Download PSY 215

PSY 215: ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
Section 001a MW 9:30-10:45
Instructor: Dr. Amy E. Coren
Email address: [email protected] (this is BEST way to contact me)
Phone: 703.845.6242
Office Location: Bisdorf A 427
Office Hours: MW 11:00am – 12:00pm and by appointment
Reading materials: We will be using the following textbook:
1. Comer, R. (9th ed.) Abnormal Psychology. This book is available at the bookstore and
from online stores such as Amazon.com
2. Selected weekly readings. These readings will be located online, on our course
Blackboard under the file Course Documents  Readings.
3. **OPTIONAL** (Recommended but NOT required): APA’s DSM-5
Course Description and Objectives:
This course is designed to provide you with an overview of mental illness and its assessment and
treatment. During this course, we ask questions such as:
- What are the historic and current perspectives on abnormal behavior and mental health?
- What are the current diagnostic criteria for major mental illnesses?
- How do individual and social factors play a role in maladaptive behavior?
- What treatments and therapies are available to treat mental disorders?
We will also touch on the legal aspects of mental illness (e.g. involuntary commitment, insanity
defenses, and mental health policy and law).
By the end of the course, you should be able to:
- Recognize the major topics in the field of abnormal psychology
- Identify the major categories of mental illness
- Use the DSM-V to make a basic primary diagnosis and suggest a treatment course
- Differentiate between the various disorders through their major defining features
- Evaluate which therapies may be most appropriate for treating a particular disorder
Course Format:
The course will be primarily lecture-based. I will post the lecture slides before the beginning of
each class. Students often find it useful to print the slides out to make notes as we discuss each
slide. You are expected to have read the assigned reading materials before each class period.
We will also engage in class discussions, small group activities, and watch short videos in an
effort to solidify understanding of the concepts covered. Often I will use your assigned weekly
readings as a starting point for discussion
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You will have several short essays assigned over the course that we will discuss in class. Your
two, in-class exams will draw heavily on the material presented in class and from the readings.
Course Requirements & Assignment Descriptions:
You are expected to have read the assignment reading materials before each class period. All
grades will be posted on Blackboard in Grade Center. Your grade will be based on a combination
of your essays, attendance and participation, 1 case study, and 2 exams.
Your course grade will be determined by the following assignments and based on the following
scale:
Assignment
Points
2 exams @ 200 points each 400
2 essays @ 100 pts each
200
1 case study @ 100 pts
100
Movie Analysis
50
Attendance & Participation 25
Total
775
Grade Points
Percent
A
697-775 90-100
B
620-696 80-89
C
542-619 70-79
D
465-541 60-69
F
0-464
0-59
Essays (2 essays, each 100 points)
For your essays, you will be given a discussion prompt which you will write about. The essay
prompts will deal with the material we cover in class and will usually involve a provocative
question related to the material.
Each paper should be around 3-4 pages double spaced, in 12 point font. You should have a page
for references and use APA format. Your essay prompts will located on the course’s Blackboard
site, in the Assignments folder  Essays.
Your essay should not to be a simple description of a disorder but a persuasive piece in which
you present you own thoughts and opinions supported with outside references.
Late assignments will be accepted for a reduced grade (i.e. 1 day late = -10%, 2 days late =
-%20). No papers will be accepted 5 days after the due date.
Case study (100 points)
You will be responsible for reviewing a “case” and assigning a diagnosis using the DSM-5. You
will be responsible for justifying your diagnosis and answering the certain questions.
The written assignment should be at least 3-4 pages in length, double spaced, 12 point font.
Detailed information on this assignment is located in ASSIGNMENTS CASE STUDIES
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Late assignments will be accepted for a reduced grade (i.e. 1 day late = -10%, 2 days late =
-%20). No papers will be accepted 5 days after the due date.
Movie Analysis (50 points)
We will be watching the academy award winning film, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
as a class. Following the movie, you will write up a short analysis of the film, its characters, and
its portrayal of mental hospitals and mental illness more generally.
Information on this project is located in ASSIGNMENTS MOVIE ANALYSIS
Attendance and Participation (25 points)
You are expected to attend every class and be on time. We will cover material in class that is not
in the text and you will be responsible for class and text material. If you are absent, it is your
responsibility to get class notes from a classmate. If you are frequently absent, this may impact
your grade.
I encourage all students to participate and will reward you for doing so. There will be many
opportunities to voice your opinions and ask questions. I will occasionally break the class into
small groups so that people will have a greater chance to participate.
Exams (2 exams, worth 200 points each)
You will have 2 exams – a midterm and a final. They will cover the assigned reading materials
and lectures. The tests will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer questions. For
the multiple choice section, please bring a scantron and a No. 2 pencil.
There will be a study guide posted well in advance, for each exam. This guide is intended to help
focus your studying but is not a substitute for coming to class and reading the material.
Please note that make-up exams will NOT be given, except for medical emergencies (doctor’s
note required). Make-up exams for medical emergencies must be taken at the testing center
within 1 week of the date of the original exam.
Extra Credit
For extra credit, you may submit 1 current real world example relating to a concept covered in
the course each week.
Each example will be worth up to 3 points toward your final grade.
These outside examples can come from recent cartoons, newspaper articles, song lyrics,
something that happened in a movie or on a TV show, etc.
For each entry, you will:
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1. Need to first describe your example. This may involve providing a web link to an article or
cartoon or simply a short, written description of the TV show or news item.
2. Explain how your example relates to a concept in class, including defining the psychological
terms. Entries that do not sufficiently explain how the example relates to class will not receive
full credit. (E.g. posting a link and saying "This site talks about parts of the brain" is not
sufficient)
Your examples are due by the end of a given week (e.g. EC for week one is due by
JANUARY 15th). You will need to post your extra credit in the extra credit forum located in
DISCUSSION BOARD on BB.
Cheating & Plagiarism:
Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated in this class. Cheating includes dishonesty of kind
on test or assignments. Plagiarism includes the failure to give credit to another’s work. Giving
and/or receiving unauthorized help on tests or assignments are both considered cheating. NVCC
and I regard these as serious offenses. The minimum sanction for such behavior is an F on the
assignment; the maximum sanction by NVCC is dismissal from the college. Refer to the full
policy on academic dishonesty in the Student Handbook.
Special needs and accommodations:
Please address with me any special problems or needs at the beginning of the course. If you are
seeking accommodations based on a disability, please provide a disability data sheet, which can
be obtained from the counselor for special needs (Bisdorf 185, 703-845-6208).
Schedule of readings & homework assignments
This schedule may change and I will notify you of any changes in advance. You are expected to
have read the assigned reading materials before each class period, so that you can participate
in the class discussions.
Article titles in Italics are located in the Readings folder. Chapters refer to your textbook.
WEEKLY TOPICS, ASSIGNED READINGS, & HOMEWORK DUE DATES ON
FOLLOWING PAGE
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WEEK
1
2
3
4
5
TOPIC
ASSIGNED READINGS
Chapter 1 & NAMI Facts
Course introduction;
about Stigma & Mental
Abnormal psych in
Illness in Diverse
Jan 9
science and clinical
Communities;
practice
Course Syllabus
Chapters 3 & 4; Seven
MON HOLIDAY –
facts about America’s
MLK DAY;
Jan 16
Diagnosis, Treatment, mental health-care system
& Assessment
MOVIE WEEK –
On being sane in insane
Jan 23 One Flew Over the
places
Cuckoo’s Nest
Chapter 14 & 15;
Schizophrenia
Perpetuating
Jan 30
Schizophrenia’s stigma
Feb 6
Schizophrenia cont.;
6
Feb
13
Depressive & Bipolar
disorders
7
Feb
20
Depressive & Bipolar
disorders: Treatments
8
Feb
27
Suicide
ASSIGNMENTS
Essay #1 due on Weds.
2/1 by NOON
Chapter 14 & 15;
Perpetuating
Schizophrenia’s stigma
Chapter 7
Movie Analysis due on
Monday 2/13 by NOON
Chapter 8
Chapter 9 &
The Urge to End It All
March 6-12
SPRING BREAK
9
10
March
13
11
March
20
12
March
27
NO CLASS
MONDAY;
MIDTERM
WENDS
Disorders featuring
somatic symptoms
Chapter 10; The Babies in
the Freezer
Ethics & legal issues
Chapter 19
Review chapters 1-4; 7-9,
14 & 15
STUDY FOR
MIDTERM
5
13
April
3
Personality Disorders
Chapter 16
14
April
10
Anxiety, OCD, &
Related disorders
Chapter 5
15
April
17
Disorders of Trauma
& Stress
Chapter 6
16
April
24
TBA
Chapter TBA
Essay #2 due on Weds.
4/5 at NOON
Case study analysis due
on Weds. 4/26 by
11:59PM
FINALS PERIOD
PSY 215 FINAL – 5/1/2016 RM 291 9:30am
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