INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

GRADING CRITERIA

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

LEARNSMART Assignments (10 x 2 points each = 20 points): This assignment requires access to McGraw-Hill Connect, which you can purchase in the bookstore, or directly from the Connect link on Canvas. Please note that everyone will receive a free trial for 2 weeks, in case you cannot immediately purchase the access code for Connect, such that there is no reason for not completing the first 4-5 of these assignments in the first two weeks. Also, please note that purchasing an access code will provide you access to an e-book for the duration of the course. For this assignment, you must complete the 10 LEARNSMART activities assigned for this class (see calendar above). To do so, you must access the LEARNSMART links on the modules page, which correspond to the topics you will be studying each week, and continue working on the assignment until you have completed it. Please note that there is a link for Connect support if you experience difficulties with this software. Each LEARNSMART activity may take 30 minutes to an hour or more to complete, depending on how well you know the material. With the exception of the first 2 Learnsmart assignments, these assignments will be available for 12 days, beginning the Monday of the week prior to the due date, and ending at 11:59pm on the Saturday of the week the assignment is due. Please note that these assignments are worth 20% of your overall grade, and without completing them you will receive a C or lower in this course.

Quizzes (5 X 3 points each = 15 points): You will have 5 quizzes over the course of the semester. Each quiz has approximately 10 multiple choice questions, on any topic from the reading/lecture materials for the current or a previous week. These quizzes cannot be accessed before 6:00am on Monday of the week before they are due, and must be submitted no later than 11:59pm on the due date (see calendar above). Your grade for this assignment will be based on a total of 5 quizzes. Three points (3 percent) of your overall grade in the class will be deducted for every quiz which is not completed. Late quiz submissions may not be accepted. Please note that these assignments are worth 15% of your overall grade, and without completing it you will likely receive a C or lower in this course.

Exams (10 points each = 30 points total): You will have three exams, which will consist of approximately 30-50 multiple choice/matching/true-false questions each. Additionally, you will have a cumulative final exam consisting of approximately 60-70 multiple choice/matching/true-false questions. Your lowest grade on these four test grades will be dropped. So, if you study well and are satisfied with your grades on the first three exams, you may choose not to take the cumulative final exam. Taking the final exam, however, cannot lower your grade in the course. If you are unsure what this drop policy means, please re-read it several times before emailing me with questions about your lowest exam grade being dropped. You will have 40-50 minutes to complete the first three exams, depending on test length, and 60 minutes to complete the cumulative final exam. You must take these exams in one sitting, i.e., you cannot stop and resume at a later time. These exams cannot be accessed before 6:00am the day before they are due, and must be submitted no later than 11:59pm on the day they are due, with the exception of the final exam (see calendar above). You will only have two days to complete each of the first three exams, and only 1 day to complete the final exam. Your overall exam grades will be based on your three highest exam grades. Questions will be taken directly from PowerPoint slides, lectures, and other assigned materials, as well as your assigned readings / Learnsmart, so take good notes and read your text thoroughly. Late exam submissions will not be accepted, so be sure to allow yourself enough time to complete the exam. There will be NO make-up exams, as answers to the exam questions become available as soon as the exam time expires. If you miss the deadline for an exam, that exam will count as your dropped grade, and the other three will make up your overall exam grade. If you miss more than one exam, you will have a 0 as an exam grade, which will lower your grade by one full letter grade.

Discussion Board #1 (5 points): You will write an introductory discussion post of 200-words followed by three 100-word replies to other students, introducing yourself to the class and presenting your thoughts on a video called The Magician’s Twin. At least half of your work for this assignment should be directly related to the video. Always keep in mind that civility is a requirement, e.g., name-calling, such as you might see on some blog sites, is not true academic, intellectual discourse.

Mental Health Research Paper (30 points): SHOULD BE RESEARCH-BASED! Not opinion-based! If you merely write your opinion on the topic, you will receive a 0 for this assignment. This assignment is a formal research paper. You should write in 3^rd person focusing on what academic sources have reported in their research (e.g., “Blashfield et al. (2014) conducted a review…”), and not in 1^st person (“I think that…”; “I enjoyed…”; “It seems to me…”; et cetera).

For this assignment, you will write a formal research paper in APA format related to one specific mental health disorder. This paper will be submitted via Canvas. You will write a 3-5 page, typed & double-spaced, 12-point font paper. Please include a cover page and reference page in APA format. Cover page and reference page DO NOT count toward the 3-5 page requirement. Please DO NOT INCLUDE AN ABSTRACT for this assignment. Directly after your cover page, begin writing your paper. Reviews are to be written, and most importantly CITED in APA format throughout the body of your paper. Please google “OWL Purdue APA format” for a good resource on how to use APA formatting.

You will choose one mental health disorder to research and write your formal research paper over the mental health problem you choose, according to the guidelines below.

Utilizing academic articles, your textbook, and Curtis & Kelley’s (2018) Abnormal Psychology: Myths of Crazy (2^nd ed.), discuss the mental health problem you are researching in light of the 4 F’s of abnormality discussed in Chapter 1, theories of abnormality discussed in Chapter 2, assessment and diagnosis discussed in Chapter 3, and research methods discussed in Chapter 4.  

Your paper should contain the following elements:

1. Describe some of the historical influences and early schools of thought that shaped how mental health has been conceptualized (See Chapters 1 & 2 of Curtis & Kelley on History and Theories of Abnormality).
2. Describe some of the prominent perspectives and approaches used in the study and treatment of mental health (See Chapter 2 of Curtis & Kelley on Theories of Abnormality).
3. Identify research methods used in the study of mental disorders, and some specific findings of these research methods related to the disorder you are researching, including a discussion of the ABC’s of the 4F: Frequency (See the 4F’s of Abnormality in Curtis & Kelley – Chapter 1; See also Chapter 4 on research methods).
4. Describe the psychological assessment and evaluation of this mental health problem, including a discussion of the 4F: Function (See the 4F’s of Abnormality in Curtis & Kelley – Chapter 1; See also Chapter 3 on assessment & diagnosis).
5. Identify some of the physiological and psychological processes involved in the behaviors related to this mental health problem, including a discussion of the 4Fs: Feeling Pain & Fatal (See the 4F’s of Abnormality in Curtis & Kelley – Chapter 1).
6. Discuss individual and social responsibilities in regard to individuals with mental health problems. Within the context of social responsibility, you may discuss familial responsibilities related to individuals with mental health problems.

Your paper will be graded according to these required elements. Including 3 or fewer of these elements will result in a grade of D or lower. Including 4 of these elements will result in a grade of C or lower. Including 5 of these elements will result in a grade of B or lower. Including 6 of these elements will result in a grade of A or lower. You must include all 6 of these elements to be able to receive an A (90% or above) on this assignment, but you may not receive an A if your paper contains significant problems with incorrect grammar, spelling, punctuation, citations, et cetera, sufficient to impact the overall quality of your paper.

This grade is 30 percent of your overall grade in the class, such that failing to turn in the assignment will likely lead to a grade of D or lower. You should not write more than five pages, and no extra credit will be given for doing so. As with all other assignment, no late papers will be accepted.

Regular and punctual attendance is expected of all students in all classes for which they have registered.  All absences are considered to be unauthorized unless the student is absent due to illness or emergencies as determined by the instructor.  It is the student responsibility to provide documentation as to the emergency for approval and judgement by the faculty member.  Approved college sponsored activities are the only absences for which a student should not be held liable and only when provided by a college official ahead of the absence.  Valid reasons for absence, however, do not relieve the student of the responsibility for making up required work.  Students will not be allowed to make up an examination missed due to absence unless they have reasons acceptable to the instructor.  A student who is compelled to be absent when a test is given should petition the instructor, in advance if possible, for permission to postpone the exam.  Student will be dropped from a class by the Registrar upon recommendation of the instructor who feels the student has been justifiably absent or tardy a sufficient number of times to preclude meeting the course’s objectives.    Persistent, unjustified absences from classes or laboratories will be considered sufficient cause for College officials to drop a student from the rolls of the College. From Board Policy FC (LOCAL)

You are expected to keep within the on-going discussion typically the nature of a psychology class by logging in to complete your assignments in canvas weekly, and perhaps most importantly, by maintaining ongoing communication with me and your fellow classmates over the course of the entire semester. Failing to attend class and log in regularly will result in failure to finish assignments on time. All assignments have strict deadlines and cannot be made up late. Therefore, failing to log in, will likely result in a low or failing grade. If you choose to drop this class, it is your responsibility to drop the class. 

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is Thursday, July 26, 2017.

The Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD) provides support services for students with disabilities, students enrolled in technical areas of study, and students who are classified as special populations (i.e. single parents).

Support services for students with disabilities might include appropriate and reasonable accommodations, or they may be in the form of personal counseling, academic counseling, career counseling, etc.  Furthermore, OSD Counselors work with students to encourage self-advocacy and promote empowerment. The Counselors also provides resource information, disability-related information, and adaptive technology for students who qualify.

For support, please contact the counselors at (940) 498-6207 or (940) 668-4321.  Alternatively, students may stop by Room 170 in Corinth or Room 110 in Gainesville.

CORE CURRICULUM FOUNDATIONAL COMPONENT AREA______________________________

o         Communication

o         Mathematics              

o         Life and Physical Science

o         Language, Philosophy & Culture

o         Creative Arts

o         American History

o         Government/Political Science

x        Social and Behavioral Sciences

o         Component Area Option

x           Critical Thinking

x          Communication

x         Empirical and Quantitative

o           Teamwork

o           Personal Responsibility

x          Social Responsibility

COURSE TYPE

STUDENT HANDBOOK

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY