Psychology 2310A-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.

 

WESTERN UNIVERSITY 

LONDON               CANADA 

Department of Psychology 

2021 - 2022 

 

Psychology 2310A    Section 001 

Abnormal Psychology 

 

 

  1. 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. 

 

Antirequisite: Psychology 2030A/B, Psychology 3310F/G, Psychology 3311. 

 

Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. 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: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level. 

 

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 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: Dr. Lindsay Bodell 

Office and Phone Number:   WH, room 324; 519-661-2111 (80486)  

Email: lbodell@uwo.ca 

Office Hours: By appointment 

 

 

Teaching Assistants: 

TA1 

TA2 

TA3 

Email: 

XX@uwo.ca 

XX@uwo.ca 

XX@uwo.ca 

Tutorial Sections (Location):  

002 & 003 (UCC-61) 

004 & 005 (UCC-54B) 

006 &007 (SH-3305) 

Office: 

TBD 

TBD 

TBD 

TA Office Hours: To be arranged with your section’s TA 

 

All lectures and tutorials are in-person, unless otherwise noted. 

 

Time and Location of Lectures:   Tuesdays, 9:30-11:30, SH-3345 

 

Time and Location of Tutorials:  

  • 002:  Thursdays, 9:30-10:30am, UCC-61 
  • 003:  Thursdays, 10:30-11:30am, UCC-61 
  • 004:  Wednesdays, 11:30am-12:30pm, UCC-54B 
  • 005:  Wednesdays, 12:30-1:30pm, UCC-54B 
  • 006:  Fridays, 10:30-11:30am, SH-3305 
  • 007:  Fridays, 11:30am-12:30pm, SH-3305 

 

Students who are in emotional/mental distress should refer to Health and Wellness @Western https://www.uwo.ca/health/ 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: Barlow, D.H., Durand, V.M., Hofmann, S.G., & Lalumière, M.L. (2018). Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach (6th Canadian Edition). Toronto, ON: Nelson Education Ltd. 

 

 

4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES & 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 paper 

Identify concepts and current states of knowledge based on scientific research in psychology 

Lecture, tutorials, and required textbook readings 

Exams and paper 

Recognize the general diagnostic features of some adult psychological disorders within the DSM-5 

Lecture, tutorials, and required textbook readings 

Exams and paper 

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 paper 

 

 

5.0 EVALUATION 

 

Course grades are based on performance on three exams, each worth 31% of your grade, one thought paper worth 5% of your grade, and tutorial attendance/participation worth 2% of your grade.  

 

Exams: These consist of items in multiple choice 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. Together, the exams represent 93% of your final mark.    

 

Tutorials: Your attendance at, and participation in, course tutorials will constitute 2% of your final mark. Your grade will reflect attendance at the tutorials, 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 both the lecture and tutorial that week.  

 

Paper: You will have one paper that will make up 5% of your final mark. The paper is to be submitted prior to 23:59 (11:59PM) ET through OWL on Tuesday, December 7th. NOTE: paper assignments will be deducted 3 points (out of 15) for every day they are late.  

 

The paper will be a maximum of 3 pages in length (double spaced, 12-point font). For this assignment, 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 deadline. 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).  

 

 

5.1 POLICY ON MISSING COURSEWORK 

 

EXAMS:  Do not miss exams unless it is completely unavoidable and for legitimate reasons. Please refer to the Department of Psychology’s instructions for psychology students who are unable to write tests (https://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html#pmeed).  If you must miss an exam, contact academic counselling as soon as possible. After gaining an extension through academic counselling, you should contact the instructor (Dr. Bodell; lbodell@uwo.ca) for further instructions. You should understand that academic accommodation will NOT automatically be granted on request. Make-up exams will occur during a designated make-up exam time (TBD) arranged by the Department of Psychology or the instructor. Instructors are under no obligation to offer more than one opportunity to write a makeup exam.   

PAPER ASSIGNMENT: The paper should be submitted by the last day of class (December 7th). Papers will be deducted 3 points (out of 15) for every day they are late. 

LECTURE/TUTORIAL ATTENDANCE: I cannot give you notes for classes you miss, so I strongly recommend that you get the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of at least 3 people in this course. That way, if you should miss a class, you would have several people to contact from whom you can get notes, etc. I suggest that, if you do miss class, you get the notes, go over those notes and the corresponding material in the text, and then come see me during office hours, if you need further clarification. 

The expectation for course grades within the Psychology Department is that they will be distributed around the following averages: 

 

70%  1000-level to 2099-level courses 

72%  2100-2999-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 

 

Note that in the event that course grades are significantly higher or lower than these averages, instructors may be required to make adjustments to course grades. Such adjustment might include the normalization of one or more course components and/or the re-weighting of various course components. 

 

Policy on Grade Rounding: Please note that although course grades within the Psychology Department are rounded to the nearest whole number, no further grade rounding will be done. No additional assignments will be offered to enhance a final grade; nor will requests to change a grade because it is needed for a future program be considered. To maximize your grade, do your best on each and every assessment within the course. 

 

 

 

6.0 ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION SCHEDULE 

 

Exam or Assignment 

Date 

Weight 

Attendance/participation 

Ongoing (weekly) 

2% 

Exam #1 

Tuesday, October 5th 2021 

31% 

Exam #2 

Tuesday, November 9th 2021 

31% 

Paper 

Due by Tuesday, December 7th 2021 

5% 

Exam #3 (Final) 

TBD – Fall Semester Exam Session 

31% 

 

 

 

Total 

100% 

 

 

Page Break 

7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE 

 

Date 

Topic 

Text Chapters 

Sept. 14 

Lecture: Introduction to ‘Abnormal’ Psychology  

Chapter 1 

Sept. 15-17 

Tutorial 1: Classification and diagnosis; Overview of DSM-5 

Chapter 3 (pages 84-95) 

Sept. 21 

Lecture: What contributes to psychopathology? Theoretical Models  

Chapter 2 

Sept. 22-24 

Tutorial 2: Behavioural and cognitive approaches 

 

Sept. 28 

Lecture: Psychological Assessment & Research Methods 

Chapter 3 (pages 68-84)  

Chapter 4 

Sept. 29-1 

Tutorial 3: ‘Back from Madness’ Documentary  

 

Oct. 5 

Exam 1 

Exam (Chapters 1-4) 

Oct. 6-8 

Tutorial 4: Introduction to Anxiety 

Chapter 5 (pages 120-128) 

Oct. 12 

Lecture: Anxiety Disorders 

Chapter 5 

Oct. 13-15 

Tutorial 5: Case study; exposure therapy for anxiety disorders 

 

Oct. 19 

Lecture: Obsessive-Compulsive and Trauma-Related disorders 

Chapters 6 & 7 

Oct. 20-22 

Tutorial 6: Exposure and response prevention for OCD 

 

Oct. 26 

Lecture: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders 

Chapter 14 

Oct. 27-29  

Tutorial 7: Case study; treatment of schizophrenia 

 

Nov. 2 

Fall Reading Week-No Class 

 

Nov. 3-5  

Fall Reading Week-No Tutorial 

 

Nov. 9 

Exam 2  

Exam (Chapters 5-7 & 14) 

Nov. 10-12 

No tutorial 

 

Nov. 16 

Lecture: Mood Disorders  

Chapter 8 

Nov. 17-19 

Tutorial 8: Case study; CBT for depression 

 

Nov. 23 

Lecture: Mood Disorders cont’d & Suicide 

 

Nov. 24-26 

Tutorial 9: Treatment for bipolar disorder 

 

Nov. 30 

Lecture: Eating Disorders 

Chapter 9 

Dec. 1-3  

Tutorial 10: Case study; treatment for eating disorders 

 

Dec. 7 

Lecture: Substance Use and Addictive Disorders; Paper due  

Chapter 12 

Dec. 10-21 

Final Exam: To Be Determined by exam schedule 

Exam (Chapters 8-9, 12) 

 

8.0 LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 

 

We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak and Attawandaron peoples, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. 

 

With this, we respect the longstanding relationships that Indigenous Nations have to this land, as they are the original caretakers. We acknowledge historical and ongoing injustices that Indigenous Peoples (e.g. First Nations, Métis and Inuit) endure in Canada, and we accept responsibility as a public institution to contribute toward revealing and correcting miseducation, as well as renewing respectful relationships with Indigenous communities through our teaching, research and community service. 

 

 

9.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES 

 

Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offences. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offences because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offence 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 offences. 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 will be subject to submission for similarity review by software that will check for unusual coincidences in answer patterns that may indicate cheating. 

 

In classes that involve the use of a personal response system (PRS), data collected using the PRS will only be used in a manner consistent to that described in this outline. It is the instructor’s responsibility to make every effort to ensure that data remain confidential. However, students should be aware that as with all forms of electronic communication, privacy is not guaranteed. Your PRS login credentials are for your sole use only. Students attempting to use another student’s credentials to submit data through the PRS may be subject to academic misconduct proceedings.  

 

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

 

10.0 POLICY ON THE USE OF EXAM PROCTORING SOFTWARE 

 

When examinations and tests cannot be given in person (e.g., in courses coded as Distance Studies; in the event of a lockdown order), they may be conducted using either a monitoring platform such as Zoom or a remote proctoring service, such as Proctorio. If Zoom is used for exam invigilation, you will be required to keep your camera on for the entire session, hold up your student card for identification purposes, and share your screen with the invigilator if asked to do so at any time during the exam. The exam session using Zoom will not be recorded.* 

If a remote proctoring service is used, the service will require you to provide personal information (including some biometric data). The session will be recorded. The instructor will alert you to the use of this software as close as possible to the start of the term, however, in the event that in-person exams are unexpectedly canceled, you may only be given notice of the use of a proctoring service a short time in advance. More information about remote proctoring is available in the Online Proctoring Guidelines. Please ensure you are familiar with any proctoring service’s technical requirements before the exam. Additional guidance is available at the following link: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/onlineproctorguidelines.pdf 

 

* Please note that Zoom servers are located outside Canada. If you would prefer to use only your first name or a nickname to login to Zoom, please provide this information to the instructor in advance of the test or examination. See this link for technical requirements: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us   

 

11.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR ILLNESS OR OTHER ABSENCES 

 

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 

 

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:  

  1. Submitting a Self-Reported Absence form (for circumstances that are expected to resolve within 48 hours); 
  1. 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;  
  1. 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 must be submitted before the exam/coursework deadline in order to be valid. It 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 

 

Students seeking accommodation for religious purposes are advised to contact Academic Counselling at least three weeks prior to the religious event and as soon as possible after the start of the term. 

 

 

12.0 CONTINGENCY PLAN FOR RETURN TO LOCKDOWN: IN-PERSON & BLENDED CLASSES 

 

In the event of a COVID-19 resurgence or any other event that necessitates the course delivery moving away from face-to-face interaction, all remaining course content will be delivered entirely online, either synchronously (i.e., at the times indicated in the timetable) or asynchronously (e.g., posted on OWL for students to view at their convenience). The grading scheme will not change. Any remaining assessments will also be conducted online, as determined by the course instructor. 

 

13.0 STATEMENTS CONCERNING ONLINE ETIQUETTE 

 

In courses involving online interactions, the Psychology Department expects students to honour the following rules of etiquette: 

  • please “arrive” to class on time 
  • please use your computer and/or laptop if possible (as opposed to a cell phone or tablet) 
  • please ensure that you are in a private location to protect the confidentiality of discussions in the event that a class discussion deals with sensitive or personal material 
  • to minimize background noise, kindly mute your microphone for the entire class until you are invited to speak, unless directed otherwise 
  • In classes larger than 30 participants please turn off your video camera for the entire class unless you are invited to speak 
  • In classes of 30 students or fewer, where video chat procedures are being used, please be prepared to turn your video camera off at the instructor’s request if the internet connection becomes unstable 
  • Unless invited by your instructor, do not share your screen in the meeting 

 

The course instructor will act as moderator for the class and will deal with any questions from participants. To participate please consider the following: 

  • If you wish to speak, use the “raise hand” function and wait for the instructor to acknowledge you before beginning your comment or question. 
  • Please remember to unmute your microphone and turn on your video camera before speaking. 
  • Self-identify when speaking. 
  • Please remember to mute your mic and turn off your video camera after speaking (unless directed otherwise). 

 

General considerations of “netiquette”: 

  • Keep in mind the different cultural and linguistic backgrounds of the students in the course. 
  • Be courteous toward the instructor, your colleagues, and authors whose work you are discussing. 
  • Be respectful of the diversity of viewpoints that you will encounter in the class and in your readings. The exchange of diverse ideas and opinions is part of the scholarly environment. “Flaming” is never appropriate. 
  • Be professional and scholarly in all online postings. Use proper grammar and spelling. Cite the ideas of others appropriately. 

 

Note that disruptive behaviour of any type during online classes, including inappropriate use of the chat function, is unacceptable. Students found guilty of Zoom-bombing a class or of other serious online offenses may be subject to disciplinary measures under the Code of Student Conduct. 

 

14.0 OTHER INFORMATION 

 

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

 

Student Development Services: 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 

- 2021-2022 Calendar References 

 

If you wish to appeal a grade, please read the policy documentation at: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/appealsundergrad.pdf 

Please first contact the course instructor. If your issue is not resolved, you may make your appeal to the Undergraduate Chair in Psychology (psyugrd@uwo.ca). 

 

Copyright Statement: Lectures and course materials, including power point presentations, outlines, videos 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 any course materials publicly and/or for commercial purposes without the instructor’s written consent. 

 

Policy on the Recording of Synchronous Sessions: Some or all of the remote learning sessions for this course (if scheduled) may be recorded. The data captured during these recordings may include your image, voice recordings, chat logs and personal identifiers (name displayed on the screen). The recordings will be used for educational purposes related to this course, including evaluations. The recordings may be disclosed to other individuals participating in the course for their private or group study purposes. Please contact the instructor if you have any concerns related to session recordings. Participants in this course are not permitted to privately record the sessions, except where recording is an approved accommodation, or the student has the prior written permission of the instructor.