NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE

COURSE SYLLABUS

COURSE AND INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Course title: Abnormal Psychology

Course prefix, number, and section number: PSYC 2320 0310

Semester/Year of course: Spring 2022

Semester start and end dates: January 18^th – May 14^th

Modality: Asynchronous Online

Class meeting location, days, and times: Online as desired

Semester credit hours: 3

Course description: 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 prerequisites: PSYC 2301-General Psychology

Required course materials: Comer.  Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology.  9^th edition.  MacMillan Publishing.

The Fund of Abnormal Psychology 9th (LaunchPad w/digital book)  ISBN 9781319312893

The Fund of Abnormal Psychology 9th (LooseLeaf w/LaunchPad)  ISBN  9781319312763

Name of instructor: Jennifer Doran

Office location: Corinth Room 337

Telephone number: (940) 498-6424

E-mail address: jdoran@nctc.edu

Office hours for students:  Mondays and Wednesdays from 12:00 to 3:00 p.m.; other days/times by appointment.

SYLLABUS CHANGE DISCLAIMER

The faculty member reserves the right to make changes to this published syllabus if it is in the best interest of the educational development of this class. Any such changes will be announced as soon as possible in person and/or writing.

SUMMARY OF COURSE ASSIGNMENTS

List of graded assignments:

• Discussion Questions (225 points):   Discussion questions will be posted in Canvas for you to discuss with the class.  These will require you to 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 more information in the Start Here Module in Canvas.)
• Weekly Activities (375 points):  Each week we'll have an activity in Canvas to complete.   Activities cannot be submitted once the due date has passed.
• Exams (300 points):    We will have two exams that are each worth 15% of the final grade.   Exams will cover material from our text and material from our online lectures.   Exams are timed so it is important to understand the material prior to testing.
• Brochure (50 points):   We will be designing a brochure based on information learned in Week Nine.    Please see the document in Canvas for additional information.
• Institutional Assessment (50 points):  Due in Week 13.   Grade will relate to inclusion of required elements and content.   Please see Canvas for additional details.

TOTAL:   1,000 possible points

Final grade scale: 

900 to 1,000 points = A

800 to 899 points = B

700 to 799 points = C

600 to 699 points = D

0 to 599 points = F

Late work policy:

Students who fall behind in a busy online course may struggle to catch up, and they may not complete the course as successfully as possible.  For this reason, late work is not typically accepted.   If you experience extenuating circumstances during the semester, please communicate with me and I can evaluate your situation on an individual basis.  

SEE CANVAS FOR THE COMPLETE COURSE CALENDAR, OUTLINE, DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF GRADED WORK, AND OTHER RELATED MATERIAL.

COURSE POLICIES

Students may earn a zero for an assignment or for a course due to academic dishonesty.   

Recycling previous assignments is considered self-plagiarism and is not allowed.   Please come to me for help with any of these topics.   You may also visit our library for additional information:  http://www.nctc.edu/library/research-help/CitationGuides.html  

Attendance Policy: 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)

Withdrawal Policy

A student may withdraw from a course on or after the official date of record. It is the student’s responsibility to initiate and complete a Withdrawal Request Form.

Last day to withdraw from the course with a “W” is: April 4, 2022.

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:

1. Discuss the historical antecedents to modern understandings of abnormal behavior.
2. Identify and describe the major classes and characteristics of psychological disorders as presented in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).
3. Describe the factors and theoretical perspectives related to the development and maintenance of different types of abnormal behavior.
4. List the primary treatments for psychological disorders and discuss their effectiveness.
5. Discuss the current research and methodological issues in the study of abnormal behavior
6. Discuss the legal and ethical issues associated with the treatment of and research related to abnormal behavior.
7. Develop an understanding of how social and cultural factors impact the expression of psychological disorders.
8. Examine the impact of biological factors on the development of psychological disorders.

Core Objectives: Critical Thinking, Communication, Empirical and Quantitative, Social Responsibility

COLLEGE POLICIES

STUDENT HANDBOOK

Students are expected to follow all rules and regulations found in the Student Handbook.

ADA STATEMENT

NCTC will adhere to all applicable federal, state and local laws, regulations and guidelines with respect to providing reasonable accommodations to afford equal educational opportunity. It is the student’s responsibility to contact the Office for Students with Disabilities to arrange appropriate accommodations.  See the OSD Syllabus Addendum.

STUDENT SERVICES

NCTC provides a multitude of services and resources to support students.  See the Student Services Syllabus Addendum for a listing of those departments and links to their sites.

QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, or COMPLAINTS