Psychology 2310B-001

Abnormal Psychology

If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.

1.0    CALENDAR DESCRIPTION

This theory course is designed to introduce the wide-ranging theories of psychopathology in adults.  Topics will include the major DSM-IV diagnostic categories, as well as research and treatment.  The course orientation is empirical, with an emphasis on recent research findings with this population.

Antirequisites:  Psychology 2030A/B, 3310F/G, 3311

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit.  So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.

Prerequisite:  At least 60% in a 1000 level Psychology course
2 lecture hours and 1 tutorial hour, 0.5 course

Unless you have either the prerequisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.

2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Nadia Maiolino
Office:  Westminster Hall 318E
Email:  nmaiolin@uwo.ca  (primary mode of contact)
Phone Number:    In case of an emergency, contact Penni Pring at  519-661-4068 and leave a message.
Office Hours:    To be arranged via email
        

Instructor: Katerina Rnic
Office and Phone Number: Westminster Hall 216E    519-661-2111 ext. 84090
Email: krnic@uwo.ca
Office Hours: To be arranged via email

Teaching Assistants:

Lindsay Szota

Catalina Sarmiento

Adam Newton

Erin Shumlich

Office:

WH 216E

WH 318E

WH 235E

WH 219E

Email:

lszota@uwo.ca

csarmie2@uwo.ca

anewton9@uwo.ca

eshumlic@uwo.ca

Tutorial Room:

UCC 59

Somerville 3305

SSC 3018

SSC 3018

TA Office Hours:    To be arranged via email
Time and Location of Lectures:       Tuesdays, 9:30-11:30 am, Spencer Engineering 2100
Time of Tutorials:       Thursdays, 9:30-10:30 and 10:30-11:30
Location of Tutorials:    UCC 59; SH-3305; SSC-3018
Course Website:    https://owl.uwo.ca/portal/site/83ad1e21-3c82-45c2-8634-d57ab074721b

If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you.  Please visit:  http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.

Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you.  You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.

3.0  TEXTBOOK

Dozois, D. J. A. (2015). Abnormal psychology: Perspectives (5th Ed, DSM-5 Update). Toronto: Pearson Canada.

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to some of the major issues in the field of adult psychopathology. The study of psychopathology is concerned with three central questions: (1) How can we meaningfully describe and classify the varied and complex manifestations of abnormal or maladaptive behaviour? (2) How can we explain the multifactorial causes of such behaviour? and (3) How can we best help people who manifest such behaviour? In this course, emphasis will be placed both on scientific investigations and on the personal, human meaning of these questions. Thus, current scientific theory and research will be examined in order to understand the nature, causes, and treatment of various types of maladaptive behaviour. At the same time, we will also seek to understand the personal significance of maladaptive behaviour in people’s lives and the psychosocial context in which it is likely to be manifested and treated. Class meetings will consist of lectures that give a broad overview of the topic, and tutorials designed to provide the opportunity for greater in-depth discussion and exploration of specific topics (e.g., to elaborate on lecture material through discussions of how DSM diagnostic criteria, clinical features, and therapy recommendations apply to case studies).

5.0     EVALUATION

Course grades are based on performance on two exams (worth 40% each), two “Abnormal Psychology in the News” papers (worth 5% each) and tutorial participation (worth 10%).

Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:


70%    1000-level and 2000-level courses
72%     2190-2990 level courses
75%     3000-level courses
80%     4000-level courses
   
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf ):

A+    90-100    One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A    80-89        Superior work that is clearly above average
B    70-79        Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C    60-69        Competent work, meeting requirements
D    50-59        Fair work, minimally acceptable
F    below 50    Fail

5.1    EXAMS

The two exams will be composed of multiple-choice and short-answer questions. The final exam will relate only to the material covered subsequent to the midterm. Some exam questions will be related to material covered only in the class lectures or tutorials or only in the text. To do well on the exams, it is therefore necessary to attend all lectures and tutorials as well as studying the text.

5.2    “ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY IN THE NEWS” ASSIGNMENTS

Two “Abnormal Psychology in the News” assignments are to be submitted during the course. The first is due by the beginning of the last tutorial before reading week (Feb. 11), and the second is due by the beginning of the last tutorial of the semester (Mar. 31). You are encouraged to hand in the assignments earlier than the due dates. NB: No extensions will be given for any reason; late assignments will be given a grade of zero.

Each assignment will be a maximum of 2 pages in length (double spaced, 12-point font). For each of these assignments, you are to find a recent news article from a newspaper or newsmagazine (this can be from a newspaper’s website, but not a blog or other type of website; not a scholarly journal; not a health or science magazine such as Scientific American or Psychology Today) that directly relates to some aspect of abnormal psychology in adults that is covered in this course. For example, it could be a report of recently published research on the causes or treatment of a particular mental disorder that we are covering in the course, findings of a survey of public attitudes toward mental illness, an investigation of individuals living with a mental disorder in the community, etc. The article should have been published within the past 12 months.  A printed copy of the newspaper article must be attached to your assignment, containing the date and name of the newspaper. Your assignment is to critically discuss the significance of this news article with reference to a related section within a chapter of the textbook that we are covering in this course, which you should identify by page number. Your assignment should contain: (1) a brief summary of the article; (2) brief summary of the relevant textbook chapter section; (3) critical discussion; (4) your personal reaction to the article. Your critical discussion should include such issues as: how the article confirms, complements, or contradicts something presented in the identified section of the text; how the article contributes to our understanding of some aspect of mental disorders; potential implications for mental health care; issues that should be investigated further; weaknesses of the article, such as scientific inaccuracy or bias. Your reaction to the article could include something that was surprising to you, something you learned, how it made you think differently about an issue, etc.

The assignment must be printed in 12-point font with student name and number at the top of the page, and handed in at the beginning of tutorial. Grades for these assignments will be based on the clarity and organization of your writing, the accuracy and depth of your understanding of the topic, and the demonstration of critical thinking skills. Marks will be deleted for excess length. Each assignment will constitute 5% of your final grade. A copy of the assignment marking scheme is available for download on the course website.

5.3    TUTORIAL PARTICIPATION

Your attendance and participation in tutorials will constitute the remaining 10% of your grade. Your grade will reflect your weekly attendance, the extent to which you contribute to class discussion, and the extent to which you pay respectful attention to the TA and your peers during tutorials.


6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

Exam or Assignment

Date

Weight

Assignment #1

Thurs., Feb. 11, beginning of tutorial

5%

Midterm exam

Tues., Feb. 23, 9:30-11:30

40%

Assignment #2

Thurs., March 31, beginning of tutorial

5%

Final exam

As scheduled during final exam period

40%

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

Date

Topic

Text Chapter

Jan. 5

Lecture: Introduction and historical perspectives

Chapter 1

Jan. 7

Tutorial: Issues in defining abnormality

 

Jan. 12

Lecture: Theoretical perspectives on abnormal psychology

Chapter 2

Jan. 14

Tutorial: Behavioral and Cognitive-behavioral approaches

 

Jan. 19

Lecture: Classification and diagnosis

Chapter 3

Jan. 21

Tutorial: Overview of DSM-5

 

Jan. 26

Lecture: Research and assessment methods

Chapter 4

Jan. 28

Tutorial: Back from Madness

 

Feb. 2

Lecture: Anxiety and Related Disorders

Chapter 5

Feb. 4

Tutorial: Case study; CBT for anxiety disorders

 

Feb. 9

Lecture: Dissociative and Somatic symptom disorders

Chapter 6

Feb. 11

Tutorial: Controversies in dissociative disorders - Assignment #1 due

 

Feb. 15-19

Reading Week

 

Feb. 23

Midterm Exam

 

Feb. 25

No tutorial

 

Mar. 1

Lecture: Mood disorders

Chapter 8

Mar. 3

Tutorial: Case study; CBT for depression

 

Mar. 8

Lecture: Schizophrenia

Chapter 9

Mar. 10

Tutorial: Case study; treatment of schizophrenia

 

Mar. 15

Lecture: Personality disorders

Chapter 12

Mar. 17

Tutorial: Case study; cognitive schema therapy

 

Mar. 22

Lecture: Sexual and gender identity disorders

Chapter 13

Mar. 24

Tutorial: Case study; gender identity disorder

 

Mar. 29

Lecture: Eating disorders

Chapter 10

Mar. 31

Tutorial: Case study; eating disorders – Assignment #2 Due

 

Apr. 5

Lecture: Psychological factors affecting medical conditions

Chapter 7



8.0     STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link:  http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf

As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com

Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.

9.0    POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS

The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html

Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html


10.0        OTHER INFORMATION

Office of the Registrar web site:  http://registrar.uwo.ca

Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca

Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:

    http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html

- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences

- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References

No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.