Psychology 2310A 001 FW24
Western University
London Canada
Department of Psychology
Fall 2024
Psychology 2310A Section 001 (rev Aug 21)
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
The focus of this course is on psychological disorders (e.g., mood, anxiety, eating, substance use disorders). We will review the diagnostic criteria and typical symptom presentations for these disorders, the theories that explain why these disorders may develop and persist, and the treatments available. We will use lectures and case examples to help us appreciate the complexity of psychological conditions and what it may be like to live with these mental health conditions.
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.
Antirequisites: Psychology 2030A/B, Psychology 3310F/G, Psychology 3311
Prerequisites: A mark of at least 60% in 1.0 credits of Psychology at the 1000 level
2 lecture hours and 1 tutorial hour; Course Weight: 0.5
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 Course Information
Instructor: Dr. Lindsay Bodell
Phone: 519 661 2111 X 80486
Office Hours: see Brightspace
Email: lbodell@uwo.ca
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Teaching Assistants: |
TBD1 |
TBD2 |
TBD3 |
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Email: |
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Tutorial Sections (Location): |
002 & 003 (SSC3014) |
004 & 005 (SSC3018) |
006 &007 (UC2110) |
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Office: |
WH |
WH |
WH |
Time and Location of LECTURES: see Student Centre for TimeTable
Time and Location of TUTORIALS: see Student Centre for TimeTable
3 Course Materials
Dozois, D.A. (2022). Perspectives in Psychopathology 7th Edition. (2022). Pearson Canada.
4 Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes
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Learning Outcome |
Course Activities |
Assessment of Outcome |
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Depth and Breadth of Knowledge. · Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes relevant to psychopathology
· Recognize the general diagnostic features of some adult psychological disorders within the DSM-5
· Identify concepts and current states of knowledge based on scientific research in psychology
· Develop critical thinking skills about clinical psychology
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Lecture, tutorials, and required textbook readings |
Exams, Class discussions, Paper |
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Knowledge of Methodologies. · Evaluate the appropriateness of different research methods to address questions about psychopathology
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Lecture, tutorials, and required textbook readings |
Exams, Class discussions, Paper |
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Application of Knowledge. · 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, Paper |
5 Evaluation
Course grades are based on performance on three exams (26% each), three reaction/thought assignments (4.5% each), and tutorial attendance/participation (8.5% of final grade).
Exams: Three in-class exams will 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 on prior exams. Together, the exams represent 78% of your final mark.
Tutorial Attendance: Your attendance at, and participation in, course tutorials will constitute 8.5% 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. 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.
Reaction/Thought Writing Assignments: You will have three “reaction writings” that will make up 13.5% of your final mark (4.5% each). These assignments are due by 23:59 (11:59PM) ET on the day they are listed on the calendar. These assignments should be submitted through OWL.
These reaction/thought papers will be a maximum of 1 page in length (double spaced, 11- point Arial or 12-point Times New Roman font). For these assignments, you will choose from a selection of news articles, podcasts, TED Talks, TV shows, or movies that relate to some aspect of adult psychopathology covered in this course. Your assignment is to critically discuss how mental illness is being portrayed in the “real world”.
Your assignment should contain: (1) a very brief summary of the article/report/podcast etc.; (2) critical discussion; (3) your personal reaction to the article/podcast/show etc. Your critical discussion should include such issues as: how the piece confirms, complements, or contradicts something presented in class/tutorial; how the article/podcast/show etc. does (or does not) contribute to our understanding of some aspect of psychological disorders; potential implications for mental health care; weaknesses of the article/podcast/show etc., 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 assignments must be in 12-point Times New Roman font or 11-point font Arial with student name and number at the top of the page, and submitted on OWL. 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.
The evaluation and testing formats for this course were created to assess the learning objectives as listed in section 4 and are necessary for meeting these learning objectives.
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/current_student_procedures_FAQs/). 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.
REACTION/THOUGHT WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: The reaction/thought paper is to be submitted by the day they are due. Points will not be deducted for late submissions; however, any reaction assignment that is not submitted by the last day of the semester (Dec 6th) will receive a score of zero. You may not submit two reaction assignments within the same week; each reaction assignment must be submitted at least one week apart.
**As flexible deadlines are used for this course component, requests for academic consideration will not be granted.
LECTURE/TUTORIAL ATTENDANCE: I cannot give you supplemental 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.
To reduce the need to seek requests for academic considerations for missed coursework, your lowest tutorial mark will automatically be dropped (e.g., only 8/9 tutorial attendances are required to receive full credit).
The Psychology Department follows Western’s grading guidelines: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/general/grades_undergrad.pdf
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
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.
6 Assessment/Evaluation Schedule
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Exam or Assignment |
Date |
Weight |
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Attendance/participation |
Ongoing (weekly) |
8.5% |
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Reaction Paper 1 |
Friday, September 27th 2024 |
4.5% |
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Exam #1 |
Tuesday, October 1st 2024 |
26% |
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Reaction Paper 2 |
Friday, October 25th 2024 |
4.5% |
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Exam #2 |
Tuesday, November 12th 2024 |
26% |
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Reaction Paper 3 |
Friday, December 6th 2024 |
4.5% |
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Exam #3 (Final) |
TBD – Fall Semester Exam Session |
26% |
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Total |
100% |
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7 Class Schedule
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Week |
Date |
Topic |
Text Chapters/Assignments |
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UNIT 1: Setting the Stage |
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1 |
Sept. 10 |
Introduction to ‘Abnormal’ Psychology |
Chapter 1 |
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2 |
Sept. 17 |
Conceptual models of psychopathology |
Chapter 2 |
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3 |
Sept. 24 |
Classification, Diagnosis, & Research Methods |
Chapters 3 & 4 Reaction Paper 1 Due |
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4 |
Oct. 1 |
Exam 1 (no tutorial this week) |
Exam Chapters (1-4) |
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UNIT 2: Internalizing Disorders |
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5 |
Oct. 8 |
Anxiety Disorders |
Chapters 5 |
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6 |
Oct. 15 |
Fall Reading Week-No Class & No Tutorial |
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7 |
Oct. 22 |
Obsessive-Compulsive and Trauma-Related disorders |
Chapter 5 Reaction Paper 2 Due |
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8 |
Oct. 29 |
Mood Disorders and Suicide |
Chapter 8 |
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9 |
Nov. 5 |
Eating Disorders |
Chapter 10 |
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10 |
Nov. 12 |
Exam 2 (no tutorial this week) |
Exam Chapters (5, 8, 10) |
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UNIT 3: Externalizing (and other) Disorders |
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11 |
Nov. 19 |
Psychosis |
Chapter 9 |
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12 |
Nov. 26 |
Substance Use Disorders |
Chapter 11 |
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13 |
Dec. 3 |
Personality Disorders |
Chapter 12 Reaction Paper 3 Due |
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Dec. 9-22 |
Final Exam: To Be Determined by exam schedule |
Exam (Chapters 9, 11, 12) |
8 Academic Integrity
Scholastic offences are taken seriously, and students are directed to read the appropriate policy, specifically, the definition of what constitutes a Scholastic Offence, at the following Web site: https://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf.
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.
Statement on Use of Electronic Devices
No electronic devices will be allowed during examinations.
Plagiarism Detection Software
All required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to the commercial plagiarism detection software under license to the University for the detection of plagiarism. 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.
Use of AI
The use of generative AI tools such as ChatGPT to produce written work is not permitted unless permission is granted by the instructor for specific circumstances. Any work submitted must be the work of the student in its entirety unless otherwise disclosed. When used, AI tools should be used ethically and responsibly, and students must cite or credit the tools used in line with the expectation to use AI as a tool to learn, not to produce content.
Multiple Choice Exams
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.
Personal Response Systems (“Clickers”)
In classes that involve the use of a personal response system, data collected 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.
9 Academic Accommodations and Accessible Education
View Western’s policy on academic accommodations for student with disabilities at this link.
Accessible Education provides supports and services to students with disabilities at Western.
If you think you may qualify for ongoing accommodation that will be recognized in all your courses, visit Accessible Education for more information. Email: aew@uwo.ca Phone: 519 661-2147
10 Absence & Academic Consideration
View Western’s policy on academic consideration for medical illnesses this link
Find your academic counsellor here: https://www.registrar.uwo.ca/faculty_academic_counselling.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain academic considerations. Students must communicate with their instructors no later than 24 hours after the end of the period covered SMC, or immediately upon their return following a documented absence.
Medical Absences
Submit a Student Medical Certificate (SMC) signed by a licensed medical or mental health practitioner to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for Academic Consideration.
Nonmedical Absences
Submit appropriate documentation (e.g., obituary, police report, accident report, court order, etc.) to Academic Counselling in your Faculty of registration to be eligible for academic consideration. Students are encouraged to contact their Academic Counselling unit to clarify what documentation is appropriate.
Religious Consideration
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.
11 Other Information
- Office of the Registrar: https://registrar.uwo.ca
- Student Development Services: sdc.uwo.ca
- Psychology Undergraduate Program: https://www.psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/index.html
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.
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 in writing 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.
12 Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that Western University is located on the traditional territories of the Anishinaabek, Haudenosaunee, Lūnaapéewak, and Chonnonton. Nations, on lands connected with the London Township and Sombra Treaties of 1796 and the Dish with One Spoon Covenant Wampum. This land continues to be home to diverse Indigenous Peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) whom we recognize as contemporary stewards of the land and vital contributors of our society.
