating Schizophrenia’s stigma
6 / Feb 13 / Depressive & Bipolar disorders / Chapter 7 / Movie Analysis due onMonday 2/13 by NOON
7 / Feb 20 / Depressive & Bipolar disorders: Treatments / Chapter 8
8 / Feb 27 / Suicide / Chapter 9 &
The Urge to End It All
9 / March 6-12
SPRING BREAK
10 / March 13 / NO CLASS MONDAY;
MIDTERM WENDS / Review chapters 1-4; 7-9, 14 & 15 / STUDY FOR MIDTERM
11 / March 20 / Disorders featuring somatic symptoms / Chapter 10; The Babies in the Freezer
12 / March 27 / Ethics & legal issues / Chapter 19
13 / April 3 / Personality Disorders / Chapter 16 / Essay #2 due on Weds. 4/5 at NOON
14 / April 10 / Anxiety, OCD, & Related disorders / Chapter 5
15 / April
17 / Disorders of Trauma & Stress / Chapter 6
16 / April 24 / TBA / Chapter TBA / Case study analysis due on Weds. 4/26by 11:59PM
FINALS PERIOD
PSY 215 FINAL – 5/1/2016 RM 291 9:30am
1