Course Syllabus Abnormal Psychology (PSYC & 002)

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1 Term: Spring 2014 Instructor: Dr. Richard McAnulty Office Hours: by appointment Course Syllabus Abnormal Psychology (PSYC & 002) Preface: This is an advanced and challenging course. It consists of a traditional lecture course that requires attendance, note-taking, and detailed study of the textbook. You will not succeed in the course if you do not attend all lectures, take detailed notes, and study the textbook (reading it is not enough). There are no powerpoint presentations, online notes, or test review materials. Textbook: Butcher, Mineka, & Hooley (2014). Abnormal Psychology (16 th ed.). The textbook is required; you must read and study the updated edition of the book to pass this class. The earlier edition of the book is not up to date as it does not cover the DSM-5. The MyPsycLab companion disk allows access to practice tests and videos; it is recommended, but not required. Companion website: (this is a good resource that offers practice tests). Attendance: Regular attendance is required since the pace will be rapid and much material will be covered. As evident in the textbook, we will study many disorders and theories so read the book and come to class I strongly encourage you to bring your book to class. I will frequently refer to tables and illustrations in the book. Announcements about course requirements and possible changes will be made in class and/or via . Examinations: Three exams will be administered. The format will be multiple-choice and short answer. Test material will be drawn from the book and lectures. You are responsible for all assigned readings even if they are not discussed in class. Therefore, it is imperative that you read and study the book. The final exam is cumulative. Make-up exams will only be permitted with proper documentation that the absence was truly unavoidable (documentation includes a note from your physician or health center, etc). If in doubt, check with the instructor about excusable absences. No bonus credit opportunities are offered. You are responsible to keeping up with scheduled exams and any possible changes. Please do not ask to take exams early. You are expected to take exams at the assigned time along with everybody else. Grading: I will use the regular grading system (90% = A, 80% = B, etc.).

2 Course Goals: 1. Provide an overview of the historical and cultural context for modern views on psychological disorders. 2. Provide an understanding of the major categories of psychological disorders and the current system for describing these disorders. 3. Offer an overview of causal factors in psychological disorders. 4. Time-permitting, some treatments will be reviewed, especially in those cases where treatment strategies help understand the causes of a particular disorder. The emphasis in the course will be on a scientific approach to the study of abnormal psychology. As a result, we will be using a bio-psycho-social perspective in studying psychological disorders. This perspective stresses that most disorders result from the interplay of biological/medical, psychological/individual, and social/cultural factors. Topic Chapter Reading Outline Introduction and Classification 1 Classification 4 Explanations and Theories 3 (& readings from 2 ) Anxiety Disorders 5 & 6 Dissociative & Somatoform Disorders 8 Mood Disorders 7 Schizophrenic & Delusional Disorders 13 Substance Abuse and Dependence 11 Personality Disorders 10 Sexual Disorders & Gender Dysphoria 12 Neurocognitive Disorders 14 Developmental & Childhood Disorders 15 It is imperative that you keep up with the assigned readings. Your success will depend greatly on your devotion to reading along and to actively participating in class. The course standards and requirements listed in this syllabus may be modified at any time by the instructor. Notice of such changes will be by announcement in class and/or by .

3 Tentative Exam Dates Test 1 Thursday February 6th Test 2 Tuesday March 13h Test 3 Thursday April 10th Final Exam Section 001 Tuesday May 6th (11:00 to 1:30) Section 002 Thursday May 8th (11:00 to 1:30) p.s.: You must take the exam at the scheduled time, no exceptions. ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: You are responsible for knowing and adhering to the UNC- Charlotte Code of Student Academic Integrity. Essentially, cheating in any form is prohibited and may result in an F in the course and an academic record of dishonesty. All students are required to read and abide by the Code of Student Academic Integrity. Violations of the Code of Student Academic Integrity, including plagiarism, will result in disciplinary action as provided in the Code. Definitions and examples of plagiarism are set forth in the Code. The Code is available from the Dean of Students Office or online at: CLASSROOM CONDUCT: You are expected to arrive on time and to remain for the duration of class. The use of cell phones or other communication devices is disruptive, and is therefore prohibited during class. Except in emergencies, those using such devices must leave the classroom for the remainder of the class period. No cell phones may be visible during class or during exams. You should expect that if your conduct during class discussions seriously disrupts the atmosphere of mutual respect I expect in this class, you will not be permitted to participate further. Students are permitted to use computers during class for note-taking and other classrelated work only. Those using computers during class for work not related to that class must leave the classroom for the remainder of the class period. If you have special concerns or needs, please let me know. UNIVERSITY RESOURCES and POLICIES: 1. Disability services: Students in this course seeking accommodations to disabilities must first consult with the Office of Disability Services and follow the instructions of that office for obtaining accommodations. 2. Religious accommodations: UNC-Charlotte is committed to diversity, nondiscrimination and inclusiveness, and to supporting its students, regardless of religious affiliation or non-affiliation, in accordance with state and federal laws and regulations. As part of this commitment, the University makes good faith efforts to accommodate a student s religious practice or belief, unless such accommodation would create undue hardship. The university policy is available at: ttp://legal.uncc.edu/policies/ps-134.html 3. Academic performance: The University Center for Academic Excellence is a free resource to help students improve academic performance. Check the website at:

4 NOTE-TAKING AND IN-CLASS SKILLS HOW TO SUCCEED IN THIS CLASS Adequate notes are a necessary adjunct to efficient study and learning in college. Think over the following suggestions and improve your notetaking system where needed. 1. Listen actively - if possible think before you write - but don't get behind. 2. Be open minded about points you disagree on. Don't let arguing interfere with your note-taking. 3. Raise questions if appropriate. 4. Develop and use a standard method of note-taking including punctuation, abbreviations, margins, etc. 5. Take and keep notes in a large notebook. The only merit to a small notebook is ease of carrying and that is not your main objective. A large notebook allows you to adequately indent and use an outline form. 6. Leave a few spaces blank as you move from one point to the next so that you can fill in additional points later if necessary. Your objective is to take helpful notes, not to save paper. 7. Do not try to take down everything that the lecturer says. It is impossible in the first place and unnecessary in the second place because not everything is of equal importance. Spend more time listening and attempt to take down the main points. If you are writing as fast as you can, you cannot be as discriminating a listener. There may be some times, however, when it is more important to write than to think. 8. Listen for cues as to important points, transition form one point to the next, repetition of points for emphasis, changes in voice inflections, enumeration of a series of points, etc. 9. Many lecturers attempt to present a few major points and several minor points in a lecture. The rest is explanatory material and samples. Try to see the main points and do not get lost in a barrage of minor points which do not seem related to each other. The relationship is there if you will listen for it. Be alert to cues about what the professor thinks is important. 10. Make your original notes legible enough for your own reading, but use abbreviations of your own invention when possible. The effort required to recopy notes can be better spent in rereading them and thinking about them. Although neatness is a virtue in some respect, it does not necessarily increase your learning. 11. Copy down everything on the board, regardless. Did you ever stop to think that every blackboard scribble may be a clue to an exam item? You may not be able to

5 integrate what is on the board into your lecture notes, but if you copy it, it may serve as a useful clue for you later. If not, what the heck -- you haven't wasted anything. You were in the classroom anyway. 12. Sit as close to the front of the class, there are fewer distractions and it is easier to hear, see and attend to important material. 13. Get assignments and suggestions precisely - ask questions if you're not sure. READING AND STUDY SKILLS: NOTE TAKING THE CORNELL SYSTEM The Cornell system for taking notes is designed to save time but yet be highly efficient. There is no rewriting or retyping of your notes. It is a "DO IT RIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE" system. 1. First Step - PREPARATION Use a large, loose-leaf notebook. Use only one side of the paper. (you then can lay your notes out to see the direction of a lecture.) Draw a vertical line 2 1/2 inches from the left side of you paper. This is the recall column. Notes will be taken to the right of this margin. Later key words or phrases can be written in the recall column. 2. Second Step - DURING THE LECTURE Record notes in paragraph form. Capture general ideas, not illustrative ideas. Skip lines to show end of ideas or thoughts. Using abbreviations will save time. Write legibly. 3. Third Step - AFTER THE LECTURE Read through your notes and make it more legible if necessary. Now use the column. Jot down ideas or key words which give you the idea of the lecture. (REDUCE) You will have to reread the lecturer's ideas and reflect in your own words. Cover up the righthand portion of your notes and recite the general ideas and concepts of the lecture. Overlap your notes showing only recall columns and you have your review. EDITING LECTURE NOTES 1. There are several good reasons for organizing and reviewing your notes as soon as possible after the lecture. A. While the lecture is still fresh in your mind, you can fill in from memory examples and facts which you did not have time to write down during the lecture. More over, you can recall what parts of the lecture were unclear to you so that you can consult the lecturer, the graduate assistant, a classmate, your text, or additional readings for further information. B. Immediately review results in better retention than review after a longer period of time. Unless a student reviews within 24 hours after the lecture or at least before the next lecture, his retention will drop; and he will be relearning rather than reviewing.

6 2. A method of annotation is usually preferable to recopying notes. The following suggestions for annotating may be helpful: A. Underline key statements or important concepts. B. Use asterisks or other signal marks to indicate importance. C. Use margins or blank pages for coordinating notes with the text. Perhaps indicate relevant pages of the text beside the corresponding information in the notes. D. Use a key and a summary. Use one of the margins to keep a key to important names, formulas, dates, concepts, and the like. This forces you to anticipate questions of an objective nature and provides specific facts that you need to develop essays. Use the other margin to write a short summary of the topics on the page, relating the contents of the page to the whole lecture or to the lecture of the day before. Condensing the notes in this way not only helps you to learn them but also prepares you for the kind of thinking required on essay exams and many so-called "objective" exams. SQ3R - A READING/STUDY SYSTEM SURVEY - gather the information necessary to focus and formulate goals. 1. Read the title - help your mind prepare to receive the subject at hand. 2. Read the introduction and/or summary - orient yourself to how this chapter fits the author's purposes, and focus on the author's statement of most important points. 3. Notice each boldface heading and subheading - organize your mind before you begin to read - build a structure for the thoughts and details to come. 4. Notice any graphics - charts, maps, diagrams, etc. are there to make a point - don't miss them. 5. Notice reading aids - italics, bold face print, chapter objective, end-of - chapter questions are all included to help you sort, comprehend, and remember. QUESTION - help your mind engage and concentrate. One section at a time, turn the boldface heading into as many questions as you think will be answered in that section. The better the questions, the better your comprehension is likely to be. You may always add further questions as you proceed. When your mind is actively searching for answers to questions it becomes engaged in learning. These questions can be considered almost as study goals.

7 READ - fill in the information around the mental structures you've been building. Read each section (one at a time) with your questions in mind. Look for the answers, and notice if you need to make up some new questions. In the case of some texts this reading may be very slow. This will particularly be the case if there is a lot of dense and complicated information. While you are reading, it can help to take notes. RECITE - retain your mind to concentrate and learn as it reads. After each section - stop, recall your questions, and see if you can answer them from memory. If not, look back again (as often as necessary) but don't go on to the next section until you can recite. Isolate the core facts or the essential processes behind the subject, and then see how other information fits around them. REVIEW - refine your mental organization and begin building memory. Once you've finished the entire chapter using the preceding steps, go back over all the questions from all the headings. See if you can still answer them. If not, look back and refresh your memory, then continue. This review can be by rereading the document, by expanding your notes, or by discussing the material with colleagues. A particularly effective method of reviewing information is to have to teach it to someone else REMEMBER: THE INFORMATION YOU GAIN FROM READING IS IMPORTANT. IF YOU JUST "DO IT" WITHOUT LEARNING SOMETHING, YOU'RE WASTING A LOT OF TIME. TRAIN YOUR MIND TO LEARN General Tips for TESTS Know What to Expect Get all the information you can about the test before you study. Find out what type of test (MCE, essay, short answer, etc.) it will be and what material it will cover. You should also know how specific the test will be. Is it a general concept test, or one looking for particular names, dates and numbers? Review Often: It's a good idea to review your class notes right after you've written them and then again, just before the next class. Make sure you understand the concepts you've illustrated. Exam Review: Start studying for the exam early. Give yourself a week before taking it, so you can balance your studying with your other work. If you have a large amount of material to

8 cover, try dividing it into smaller chunks and start studying the most difficult sections first. Go over that material just before the test, so it's fresh in your mind. To fix it in your memory, practice recalling the information aloud or try explaining it to someone else. Study For Main Ideas: Learning main ideas first gives you a framework in which to hang supporting ideas and details. Study to recall material, not just for recognition; prepare as if the test were short answer, requiring an understanding of the material in addition to memorization. Be Well Rested: It's not advisable to stay up all night cramming. Learning diminishes with fatigue and you'll think more clearly if you're rested. If you do stay up late, give yourself frequent breaks to keep your mind alert. Stay Relaxed: Excessive anxiety will reduce your ability to think clearly. Get to your class early and use those minutes to unwind. Chances are, if you have given yourself adequate preparation, you'll feel better about the test before you take it. Multiple Choice Exams (MCEs) For MCEs, it's important to listen carefully to the professor's directions, if there is something you're not clear about, ask for an explanation. Don't lose points by misunderstanding what the questions are asking. Underline important words on the test like "compare" or "contrast". Once you pick an answer, do NOT change it unless certain that your first choice was incorrect. Do NOT second-guess yourself or over-think the question Go through the entire exam before you begin, get a sense of the structure, and figure out where the hardest sections are. After that, answer all the questions you know best first. On MCEs, generally, two answers are correct, one is doubtful and one is flat out wrong. Your choice should be the best option as you see it.

9 Try to keep it simple, if you know what the professor is driving at, go with the obvious choice. As you go through the test, mark the harder questions, so you know to go back to them. When you do, try to use any information you may have gleaned from the other questions to help you. Then, go over the test at least one more time, making sure the answers you've chosen are the most correct. If there is a separate answer sheet, make sure the answer you marked corresponds with the correct question.