Term: Fall 2011 Room:

PSYCHOLOGY 152
ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
SYLLABUS
Term:
Room:
Time:
Fall 2011
Billings Lecture Hall
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 8:30 am – 9:20 am
Professor:
Sondra E. Solomon, Ph.D.
Teaching Assistants: Ms. Jessica Clifton
Mr. Timothy Lavigne
Contact Information for Dr. Solomon:
Office:
Dewey Hall, Room 346
Phone:
656-3034
E-mail:
[email protected]
Office Hours:
Monday 10:00 am -11:00 am & Thursday 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
___________________________________________________________________
NOTE:
Students are requested to e-mail Ms. Clifton or Mr. Lavigne or meet with them during their
regularly scheduled office hours.
Students with last names starting with A-M should e-mail Ms. Clifton.
Students with last names starting with N-Z should e-mail Mr. Lavigne.
__________________________________________________________________
Contact Information for Ms. Clifton:
Office:
Dewey Hall, Room 346
Phone:
656-5736
E-Mail:
[email protected]
Office Hours:
Wednesday 9:30 am -11:30 am.
Contact Information for Mr. Lavigne:
Office:
Dewey Hall, 346
Phone:
656-5736
E-Mail:
[email protected]
Office Hours:
Wednesday 2:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Required Text
Kearney, C.A. & Trull, T.J. (2011). Abnormal Psychology and Life: A dimensional Approach.
This text has been bundled with a variety of study aids and learning tools (CourseSmart) at no additional cost
to you. This package is only available at the UVM bookstore.
A copy of the textbook has been placed on reserve at the Bailey-Howe Library.
Blackboard:
Materials for this course are posted on Blackboard.
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Expectations and Course Requirements
I.
Readings, Attendance and Class Participation
Text chapters, course materials and assignments are due at the beginning of the week the topic
Readings:
is discussed. For example, you should be prepared to discuss the material for Somatoform Disorders and
Dissociative Disorders on October 31st. We will discuss those topics on Oct. 31st, Nov. 2nd and Nov. 4th.
Your ability to understand and enjoy the course will be enhanced if you have completed the reading before
coming to class. While it is not necessary nor do I expect you to have committed the readings to memory,
reading the material before class will prove beneficial in the long run.
Attendance: Please honor and respect your peers and attend class. I will honor the time boundary and begin
class at 8:30 am and end class at 9:20 am. I will expect the same from you. Minimize late arrivals and early
departures. Do not plan long weekends, early departures for breaks and holidays that interfere with class
attendance.
If you do not expect to attend class, please notify Ms. Clifton and Mr. Lavigne at least 24 hours in advance.
All absences are treated equally (e.g., illness, extended vacations, etc.). Of course “special circumstances
will always be considered.
Class Participation: Take notes when you read and generate lots of discussion questions. Participation and
interactive education are the cornerstones of this seminar. We learn a great deal from each other and our
collective experience is valuable. We all have a wealth of stories and experiences to communicate. Active
participation and consistent attendance is crucial to the success of this class. Your experience will contribute
to your own learning and to the learning experience of others. We all have something to say and stories to
tell. This is a large lecture but you will be surprised at how chatty and interactive we can be at 8:30 am.
Special Accommodations for Students
The Office of Accommodation, Consultation, Collaboration and Educational Support Services for Students
(ACCESS) will request that we have an official note taker for students with disabilities. Kindly provide Ms.
Clifton and Mr. Lavigne with the appropriate documentation and accommodations (e.g., note taking,
additional time for exams) will be provided.
Student athletes are advised to contact Ms. Clifton or Mr. Lavigne regarding conflicts between your academic
and athletic schedule.
II.
Written Assignment: Psychopathology: Class, Culture and Context
Is the Media the Message?
“In contemporary culture the media have become central to the constitution of social identity. It is
not just that media messages have become important forms of influence on individuals. We also
identify and construct ourselves as social beings through the mediation of images. This is not
simply a case of people being dominated by images, but of people seeking and obtaining pleasure
through the experience of the consumption of these images. An understanding of contemporary
culture involves focus on both the phenomenology of watching and the cultural form of images".
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(Ian Agnus and Sut Jhally)
During the semester you will be required to submit ONE brief (3-5 pages or 1,500-2,500 words– no longer,
please!) written assignment. The written assignment is designed to enhance your understanding of a specific
topic in abnormal psychology. The paper also offers you the opportunity to show that you comprehend the
material without the formal constraints of a multiple choice or essay exam. You will have the opportunity to
choose an aspect of abnormal behavior that we discuss in class (e.g., major depression, generalized anxiety
disorder, PTSD, antisocial personality disorder) and examine how the disorder is portrayed in the media (e.g.,
newspaper article, magazine article, film television program, radio commentary, play, performance art, song,
opera, music video etc.).
Guidelines for Paper
1. Before you begin to write:
a. Select one of the mental disorders from the syllabus as the topic of your media watch paper.
b. Select a specific form of the media (e.g., magazines, periodicals, newspapers, TV, movies,
music, poetry, play, performance art, etc.).
c. Think about how the disorder is portrayed in the specific form of the media you have selected.
d.
2. Make certain that you include the following information in your paper:
a) A title page containing your name, student I.D. number, title of your paper and date you submitted the
paper.
b) A 200 word abstract summarizing your paper.
c) The body of your paper (1,500-2,500 words – no longer please) should include:
a. An introductory section describing:
i. the topic of your paper
ii. the disorder you have selected.
iii. the diagnostic criteria for the disorder you have selected.
iv. the aspect of the media you selected (e.g., what is the title of the film, article, music, etc).
b. A description of what the psychological literature reports about the disorder you are examining.
c. A discussion section that includes several of the topics listed in Section 3 and 4.
d. A concluding paragraph that summarizes your thoughts.
e. A bibliography, appropriately referenced, using American Psychological Association format.
f. Any appropriate attachments.
3. Here are some questions that you might consider covering in your discussion section:
a. How is the disorder portrayed in the media?
b. Is it an accurate portrayal?
c. Is it consistent with the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for the disorder?
d. What do the individuals with the disorder look like?
e. What do they do?
f. Are they married, single, divorced, heterosexual, lesbian, homosexual, bisexual, old, young,
physically distinctive (e.g., functionally impaired, disabled or disfigured).
g. What are the roles that individuals with the disorder play?
h. What activities and functions do they perform?
i. What kind of jobs do they hold?
j. What are the shapes, sizes, colors and ethnicities do the individuals hold?
k. If individuals with a particular disorder are not thin, white and attractive are they portrayed
negatively? (e.g., "fat women overeating, people of color or disenfranchised, marginalized
groups as unemployed, dangerous, and threatening).
l. Is there a difference between the ways that women and men with a particular disorder are
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characterized?
m. Are certain groups excluded (e.g., economically disadvantaged, people of color, children,
women, and men)?
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4. Somewhere in the discussion section it would be very important to discuss how the disorder is treated.
a. Is there any information regarding treatment?
b. Is treatment affordable and accessible?
c. Is there universal access to treatment?
d. Is treatment appropriate for all cultural groups and for both genders?
e. Do you agree with the treatment approach?
f. What would you suggest as treatment alternatives?
g. Be certain to provide evidence to support your arguments.
5. You should include a summary statement discussing your personal thoughts about the aspect of the media you
have discussed.
a. What do you think and how do you feel regarding the images you saw, music you heard or paper you
read?
b. Does the media portray the individuals(s) with the disorder responsibly? Be specific and cite examples.
c. What did you learn?
d. What would you change and how would you change the media message?
e. Do you think that those in charge of creating or developing the media messages have a responsibility
to provide accurate information?
f. Should there be sanctions or should there be legislation to control the message the media portrays
about mental illness?
g. You need not address all of the topics listed in Section 3, 4, & 5. The questions listed above are
meant to be suggestions. You can choose several of these questions or you can come up with a few
of your own
6. Final Notes
a. The structure for the paper will be discussed in class.
a. Cover Page
b. Abstract (200 words)
c. Paper: 1,500 – 2,500 words or 3-5 pages of text in the body of your paper…no longer please!.
i. Paper Format:
1. Times New Roman or Arial 11 Point Font
2. 1” margins (left, right top, and bottom);
3. Double spacing;
4. Number pages;
5. American Psychological Association format.
6. References Cited
b. The paper is due on Wednesday, December 5th at 9:20 am.
c. You may submit this assignment at any point during the semester; however, papers will not be
accepted after Wednesday, December 5th.
Academic Integrity: The work you do in this course must be your own. This means that you must be aware
when you are building on someone else's ideas—including the ideas of your classmates, your professor, and
the material you read—and explicitly acknowledge that you are doing so. Feel free to build on, react to,
criticize, and analyze the ideas of others but, when you do, make it known whose ideas you are working
with. If you ever have questions about drawing the line between others' work and your own, ask Ms. Clifton,
Mr. Lavigne, or Dr. Solomon to provide guidance. Of course, you may visit UVM’s website regarding
Academic Integrity at: http://www.uvm.edu/~uvmppg/ppg/student/acadintegrity.pdf
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If you find that your paper has unoriginal text that is not properly cited, you should either cite it or remove it.
If you do not, you are likely committing plagiarism. Also, if you remove or reword the unoriginal text, but
retain the idea expressed by the source, you must give a citation that names the source. Remember, your
work should build on the class discussions, reading, lectures, remarks, etc., but the paper you write must be
your own work.
III.
Research Experience
Each student will have the opportunity to participate in a research study that is being conducted in the
Psychology Department. Research opportunities will be announced in class and posted on the Blackboard
Course site. Research participation is worth 10 points (10%) of your final grade. You must participate in a
research study that involves at least 2 hours of your time AND you must submit a one page description of
your research experience.
IV.
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Schedule of Exams
Three exams are scheduled during the semester.
The exams are not cumulative.
Exam 1 is 20% of the final grade; exam 2 is worth 25% of your final grade and exam 3 is worth 30% of the
final grade.
The format of the exams will be 40 multiple choice questions and 2 short answer / brief essay.
All exams (including the third and final exam) will be administered in Billings Lecture Hall.
Check the syllabus (below) for the dates of the exams
Make-up exams must be scheduled with Ms. Clifton and Mr. Lavaigne.
Grades will not be given over the phone or by e-mail.
The exam schedule is as follows:
Exam Date
Topics Covered
1
October 7th : Ethics and Consumer Guide to Abnormal Behavior; The Cultural Context of Behavior;
Historical and Contemporary Views on Abnormal Behavior; Causes and Risk Factors for Abnormal Behavior;
Assessment of Abnormal Behavior; Classifying Behavior: DSM-IV TR.
Anxiety Disorders; Mood Disorders and Suicide; Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic
2
Nov. 11th :
Disorders; Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders; Cognitive Disorders.
3
Dec. 9th :
Sexual Dysfunctions and the Paraphilias; Gender Identity
Disorder; Personality Disorders; Antisocial Behavior and Psychopathy.
1. The final exam (Exam 3) will be held on Friday, November 9th from 10:30 am- 1:15 pm. in Billings
Lecture Hall. Please mark the dates for all the exams on your calendars NOW!
2. Make-up Exam Policy: Under certain circumstances students can be accommodated and make-up exams
scheduled. Make-up exams for Exams 1 and 2 will be held on November 28th and November 30th. Makeup exams will be administered in Dewey Hall and you will be informed about the room and time of the
make-up exam. Arrangements to take a make-up for the final will be addressed at the end of the semester.
3. Extra Credit Policy: There is no extra credit.
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V. Course Mate Resources
Included with your text book are resources that will enhance your learning. We will use these tools during the
semester in class. CourseMate is a link that is connected to the text chapters and topics we discuss. We will
demonstrate how to use CourseMate on September 2nd.
The CourseMate link includes the following:
e-book Chapters
Sample and Gradeable Quizes*
Flash Cards
Glossaries
Crossword Puzzles
Continuum Video Projects
Video Case Studies
Additional Videos
*The quizzes and sample quizzes are designed to help you. The results of the quizzes and sample quizzes are
not used to compute your final grade.
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VI.
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND READING ASSIGNMENTS
DATE
TOPIC
1. Aug. 29, 31 & Sept. 2nd : Introduction & Course Outline
Ethics and Consumer Guide to Abnormal Behavior
Cultural Context of Behavior
2. Sep. 7th & 9th:
th
th
th
3. Sep. 12 , 14 & 16 :
4.
5.
6.
7.
Sep. 19th, 21st & 23rd:
Sep. 26th, 28th & 30th:
Oct. 3rd
Oct. 5th :
08.
09.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
October 7th:
Oct. 10th, 12th & 14th:
Oct. 17th, 18th, & 21st :
Oct. 24th, 26th, & 28th :
Oct 31st, Nov 2nd. & 4th:
Nov. 7th :
Nov. 9th :
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
Nov. 11th
Nov. 14th , 16th:
Nov. 18th :
Nov. 21st, 23, & 25th:
Nov. 28th, 30th :
Dec. 2nd & Dec. 5th :
Dec. 7th :
Historical and Contemporary Views
on Abnormal Behavior:
Perspectives on Abnormal Behavior
on Abnormal Behavior
Causes and Risk Factors for Abnormal Behavior
Assessment of Abnormal Behavior
Classifying Abnormal Behavior: DSM-IV TR
Synopsis of Lectures August 29th through Oct. 3rd.
Review for Exam I
Exam 1
Anxiety Disorders
Mood Disorders and Suicide
Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Somatoform Disorders and Dissociative Disorders
Cognitive Disorders
Synopsis of Lectures: Oct. 10th through Nov. 7th.
Review for Exam I1
Exam II
Sexual Dysfunctions and the Paraphilias
Gender Identity Disorder
Thanksgiving Recess
Personality Disorders
Antisocial Behavior & Psychopathy
Synopsis of Lectures Nov. 14th through Dec. 5th
Review for Final
CHAPTER
15
1
2
3
4
4
5
7
12
6
14
11
11
10
10
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VI.
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES AND COURSE SMART ASSIGNMENTS
DATE
TOPIC
1. Aug. 29, 31 & Sept. 2nd : Introduction & Course Outline
Ethics and Consumer Guide to Abnormal Behavior
Cultural Context of Behavior
2. Sep. 7th & 9th:
3. Sep. 12th, 14th & 16th:
Historical and Contemporary Views
on Abnormal Behavior:
COURSE SMART
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW
4. Sep. 19th, 21st & 23rd:
Perspectives on Abnormal Behavior
on Abnormal Behavior
Causes and Risk Factors for Abnormal Behavior
5. Sep. 26th, 28th & 30th:
Assessment of Abnormal Behavior
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW
6. Oct. 3rd
Classifying Abnormal Behavior: DSM-IV TR
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW
7. Oct. 5th :
08. October 7th:
Synopsis of Lectures August 29th through Oct. 3rd.
Review for Exam I
Exam 1
09. Oct. 10th, 12th & 14th:
Anxiety Disorders
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW & Vid
10. Oct. 17th, 18th, & 21st :
Mood Disorders and Suicide
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW & Vid
11. Oct. 24th, 26th, & 28th :
Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW & Vid
12. Oct 31st, Nov 2nd. & 4th:
Somatoform Disorders and Dissociative Disorders
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW & Vid
13. Nov. 7th :
Cognitive Disorders
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW
14. Nov. 9th :
15. Nov. 11th
Synopsis of Lectures: Oct. 10th through Nov. 7th.
Review for Exam I1
Exam II
16. Nov. 14th , 16th:
17. Nov. 18th :
Sexual Dysfunctions and the Paraphilias
Gender Identity Disorder
18. Nov. 21st, 23, & 25th:
Thanksgiving Recess
19. Nov. 28th, 30th :
Personality Disorders
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW & Vid
20. Dec. 2nd & Dec. 5th :
21. Dec. 7th :
Antisocial Behavior & Psychopathy
Synopsis of Lectures Nov. 14th through Dec. 5th
Review for Final
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW & Vid
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW
e-book, quiz, flash cards, glossary, CW
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VII.
FINAL GRADE ASSIGNMENT
Exam 1
Exam 2
Exam 3
20 points
25 points
30 points
20% of final grade
25% of final grade
30% of final grade
Paper:
15 points
Psychopathology: Class, Culture and Context
15 % of final grade
Research:
10 points
10% of final grade
Total
100 points
100%
Final Letter Grade
Number of Points Required
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
DF
97-100
96-90
87-89
83-86
80-82
77-79
73-76
70-72
67-69
63-66
60-62
59-00
Be gentle with each other and remember to
breathe!
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