Psychology 2310B-001 (Online for 2020-21)
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 diagnostic categories, as well as research and treatment. The course orientation is empirical, with an emphasis on recent research findings with this population.
Prerequisite: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level
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.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2030A/B, Psychology 3310F/G, Psychology 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.
2 lecture and 1 tutorial hours, 0.5 course
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Lindsay Bodell
Office and Phone Number: WH, room 324; 519-661-2111 (80486)
Email: lbodell@uwo.ca
Office Hours: TBD (held on Zoom)
Teaching Assistants: Jennifer Mullen Samantha Withnell Lital Yosopov
Email: jmullen6@uwo.ca swithnel@uwo.ca lyosopov@uwo.ca
Tutorial Room: Zoom (see OWL) Zoom (see OWL) Zoom (see OWL)
TA Office Hours: To be arranged with your section’s TA
Course Delivery Format: Online—Blended (i.e., asynchronous lectures & synchronous tutorials); see time & location below
Time and Location of Lectures: Online Asynchronous; Lectures will be posted to OWL for students to watch at a time that is convenient for them. However, lectures should be watched prior to that week’s tutorial.
Time and Location of Tutorials:
· 002: Thursdays, 9:30-10:30am, Online
· 003: Thursdays, 10:30-11:30am, Online
· 004: Wednesday, 3:30pm-4:30pm, Online
· 005: Wednesday, 4:30-5:30pm, Online
· 006: Fridays, 10:30-11:30am, Online
· 007: Fridays, 11:30am-12:30pm, Online
Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Mental Health@Western
http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for a complete list of options about how to obtain help.
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 Student Accessibility Services (formerly known as Services for Students with Disabilities) at 519-661-2147.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Required: Dozois, D. J. A. (2019). Abnormal Psychology: Perspectives (6th Ed). Toronto, ON: Pearson Canada.
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The goal of this course is to familiarize you with current concepts and research on major psychological and mental disorders of adulthood, including issues of assessment, prevalence, course, major etiological theories, and treatment. Class meetings will consist of lectures that give a broad overview of the topic for that class and tutorials designed to provide the opportunity for greater in-depth discussion and exploration of specific topics.4.1 STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
Learning Outcome Course Activities Assessment of Outcome
Describe key concepts, principles, and
overarching themes relevant to abnormal
psychology Lecture, tutorials, and required textbook readings Exams and papers
Identify concepts and current states of
knowledge based on scientific research in
psychology Lecture, tutorials, and required textbook readings Exams and papers
Recognize the general diagnostic features of
some adult psychological disorders within the
DSM-5 Lecture, tutorials, and required textbook readings Exams and papers
Engage in critical scholarly discussion on
psychological topics using evidence to support
claims, and apply psychological principles to
the understanding of everyday problems Tutorials Class discussions, exams, and papers
5.0 EVALUATION
Course grades are based on performance on two exams, each worth 35% of your grade, tutorial attendance/participation/quizzes worth 6% of your grade, and two papers each worth 12% of your grade.
Exams: Exams will consist of items in multiple choice, fill in the blank, matching, and/or short answer format. The final exam is not cumulative per se, but answering some questions correctly will require integration of conceptual material covered prior to the midterm. Exams will be conducted online via OWL and timed. Exams can be completed at any point during the 24-hour day of the exam date, and you will have 1.5 hours to complete your exam once you begin. Exams are “open book,” meaning you may use your textbook and/or lecture/tutorial notes during the exam, but you must work independently; do NOT discuss or share any parts of the exams with your peers. Exams represent 70% of your final mark.
Tutorials: Your attendance at, and participation in, course tutorials will constitute 6% of your final mark. Your grade will reflect attendance at the tutorials, completion of any tutorial quizzes, your thoughtful contributions to the discussion, and the extent to which you pay respectful attention to the TA and the group discussion during this time. Your own contributions should show critical thinking and that you have read, and thought about, the assigned readings for that week.
Papers: You will have two papers that will make up 24% of your final mark (12% each paper). Papers are to be submitted prior to 23:59 (11:59PM) EST through OWL on the due dates noted in the class schedule. NOTE: paper assignments will be deducted 2 points (out of 15) for every day they are late.
Each paper will be a maximum of 3 pages in length (double spaced, 12-point font). For each of these assignments, you are to find a recent news article from a reputable newspaper (e.g., The Canadian Press, London Free Press, Toronto Star, National Post, Globe and Mail, New York Times) that directly relates to some aspect of Abnormal Psychology in adults that is covered in this course. The article can be from a newspaper’s website, but NOT a blog or other type of website. 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 24 months. An electronic copy (saved pdf file, web page, or scanned copy) of the article must be submitted with 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 does (or does not) contribute 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 in 12-point font with student name and number at the top of the page, and submitted on OWL by the end of the day. Grades 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 taken from assignments longer than 3 pages (not including references). Each assignment will constitute12% of your final grade.
Final grades in this class reflect student achievement. Per Department policy, grades that are close to the next grade level (e.g., 79%, 89%) will not be rounded up.
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 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE
Exam or Assignment Date Weight
Paper #1 Friday, February 12th, 2021 12%
Midterm exam Friday, February 26th, 2021 35%
Paper #2 Wednesday, March 31st, 2021 12%
Final exam TBD – Winter Semester Exam Session 35%
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
Date Topic Textbook Chapter
Week 1 Lectures Introduction to Abnormal Psychology Chapter 1
Jan. 6-8 Tutorial 1: Classification and diagnosis; Overview of DSM-5 Chapter 3
Week 2 Lectures Theoretical Models of Abnormal Behaviour Chapter 2
Jan 13-15 Tutorial 2: Behavioural and cognitive approaches
Week 3 Lectures Psychological Assessment & Research Methods Chapter 4
Jan. 20-22 Tutorial 3: Back from Madness
Week 4 Lectures Anxiety Disorders Chapter 5 (p. 95-110)
Jan 27-29 Tutorial 4: Case study; exposure therapy for anxiety disorders
Week 5 Lectures Mood Disorders I (Depression) Chapter 8
Feb. 3-5 Tutorial 5: Case study; CBT for depression
Week 6 Lectures Mood Disorders II (Bipolar Disorder) and Suicide Chapter 8
Feb. 10-12 Tutorial 6: Treatment for bipolar disorder; First paper due
Week 6 Winter Term Reading Week—No Lecture
Feb. 17-19 Winter Term Reading Week—No Tutorial
Week 7 Midterm Exam Chapters 1-5; 8 Tutorials 1-6
Feb. 24-26 No Tutorial
Week 7 Lectures Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders Chapter 9
March 3-5 Tutorial 7: Case study; treatment of schizophrenia
Week 8 Lectures Eating Disorders Chapter 10
March 10-12 Tutorial 8: Case study; treatment for eating disorders
Week 9 Lectures Lecture: Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders Chapter 11
March 17-19 Tutorial 9: Controversies in addiction
Week 10 Lectures Obsessive-Compulsive and Trauma-Related disorders Chapter 5 (p. 110-126)
March 24-26 Tutorial 10: Exposure and response prevention for OCD
Week 11 Lectures Personality Disorders Chapter 12
March 31 Second paper due (No Tutorial—Good Friday)
April 8-30th Final Exam To Be Scheduled Chapters 5, 9-12 Tutorials 7-10
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
Computer-marked multiple-choice tests and/or exams may be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating.
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://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/PolicyPages.cfm?PolicyCategoryID=1&Command=showCategory&SelectedCalendar=Live&ArchiveID=#Page_12
The full policy for consideration for absences can be accessed at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/Academic_Consideration_for_absences.pdf
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
If you experience an extenuating circumstance (e.g., illness, injury) sufficiently significant to temporarily make you unable to meet academic requirements, you may request accommodation through the following routes:
- Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours);
- For medical absences, submitting a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner in order to be eligible for Academic Consideration;
For non-medical absences, submitting appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in their Faculty of registration in order to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation. The self-reported absence form may NOT be used for absences longer than 48 hours; coursework/tests/exams/etc., worth more than 30% of the final grade; or exams scheduled in the December or April final-exam periods: http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
Students seeking academic consideration:
- are advised to consider carefully the implications of postponing tests or midterm exams or delaying handing in work;
- are encouraged to make appropriate decisions based on their specific circumstances, recognizing that minor ailments (upset stomach) or upsets (argument with a friend) are not normally an appropriate basis for a self-reported absence;
must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered by either the self-reported absence or SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence
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
- 2020-2021 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones and smart watches, will be allowed during exams.
Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, and similar materials, are protected by copyright. You may take notes and make copies of course materials for your own educational use. You may not record lectures, reproduce (or allow others to reproduce), post or distribute lecture notes, wiki material, and other course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent.
