Psychology 3317E-001

Community 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

An introduction to Community Psychology, which focuses on person-environment interactions and on how society influences individual and community functioning. The course will include a community engaged learning (CEL) component whereby students apply their scholarship to help community-based organizations meet their identified needs. This will not necessarily involve direct client contact.

 

Antirequisite: Not applicable

 

Prerequisite(s): Psychology 2820E or Psychology 2800E and Psychology 2810. Registration is by special permission only and must be obtained from the course instructor in the Spring/Summer before the course begins in the Fall term.

Unless you have either the prerequisites 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.

 

Extra Information: 2 seminar hours, 4-5 hours on community placement/project. (This course has a service learning component).

 

COURSE WEIGHT: 1.0

 


2.0    COURSE INFORMATION

Instructor: Dr. Leora Swartzman                        

Office and Phone Number: 312E Westminster Hall, 519-661-2111 ext 84654 

Office Hours:  By Appointment                       

       Email:  lswartzm@uwo.ca                                                              

 

            Class times and Location:  Tuesdays, 2:30-4:30, Rm 20F, Westminster Hall

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

There is no textbook. Readings for this course will be under “Resources” in the Course Readings folder. Students will assign readings at least one week in advance of their project proposal presentations in the first term. You may be quizzed on this material.

4.0    COURSE OBJECTIVES

Students will learn about a range of topics relevant to community psychology, including: its key principles and values; features and challenges of community-based research; types and models of prevention; stress, coping and social support; psychological sense of community; and strategies for social change. This learning largely will occur through independent reading in the first semester, and will be assessed through class quizzes.

   4.1    STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this course, the successful student will be able to: 

 

  • Memorize, describe and apply main concepts and principles of community psychology
  • Describe and analyze individual well-being from an ecological perspective.
  • Locate and critically evaluate scholarly research that pertains to a real world problem in community psychology.
  • Apply community psychology principles to the understanding of everyday problems.
  • Communicate scientific findings and scholarly theories in language accessible to a non-expert population.
  • Manage a project from start to end by using planning, coordination of efforts, prioritizing, time management and organizational strategies.
  • Practice reflective thinking to connect CEL experience with course content and personal values.
  • Recognize and develop own sense of commitment to civic engagement and social responsibility.

 

 

 

 

 

Learning Outcome

 

Learning Activities

How

Assessed 

Knowledge and Understanding

1. Depth & Breadth of Knowledge

Memorize (M), describe(D) and apply (A)  main concepts and principles  of community psychology

Reading

Class discussion

Guest lectures

Community project  

Quizzes (MDA)

Contribution to Class Discussion (DA)

Final Report (DA)

Final Presentation (DA) 

Describe and analyze individual well-being from an ecological perspective.

Reading

Class discussion

Guest lectures

Community project 

Contribution to class discussion

Final Report

Initial and final class presentation

Abilities

2. Knowledge and Application of Methodologies

Locate and critically evaluate scholarly research that pertains to a real world problem in community psychology.

Community project

Classroom activity

Final Report

Contribution to class activity

Initial and final class presentation

3. Application of Knowledge

Apply community psychology principles to the understanding of everyday problems.

Community-based project  

Classroom activities

Field trips

Guest lectures

 

Contribution to class discussion & activities

Final Report

Initial and final class presentation

As assessed by setting supervisor (in consultation with instructor)

Quizzes

4. Communication Skills

Communicate scientific findings and scholarly theories in language than is accessible to a non-expert population.

Community project

Classroom activities

Class Presentation

As assessed by setting supervisor

Contribution to class activity

Grades on two class presentations

 

 

5. Autonomy and Professional Capacity

Manage a project from start to end by using planning, coordination of efforts, prioritizing, time management and organizational strategies.

 

 

Community project

 

 

As assessed by setting supervisor (in consultation with course instructor) 

 

Attributes

 

6. Awareness of Limits of Knowledge Practice reflective thinking to connect CEL experience with course content and personal values.

Community project

Journaling 

Class discussions 

Instructor ratings of journal entries

Contribution to class discussions

Final report and presentation

As assessed by setting supervisor, (in consultation with instructor)

7. Autonomy and Professional Capacity Recognize and develop own sense of commitment to civic engagement and social responsibility.

Community project

Field trips

Journaling 

Class discussions  

Instructor ratings of journal entries

Final report and presentation  

 

 


4.2 COURSE STRUCTURE

 

Learning will occur largely through project-related work and independent reading, assigned reading and material presented in class. This will be assessed by class quizzes and contributions to class discussions.

 

Much of class time in the first half of the Fall semester is aimed at deepening students’ understanding of the material and ability to apply it. Most class time towards the end of the Fall term will be dedicated to student presentations in which they describe their community setting, their responsibilities in that setting, what they have learned to date and the scope of the project they are to deliver at the end of the winter term. They will also assign one (or two) readings for the class and will bring that material into the presentation on discussion. 

 

Throughout the entire winter term, students will apply the knowledge and skills acquired to date (i.e., engage in the practice of community psychology) through their work on the community partner projects.  Working in pairs, students will spend an average of 4-5 hours per week on placement and on the project they will be conducting for the community partner.  Course related activities in the Winter term will revolve around the community projects, with the possibility of one or two field trips.

 

4.3 COURSE PROJECTS

 

Note: These are preliminary descriptions. The projects might change once they’re under way.

 

 

  1. YOU (Youth Opportunities Unlimited) (https://www.you.ca)

 

YOU is a youth centered agency that provides a caring, active place for youth to build confidence, skills an independence. It offers a wide range of services, including housing, education, job search, on-the-job skills training, health and dental care and workshops. The project is help YOU staff refer youth to agencies in town that can serve/meet their needs, as identified by a newly implemented intake form -the TAY-VI-SPDAT (Transition Age Youth-Vulnerability Index. Service Prioritization Decision Assistance Tool). The tool will be available in hard copy and as a web-based tool.

 

 Students will:

  • Work with YOU program staff to understand how the TAY-VI-SPDAT is implemented with clients.

 

  • Research community agencies and resources that serve youth with regards to Heath & Wellness, Physical, Recreational and Social programming, Literacy/Education, and basic needs.

 

  • Compile this information into a printable document and will advise YOU’s IT staff on the logic (site map) to input this information into a web-based tool.

 

 

  1. Crouch Neighbourhood Resource Centre (CNRC) (https://www.crouchonline.org/)

 

Housed in the Crouch library (550 Hamilton Road), the CNRC provides a range of outreach activities and partners with local citizen groups and organizations working to improve life in the Hamilton Road area of London. This project would be to Crouch evaluate and refine a new program - Family Fun and Food Fridays, which will take place the last Friday of each month, and begins in October. The goal is to provide activities for youth and families (currently under-served by Crouch programming) and strengthen ties between Crouch and the community and among community  members.

 

 

Students will:

 

  • Do a literature review (can include grey literature) to learn how similar programs are run and what they have accomplished.

 

  • Come up with a set of outcome measures

 

  • Evaluate the program with these measures and qualitative interviews

 

  • Based on what they learn, suggest ways to refine the program. 

 

  1. City of London, Manager’s Office, Community and Economic Innovation Division. Project #1 (london.ca)

The role of London’s City Manager’s Office is to help the city of London provide its services to Londoners. As an organization, the City Manager’s Office is committed to strengthening the London community, building a sustainable city, growing the city’s economy and leading in public service. This project is to help London develop an assessment tool to gauge the success of its London Community Diversity  and Inclusion Strategy (CDIS). Data gathered from the tool will guide future CDIS initiatives. 

 

Students will:

 

  • Search and synthesize the published and grey literature

 

  • Query other municipalities and organizations to identify an approach best suited to London.

 

  • And possibly…. Work with city staff to put the tool in place.

 

  1. City of London, Manager’s Office, Community and Economic Innovation Division. Project # 2 (london.ca)

The role of London’s City Manager’s Office is to help the city of London provide its services to Londoners. As an organization, the City Manager’s Office is committed to strengthening the London community, building a sustainable city, growing the city’s economy and leading in public service. The goal of this project is to Help the City of London develop a campaign modeled after Edmonton's "MakeItAwkward" (anti-racism) campaign.

 

Students will

 

  • Search the academic and grey literatures to identify the key features of effective (social) media campaigns that target discrimination.

 

  • Recommend to City staff the approaches best suited to London.

 

  • Be involved in the development of a tool to measure the success of the campaign.

 

  1. Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) (https://www.camh.ca)

 

CAMH conducts research, provides expert training to health care professionals and scientists, develops innovative mental health promotion and prevention strategies and advocates on public policy issues at all levels of government. The project is to help Dr. Loebach, a CAMH research fellow, with a qualitative follow-up to a quantitative study to identify the barriers to and facilitators of children's and youth's outdoor play activity in London's urban, suburban and rural areas. This qualitative study, to be carried out within a community-based framework, will solicit youth’s input through video technology. Students will advise Dr. Loebach on the best way to accomplish this. In the process, they will develop a compendium of resources for other researchers or project managers who want to use a range of electronic technology/digital tools (i.e., beyond video technology) to enhance children and youth’s  engagement and authentic agency in the decision making processes that affect them and their communities .

 

Students will:

 

  • Do a literature review (published and grey) and interview those in the tech industry to:

 

  • Identify digital tools currently available (or being developed) that can be used to engage children and youth in evaluation or decision making processes that bear on their community, health and well-being.
  • Enumerate and compare the relative risks (e.g., to privacy) and benefits (e.g. ease of use) of these approaches.
  • Based on the above, advise Dr. Loebach on how best to use video technologies in her project.

 

  • Write up their findings from above in a white paper
  • Interview children/youth participating in the project about their experience to inform future use of the technologies. 
  1. Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) London Middlesex. https://cmhamiddlesex.ca/;

 

The mandate of the CMHA Middlesex is to promote good mental health, prevent further illness, offer treatment, support recovery and provide mental health education in the communities of London, Middlesex, Exeter and Goderich. The goal of this project is to explore the feasibility of a community-embedded mental health problem detection and intervention program, with hairdressers, beauticians and/or barbers as first points of contact. 

 

Student Activities:  TBA

 

 

  1. True Focus (Motiv8 Gaming)

(https:/truefocus.ca/; In Innovation Works (https://www.innovationworkslondon.ca

 True focus is a tech company that develops electronic games to improve children’s metal health and cognitive functioning. Committed to being evidence-driven and informed by the current science, the developers look to build collaborations with academics in the fields of neuroscience, psychology, artificial intelligence and game design. They are also committed to engaging stakeholders (children, youth, parents, teachers) at all stages in the process, from research and development to marketing. The aim of this project is to develop a model or framework for acquiring and retaining community (stakeholder) engagement in the development and dissemination of the technologies. This model will be sufficiently general to be informative for anyone looking to engage stakeholders, regardless of domain or sector.  

Students will:

  • Review the published and grey literatures on stakeholder engagement. This could include (but is not limited to) work in the domains of implementation science and human resource management.
  • Develop a model/framework and practical blueprint for action that is accessible and broad enough to be useful to researchers, those in the profit and non-profit sectors and those looking to foster/mobilize interest groups and social movements.

Help the founder create a series of presentations/modules to share what they have learned with fellow tenants of Innovation Works, a co-working space intentionally designed for social innovators.

5.0     EVALUATION

Notes:

  • This course is exempt from the Senate requirement that students receive assessment of their work accounting for at least 15% of their final grade at least one week before the deadline for withdrawal from a course without academic penalty.
  • Because this is an essay course, in order to pass, the average grade on your written assignments must be 50% or higher

 

Component

% of Grade

Date (if applicable)

Pop Quizzes (2 @5% or 3 @3.3%)

10%

NA

Critical Reflection Journals

 (2 @ 5%)

10%

 

Dec. 4 (late penalty applies after Dec. 7)

April 9  (late penalty applies after April 16)

Participation  (7.5% per term)

15%

Over both terms.

Evaluation by Setting/Project Supervisors

5%

Students receive interim (formative) feedback from supervisor(s) and submit to instructor by Dec. 12. Final feedback form due April 9. (late penalty applies after April 17)

Oral presentation of project proposal

5%

Nov. 13, 20, 27 or Dec. 4

Oral presentation of final project

10%

March 12, 19, 26 or April 2

Written project proposal (group)

10%

Dec. 4 (late penalty applies after Dec. 7)

Final report  (group)

25%

April 9 (late penalty applies after April 16)

Poster

10%

March 27 (First draft) (Formative)

April 2 or 3 (Final draft)

(Attending poster session part of participation)

**10% points to be deducted from all assignment grades for every day late.

2% will be deducted from final grade for each element of CEL-paperwork (1. CEL logs (80%+ completion rate, 2. Supervisor/Setting Agreement, 3. Mid-year and 4. Final evaluation of student by supervisor) not handed in; 0.2% for every day late.

NOTE: Details about these evaluation components will be provided on the course website.

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 Western's 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



6.0  TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE

There will be two or three pop quizzes in the Fall semester. They will be worth a total of 10% of the final grade.

7.0   CLASS SCHEDULE

CLASS SCHEDULE : FALL TERM

Note: Opportunities to participate in out-of-class activities (workshops, community events, tours of facilities etc.) may present themselves. Students are encouraged to attend as many of them a possible, schedule permitting.

FALL

TOPICS/ACTIVITIES

Readings

Sept. 11

Introductions; Overview of course and Community projects;

 

Will be posted on course website by Sept 13

Sept. 18

Community Partner Fair.  

Posted on course website by Sept. 13

Sept. 25

 CEL Presentation

Class exercises on Active Listening and Professional Ethics. (With students in Dr. Hinson’s Addictions Theory and Research course (3315E), to be held in WH20F).

Posted on course website by Sept. 13

Oct. 2

Guest lecture or Mini-lecture by Instructor and in-class exercises

TBD

Oct. 9

No class. Fall Reading Week

NA

Oct. 16

Guest lecture or Mini-lecture by Instructor and in-class exercises

TBD

Oct. 23

Guest lecture or Mini-lecture by Instructor and in-class exercises

TBD

Oct. 30

TBD.

TBD

Nov. 6

No class: Instructor meets with student groups to review progress on project an to trouble-shoot

NA

Nov. 13

Presentation of Project proposal and discussion (2 groups)  (5%)

TBD-Assigned by students in consultation with instructor

Nov. 20

Presentation of Project proposal and discussion (2 groups)  (5%)

TBD – “”

Nov. 27

Presentation of Project Proposal and Discussion (2 groups)  (5%)

 

TBD- “”

Dec. 4

Presentation of Project Proposal and Discussion (1 group). (5%)

Project proposal due (10%).

Critical reflection due (5%)

TBD- “”

Dec. 11

*Supervisor’s interim evaluation of student due 

NA

Note:

* 2.0% deducted from final grade if not submitted; 0.2% of final grade will be deducted for every day late.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CLASS SCHEDULE     WINTER TERM

 

Note: There may be one or two field trips - the YOU Breakfast in Feb. and perhaps one more ) 

 

Date

Topics/Activities

 

Jan. 8

No Class

NA

Jan. 15

In the News (3 or 4 students present/lead discussion)

As assigned by presenters 

Jan. 22

In the News (3 or 4 students present/lead discussion)

As assigned by presenters 

Jan. 29

In the News (3 or 4 students present/lead discussion)

As assigned by presenters 

Feb. 5

In the News (3 or 4 students present/lead discussion)

As assigned by presenters 

Feb. 12

No Class. Instructor meets with groups individually to discuss projects.

NA

Feb. 19

No Class. Winter Reading Week 

TBD if guest lecturer, otherwise NA

Feb. 26

No class – or guest lecturer

“”

Mar. 5

No class – or guest lecturer

“”

Mar. 12

No class  - or guest lecturer

“”

Mar. 19

Group Project Presentations (10%)

None

Mar. 26

Group  Project Presentations (10%)

First draft of poster due by 9 am March 26

Final draft due by noon March 29 

None

Apr. 2

Group Project Presentations

Final draft of poster due (10%)  (10%)

None

April 4 or 5

Poster session (10 am-1 pm). UCC Atrium

 

Apr. 9

Group Project Presentations

*Final reports (25%)

*Critical Reflections (5%)

*Supervisor evaluation of student (5%)

Late penalties apply after Dec. 17

None

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

Western’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?Command=showCategory&PolicyCategoryID=1&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12 

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
- 2018 Calendar References

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