Spring, 2011
Abnormal Psychology (PSYC 3280)
MW 1:30-2:45 @ Science Center 2505
Instructor: Dr. Wendy L. Wolfe
Office: Science Center 225
Phone: (912) 344-2955
Email:
Website: http://www.psych.armstrong.edu/faculty/wolfe/index.html
Office Hours: MW 11:00-12:00; TR 1:30-3:00 and by appt. (any changes to office hours will be announced in class)
Required Text and Materials:
Nevid, J. S., Rathus, S. A., & Greene, B. (2011). Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World. (8th Ed.). Upper
Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.
Student companion website for 7th edition of text: http://www.prenhall.com/nevid
Course Description and Goals: This course is designed to serve as a general introduction to the study of maladaptive behavior and mental illness. The primary objectives of the course call for students to learn the following:
1. An understanding of historical and current views of “abnormal” behavior and an appreciation for the socio-cultural factors involved in conceptualizations of “abnormal” behavior.
2. An understanding of the manifestations and classification of various forms of maladaptive behavior.
3. An understanding of the factors that cause and/or contribute to the development of maladaptive behavior and the major theoretical perspectives on maladaptive behavior. Relatedly, an appreciation for the complexity of the biopsychosocial factors involved in the development, manifestation, and treatment of maladaptive behavior.
4. An understanding of the different types of intervention strategies aimed at alleviating maladaptive behavior and of their effectiveness.
5. Increased empathy for individuals struggling to cope with mental illness and maladaptive behaviors.
Student Responsibilities: Students are expected to attend all classes and to read assigned chapters before the class period in which they will be discussed. In addition to being physically present, I expect students to be thoughtfully engaged (mentally present) during lectures and to be active participants in class activities and assignments. Students will be strongly encouraged throughout the course to think critically about the information presented and to demonstrate critical thinking skills through class activities and discussions. Additionally, students are expected to make relevant contributions to the class when questions are asked while being respectful of fellow classmates’ ideas and comments. For examination purposes, students will be responsible for all material contained within the assigned readings and presented in the lectures.
Grading: Grades in this course will be based on four regular exams, a comprehensive final exam, brief assignments/class activities, and a review paper.
· Exams will consist of multiple choice and matching type questions. Exam questions will vary in difficulty. Some questions will seem easy, while others will require more thoughtful consideration. Exams are designed so that most students will answer some of the questions correctly, and only students who have achieved the highest level of understanding of the material will answer others correctly. The purpose of including questions with a variety of difficulty levels is to determine the depth and breadth of your understanding of the material. “Trick” questions are not tricky to those who have achieved the highest level of understanding. In the event that a regular exam is missed, your final exam score will be substituted for the missed exam score. If you attend all regular exams and you score higher on the comprehensive portion of the final exam than an earlier exam, your final exam score will also replace your lowest regular exam score. Final exam make-ups will be scheduled at the instructor’s convenience, and only in the case of well-documented emergencies! These may be alternate-form (essay, short-answer) exams.
· Unannounced in-class and out-of-class assignments and activities will be used to reward students who attend class regularly. These brief assignments cannot be turned in late. As such, students are strongly encouraged to attend class regularly and, if a class absence is unavoidable, to check with a classmate for any missed assignments before the next day of class. One or two “extra” assignments will be given so that students may drop 1-2 of their lowest (or missed) assignments.
· A 5-7 page review paper is to be completed on a topic related to the field of Abnormal Psychology. For this paper, you will need to review the professional literature (i.e., peer-reviewed book chapters and journal articles) on the topic you have selected. Use of websites as resources for the paper is not allowed. You will need to provide reference citations for the resources you use, both in the body of the paper and in a reference list at the end of the paper. You may use any standard referencing format that you are familiar with (e.g., MLA, APA, etc.). If you need assistance generating a paper topic or conducting a literature search, please don’t hesitate to see me for guidance. I will also go over the assignment in greater detail in class. Because plagiarism is a student offense that I take very seriously, students are required to complete the online plagiarism tutorial on the Lane Library website www.library.armstrong.edu/plagiarismtutorial.html before writing their paper. The tutorial will prompt you at the beginning and end to enter your name, email, and my email. I will not grade papers for students who have not sent me their tutorial quizzes. See the sections on Late Papers and General Writing Requirements for more information.
Late Papers: Do not turn in late work! Unless paper is late due to a (documented) emergency, papers turned in late will be deducted 10% per day late (not per class day). Papers turned in on the due date, but after the beginning of class, will be considered one day late.
General Writing Requirements: Papers should be double-spaced and typed using 12 point Times New Roman font. Margins are to be set on all sides at 1”. Paper length requirements do not include cover/title pages. Please make sure your name is typed on a cover page or at the top of the first page (in this case, start the body of the paper right below your name) and that all pages are stapled together. I will not provide a stapler in class, so you must do this before turning your paper in. Check your paper closely for spelling and grammatical errors as you will be penalized for these. I reserve the right to return papers un-graded that I cannot easily comprehend due to poor writing. In this case, the paper should be re-written and will receive the late paper penalty (see next page). Students are strongly encouraged to have others proofread your papers or to utilize the writing center on campus for assistance. Any resources used for your paper should be cited using a commonly used style of referencing such as APA or MLA. A copy of the APA Publication Manual (6th edition) can be found in the library. Or, you can find a brief guide to APA style at this website: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/. Papers will be collected at the start of class on the date they are due.
Extra Credit: You may choose one or both options for extra credit. However, the maximum amount of extra credit points you can earn is 20.
(Option 1) You may choose to write one or more papers for extra credit. See me or email me so that we can discuss options for extra credit papers.
(Option 2) For each hour of psychology department research participation that you complete, you can earn 5 extra credit points. Visit http://www.armstrong.edu/Science_and_Technology/psychology/psych_student_participation_in_research to find out how to set up your research participation account and how to use Sona Systems to sign up for psychology department research studies. Please note that if you sign up for a timeslot to participate in a research study and find out that you cannot make it, you need to cancel your appointment on Sona Systems within the specified cancellation timeframe for the study. If you “no show” for a study without documentation of an emergency situation, you will not be allowed to sign up for other research studies.
Your final grade will be determined by the following:
400 / Points for 4 non-cumulative exams100 / Points for cumulative final exam
80 / Assignments and activities
20 / Plagiarism tutorial
100 / Review paper
700 / TOTAL POINTS
Of the 700 possible points, the minimum numbers needed to earn a particular grade are listed below:
A - outstanding performance relative to requirements / 630 pointsB – good performance relative to requirements / 560 points
C – average performance relative to requirements / 490 points
D – below average to poor performance relative to requirements / 420 points
F – performance fails to meet minimal standards for successful completion of the course and fulfillment of course requirements / < 420 points
Students with Special Needs: Any student with a disability who is in need of an accommodation should see me as early as possible.
Disruptions: Certain behaviors are disruptive to other students and to me as an instructor. To avoid hindering the learning process for us all please make every attempt to avoid the following during class time:
Spring, 2011
· sleeping or appearing obviously bored or inattentive
· arriving late
· leaving early
· packing up your stuff early
· leaving cell phones or other electronic communication/entertainment devices on in class
· reading or doing other work in class
· talking during lectures
Spring, 2011
Academic Integrity: Good academic work must be based on honesty. I do not expect to have problems with cheating or plagiarism; however, I take these issues very seriously. All students are expected to be familiar with and abide by the Armstrong Atlantic State University Honor Code, especially in regard to the policies on Academic Integrity. Any suspicion of cheating or commission of plagiarism will be referred to the Office of Student Affairs as a possible violation of the Honor Code. The term “unauthorized aid”, as referenced in the Honor Code, for the purposes of this course will consist of the following: looking at another student’s exam before, during, or after the exam period or allowing this to occur to your own exam; looking at another student’s exam booklet from a previous semester; and use of “crib” notes, textbooks, or electronic communications of exam information during the examination.
For Psychology Majors: By taking this course, you are consenting to documentation of your performance, above and beyond grade assignments, for departmental evaluation purposes. Advanced psychology students (students who have completed Psyc 2200) in the B.A. degree program, and those in the B.S. degree program who anticipate pursuing a general or ABA internship placement, may request that a Professional Development Evaluation (PDE) form be completed by this instructor at the end of the semester. The instructor reserves the right to complete an optional PDE on any psychology majors taking the course. Completed PDE’s are maintained in a locked file within the department and information therein is shared with other faculty in the department in order to track exemplary and problematic performance, as well as readiness for internship placement. If you are unfamiliar with the form, you may request a copy from the instructor.
Spring, 2011
Powerpoint Slides: You may access handouts (in Microsoft Word format) from the powerpoint lecture slides by going to my faculty website. However, the slides are generally no more than a list of terms and concepts that are defined and explained in class. They are meant as an aid to note-taking, and will be woefully inadequate as an alternative to attending class. The file is quite large and will take some time (and a good internet connection) to download. Also, slides may be added, deleted, or updated throughout the course of the semester. These revisions will not be accessible via handout and you must attend class to obtain the most up-to-date information presented in lecture.
Calendar: The following schedule of topics and assignments is tentative. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE for any changes announced in class. Textbook assigned readings (due that class) are listed for each day. You will find it very difficult to do well in this class if you do not finish your assigned readings before class.
Week of (Monday): / Monday / Wednesday1/10 / Introduction to Course / Introduction to Abnormal Psychology: History (Ch. 1)
1/17 / No Class – MLK, Jr. Day / Introduction to Abnormal Psychology: Research Methods (Ch. 1)
1/24 / Discussion about Paper Assignment
Classification & Assessment (Ch. 3) / Classification & Assessment (Ch. 3)
1/31 / Perspectives on Abnormal Behavior
(Ch. 2) & Treatment Approaches (Ch. 4) / Perspectives on Abnormal Behavior
(Ch. 2) & Treatment Approaches (Ch. 4)
2/7 / Perspectives on Abnormal Behavior
(Ch. 2) & Treatment Approaches (Ch. 4) / Exam 1
2/14 / Stress & Health (Ch. 5) & Anxiety Disorders (Ch. 6) / Anxiety Disorders (Ch. 6)
2/21 / Anxiety Disorders (Ch. 6) / Dissociative and Somatoform Disorders (Ch. 7)
2/28 / Dissociative and Somatoform Disorders (Ch. 7) / Exam 2
Mid-term: Last day to withdraw with “W”
3/7 / Mood Disorders (Ch. 8) / Mood Disorders & Suicide (Ch. 8)
3/14 / No Class: Spring Break / No Class: Spring Break
3/21 / Substance Abuse & Dependence
(Ch. 9) / Eating Disorders (Ch. 10)
3/28 / Sleep Disorders (Ch. 10) / Gender Identity Disorder (Ch. 11)
4/4 / Sexual Disorders (Ch. 11) / Exam 3
4/11 / Psychotic Disorders (Ch. 12) / Psychotic Disorders (Ch. 12)
Extra Credit Papers Due
4/18 / Psychotic Disorders (Ch. 12) / Personality Disorders (Ch. 13)
Review Paper Due
4/25 / Personality Disorders (Ch. 13) / Selected Developmental Disorders
(Ch. 14 & 15)
5/2 / Wrap-up & Exam Review / Exam 4 & Final Exam: Wednesday 5/4 @ 2:00