NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE COURSE SYLLABUS

 

Course Title:	Abnormal Psychology
Course Prefix & Number:		PSYC 2320	Section Number:	230	Semester/Year:	Wintermester 2019
Semester Credit Hours:		3	Lecture Hours:	3	Lab Hours:	0
Course Description (NCTC Catalog): This course provides an introduction to the psychological, biological, and socio-cultural factors involved in the development, diagnosis, and treatment of psychological disorders. It includes a review of the historical understanding of abnormal behavior and the development of modern diagnostic systems. It includes discussion of psychological research and practice as it relates to mental health and psychological functioning, as well as legal and ethical issues.
Course Prerequisite(s): PSYC2301-General Psychology
Required Course Materials: Comer.  Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology.  10th edition. MacMillan Publishing. ISBN 9781319312893 (access code with ebook)

 

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Name of Instructor:	Jennifer Doran
Campus/Office Location:	Corinth / Room 331 (Office 337)
Telephone Number:	(214) 693-6491
E-mail Address:	jdoran@nctc.edu

 

OFFICE HOURS

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
Online and by appointment	11 to 2 p.m.	Online and by appointment	11 to 2 p.m.	Online and by appointment
It is my goal to return all phone calls and emails within 24 hours.

 

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES

(From Academic Course Guide Manual/Workforce Education Course Manual/NCTC Catalog)

At the successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
	Discuss the historical antecedents to modern understandings of abnormal behavior.
	Identify and describe the major classes and characteristics of psychological disorders as presented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).
	Describe the factors and theoretical perspectives related to the development and maintenance of different types of abnormal behavior.
	List the primary treatments for psychological disorders and discuss their effectiveness.
	Discuss the current research and methodological issues in the study of abnormal behavior.
	Discuss the legal and ethical issues associated with the treatment of and research related to abnormal behavior.
	Develop an understanding of how social and cultural factors impact the expression of psychological disorders.
	Examine the impact of biological factors on the development of psychological disorders.

 

GRADING CRITERIA

# of Graded Course Elements	Graded Course Elements	Percentage or Point Values
1.	Discussion Questions  (25 points x 8 questions)	200 points
2.	Activities (50 points x 8 activities)	400 points
3.	Exams (100 points x 2 exams)	200 points
4.	Institutional Assessment Essay Questions	200 points
	TOTAL	1,000 points

 

• Discussion Questions (200 points):   Two discussion questions will be posted each week for you to discuss with the class.  These will require you to reflect on and apply the material from our course.   Grades will be determined by meeting the posted length requirements and by expanding on the discussion's content in a meaningful way.  (See ‘Our Discussion Requirement’ in the ‘Start Here’ Module in Canvas for more information.)

 

• Activities (400 points):  Each week we'll have two activities in Canvas to complete.   Activities cannot be submitted once the due date has passed.

 

• Exams (200 points):    We will have two exams that are worth 100 points each.   Exams will cover material from our text and material from our online class.   Exams are timed so it is important to understand the material prior to testing.

 

• Institutional Assessment Essay Questions (200 points):  Due in Week 4.   Grade will relate to inclusion of required elements and content.   Please see the document in Canvas and the rubric below for additional details.

 

 

• TOTAL:   1,000 possible points

 

 

Course Calendar

 

 

Week 1 – What Is Abnormal Behavior?

Research in Abnormal Psychology

Perspectives in Abnormal Psychology

                        December 16^th – December 22^nd  

Readings:

• View 'Start Here' Module
• Locate Module 1; view PowerPoint videos for this week
• Read Chapters 1, 2 and 3 in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Week 1

Assignments: 

• Respond to the discussion boards for this week
• Complete online activities for this week

Module Deadlines:

All assignments for Week 1 are due on or before December 22^nd by 11:59 pm CST.

 

 

Week 2 – Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive and Bipolar Disorder, Stress

                        December 23rd – December 29^th

Readings:

• View PowerPoints for this week

• Read Chapters 4, 6 and 5 in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Week 2

Assignments: 

• Respond to the discussion boards for this week
• Complete online activities for this week
• Complete Exam One (after all reading and other activities are completed)

Module Deadlines:

All assignments for Week 2 are due on or before December 29^th by 11:59 pm CST.

 

 

Week 3 – Suicide, Eating, Substance and Sexual Disorders

                        December 30^th – January 5^th  

Readings:

• View PowerPoints for this week
• Read Chapters 7, 9, 10, and 11 in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Week 3

Assignments: 

• Respond to the discussion boards for this week
• Complete online activities for this week
• Work on Institutional Assessment Essays (Due next week)

 

Module Deadlines:

All assignments for Week 3 are due on or before January 5^th by 11:59 pm CST.

 

Week 4 – Schizophrenia, Personality and Childhood Disorders

                        January 6^th – January 9^th

***Please note that this is a short week - all assignments are due by Thursday***

Readings:

• View PowerPoints for this week
• Read Chapters 12, 13 and 14 (pg. 450-460 only) in your textbook
• Review other Canvas materials for Week 4

Assignments: 

• Respond to the discussion boards for this week
• Complete online activities for this week
• Submit Institutional Assessment Essays
• Complete Exam Two (after all reading and other activities are completed)
• Review all grades in Canvas for accuracy

Module Deadlines:

All assignments for Week 4 are due on or before January 9^th by 11:59 pm CST.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

RUBRIC for Institutional Assessment Essays
Grading Criteria	Excellent	Proficient	Approaches Expectations	Does Not Meet Expectations
Content Relevance, Accuracy and Organization   ~Up to 150 points	130-150 points **Presents appropriate material clearly and in a well-organized manner. **Writing clearly demonstrates sound understanding of subject matter.	110-129 points **Presents material in a somewhat organized manner. **Writing demonstrates a degree of understanding of subject matter.	60-109 points **Presents somewhat relevant material but organization is not fully achieved. **Writing demonstrates some understanding but some uncertainty with  subject matter.	0-59 points **Content is unclear.   Overall organization is difficult or impossible to follow.  **Writing demonstrates a lack of knowledge with regard to the subject matter.
Sources   ~Up to 20 points	16-20 points **Cites all data obtained from sources. **Sources are reliable and APA citation style is accurate.	10-15 points **Cites most  data obtained from sources. **Sources are largely reliable and APA citation style is somewhat accurate.	6-9 points **Cites minimal data obtained from sources. **Sources are present but not reliable; errors in APA citation style are noted.	0-5 points **Does not cite sources. ** APA citation style is not evident.
Mechanics     ~Up to 30 points	24-30 points **Ideas are communicated clearly. **Accurate grammar/spelling.	18-23 points **Ideas are generally communicated clearly. **Grammar/spelling generally accurate.	10-17 points **Ideas are often unclear due to mechanical errors. **Errors in grammar/spelling noted.	0-9 points **Message is lost due to significant mechanical errors. **Significant errors in grammar/spelling are present.
TOTAL POINTS EARNED	/200 POINTS

 

 

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)

Last day to withdraw from a course with a “W” is January 2^nd,  2020.

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 (For classes in the Core)_______       

o         Communication

o         Mathematics              

o         Life and Physical Science

o         Language, Philosophy & Culture

o         Creative Arts

 

o         Government/Political Science

X         Social and Behavioral Sciences

o         Component Area Option

o         American History

 

                X Critical Thinking

                X Communication

                X Emperical and Quantitative

o           Teamwork

            X Personal Responsibility

                X Social Responsibility