PSY 301

Children and Violence

Fall I 2007

INSTRUCTOR:

Carol M. Lewis M.S. L.C.P.C.

PHONE:

Office: 312-567-2334 Home: 708-485-2417

EMAIL:


FAX:

REQUIRED TEXTS:

Title / No Place to be a Child: Growing up in a War Zone
Author(s) / Garbarino, J., Kostelny, K., Dubrow, N.
Copyright / (1998).
Publisher / John Wiley & Sons.
ISBN / 0787943754
Edition
Title / Violent Young Children
Author(s) / Glicken, M.D.
Copyright / (2004)
Publisher / Allyn & Bacon, Inc.
ISBN / 0205388663
Edition
Title / The Impact of Family Violence on Children andAdolescents
Author(s) / Kashani, J. H.. Allen, W.
Copyright / (1998)
Publisher / SAGE Publications
ISBN / 0761908986
Edition / (vol. 37)

This Course Requires the Purchase of a Course Packet: YES NO

Argosy University

COURSE SYLLABUS

PSY301

Children and Violence

Faculty Information

Faculty Name: Carol M. Lewis M.S. L.C.P.C.

Campus: Chicago, Illinois

Contact Information: Office phone: 312-567-2334

Home phone: 708-485-2417

Email:

Most often I will respond to email messages and phone messages by the following day, and when possible on the same day.

Office Hours: I will be available for brief meetings in the early afternoon after each class. Meetings may be arranged by contacting me to schedule an appointment.

Short Faculty Bio: I am Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, with a Master of Science in Psychology from the Illinois Institute of Technology. I have been a psychotherapist for more than thirty years. In my clinical work I provide diagnostic assessment and outpatient treatment for adults of diverse cultural background and clinical needs at MercyHospitalMentalHealthCenter in Chicago. My primary research work has been the study of psychotherapeutic processes and developmental processes in psychotherapeutic groups. My published work includes The Process of Group Psychotherapy: Systems for Analyzing Change, APA Books, of which I am both co-editor and a contributing author. I’ve been a member of the faculty at ArgosyUniversity for almost two years.

Course description: This course enables students to gain an understanding of the issues resulting from children's exposure to violence. Topics examined include community violence, war and terrorism, peer victimization, media violence, and familial abuse and maltreatment. In addition, best practices in prevention and intervention programming are highlighted, as well as a dialogue encouraging students to examine their own beliefs about the nature and impact of violence our world.

Course Pre-requisites: None

Required Textbooks: These books have been chosen to be the standard required texts for this course. They are not new, and are available new or used, but except for the book by Garbarino, et.al., they are not inexpensive. The book by Kashani and Allen is a fairly short one, and I will make sure a copy is available on reserve at the library.

Garbarino, J., Kostelny, K., Dubrow, N. (1998). No Place to be a Child: Growing up in a War Zone. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 0787943754

Glicken, M.D. (2004). Violent Young Children.Allyn & Bacon, Inc. ISBN: 0205388663

Kashani, J. H.. Allen, W. (1998). The Impact of Family Violence on Children andAdolescents (vol. 37). SAGE Publications. ISBN:0761908986

There will be an additional reading list, I’ll bring it to the first class. Those readings will all be available from the Argosy online library.

Course length: 7.5 Weeks

Credit Value: 3.0

Program Outcomes:

  1. Cognitive Abilities
  2. Critical Thinking - Given a psychological issue, employ skeptical inquiry and a scientific approach to respond to the issue.
  3. Information Literacy - Given a research question related to psychology, access information from a variety of sources and select appropriate sources to respond to the question.
  4. Research
  5. Understanding Research Methods – Given an article about research findings in the field of psychology from a scholarly journal, identify the research methods used and the findings of the article.
  6. Identifying Research Methods – Identify the appropriate statistical tools and basic research methods in psychology, including research design, data analysis, and interpretation.
  7. Communication Skills
  8. Oral - Effectively present psychological concepts orally as appropriate to the audience.
  9. Written - Effectively present psychological information, in writing, using software and style appropriate to the audience.
  10. Ethics/Diversity
  11. Ethics - Identify the issues and challenges related to ethics in the field of psychology.
  12. Diversity - Identify the issues and challenges related to diversity in the field of psychology.
  13. Knowledge of the Field
  14. Foundations – Recognize the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, empirical findings, applications, and historical trends in psychology.
  15. Knowledge of Applied Psychology
  16. Apply psychological principles to personal, social, and/or organizational issues.

Course Objectives:

  1. Students will examine and discuss types of violence children are exposed to and societal costs of these experiences. (Program Outcome(s): 1.1, 3.1, 5, & 6)
  2. Discuss the various types of violence children are exposed to, such as; family violence, physical and sexual abuse, war and terrorism, media violence, bullying and school violence, youth violence, community violece.
  3. Examine the societal costs of the experiences
  4. Students will articulate developmental and psychological issues unique to children who are exposed to or experience violence and ways in which these children may react to these events. (Program Outcome(s): 3.1, 5, & 6)
  5. Analyze the prevalence of various sources of violence.
  6. Analyze the psychological effects on children exposed to the following sources of violence; family violence, physical and sexual abuse, war and terrorism, media violence, bullying and school violence, community violence.
  7. Students will identify the roles of developmental resilience and protective processes in children’s lives, particularly those exposed to or experiencing violence. (Program Outcome(s): 5)
  8. Identify the roles of developmental resilience and protective processes in children’s lives, particularly those exposed to or experiencing the following forms of violence; family violence, physical and sexual abuse, war and terrorism, media violence, bullying and school violence, youth violence, community violence.
  9. Students will review and understand the psychological dynamics of children who become violent. (Program Outcome(s): 5)
  10. Analyze the psychological antecedents of youths becoming violent in the following circumstances; physical and sexual abuse, bullying, gang violence.
  11. Students will identify and examine prevention programs and practices designed to ameliorate the impact of violence on children and become more aware of efforts in their own communities to intervene on behalf of these children. (Program Outcome(s): 1.1, 1.2, 5, & 6)
  12. Examine the prevention programs and practices designed to ameliorate the impact of the following forms of violence on children; family violence, physical and sexual abuse, war and terrorism, media violence, bullying and school violence, youth violence, community violence.
  13. Develop an understanding of violence-prevention programs for parents and community.
  14. Develop an awareness of best practices in prevention and intervention programs for community violence.
  15. Students will describe ethical issues in working with children who have experienced or witnessed violence and reflect actively on issues of diversity with respect to these events. (Program Outcome(s): 3.1, & 4.1)
  16. Describe ethical issues in working with children who have experienced or witnessed the following forms of violence; family violence, physical and sexual abuse, war and terrorism, media violence, bullying and school violence, youth violence, community violence.

Assignment Table: Use the following table as a rough outline of the course of study in the coming weeks. Assignments are still being determined, we will discuss these in class each week.

Topics / Readings / Assignments
1 /
  • Family Violence
  • Prevalence of Family Violence
  • Psychological Effects of Family Violence
  • Psychoeducational and Intervention Strategies
  • Developmental Resilience and Protective Processes
  • Prevention of Family Violence
/ Kashani
  • Chapter 1
  • Chapter 2
  • Chapter 4
Glicken
  • Chapter 1
/ Discussion Questions:
  1. In a symposium on family violence in 2003, the US Surgeon General indicated that family violence is a public-health issue. Please review the transcript of the speech at the following Web site: Family Violence as a Public Health Issue, Symposium on Family Violence: The Impact of Child, Intimate Partner, and Elder Abuse, August 6, 2003.
  2. In your opinion, what is family violence?
  3. Discuss why the Surgeon General indicated that family violence is a public-health issue. Do you agree?
  1. American Psychological Association presented a task force on violence and the family. One of the key questions raised was ‘If violence is a learned behavior – who teaches it?
  2. Review the discussion on the following Web page:
Issues and Dilemmas in Family Violence: Issue 2
2 /
  • Physical Abuse
  • Prevalence of Physical Abuse
  • Psychological Effects of Physical Abuse
  • Psychoeducational and Intervention Strategies
  • Developmental Resilience and Protective Processes
  • Prevention of Physical Abuse
/ Kashani
  • Chapter 3
  • Chapter 6
Glicken
  • Chapter 5

3 /
  • Sexual Abuse
  • Prevalence of Sexual Abuse
  • Psychological Effects of Sexual Abuse
  • Psychoeducational and Intervention Strategies
  • Developmental Resilience and Protective Processes
  • Prevention of Sexual Abuse
/ Glicken
  • Chapter 6

4 /
  • War and Terrorism
  • Prevalence of War and Terrorism
  • Psychological Effects of War and Terrorism
  • Psychoeducational and Intervention Strategies
  • Developmental Resilience and Protective Processes
/ Garbarino, Kostelny, Dubrow
  • Chapter 1
  • Chapter 2
  • Chapter 7
/
  1. In some regions of the world, war and terrorism have been a life-long issue for many people. Families have learned to survive and thrive despite the daily threat of on-going warfare and terrorism.
  2. Discuss how resilience and other internal factors have assisted children in war-torn areas to thrive.
  3. Hypothesize how parents might intervene to foster the growth of resilience in children.

5 /
  • Media Violence
  • Prevalence of Media Violence
  • Psychological Effects of Media Violence
  • Psychoeducational and Intervention Strategies
  • Developmental Resilience and Protective Processes
  • Intervention for Media Violence
/ Glicken
  • Chapter 2
  • Chapter 7
  • Chapter 12
/ Assignments:
  1. Violence on Children’s TV
A recent study found that 58% of television programs contained violence, and, of those selected, over 78% showed no remorse, criticism of, or penalty for the violence.
For this assignment, you need to watch an hour of children’s television, preferably cartoons, and analyze the level of violence in the chosen children’s show.
  1. Rate the aggressive acts using the following scale:
  • Mild: verbal aggression with no physical contact.
  • Medium: physical contact with no blood, such as pushing, shoving, and hitting.
  • Extreme: use of force to cause bodily injury, such as guns, knives, and other weapons, where blood is produced.
  1. Determine if any of the following occurs after the violent acts:
  • remorse for the violence
  • criticism of the violence
  • any consequences of the violence
  • Analyze how the chosen show might influence the growing child. What messages is this show giving to the child?

6 /
  • Bullying and Violence in School
  • Prevalence of Bullying and Violence in School
  • Psychological Effects of Bullying and Violence in School
  • Psychoeducational and Intervention Strategies
  • Developmental Resilience and Protective Processes
  • Preventing Bullying and Violence in Schools
/ Glicken
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
7 /
  • Youth Violence
  • Prevalence of Youth Violence
  • Psychological Rationale for Youths Becoming Violent
  • Psychoeducational and Intervention Strategies
  • Preventing Youth Violence

8 /
  • Community Violence
  • Prevalence of Community Violence
  • Psychological Effects of Community Violence
  • Psychoeducational and Intervention Strategies
  • Developing Social Interest

Grading Criteria

Grading Scale

A / 100 - 93
A- / 92 – 90
B+ / 89 – 88
B / 87 – 83
B- / 82 – 80
C+ / 79 -78
C / 77 – 73
C- / 72 – 70
D+ / 69 – 68
D / 67 – 63
D- / 62 – 60
F / 59 and below

Criteria for Written Assignments

Grade
A = 90+ / Written discussion is well organized and provides an excellent summary of the topic area. Concepts are clearly understood and comprehensively discussed. All critical elements are addressed. There are no spelling or grammatical errors.
B = 80 – 89 / Written discussion is well organized and provides a good summary of the topic area. There are few spelling or grammatical errors. Presents a good discussion of the questions posed.
C = 70 – 79 / Summary of material and explanations of the topic concepts are marginal; discussion is slightly disorganized. There are several spelling and grammatical errors.
D = 60 - 69 / Write up is disorganized. Summaries and explanations are inadequate. There are many spelling and grammatical errors.
F = <60 / Assignment was not completed by student or multiple required elements were missing.

Library:

All resources in ArgosyUniversity’s online collection are available through the Internet. The campus librarian will provide students with links, user IDs, and passwords.

Library Resources: ArgosyUniversity’s core online collection features nearly 21,000 full-text journals and 23,000 electronic books and other content covering all academic subject areas including Business & Economics, Career & General Education, Computers, Engineering & Applied Science, Humanities, Science, Medicine & Allied Health, and Social & Behavior Sciences. Many titles are directly accessible through the Online Public Access Catalog at Detailed descriptions of online resources are located at

In addition to online resources, ArgosyUniversity’s onsite collections contain a wealth of subject-specific research materials searchable in the Online Public Access Catalog. Catalog searching is easily limited to individual campus collections. Alternatively, students can search combined collections of all Argosy University Libraries. Students are encouraged to seek research and reference assistance from campus librarians.

Information Literacy: ArgosyUniversity’s Information Literacy Tutorial was developed to teach students fundamental and transferable research skills. The tutorial consists of five modules where students learn to select sources appropriate for academic-level research, search periodical indexes and search engines, and evaluate and cite information. In the tutorial, students study concepts and practice them through interactions. At the conclusion of each module, they can test their comprehension and receive immediate feedback. Each module takes less than 20 minutes to complete. Please view the tutorial at

Academic Policies

Academic Dishonesty/Plagiarism: In an effort to foster a spirit of honesty and integrity during the learning process, ArgosyUniversity requires that the submission of all course assignments represent the original work produced by that student. All sources must be documented through normal scholarly references/citations and all work must be submitted using the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition (2001). WashingtonDC: American Psychological Association (APA) format. Please refer to Appendix A in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th Edition for thesis and paper format. Students are encouraged to purchase this manual (required in some courses) and become familiar with its content as well as consult the ArgosyUniversity catalog for further information regarding academic dishonesty and plagiarism.

Scholarly writing: The faculty at ArgosyUniversity is dedicated to providing a learning environment that supports scholarly and ethical writing, free from academic dishonesty and plagiarism. This includes the proper and appropriate referencing of all sources. You may be asked to submit your course assignments through “Turnitin,” ( an online resource established to help educators develop writing/research skills and detect potential cases of academic dishonesty. Turnitin compares submitted papers to billions of pages of content and provides a comparison report to your instructor. This comparison detects papers that share common information and duplicative language.

Americans with Disabilities Act Policy

It is the policy of ArgosyUniversity to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities, in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If a student with disabilities needs accommodations, the student must notify the Director of Student Services. Procedures for documenting student disability and the development of reasonable accommodations will be provided to the student upon request.

Students will be notified by the Director of Student Services when each request for accommodation is approved or denied in writing via a designated form. To receive accommodation in class, it is the student’s responsibility to present the form (at his or her discretion) to the instructor. In an effort to protect student privacy, the Department of Student Services will not discuss the accommodation needs of any student with instructors. Faculty may not make accommodations for individuals who have not been approved in this manner.

The ArgosyUniversity Statement Regarding Diversity

ArgosyUniversity prepares students to serve populations with diverse social, ethnic, economic, and educational experiences. Both

the academic and training curricula are designed to provide an environment in which students can develop the skills and attitudes essential to working with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

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