ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY:
Spring 2015 • Psychology 561 • Section 02 • CREF 50539
Instructor: Bonnie Barlow, Office: 320 McConnell, Lab: 460 McConnell email: bai2@unh.edu
Time And Place: Monday, Wednesdays 11:10-12:30 PM, Hamilton Smith 129
Office Hours: McConnell– 320 Monday, 1-2 PM and Wednesday 9-10 AM, or by appointment.
Textbook And Other Readings: Students are responsible for the class lectures and all assigned readings. The required textbooks for the course are:
- · Comer, R.J, (2014). Abnormal Behavior (8th Edition). Worth: NY. – Make sure to buy access to LaunchPad. You have a choice of:
- · Comer, Ronald, J.(2014) Abnormal Psychology, 8ed. with DSM-5 Update (hardcover) & FREE LaunchPad Access Card, Worth Publishers ISBN-10: 1464157057 / ISBN-13: 9781464157059
- · Comer, Ronald, J. (2014) Abnormal Psychology 8th edition with DSM-5 Update (loose-leaf) & FREE LaunchPad Access Card ISBN-10: 1-4641-9456-4 / ISBN-13: 978-1-4641-9456-6
- · Meyer, R. G., Chapman, L. K. & Weaver, C. M. (2013). Case studies in abnormal behavior (9th Edition). Pearson: Boston, MA. . ISBN 9780205036998
Goals of the Course: The goals are to enable you to:
(a) Understand the markers of abnormal behavior,
(b) Be familiar with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (5th ed.) of the American Psychiatric Association.
(c) Understand the most common mental disorders, including their diagnostic criteria, prevalence, possible causes, and treatments.
(d) Develop compassion and respect for the dignity of those who experience mental illness.
(e) Learn the skills of independent learning.
Design of the course: This course is discussion based. That means that attendance and participation in class discussion is required and is a component of your grade. I will call on you in class. I make every effort not to embarrass you, and I generally have a very non-threatening class environment. If you have difficulty with speaking in class, you need to make an appointment to discuss this situation with me within the first week of class.
Discussing specific people: During the course, students sometimes wish to bring in personal experiences of people they know. If you choose to do so, please do not identify the person whom you are talking about. This includes yourself. Sometimes students will talk about themselves or a friend and later regret that they had revealed personal information. To avoid this situation, please refer to the person as “Someone I know…” This is doubly important if you are going to talk about another person. One of the goals of this class is to foster respect for people who experience mental illness. A part of respecting people is maintaining concern for their privacy. Additionally, this is a course about mental illness; it is not group therapy. If you think you may be experiencing the effects of mental illness, please consult with a mental health professional such as the UNH Counseling Center. If you need help contacting the Counseling Center, please let me know and I will help you to make arrangements.
Grading Scheme:
1. Twelve online Blackboard quizzes – 10%. These assignments must be completed before the class associated with the material. There are 12 quizzes. You can take the quiz as many times as you wish before the deadline, but you need a 100% on the quiz to receive credit for the quiz. The activity is a means to help you to be prepared for class discussion. – 10%
2. Three in-class multiple-choice exams (10% each) – 30%
3. Two response papers (10% each) 20 %
4. One cumulative final exam – 20%
5. Research homework – 5%
6. Class Participation – 10%
7. Take the online Kognito course online. – 5% Print out and turn in the certificate for the course. This is an online training course sponsored by the UNH Counseling Center. This course will help you to identify fellow students who may need help. Please follow these instructions.
STUDENTS Click Link: www.kognitocampus.com/login
New Users: Click “Create New Accounts”
Fill out form using enrollment key: unh603
Follow screen instructions
Existing Users: Sign in with email and password
8. Extra credit – (up to 3%):
Meet with me to discuss your proposed extra credit project. The meeting should be planned before the mid-point of the semester. No extra-credit will be available past the mid-point of the semester.
Exams: All three exams and the final exam are multiple choice. Scantron graded exams require that you bring and use a #2 pencil. The exam questions will cover all assigned information from the book, class periods and online quizzes.
Final exam: The final exam will be cumulative.
Exam reviews: The class period after the exam will be devoted to exam review. During the exam review, I will split the class into 6-10 groups. Each group will pick an exam question that they think might have an alternative answer. Groups will discuss why they think the alternative answer should be given credit. After discussion, the group will write their justification for their alternative answer. Justifications would include references (page numbers) from the book or class notes. I will read your suggestions and decide if I think that your justification has merit. I retain the right to refuse an answer I judge to be incorrect. If I accept the justification for an alternative answer, everyone who attended the review session will be given credit for that answer. The purpose of exam reviews is to help you to understand and remember the material, and as preparation for the final exam.
Missed Exams: There are no make-up exams or make-up for in-class activities. If you miss an exam, it will count as a zero. If you have a contagious illness (flu etc.) or an emergency, you must provide documentation from the appropriate professional in order for me to make arrangements for missed exams. If you miss more than three weeks of work for illness etc., I recommend that you speak with the dean’s office to make arrangements for missed work.
Class Participation: Everyone starts with a grade of C for participation. It is up to you to either raise or lower your score. You can raise your score by participating in class discussions and class activities. This course is part of your professional training; you may need a recommendation from a faculty member for a job or graduate school application. Remember that we will determine your level of professionalism based on your behavior. I have the expectation that you will treat each other and me in a professional manner. Certain behaviors will be considered unprofessional (sarcasm, ridicule, demeaning or other aggressive actions). I reserve the right to lower your score for unprofessional behavior. This course requires participation in in-class discussion, writing and other activities. If participating in class discussion is difficult for you, please make an appointment with me within the first week or two of class to discuss your difficulties.
Missed Class Work: I do not take attendance. I trust that as adults, you are mature enough to determine what is in your best interest. However, I will not provide class notes or give you a repeat of the lecture. Please write down the names of two classmates who would be willing to explain what happened in class, and will allow you to copy their notes.
| Information | Person 1 | Person 2 |
| Name: | ||
| Phone: | ||
| Email: |
Writing assignments:
Assignment 1: Write a one page double spaced reaction paper on one of the reading assignments that were assigned before the second exam. This paper should be a reaction to the reading assignment such as an idea, a critique or opinion. The papers will be graded on a scale of 1-10.
Assignment 2: This is the same as assignment 1 with the exception that you will choose a reading assignment that was given after the second exam.
| Area | .5 points | 1 points | 1.5 points | 2 Points | 2.5 |
| Writing | The paper was turned in. It has some variable quality. It may be late. Or either a hardcopy or the Bb version was not turned in. | Needs improvement – not clear. I am having a hard time to understand what you are trying to say. | Somewhat clear, but there are still areas that are not clear. | Clear, but not exceptional | Exceptional |
| Content | Summarizes the chapter | The ideas are not clear or obvious. | Clear ideas, but not exceptional | Well expressed idea. | |
| Grammar/Spelling
Form |
Problems with grammar and spelling | Some mistakes | One mistake | No mistakes | |
| Format | Too long, too short, wrong font, margins and spacing. | Too long, too short, wrong font, margins or spacing | One formatting error | Perfect formatting |
Late Assignments: All assignments should be turned in on the due date in class. If you forget to bring your assignment to class, you may slip your assignment under my door before 5PM of the due date. Each day the assignment is late, I will deduct 10 percentage points until the maximum grade for the assignment is a 50%. All written work should be submitted to Blackboard by class time on the due date. Any written work not submitted both as a hard copy and to Blackboard will be given a maximum grade of 50%.
Cheating and Plagiarism: The penalties for plagiarism and cheating are grave. They can include failing the assignment, failing the course or being expelled from the university. Do not take the chance of experiencing such grave consequences. Do not even appear to engage in these activities. If you are not clear about plagiarism, please see the COLA tutorial, http://www.unh.edu/liberalarts/plagiarism/plagiarismHome.cfm.
Students with Disabilities: If you have a documented disability and you need accommodations, please contact Disability Services: http://www.unh.edu/disabilityservices/
If you have already contacted Disability Services and have accommodation letters, please make an appointment as soon as possible so that I can speak with you in private. I strive to maintain the privacy of all my students. After class is not a situation that is private.
Syllabus Modification: The syllabus is meant as a travel guide. I will endeavor to follow the course it sets out, but I reserve the right to change any part or parts of the syllabus.
Grading: I will use the UNH grading scheme to assign grades. Each assignment is assigned a percentage and that percentage has an associated grade.
| Grade Scores | Will equal |
| 94-100 | A |
| 90-93 | A- |
| 87-89 | B+ |
| 84-86 | B |
| 80-83 | B- |
| 77-79 | C+ |
| 74-76 | C |
| 70-73 | C- |
| 67-69 | D+ |
| 64-66 | D |
| 60-63 | D- |
| Below 63 | F |
| Day |
Date |
Assignment | Comer | Case Studies |
| 1. Wednesday |
1/21/15 |
What is Abnormality? | P. 1-9 | Ch.1 |
| 2. Monday |
1/26/15 |
Models of Abnormality – Launchpad (LP 3) | Ch.3 | Ch.2 |
| 3. Wednesday |
1/28/15 |
(continued) | ||
| 4. Monday |
2/2/15 |
Assessment and Diagnosis – Mandalas (LP 4) | Ch.4 | |
| 5. Wednesday |
2/4/15 |
(continued) DUE: Research HW | ||
| 6. Monday |
2/9/15 |
FIRST EXAM | ||
| 7. Wednesday |
2/11/15 |
Review of exam | ||
| 8. Monday |
2/16/15 |
Anxiety, Obsessive-Compulsive (LP 5) | Ch.5 | Ch. 3 |
| 9. Wednesday |
2/18/15 |
(Continued) | ||
| 10. Monday |
2/23/15 |
Stress Disorders (LP 6) | Ch. 6 | |
| 11. Wednesday |
2/25/15 |
(Continued) DUE: Kognito Certificate | ||
| 12. Monday |
3/2/15 |
Dissociative and Somatic Disorders (LP 7) | Ch. 7 | Ch.4 |
| 13. Wednesday |
3/4/15 |
(Continued) | Ch.5 | |
| 14. Monday |
3/9/15 |
Substance Related Disorders DUE: 1st ASSIGN – (LP 12) | Ch.11 | Ch.9 |
| 15. Wednesday |
3/11/15 |
SECOND EXAM | ||
| 16. Monday |
3/16/15 |
No Class Spring Break | ||
| 17. Wednesday |
3/18/15 |
No Class Spring Break | ||
| 18. Monday |
3/23/15 |
Review of exam | ||
| 19. Wednesday |
3/25/15 |
Disorders of Mood (LP 8) | Ch.8 | Ch. 7 |
| 20. Monday |
3/30/15 |
(Continued) | ||
| 21. Wednesday |
4/1/15 |
Treatments for Mood Disorders (LP 9) | Ch.9 | |
| 22. Monday |
4/6/15 |
(Continued) | ||
| 23. Wednesday |
4/8/15 |
Suicide (LP 10) | Ch.10 | |
| 24. Monday |
4/13/15 |
Schizophrenia (LP 14) | Ch.14 | Ch.6 |
| 25. Wednesday |
4/15/15 |
Treatments for Schizophrenia 2nd ASSIGN DUE (LP 15) | Ch.15 | |
| 26. Monday |
4/20/15 |
(Continued) | ||
| 27. Wednesday |
4/22/15 |
THIRD EXAM | ||
| 28. Monday |
4/27/15 |
Review of Exam | ||
| 29. Wednesday |
4/29/15 |
Personality Disorders (LP 16) | Ch.16 | Ch. 11 |
| 30. Monday |
5/4/15 |
(continued) | ||
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