Abnormal Behavior Psychology : Spring 2010

Transcription

1 Abnormal Behavior Psychology : Spring 2010 Instructor: Office: Address: Office Hours: Malinda J. Freitag BEH S 515 (Mailbox on 5 th Floor) malinda.freitag@psych.utah.edu By Appointment Only* This Syllabus is subject to change at the instructor s discretion. Students will be notified of any changes during the semester. Please read the syllabus in its entirety and pay attention to the details of the class. You will be formally tested on the syllabus (the same as you will be with the other material presented in this course), so familiarize yourself with this document and be prepared to answer detailed exam questions. Contact Policy: The preferred method of contacting your instructor for this course is . I will make every effort to return all s within 72 hours and is by far the best place to leave me a message. * By Appointment Only does not mean I do not want to see you! By Appointment Only means that, due to my restricted schedule, I am not typically available in my office for unscheduled appointments. If you would like to meet, please me for an appointment at least 72 hours in advance of the appointment time you would like (be sure to include days and times you can meet in your ). Please do not drop by without ing me first as I will most likely not be available. Required Text: Butcher, J.N., Mineka, S., & Hooley, J.M. (2010). Abnormal Psychology, 14 th Edition. Boston: Pearson publishing as Allyn & Bacon. There are several options for purchasing this book. The University Bookstore carries two versions of the text, one an unbound, three-ring binder version and another bound version. You may choose either version (the unbound version costs considerably less) for this class. Purchase of this text includes online access to MyPsychLab which is a comprehensive online supplement to the text including chapter quizzes and exams, study plans, interactive media assignments, and an online version of the text. You must have access to MyPsychLab for this course (see Chapter Exams assignment below). If you wish to forego purchasing a physical copy of the textbook, you may purchase an access code for our text on the publisher s website and gain access to the online version of the text in addition to MyPsychLab. You may also elect this option if you choose to purchase an older version of our text such as the 13 th edition. Any additional required readings (including lectures) will be posted on OLMS.

2 Organization: This is an online course and therefore does not meet for formal lectures. Students are expected to complete their course work (readings, MyPsychLab Chapter Exams, papers, discussion posts, and examinations) on their own time and submit their completed works through the course website. Course Objectives: This class will introduce students to the world of abnormal behavior which involves a wide range of human behaviors both ordinary and strange. Students will learn about a wide variety of psychopathology from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, to obsessive compulsive disorder and depression. Together we will examine the potential causes and origins of psychological disorders and discuss possible treatments. Course Website: The website will contain (new items may appear throughout the semester): Syllabus Announcements Class Materials (such as Lectures, Study Guides, Assignments, etc.) Discussion Forum Dropbox for paper and homework assignments Calendar (including all due dates for course requirements) Grades Other resources (including links to both MyPsychLab and U-Online Testing) Please familiarize yourself with the website and let me know as soon as possible if you have any technical questions. Whereas I will be happy to assist you with some of your technical questions, you are responsible for making sure that you understand how the different aspects of the website work (e.g., how to upload an assignment, how to post discussion comments, etc.). Important: I will often make class announcements via OLMS. It is important that you check the announcements on OLMS regularly in order to keep up with additional information as well as track important course reminders and updates. This means you should be logging into OLMS at least twice a week. You may read any past announcements (no longer visible on the OLMS home page for the course) by clicking the Announcements link. 2 Important Dates and Information: Classes Begin: Last Day to Drop/Delete Classes: Last day to register, elect CR/NC, or audit classes: Last day to withdraw from classes: Last day to reverse CR/NC option: Classes end: Monday, January 11 th Wednesday, January 20 th Monday, January 25 th Friday, March 5 th Friday, April 23 rd Wednesday, April 28 th University Accommodation Policies: Accommodation Policies. Please read the University s Accommodation Policies available online at: (Policy 9-7, Section 16).

3 Content Accommodations: I do not anticipate a need for content accommodations in this class. However, if after reviewing the text and syllabus, you find content that conflicts with your sincerely held core beliefs please follow the process outlined in the University s Content Accommodation policy and I will consider your request. Disability Accommodation: The University of Utah seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Center for Disability Services, 162 Olpin Union Building, (V/TDD). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made available in alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services. Course Requirements and Expectations: 3 Non-cumulative Exams 100 points each (300 points possible) 10 MyPsychLab Chapter Exams 100 points possible 3 Papers 50 points each (150 points possible) 10 Discussion Posts 5 points each (50 points possible) Total Possible Points for the Class: 600 points Lectures: The lectures are required reading and have been written in collaboration with previous instructors of this course. They are designed to supplement your textbook readings and may include additional information not included in the text. Please note: The lecture titles correspond with your textbook chapter titles however, the lecture numbers are different than your textbook chapter numbers. Please be sure to read the appropriate lecture that corresponds to the current chapter we are covering. I have organized the lectures on OLMS in the Class Materials folder to help with this process, so please familiarize yourself with that system. The lectures will aid you in working through the textbook chapters and will help organize the material you will be learning. Some lectures may be in written, paragraph format and others may be in Power Point format. I will provide both the Microsoft versions (i.e., Word or Power Point) and PDF versions of each lecture on OLMS. Examinations: There will be three, non-cumulative examinations across the term, which will account for a total of 50% of your final grade. Each exam will cover one third of the course. The exams will not be cumulative, but the latter two will require familiarity with material learned previously in this course. These examinations will include multiple-choice questions that are derived from course material (including textbook and article assigned readings, lectures, and video/media presentations). The first exam will also contain detailed questions about this syllabus. I strongly recommend studying the syllabus in its entirety for the first exam. Study guides will be posted on OLMS. These will help direct your studying, however, they are not intended as a cheat sheet, nor a comprehensive list of all material that will be covered on the exam. Studying only from the study guide is not a recommended study strategy, but will enhance your study preparation. 3

4 4 In conjunction with the study guides on OLMS, you are strongly encouraged to utilize the multiple tools and exercises on MyPsychLab. In addition to the Chapter Exams (reviewed later in this syllabus), MyPsychLab offers a variety of chapter walkthroughs, quizzes, videos, and study guides to help you through the textbook material. These resources will not only enhance your course experience (i.e., give you interactions with the material you would not otherwise receive through an online course), but they will aid you in studying and learning the material presented. Please note: Students who utilized the resources on MyPsychLab have performed significantly better on examinations and assignments (and therefore received better overall course grades) than students who have not used MyPsychLab. Important: All 3 course exams will be offered through U-Online Testing. The exams must be taken during the weeks indicated in the course outline included at the end of this syllabus, but taking the exam requires registration for a specific time and date. Please use the links below to register for exams and for information about how the procedure works (read all information carefully). Please register well in advance of the exam dates in order to insure yourself a seat at the time of your choice. Please note: If you choose to take your exams at another campus (i.e., out of town or out of state) other than the main campus, there may be a 1-2 week delay for me to get your tests and thus be able to post your grades. Testing Procedures for U-Online students: There is also a link to the U-Online testing on the course website. No late exams will be given (no exceptions). If you wish to take an exam early, please me the day you wish to take it at least two weeks prior to the exam. MyPsychLab Chapter Exams: One of the requirements for this course is to complete 10 Chapter Exams from the book s website, MyPsychLab. You must complete the activities (i.e., read the chapter associated with each test) and then take a short quiz called the Chapter Exam. During the semester, there will be 13 quizzes available to you but you will only be required to complete 10. The scores from your top 10 (if you take more than 10) Chapter Exams will be converted to an average percentage correct and become part of your final grade. If you do not complete 10, you will receive 0% for all the Chapter Exams (less than 10) that you fail to complete. The Chapter Exams are located in each chapter s link on MyPsychLab (on the left hand side of the screen). After logging in to MyPsychLab, select our textbook (Butcher, Abnormal Psychology 14e) and then click either the left side link or upper tab titled Chapters. Once in the chapters, you will be able to select the specific chapters we are covering in this course. Please be careful to complete the Chapter Exam for each chapter we cover. While the Pre-Tests and Post-Tests will be helpful for your studying, they will not count towards this class requirement. Please note that we are not covering every chapter from the textbook in this class, so you must pay attention to which chapters you are working online. While you are more than welcome to complete any of the materials for the chapters we do not cover, those materials will not count towards your grade on this requirement. Please be vigilant about what Chapter Exams

5 you have completed, still need to complete, and keep track of the due dates. MyPsychLab will allow you access to all of the chapter materials for the entire semester, but just because you can access a Chapter Exam does not mean you will get credit for completing if it is after its due date. Here is a breakdown of the chapters we will cover (that are required for this class assignment) and their due dates: Block 1: Chapters 1, 3, 4, 6 Due Friday, February 12 th Block 2: Chapters 7, 8, 9, 10 Due Friday, March 12 th Block 3: Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 Due Friday, April 23 rd Please note that each Chapter Exam has a specific due date. Chapter Exams are assigned in groups that will be due by 10pm, the Friday evening BEFORE the corresponding exam week. Please note the 10pm time frame. MyPsychLab records grades in Eastern Standard Time which means if you submit a Chapter Exam past 10pm our time it is recorded for the following day. Please be aware of this and complete all Chapter Exams prior to 10pm Mountain Standard Time on the appropriate due dates. MyPsychLab records the date you take a Chapter Exam and any exams taken after the due date will not count towards your grade. You will be able to take these quizzes as often as needed to obtain the score you want. Your highest score that is posted before the due date will be counted towards your final MyPsychLab Chapter Exam grade. Students are encouraged to work ahead and use these quizzes as part of their study routine for exams. The average of your Chapter Exam scores will make up 100 points of your total grade for this course. So, if you average 85% correct on 10 Chapter Exams you will receive 85 points towards your final grade. All of the MyPsychLab Chapter Exams are on the textbook s website located at: mypsychlab.com The Class ID you will need to use to register for this course through MyPsychLab is cm MyPsychLab registration instructions are posted on OLMS. Please read them carefully and make sure you sign up for this course on MyPsychLab. Failing to follow the directions exactly and completely may prevent the instructor from being able to download your scores and assign you points for the MyPsychLab Chapter Exams. Note when registering: USE AN ADDRESS THAT YOU CHECK FREQUENTLY. Note about MyPsychLab: It is important to note that the MyPsychLab website has been created and is therefore maintained by our book s publisher. Unfortunately, previous students have found mistakes in some of the Chapter Exams and other materials on the MyPsychLab website. For example, an answer to a question may be marked as wrong on MyPsychLab when in fact it is correct according to your book. Due to this site being the publisher s site your instructor does not have the capability of correcting these errors. Therefore it is recommended that you get the question wrong in order to receive the grade you want on the Chapter Exam and that you contact customer support for MyPsychLab about the error. Our textbook is very new and these mistakes are still being worked out on MyPsychLab, but with the help of student users these mistakes are starting to get corrected. 5

6 6 Paper Assignments: Writing is an essential component in the field of psychology. Critical thinking skills, research skills, clear communication, and organization of thoughts are all improved the more students write. For this course you will be required to complete 3 short writing assignments throughout the semester. These assignments are designed to get you critically thinking about topics in abnormal behavior and apply what you have learned in this class to the world outside of psychology. Each paper will be worth 50 points for a total of 150 (25%) points towards your final grade. The paper assignments will be available to download from the Class Materials folder on OLMS. After you have completed each paper you must download your completed document using the Dropbox function. Please save your document using the following format: first initial.last name.paper1. For example, if your name is J. Smith, and you have completed paper 1, you would save the file as: j.smith.paper1. All papers and assignments should be submitted in Microsoft Word format (.doc extension), or as a Rich-Text Format. I cannot open documents saved on a new version of Microsoft Word (".docx" extension) on my computer and OLMS often has difficulty recognizing a.docx extension. If you are working from a newer version of Microsoft Word, it is very simple to save your work as a.doc file. When saving your paper or assignment click on the Save as type arrow in the Save box (usually at the bottom of the box) and select Word Document from the menu. This will change the extension of your file from.docx to.doc (basically it changes your saved work to an older version of Microsoft Word). It is your responsibility to make sure you are uploading a document I can open and grade, so be careful and precise when using the Dropbox function and make sure that you upload your documents correctly. The due dates for the papers are listed in the syllabus course outline as well as the Course Calendar on OLMS. Please note that papers are due on Friday night by 11:59pm. You will only be able to turn in your papers once. Since all the papers will be available from the beginning of the semester you may work ahead and turn them in early. However, once you have submitted a paper to me you will not be able to update it and turn it in again. After grading your papers, I will give you feedback and your grade via OLMS. Considering this is a very large class, it will take me up to two weeks to get your papers graded, so please keep that in mind. Important: If you have taken this course from me in the past, you must write new papers (on new topics) for this semester. I will review any previous papers you may have turned into me during previous semesters and if they are the same as your current paper you will receive a 0 on those assignments for this semester. Late Policy for Paper Assignments: Twenty percent (20%) will be deducted for each day a paper assignment is over due. Paper assignments will not be accepted at all after two days (no exceptions). Each paper is due on a Friday, which means you can turn them in up to the following Sunday for partial credit. Please note that there is a significant loss of points for each day that a paper is late, so please be aware of the due dates.

7 Discussion Forum on OLMS: As this is an online class, the only way that there can be discussion and interaction on the part of all students is through the discussion forum on OLMS. You can discuss theoretical issues as well as ask practical questions about the course. I strongly encourage you to discuss your fellow students questions and topics. If you know an answer to another student s question, post it on the boards so everyone can benefit. If you have a question post it on the boards so other students have the opportunity to discuss and help problem solve with you. You can also post your ideas/comments/examples that were sparked by a particular topic. I expect the forum to be run mainly by students, but I will occasionally post my own comments. You are required to have at least 10 discussion forum entries during the semester to receive credit for this part of the course. Every post counts, whether you decide to start a new topic or reply to an existing topic started by another student, so be sure to track those and include them in your document for credit. Each entry will be worth 5 points for a total of 50 points towards your overall grade. Since this is a very large class, you will be individually responsible for turning in your discussion posts to the instructor. You must do this electronically via the Dropbox on OLMS. Copy and paste the date, exact time (hr:min:sec format), and exact content (including the title) of each post into a Microsoft Word document (.doc file), compile all of your posts this way and turn them in via the Dropbox function on OLMS. You will collect all 10 of your posts into one document and turn that document in once via the Dropbox. The best way to do this is to copy and paste each entry as soon as you post it to the Discussion Forum and keep adding to your document throughout the semester. Once you have 10 posts on the Discussion Forum and in your discussion document you may upload the completed document to the Dropbox. Please note: I will not accept discussion documents unless they are very clear and obviously from the discussion boards (so make sure your document exactly reflects your actual discussion posts). All of your discussion posts should be posted on the forum and turned in to me via the Dropbox no later than Friday, April 23 rd. You may turn in your discussion document as soon as you have completed the requirement and as early as you would like. No discussion posts or the discussion document will be accepted after April 23 rd. Please note that while you may have achieved 10 discussion entries throughout the semester on OLMS, they will not count towards your final grade unless you turn in a discussion document on time via the Dropbox. No late discussion posts or discussion documents will be accepted (no exceptions). Important: The discussion forum is not a good place to contact your instructor. If you have a specific question about the course, your assignments, exams, or grades, or if you have a question you need the instructor to answer directly, you need to me directly. As stated before, I want the discussion forum to be mostly run by students and, while I will jump in on some topics and offer guidance, this is not a good way to contact me. Extra Credit: There are no further extra credit opportunities for this class. Please note that you will be able to easily receive full credit for both the Chapter Exams on MyPsychLab and the Discussion Posts on OLMS if you follow the syllabus and complete these assignments by their due dates. In other words, you have the opportunity to receive a full 150 points (25% of your final grade) if you complete these assignments correctly and by their due dates as listed in this syllabus and on the Calendar on OLMS. I will not honor any additional requests for extra credit, so please make sure you complete these assignments and stay on top of the rest of the course including the examinations and paper assignments. 7

8 8 Final Points Words of Wisdom: This course is fast paced, and you need to work on the course several days each week. The best advice I can give is to keep up and do not procrastinate! Make sure you stay on top of the readings and any necessary due dates (including exams) and turn in all assignments. I will not remind you of due dates or missed assignments. It is your responsibility to keep those dates in mind and be aware of the late policy for paper assignments (see above) and that late MyPsychLab Chapter Exams, Discussion Posts, or course exams will not be accepted or graded for any credit. You can find all of the required due dates in the syllabus course outline and on the OLMS calendar. You are responsible for all of the information covered in the assigned lectures and in the text. It is important to note that not every significant point will be covered in the online lessons and lectures, and therefore, it is your responsibility to keep up with the readings. If questions arise, or if you feel confused in any way, post a question on the class discussion forum for student discussion or send a direct to me. Grading: Your total exam scores, Chapter Exam scores, papers, and discussion posts will be computed into a total point score which will be converted to a percentage score. The following grades will be assigned according to your total percentage score: Grade Overall Average Percentage A A B B B C C C D D D E 59 or below Class Schedule: Week 1: January 11 th -15 th Syllabus This will be heavily covered on Exam 1 Week 2: January 18 th -22 nd Week 3: January 25 th -29 th Week 4: February 1 st -5 th Chapter 1 Abnormal Psychology: An Overview Lecture #1 Chapter 3 Causal Factors and Viewpoints Lecture #2 Chapter 4 Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis Lecture #3 Paper #1 Due: Friday, February 5 th

9 9 Week 5: February 8 th -12 th Week 6: February 15 th -19 th Week 7: February 22 nd -26 th Week 8: March 1 st -5 th Week 9: March 8 th -12 th Week 10: March 15 th -19 th Week 11: March 22 nd -26 th Week 12: March 29 th -April 2 nd Week 13: April 5 th -9 th Week 14: April 12 th -16 th Week 15: April 19 th -23 rd Chapter 6 Panic, Anxiety, and Their Disorders Lecture #4 Block 1: MyPsychLab Chapter Exams Due (Friday, February 12 th ) Chapter 7 Mood Disorders and Suicide Lecture #5 EXAM 1 (Covering Weeks 1-5) Chapter 8 Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders Lecture #6 Chapter 9 Eating Disorders and Obesity Lecture #7 Paper #2 Due: Friday, March 5 th Chapter 10 Personality Disorders Lecture #8 Block 2: MyPsychLab Chapter Exams Due (Friday, March 12 th ) Chapter 11 Substance-Related Disorders Lecture #9 EXAM 2 (Covering Weeks 6-9) SPRING BREAK! ENJOY!! Chapter 12 Sexual Variants, Abuse, and Dysfunctions Lecture #10 Chapter 13 Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders Lecture #11 Paper #3 Due: Friday, April 9 th Chapter 14 Cognitive Disorders Lecture #12 Chapter 15 Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence Lecture #13 Block 3: MyPsychLab Chapter Exams Due (Friday, April 23 rd ) 10 Discussion Posts Document on OLMS Due (Friday, April 23 rd ) Week 16: April 26 th -30 th EXAM 3 (Covering Weeks 10-15)