PY 205: Introduction to Forensic Psychology

Syllabus

PY 205: Introduction to Forensic Psychology

Fall 2011, TTH 9:30

Instructor: Dr. Tricia Witte

Office: 317 Harbert Hall

Contact: , x4832

Office hours: TBA

Required Text

Greene, E., & Heliburn K. (2011). Wrightsman’s Psychology and the Legal System, 7th edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Course Description

Forensic psychology is broadly defined as the application of psychological principles to legal matters. While this field is extremely vast, this course will only cover a handful of topics in the field. Specifically, this course will aim to answer the following questions:

What is the role of a psychologist in the legal system?

What do psychologists know about perpetrators and victims of violent crimes?

How do psychologists help judges and jury members make difficult decisions about a defendant’s “state of mind,” a parent’s ability to care for his/her child, etc.?

How do psychologists evaluate criminal investigation procedures, such as eyewitness accuracy or lie detection techniques?

Course Goals and Objectives

By the end of this course, you should be able to do the following:

Be able to adequately discuss several content areas in the broad field of forensic psychology

Demonstrate exceptional communication skills (both in terms of classroom discussion and oral presentation skills)

Demonstrate a complex understanding of differing viewpoints, approaches to problems, and arguments

Be able to research topics in the field of forensic psychology using appropriate sources

Course Structure

Each class period will include lecture, class discussion, and/or class activities. You are encouraged to ask any questions that you may have at any time! You will find significant benefits to your understanding of the material and to your course grade if you read the textbook and regularly attend and participate in class! Most, but not all of the exam material, will be covered both in class and in the textbook. There will be some exam material that is only covered in class, and there will be times when you will be asked to read material in the textbook that is not covered in class. The only way to make sure that you have all information on which you will be tested is to attend class regularly.

Expectations

Throughout the course you will be expected to do the following:

1) attend class and actively participate in class discussions

2) complete 3 assignments

3) take 3 exams

4) complete a group project

5) participate in 3 hours of research

6) attend the Psychology Senior Conference and write a review of one presentation

Grading Scale

100-93% = A 92-90% = A- 89-87% = B+ 86-83% = B 82-80% = B-

79-77% = C+ 76-73% = C 72-70% = C- 69-67% = D+ 66-60% = D <60% = F

Graded material

Participation…………………………………………..25 points

Assignments ………….....……...... 75 points

Exams.…………….….……………..………………300 points

Group Project……….….…………………………..,150 points

Experiential Research Opportunities………………….0 points (but grade penalty if incomplete)

Psychology Senior Conference Review…..………….25 points

TOTAL POINTS………………………………….575 points

Attendance

[I haven’t decided what to do about attendance requirements yet]

Participation

[here I want to describe what I expect from them in class]

Assignments

You will be asked to complete 3 assignments (25 points each). Assignments will vary; some will require you to answer questions about or summarize the assigned readings and others will require you to write a reaction paper about the assigned readings. The purpose of these assignments is to help you come to class prepared (i.e., having read the assigned readings thoroughly). If you are absent on the day the assignment is due, you are still responsible for completing it on time! Assignments will be accepted on time if they are posted to Moodle BEFORE class begins. Late assignments will only be accepted if they are turned in within 24 hours of the due date. Late assignments will automatically receive ½ credit. You may NOT work with your peers on these assignments.

[I need to think about the assignments some more, but I was thinking that one would be evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of several different theories of violent crime (e.g., social-psychological theory, sociological theory, biological theory, etc.), one would be an opinion piece on the insanity defense or competency to stand trial in criminal cases or parental rights in child custody or parental fitness cases, and one would be summarizing and critiquing a scientific study (i.e., journal article) that evaluates a particular criminal investigative procedure (e.g., lie detection).]

Exams

Three exams will be given during the course (see course schedule below). The exams will include multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions. You will need to know details and the “big picture” to do well on the exams. Be prepared to recall details, apply general or specific concepts to novel material, compare and contrast minor or major ideas, etc. The exams will cover material from the assigned readings (even if the material is not discussed in class), class discussions, videos, activities, assignments, and guest lectures. The last exam is not a cumulative exam. It is expected that you will take all exams as scheduled. Please let the instructor know at least 1 week (7 days) before the scheduled exam if you know that you will miss an exam so an alternative time for you to take the exam can be scheduled. If you miss an exam without notifying the instructor at least 1 week (7 days) before the scheduled exam (e.g., due to illness or emergency circumstances), you will be able to make up that exam on the evening of last day of class. It is quite possible that the make-up exam will be different from the exam that the class took on the exam day (e.g., all essay questions). When final course grades are computed, 0 points will be given for any missed exam for which a make-up exam has not been taken.

Group Project

You will be given a description of a legal case, and your job will be to meet with your group members on a regular basis to research an important psychological issue relevant to this case. For example, if you are given a legal case in which a victim pressed charges against someone after recovering a repressed memory while under hypnosis, you might want to find scientific studies that have examined the accuracy of memories retrieved under hypnosis. For the project, each member in your group must summarize 1 scientific study on the topic and apply the study findings to the legal case. Your group will turn in an 8 – 10 page paper that includes an introduction, a description of the legal case, and a thorough description of each of the studies and how each applies to the legal case. The introduction and description of the legal case will be written as a group, but each student will write about his/her own scientific study. This paper should be properly cited following APA guidelines (see the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, which is in the BSC library). In addition, your group will give an oral presentation using PowerPoint slides. Each member of the group must speak during this presentation. Project members will grade your involvement in the project (e.g., your attendance at group meetings, your contribution to the project) using a structured grading sheet. The professor will grade the presentation and paper.

Experiential Research Opportunity

To obtain a first-hand learning experience about how psychological research is conducted you will be asked toparticipate in 3 hours of approved research projects conducted in the psychology department. Completing 3 hours of research will fulfill this learning objective.Failure to complete all 3 hours of research prior to the last day of class will result in a half-letter grade deduction.You will sign-up for studies using an on-line research participation system. The URL is: http://bsc.sona-systems.com. You will receive an e-mail at your BSC account with your user name and password. Please retain this e-mail for future use. If you do not wish to participate instudies, an equivalent alternative assignment will be available to you. More details about this requirement will be provided on Moodle. You are expected to read these documents thoroughly.

Psychology Senior Conference Review

You will be asked to attend the Psychology Senior Conference (date TBA) at the end of the term. In this conference, senior psychology majors will present their research to the general public. Your tasks are to (1) summarize at least one student’s presentation and (2) evaluate at least one student’s presentation style (e.g., identify positive aspects of the presentation as well as aspects needing improvement).

Appropriate Classroom Behavior

I expect appropriate behavior at all times in my classroom. I tend to be laid back and casual for the most part, and I encourage you to feel relaxed and comfortable in my class. However, there are certain behaviors that demonstrate respect, maturity, and intellectual engagement and other behaviors that are downright inappropriate. Below are some examples of appropriate and inappropriate classroom behavior. The list is not exhaustive. I expect that you will use common sense to judge whether or not a behavior is inappropriate. You may be asked to leave the classroom if you engage in inappropriate classroom behavior.

Appropriate behavior Inappropriate behavior

Academic Integrity

Any violation of BSC’s Honor Code (e.g., cheating, plagiarism) will lead to a failing grade on an assignment, exam, or course (at the instructor’s discretion). Additional sanctions may be given by the Honor Council. It is your responsibility to learn about the Honor Code and Honor Council as well as the various ways to violate the Honor Code. Please go to the following website: http://www.bsc.edu/campus/student-affairs/honor-council/index.htm

Academic Accommodations

Please see me if you have any concerns about your ability to perform well in this course. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please complete a “Request for Academic Accommodation” form (these forms can be obtained from the Director of Personal Counseling at the Norton Campus Center).

Class Schedule (tentative)

The class schedule may change at any point during the semester. The instructor will notify students via email or in class if any changes are made.