Washington & Lee University

Principles of Abnormal Behavior (PSYC 210)

Course Syllabus Fall 2010

Instructor: Karla Murdock, Ph.D.

Email: murdockk@wlu.edu

Phone: 458-8248

Office: Parmly Hall Room 212

Office Hours: MW 10 - 11:30am or by advance appointment

Class Meetings: MWF 9:05-10:00 am Reed 111

INTRODUCTION

Welcome! We have an exciting semester ahead of us as we explore the depths of the human mind and the “flutterings that agitate it”. I will ask you all to be active learners in this class – to go beyond rote memorization of terms, symptoms, and theories. Our class meetings will consist of a combination of discussions, activities, lectures, films, and writing exercises, all of which will encourage and require you to think critically about how we conceptualize, assess, and address abnormal behavior.

It will be essential for you to complete reading assignments BEFORE class, because the activities of each class meeting will revolve around them. You will be bored, lost, and potentially embarrassed if you aren’t prepared.

COURSE GOALS

There is a basic body of information about psychopathology that will be covered in this course. That information will be emphasized in the tests, and it generally relates to these issues:

Ø What research methods are used to help us learn about psychological and behavioral functioning?

Ø What basic factors (e.g., social experiences, biological makeup, environmental characteristics) influence the likelihood that an individual will experience psychological problems?

Ø What are the characteristics of psychological disorders as they are currently defined?

Ø How can we conceptualize the multiple facets and entire range of human functioning, from psychopathology to flourishing?

Another important goal for this course is for us to contemplate questions that are more subjective in nature. We will use group discussions, writing projects, and classroom activities as ways to explore issues such as:

Ø What constitutes abnormal behavior?

Ø What are the strengths and drawbacks of current methods of research, classification, and treatment of abnormal behavior?

Ø What are our personal, cultural, and social biases regarding individuals coping with a mental illness?

Ø What does it feel like to experience a mental illness or support someone who is coping with psychological stresses?

READING MATERIALS

Davison, G., Neale, J., & Kring, A. (2004). Abnormal psychology (9^th edition) with cases. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons.

ISBN: 0471479586

Journal articles (see schedule below)

You will need to acquire copies of the following books (see Book Analysis, below, for details):

Wilensky, A. (1999). Passing for normal: A memoir of compulsion. New York: Broadway Books

ISBN: 076790186X

Jamison, K. R. (1997). An unquiet mind. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.

ISBN: 0679763309

Other recommended (but not required) reading:

Casey, N. (Editor) (2002). Unholy ghost. New York: Harper Perennial.

ISBN: 0060007826

GRADED ACTIVITIES

CLASS PARTICIPATION 10%

Your class participation grade will be generated on the basis of your engagement and involvement in each class meeting. In many class periods you will be asked to contribute discussion items that you have prepared as part of your Portfolio. This is a process-oriented (as opposed to strictly outcome-oriented) course, so attendance is necessary and unexcused absences will negatively impact your grade.

PORTFOLIO 15%

You will develop a portfolio to reflect your thinking and learning process in this course. The portfolio will include all of the written work that you generate, such as discussion items for readings, in-class exercises, and (graded copies of) essays. At the end of the term you will turn in your portfolio and I will assess your overall body of work in terms of conceptual mastery, effort, thoughtfulness, and sophistication.

For many class periods you will be asked to generate, contribute in class, and turn in discussion items about the readings. These should reflect issues of particular interest and/or questions about the readings. Each item should be expressed in a paragraph or two of typed text.

ESSAYS 15%

You will be asked to write two essays with topics to be announced. Essays should be no fewer than 750 and no more than 1000 words in length. Please double-space and use 12-point font.

EXAMS 60%

There will be three non-cumulative exams that will include objective items and essay questions.

LATE ASSIGNMENT POLICY

Assignments are due on the designated date at 9:05am. Assignments received after this point will receive a 10-point deduction. An additional 10-point deduction will go into effect at 9:05am on each subsequent day. An assignment will not be accepted more than one week past its deadline.

EXTRA CREDIT

You may earn four points of extra credit to be added to your final exam score by participating in a Psychology Department study. Please turn in a copy of the consent form in order to verify your voluntary participation. Extra credit will not be awarded if you have received monetary compensation for your participation (1 point per study).

A NOTE ABOUT THIS COURSE

In this course we will be discussing a wide range of behaviors and psychological symptoms. You should not be alarmed if you begin to recognize some of these symptoms in yourself or someone you know – this often happens when students first learn about illness (it is sometimes called Medical Student Syndrome). However, if you are experiencing symptoms that are causing you distress or getting in the way of your life, it may be helpful to make an appointment at the University Counseling Center. It is located in the Early-Fielding University Center in room 129, and it is open from 8:30 to 4:30 when undergraduate classes are in session. If you are interested in making an appointment, please call 458-8590. Emergency walk-in times are from 11:00-11:30 Monday through Friday when undergraduate classes are in session. There will also be a counselor on-call after hours in the event of an emergency.  If you need to get in touch with the counselor on-call, please contact Student Health after hours at x8401. Students can also contact the Rockbridge Community Services Board at 463-3141, call 911, or proceed to the emergency room at Stonewall Jackson Hospital in the event of an emergency.

SEMESTER SCHEDULE (SUBJECT TO REVISION)

CLASS MEETING	Class meeting	TOPIC	READING / PAGES
Fri Sept 10	Grey Gardens	Introduction & Concepts
Mon Sept 13		Paradigms	DNK Chapter 2
Wed Sept 15		Paradigms
Fri Sept 17		Classification & Diagnosis	DNK Chapter 3
Mon Sept 20		Assessment	DNK Chapter 4
Wed Sept 22		Research Methods	DNK Chapter 5
Fri Sept 24	Asylum: A History of the Mental Institution in America	Historical Perspective	DNK Chapter 1
Mon Sept 27	Asylum Essay Due	History Discussion & Catch Up
Wed Sept 29		Anxiety Disorders	DNK Chapter 6
Fri Oct 1		Anxiety Disorders
Mon Oct 4	Exam #1
Wed Oct 6	PFN Discussion Items Due	Anxiety Disorders	Passing for Normal
Fri Oct 8	Olatunji et al. (2010) Outline Due	Anxiety Disorders	Olatunji, B., Moretz, M., & Zlomke, K. (2010). Linking cognitive avoidance and GAD symptoms: The mediating role of fear of emotion. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 48, 435-441.
Mon Oct 11		Somatoform & Dissociative Disorders	DNK Chapter 7
Wed Oct 13		Eating Disorders	DNK Chapter 9
Fri Oct 15	Reading Day
Mon Oct 18		Mood Disorders	DNK Chapter 10
Wed Oct 20 Midterm	Moses & Barlow (2006) Discussion Items Due	Mood Disorders	Moses, E. & Barlow, D. (2006). A new unified treatment approach for emotional disorders based on emotion science. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 15, 146-150.
Fri Oct 22	Anderson (2008) Discussion Items Due	Mood Disorders & Suicide	Anderson, S. (July 6, 2008). The urge to end it all. New York Times Magazine.
Mon Oct 25	AUM Discussion Items Due	Mood Disorders	An Unquiet Mind
Wed Oct 27		Schizophrenia	DNK Chapter 11
Fri Oct 29		Schizophrenia
Mon Nov 1	Lysaker et al. (2010) Outline Due	Schizophrenia	Lysaker, P., Ringer, J., Maxwell, C., McGuire, A., & Lecomte, T. (2010). Personal narratives and recovery from schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research, 121, 271-276.
Wed Nov 3	Exam #2
Fri Nov 5	Parents & Family Weekend	Positive Psychology	Seligman, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5-14.
Mon Nov 8		Positive Psychology
Wed Nov 10	Eagle’s Nest Visitors
Fri Nov 12	Eagle’s Nest Discussion Items Due	Substance Use Disorders	DNK Chapter 12
Mon Nov 15	Steinberg (2007) Discussion Items Due	Substance Use Disorders	Steinberg, L. (2007). Risk taking in adolescence: New perspectives from brain and behavioral science. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 16, 55-59.
Wed Nov 17		Personality Disorders	DNK Chapter 13
Fri Nov 19	The Madness of Dancing Daniel	Personality Disorders
Nov 22-26	Thanksgiving Holiday
Mon Nov 29		Childhood Disorders	DNK Chapter 15
Wed Dec 1		Childhood Disorders
Fri Dec 3	Final Essay Due	Intervention	DNK Chapter 17
Mon Dec 6	Wong & Hui (2005) and Kaminsky et al. (2003) Discussion Items Due	Ethics	Wong, P., & Hui (2005). I can put the medicine in his soup, doctor! Journal of Medical Ethics, 31(5), 262-265. Kaminsky, A., Roberts, L., & Brody, J. (2003). Influences Upon Willingness to Participate in Schizophrenia Research: An Analysis of Narrative Data From 63 People With Schizophrenia. Ethics & Behavior, 13(3),279-302.
Wed Dec 8		Legal Issues	DNK Chapter 18
Fri Dec 10		Catch up
Sat Dec 12 – Fri Dec 18	Final Exam