Psychology 3316F-001
Psychological Trauma
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 course covers the psychobiological theories and research aimed at helping us understand the diversity of human responses to traumatic life experiences, including sexual assault, childhood maltreatment and war.
Antirequisite: Psychology 3390G if taken in 2012/13 or 2013/14
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.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2820E or both Psychology 2800E and 2810
3 seminar hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enrol 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: Paul Frewen, PhD, C.Psych
Office and Phone Number: University Hospital B3-264 x77760
Office Hours: By Appointment
Email: pfrewen@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant: Jeremy Viczko
Office: Room 140K, Brain & Mind Institute, Natural Sciences Building
Office Hours: 1-2pm, Wednesdays and Fridays
Email: jviczko@uwo.ca
Time and Location of Lectures: Thursday Evenings 7:00-10:00pm, SSC-3010
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
Psychology of Trauma 101, 1st edition,
Author: Ruglass & Kendall-Tackett (R&F), ISBN: 978-0-8261-9668-2
Healing the Traumatized Self: Consciousness, Neuroscience, Treatment, 1st edition
Author: Frewen & Lanius (F&L), ISBN: 978-0-393-70551-5
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
Understand theory and research concerning the experience, effects, and treatment of psychological trauma.
5.0 EVALUATION
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/handbook/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
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Multiple Choice Quizzes – Best 6/7 30%
Final Exam 30%
Factual Knowledge Poster – Group Presentation & Write-up 30%
Class Participation 10%
Multiple Choice Quizzes: Based on prior week readings
Final Exam: The final exam will cover all course content covered in multiple-choice question format.
Factual Knowledge Poster: Canadian Psychological Association "Fact Sheet" on Psychological Trauma
• Completed in student trios (3 students submit joint project)
• More detailed equivalent of a Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) "Psychology Works
Fact Sheet" http://www.cpa.ca/psychologyfactsheets from a list of trauma-related psychological conditions to be provided
• Submitted as BOTH printed and electronic word document (due Dec 3, approx 10 pages of text (plus reference list) AND poster presentation (given Nov 26)
o Follow course templates provided
Class Participation: Prepare 1 Question/Comment for each Lecture
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Date Topic Readings Evaluation
Sept 10 Introduction --- ---
Sept 17 Definitions, Theory R&F 1,2,10 ---
Sept 24 Gender, Family, Culture R&F 4,5 MC Quiz #1
Oct 1 Therapy R&F 6,7,8 MC Quiz #2
Oct 8 Dissociative Experience R&L 1,2,7 MC Quiz #3
Oct 15 Memory & Self F&L 3,4 MC Quiz #4
Oct 22 Body & Emotion F&L 5,6 MC Quiz #5
Oct 29 FALL STUDY BREAK --- ---
Nov 5 Trauma & Health R&F Ch-3 MC Quiz #6
Nov 12 Comorbidity & Trauma-related Disorders tba MC Quiz #7
Nov 19 Posttraumatic Growth & Resilience R&F 10 MC Quiz #8
Nov 26 Poster Presentations --- Poster Presentations
Dec 3 Review --- ---
Dec 10 STUDY DAY --- ---
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.
