PSY 440: Forensic Psychology Fall 2014 Course Syllabus

Transcription

1 : Forensic Psychology Fall 2014 Course Syllabus Instructor: Eric R. Dahlen, Ph.D. Office: OMH 213C Phone: (601) ( is the best way to reach me) Office Hours: Required Text: Tues. 10:00-11:00, Fri. 9:00-10:00, and by appointment Bartol, C. R., & Bartol, A. M. (2012). Introduction to forensic psychology: Research and application (3 rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Description of the Course: This is an elective psychology course designed to introduce students to applied forensic psychology and to promote an understanding of the relationship between psychology and the law by showing how psychological science can inform the legal process. As an introduction to this area, we will address a range of topics, including investigative psychology and criminal profiling, expert testimony, violent offenders, competency to stand trial, the insanity defense, violence risk assessment, and correctional psychology. Course Objectives: By the end of this course, students should be able to: Contrast the perspectives of psychology and law, recognizing how their differences lead to creative tension in the field of forensic psychology; Demonstrate understanding of psychological research on relevant legal topics (e.g., assessment of risk among criminal offenders); Appreciate the potential benefits and limitations of psychological knowledge applied to assist law enforcement personnel and the court; Describe the different types of forensic psychological evaluations and the procedures used by psychologists to obtain information that forms the basis of their opinions; and Appreciate the challenges facing psychologists who work in corrections. Prerequisites: Successful completion of PSY 436 (Abnormal Psychology) is encouraged but not required. Course Format: This course will utilize a traditional lecture format, supplemented by video clips. To enhance student learning outside of class, I have complied a collection of information and resources available through Blackboard (see

2 2 Meeting Schedule: This course will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:00 to 9:15am in OMH 219. Class will begin promptly at 8:00, and I expect students to be on time and silence their cell phones before class starts. Because it is disruptive when students arrive late to class, I may deny late entry after we have started. Course Requirements: 1. USM Address Students in this course are expected to have an official USM address (@eagles.usm.edu) associated with their SOAR account that they check regularly. All I send to students, including course announcements generated in Blackboard (see below), will be sent to the USM addresses associated with students SOAR accounts. When communicating with me over , please use your USM address. This protects your privacy and identity by letting me know that you are who you claim to be. Please also be sure to include your full name on e- mail correspondence. 2. Access to Blackboard In addition to the assigned textbook, other required readings and supplemental materials (e.g., video clips) will be available online through Blackboard. Students must have regular access to Blackboard to access these materials, check exam scores, submit papers, etc. You can log into Blackboard through You will need to have your EMPL ID and password (the same information you use to access SOAR and register for classes). If you have questions or run into difficulty accessing Blackboard, please call the itech Helpdesk at or them at helpdesk@usm.edu. Any course announcements necessary in between scheduled class meetings will be posted through Blackboard, so it is important to log in at least once every 5 days to make sure you do not miss anything. 3. Class Attendance Students are expected to attend class each time the class meets and are responsible for any announcements and other content presented that day. If you need to miss a class, you are encouraged to obtain notes from a classmate. In evaluating the importance of attendance, please consider the following: Class attendance is strongly related to final course grades. Examinations will include material presented in class that is not in the assigned readings, and students are responsible for all material addressed in class. Skilled note taking in class (rather than relying on a friend s notes) is one of the best ways to learn new material. 4. Examinations We will have three in-class examinations (one approximately every 5-6 weeks). Each examination will be worth a maximum of 50 points and will cover material from the assigned readings and from class since the previous exam. Examinations will be multiple-choice and

3 3 include approximately 50 questions each. None of the examinations will be cumulative, and the third examination will be held during the last week of class. A final examination will not be given in this class. You will not need Scantron forms or blue books for exams in this course. Although final course grades are based on the total number of points earned in the course (see the grading policy on page 4), approximate examination grades can be calculated out of 50 points as follows: = A = D = B 0-29 = F = C Make-up Examinations: Make-up examinations may be granted for absences due to illness, emergency, or other unavoidable circumstances that have been verified by the Office of Student- Oriented Services (see If you miss an exam due to illness, emergency, or other unavoidable circumstances, notify me as soon as possible and file your documentation with the Office of Student-Oriented Services within a reasonable time after the exam. Once I receive a formal letter of excuse from the Office of Student-Oriented Services, we can schedule a make-up exam. 5. Forensic Case Study Paper This paper is designed to encourage students to apply a case study approach in the exploration of psychological factors involved in the crimes of notorious offenders. Each student will select one high-profile criminal for intensive study and sign up in advance through Blackboard to make sure that there is no duplication in the class (i.e., each student must select a different offender). Drawing on library and Internet research, including news media as well as scientific sources, students will construct an offender case study using the outline provided (see pg. 9). Papers are worth up to 50 points and must be submitted electronically through Blackboard no later than 5:00 PM on November 13. You do not need to turn in a hard copy of your paper. Late papers will be accepted but will be penalized 5 points for each business day they are late. Tips for writing these papers and the rubric used for grading them can be found on pages Extra Credit (Optional) A maximum of 10 extra credit points can be earned in this course by participating in research conducted through the Department of Psychology. To find studies in which to participate, visit Extra credit points are earned at the rate of 1 point per departmental research credit. December 4 at 5:00 pm is the deadline for participating in SONA studies. Once you complete a study, the researcher will assign research credits to your account. You then need to assign any research credits you have earned to the course(s) in which you would like them counted. All research credits must be assigned by December 6 at 5:00 pm in order for them to count. No changes are allowed after this deadline. In order for SONA research credits to count for extra credit in this course, you must assign them to this course in SONA prior to 5:00 pm on December 6.

4 4 When you participate in SONA studies, you are contributing to the body of scientific knowledge in the field of psychology. It may be tempting to race through an online survey as fast as you can, but doing so undermines the research process and reduces the accuracy of the researcher s information. Please be aware that many researchers in our department are now using quality control procedures to make sure that students who do not carefully read questions before answering and provide thoughtful responses do not receive credit. Important Policies: 1. Withdrawing/Dropping New university-wide policies related to withdrawing/dropping take effect this semester (see Students now have only six (6) days from the start of the semester (i.e., until August 27) to add/drop classes without penalty. After August 27, students wanting to drop a class must formally withdraw. Between August 28 and October 31, withdrawing from a class will result in a grade of W. After October 31, all students will receive a letter grade (i.e., the grades of WP and WF are no longer available). 2. Grading Final course grades are based on work completed during the course. Students may earn up to 200 possible points from the following sources: (1) three examinations (50 points each possible) and (2) forensic case study paper (50 points possible). Any extra credit points earned from the optional research participation (up to 10) will be added in at the end of the semester. Final course grades will be calculated as follows: = A = D = B = F = C 3. Academic Honesty & Plagiarism The following is from the University s Academic Dishonesty policy (STUA-DS-015) available at When cheating is discovered, the faculty member may give the student an F on the work involved or in the course. If further disciplinary action is deemed appropriate, the student should be reported to the Dean of Students. In addition to being a violation of academic honesty, cheating violates the Code of Student Conduct and may be grounds for probation, suspension, and/or expulsion. Students on disciplinary suspension may not enroll in any courses offered by The University of Southern Mississippi. Academic dishonesty also includes any submission of false documents, such as add/drop forms, substitutions, special requests, etc. Plagiarism is a form of cheating in which an individual uses what someone else has written without giving them proper credit. In most cases of plagiarism at the University level, students

5 5 have copied phrases, whole sentences, or entire paragraphs directly from someone else, either the original author or another student who originally wrote the words, and then attempted to pass these copied sections off as his or her own work. Plagiarism is committed in a number of ways, including: 1. reproducing another author s writing as if it were one s own (i.e., copying what someone has written word-for-word without enclosing it in quotation marks) 2. paraphrasing another author s work without citing the original 3. borrowing from another author s ideas, even though those ideas are reworded, without giving credit 4. copying another author s organization without giving credit Plagiarism is a serious offense. An act of plagiarism may lead to a failing grade on the paper and in the course, as well as sanctions that may be imposed by the student judicial system. In this course, any student who engages in academic dishonesty or submits plagiarized material will receive a failing grade and may be referred to the Dean of Students for further disciplinary action. Please be aware that plagiarism-detection software is used in this course to promote academic integrity. This software detects essays compiled from the Internet, essays previously submitted by students around the world, papers purchased from commercial databases, and material from various library subscription databases. If you have not already done so in another course, you are strongly encouraged to complete the library s plagiarism tutorial (see before submitting your case study paper for this course. 4. Classroom Behavior My goal is to create a comfortable learning atmosphere for all students. Students are expected to be attentive, polite, and not a source of distraction to the instructor or any other student. Behaviors such as reading the newspaper during class, sleeping, visiting with friends, or other potentially disruptive behaviors will not be tolerated. Persons engaging in such behaviors may be asked to leave class. Similarly, students are expected to silence cell phones, computers, and other electronic devices prior to coming to class. Failure to do so may impact one s grade in this course, particularly if it occurs during an examination. 5. Bringing Children to Class The University has a policy prohibiting students from bringing their children to class with them and/or leaving their children in the hall during class.

6 6 6. Students With Disabilities If a student has a disability that qualifies under the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures. Disabilities covered by ADA may include learning, psychiatric, physical disabilities, or chronic health disorders. Students can contact ODA if they are not certain whether a medical condition/disability qualifies. Address: The University of Southern Mississippi Office for Disability Accommodations 118 College Drive # 8586 Hattiesburg, MS Voice Telephone: (601) or (228) Fax: (601) Individuals with hearing impairments can contact ODA using the Mississippi Relay Service at (TTY) or Suzy Hebert at Suzanne.Hebert@usm.edu. 7. Psychology Majors/Minors The Department of Psychology requires all Psychology majors to earn a grade of C or better in this course in order to count it toward their degree. Students with a minor in Psychology must also earn a grade of C or better in the 18 hours they take. Tips for Succeeding in This Course: Remember, all material presented in class and in the assigned readings is fair game for examinations. I recommend the following to students who are interested in doing well in this course: Attend every class. Attendance is strongly associated with success. Complete assigned readings prior to the class in which they will be discussed. Take notes while reading the text (highlighting the book is not the same as taking notes and is much less effective). Bring these notes to class. Start studying for examinations early. Try to relate new material to something you already know. Visit the course page in Blackboard regularly.

7 7 Course Schedule: A list of topics and assigned readings for each week are provided below. All assigned readings outside the text are available in Blackboard ( You will be informed of any changes to this schedule with as much notice as possible. Week 1 Topics Readings 8/18 (First class: 8/21) Introduction Forensic Psychology: Overview I 8/25 Forensic Psychology: Overview II Police & Investigative Psychology I Course Syllabus Chapter 1 Chapter 2 9/1 Police & Investigative Psychology II Chapter 3 9/8 Police & Investigative Psychology III Development of Criminal Behavior 9/15 The Psychopathic Personality Exam 1 on 9/18 Lilienfeld & Landfield Chapter 7 Hare & Neumann 9/22 Psychology of Violence Chapter 8 9/29 Sexual Assault Chapter 9 Kansas v. Hendricks 10/6 Family Violence Chapter 11 10/13 Judicial Process and Expert Testimony I No Class Thursday 10/20 Judicial Process and Expert Testimony II Exam 2 on 10/23 10/27 Adjudicative Competence Criminal Responsibility and Insanity I 11/3 Criminal Responsibility and Insanity II Violence Risk Assessment I Chapter 4 Daubert v. Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals American Psychological Association Chapter 5 Dusky v. United States Fulero & Wrightsman Barefoot v. Estelle 1 Dates are listed in this column are for the Monday of each week.

8 8 Week Topics Readings 11/10 Violence Risk Assessment II Malingering in the Forensic Evaluation Forensic Case Study Paper Due on 11/13 McGuire 11/17 Psychology in Corrections Chapter 12 11/24 Civil Forensic Psychology No Class Thursday Chapter 6 12/1 Exam 3 on 12/2 No Class Thursday References for Assigned Readings Outside the Text American Psychological Association (2013). Specialty guidelines for forensic psychology. American Psychologist, 68, doi: /a Barefoot v. Estelle. 463 U.S. 880, reh'g denied, 464 U.S. 874 (1983). Daubert v. Merrill Dow Pharmaceuticals. 509 U.S. 579 (1993). Dusky v. United States. 362 U.S. 402 (1960) (per curiam). Fulero, S. M., & Wrightsman, L. S. (2009). Forensic psychology (3 rd ed.) (pp ). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Hare, R. D., & Neumann, C. S. (2009). Psychopathy: Assessment and forensic implications. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 54, Kansas v. Hendricks. 521 U.S. 364 (1997). Lilienfeld, S. O., & Landfield, K. (2008). Science and pseudoscience in law enforcement: A user-friendly primer. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 35, doi: / McGuire, J. (2004). Minimising harm in violence risk assessment: Practical solutions to ethical problems? Health, Risk & Society, 6, doi: /

9 9 Forensic Case Study Outline Drawing on library and Internet research, including news media 2 as well as scientific sources, construct a case study using the outline below. Papers should be approximately 4 single-spaced pages (1 margins and 12-point Times New Roman font), not including a list of references for all sources in APA format. A minimum of 4 references should be included, not counting the text or assigned readings. Papers are due via Blackboard no later than 5:00 PM on November 13. I. Heading a. Your name b. Subject of your case study (i.e., the name of the person you are studying) c. Current status of your subject (i.e., are they incarcerated, dead, at large, etc.) II. III. IV. Brief Description of the Crime(s) a. Start with a 1-2 paragraph summary of the crime(s) committed by this individual. Developmental History a. Provide a brief family history in which you describe anything noteworthy about the childhood and adolescence of the subject. b. Highlight any critical factors that may have occurred during formative years (e.g., child abuse, high parental conflict, major transitions, etc.). Situation at the Time of the Crime(s) a. Provide a brief summary of the subject s functioning at the time of the crime(s). b. Relevant information includes stressors, presence of mental illness, whether they were married/single, employed/unemployed, popular/unpopular, etc. V. Victimology a. What sort of victims did the subject prefer? VI. VII. VIII. Signature/M.O. a. How did the subject commit his/her crime(s)? b. What would he/she generally do at the crime scene? c. Were there any crime scene clues that provide insight into what might have been going on in the subject s mind? Apprehension a. How was the subject apprehended? b. Was there a confession, and if so, what additional details emerged? If there was not a confession, what details emerged during trial? References (formatted in APA style) 2 Recommended databases for news media materials include Academic Search Premier and Lexis-Nexis News.

10 10 Tips for Writing Your Case Study Papers Understand what I m looking for. These papers are designed to give you a chance to explore the psychological factors involved in the crimes of the offender you have selected. Good papers are complete in the sense that they thoroughly address all the sections of the outline, reflect understanding of relevant forensic issues, are based on sufficient research and documentation, have no technical writing errors, and use APA guidelines for citing sources appropriately. Refer to the Rubric for Grading Forensic Case Study Papers for more insight into how these papers are graded. Write in paragraph format. These papers should be in traditional paragraph format. The outline is designed to assist you with organizing your papers; papers are not to be written in outline format. Use research. It is okay to speculate and offer your opinion; however, these are still research papers and should not be limited to sharing your opinion. Understand plagiarism. The two most common forms of plagiarism I see in this course involve (1) copying what someone else has written word-for-word without placing it in quotation marks and (2) rewording or paraphrasing what someone else has written without citing the source. Avoid plagiarism. To avoid plagiarism, it is critical that you do the following: o Use your own words. Reword what another author has written by putting it into your own words (i.e., paraphrasing) and give them credit with an in-text citation (see below). o Credit your sources using in-text citations to make it clear where the information is coming from. Keep your use of direct quotations to a minimum. Use direct quotes only when there is no other way to say something. A big part of academic writing involves your skill in paraphrasing, so you do not want to over-rely on using quotes. Use in-text citations. Use in-text citations to make it clear where your information is coming from. In APA style, we use parenthetical in-text citations (see Every in-text citation must have a corresponding entry under References, and every source listed in the References section should have at least one in-text citation. Write formally. Academic writing is supposed to be formal. We do not write how we speak. Use complete sentences and paragraphs. Avoid contractions (e.g., don t, shouldn t, that s), slang, and informal expressions (e.g., He got beat down, The cops picked her up for shoplifting ). Always check your grammar and spelling. Proofread! Use the Writing Center. Many students find the Writing Center very helpful in improving their papers. If you tend to struggle with writing papers, it is strongly recommended that you start early and use the Writing Center (see Ask questions. When you are not sure about something, ask.

11 11 PSY 440 Rubric for Grading Forensic Case Study Papers Criterion Completeness Understanding Research Technical Writing APA Guidelines A-level qualities (45-50) Complete in all respects; reflects all requirements advanced understanding of relevant forensic issues Bases case study on relevant and extensive research and documentation advanced clarity, conciseness; includes thorough details and relevant information; well-organized Uses APA guidelines accurately and consistently to cite sources B-level qualities (40-44) Complete in most respects; reflects most requirements understanding of relevant forensic issues Bases case study on relevant research and documentation clarity and conciseness; contains only a few errors; includes sufficient details and information; well-organized Uses APA guidelines with minor violations to cite sources C-level qualities (35-39) Incomplete in many respects; reflects few requirements minimally adequate understanding of relevant forensic issues Bases case study with limited research and documentation Writing lacks clarity or conciseness and contains numerous errors; insufficient detail; lacks organization Reflects incomplete knowledge of APA guidelines D or F-level qualities (30-34 or < 30) Incomplete in most respects; does not reflect requirements inadequate understanding of relevant forensic issues Bases case study on incomplete research and documentation Writing is unfocused, rambling, or contains serious errors; lacks detail and relevant information; poorly organized Does not use APA guidelines