Abnormal Psychology
PSYCH 330
Summer 2007- 2nd Session
Instructor: Caroline Mann
Office: Austin Peay-- on the hill
(not sure which room yet)
Office Hours: Tues & Thurs after class
Email: cmann4@utk.edu
Class Location: EPS 400
Meeting Time: MTWRF 8:00am-9:30am
“Education is not filling a bucket but lighting a fire” -William Yeats
I hope that this course will spark your interest in abnormal psychology. I know it’s hard to get ignited
at 8:00am, but we’re going to do our best!
Course Overview. Welcome to Psychology 330— an upper-level class that focuses on
the theories about, symptoms of, and treatments for psychological disorders. Drawing
from our textbook and some memoirs of mental illness, we’re going to cover a wide array of
psychological problems, such as: depression, schizophrenia, bipolar, anxiety and panic, PTSD, etc.
This class is taught in a lecture/discussion format. Because of time constraints (summer classes moves
especially fast!), not all material presented in the book will be presented in class. However, you are
still responsible for all material in the book even though some of it may not have been covered in class.
You are also responsible for lecture material that might not be covered in the book. I hope you will
find this course interesting and enjoyable, and come to class ready to share your own thoughts about
abnormal psychology.
Course Objectives.
 To determine what qualifies as a “mental illness.” When is behavior abnormal and when is it
simply eccentric?
 To create a solid intellectual and emotional understanding of various psychological disorders
 To outline and assess the variety of treatments available for psychological disorders
 To spark your interest in the larger field of abnormal psychology
Blackboard Website. When you registered for the class you were automatically enrolled in the
Blackboard website for your section of Psychology 330. The website will provide information about
the course such as the syllabus, extra credit opportunities, course announcements, study guide
questions for your exams, and grades. All urgent announcements will be sent to the class via your
UTK email address. Check the website frequently!!
Required Reading. This course has two, equally important components. This class moves quickly,
so be sure to stay on top of the reading!
A) Your textbook (Abnormal Psychology, 5th Ed, Comer). This book provides an intellectual
understanding of psychological disorders needed as a foundation for your learning.
B) First-person narratives of mental illness (to be provided). These readings come from
published memoirs by individuals who have experienced a psychological disorder. They
provide a unique emotional understanding of the experience of mental illness, which is
crucial to developing an in-depth comprehension of the material.
Supplemental Readings that will be provided include excerpts from:
Opening Skinner’s Box (Lauren Slater)— great experiments in psychology
An Unquiet Mind (Kay Jamison)— memoir of manic-depressive illness
Just Checking (Emily Colas)— a personal experience of OCD
Case Studies in Developmental Psychology: Personal Stories of Adolescents
Love’s Executioner (Irvin Yalom)— tales of psychotherapy
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
1. Reading Reactions (5 pts each). This class will be greatly improved if you all come prepared,
having read the material and ready to discuss. Unfortunately, I have noticed that students tend to not
read on their own, unless they are given a specific motivator (sorry!). Therefore, we will have 10
mini-papers (“reading reactions”) throughout the semester (marked on the schedule). These papers
will be done in-class, for approximately 10 minutes. If you write all 10 papers, you can drop your
lowest two (so only 8 count in the end). There are no make-ups for reaction papers, but note that you
essentially get 2 free absences here.
What is a reaction paper? It is a one-page (double-spaced) summary of your thoughts on the readings.
You may briefly summarize concepts covered, but should quickly move on to discuss your opinions,
questions, or synthesis of the material. This is like an academic journal entry. Some questions to get
you started: How do these ideas related to what we’ve already learned? How do they relate to my
life? Do I agree or disagree with them? How do they apply to the real world? Did anything surprise
me? What was the most interesting/least interesting part of the readings? These are only guidelines.
You are free to discuss whatever ideas arise for you during the readings.
2. Class Attendance and Participation (can count at end). Regular attendance is essential. I expect
to use a variety of teaching techniques in this class (lectures, discussion, small group activities, videos,
application exercises), most of which cannot be duplicated by borrowing a classmate's notes. I also
view classes as a sort of community; communities come together most effectively (i.e., coalesce) when
all the members are present. Attendance will be noted, with exceptionally good (0-1 absences) or poor
(4 or more) attendance, impacting your grade. In addition, I will consider attendance in the calculation
of borderline final grades, and I reserve the right to make a 10% grade deduction in final grades for 5
or more absences.
3. Exams (50 pts each). There will be 3 exams throughout the course, and one cumulative final that is
optional. There are no make-ups for missed exams, so the final is used as a make-up to replace any 0s.
You may also take the final if you want to replace an unsatisfactory test score. If you score lower on
the final, it will not count against you.
Exam format: The exams consist of a mix of multiple choice, short-answer, and essay questions. The
possible essay questions will be provided to students in advance, so that you may prepare sufficiently.
My goal in testing you is to help you learn the material better, not to create random anxiety as to
guessing what to study.
4. Final Paper (50 pts or 60 pts). This class has one required paper. For this paper, you will read a
novel or memoir (for a maximum of 60 pts), or watch a movie (maximum of 50pts) and write an 8-10
page paper discussing how the book or movie matched up with your knowledge of psychopathology.
Thus, if you choose to read a book, you get 10 extra “bonus points.” A list of movies and books will
be distributed, or you may suggest your own to me. Specific instructions for this paper can be found at
the end of this syllabus.
5. Psychological Art (30 pts). Throughout the semester, we will study many disorders. Some of
them will resonate with you or fascinate you more deeply than others. I would like you to choose 1
disorder and create an art piece that captures your idea of that disorder. This can be done through
collage, painting, quilts, music, poetry, fiction, computer graphics, sculpture, video, etc. You will
make a brief (5 minute) presentation to the class explaining your project on the last day we cover this
topic. I will create a sign-up sheet so we can space our presentations thoroughly the semester. If you
don’t feel you are an artistic person and need help coming up with ideas, please see me! This isn’t
meant to be hard.
Class Discussions Guidelines. In many ways, everyone is an amateur psychologist— you may have
experience with some of the topics we discuss, and you certainly have theories about why people act
the way they do. This can be an advantage in that certain topics may feel familiar and meaningful, but
it can be a disadvantage if it keeps you from opening your mind to new perspectives and ideas (i.e., "It
is what we know already that often prevents us from learning" - Claude Bernard). I look forward to
hearing your opinions, but I encourage listening and speaking from a critical thinking perspective,
setting personal values aside.
This classroom is of your creation. Please contribute to a warm, challenging, and fun environment by
listening and offering your opinions in an open-minded format. Remember that communication
involves talking and listening, and that the best communication occurs when everyone does a bit of the
former and a lot of the latter. In sum: speak from your head, while treating other class members with
the tolerance, compassion, and respect that I hope you have in your heart.
Optimizing Your Classroom Experience. You all know this by now, but your education is your
responsibility. If you are having trouble with the material, please let me know. I will be happy to meet
with you during office hours. Please do not wait until the end of the semester. This is a fast-paced
course. You may want to form study groups or use the discussion board online to help each other out.
Office Hours. Feel free to come by during office hours, or schedule an appointment. If you are
having trouble with the class, you should discuss it immediately. If you want to review an examination
to see what you missed, come to office hours. Or, if you think the material is just fascinating and you
want to ask questions about thing we didn’t have time to cover in class, that is also welcome! If you
have questions about a career in psychology, or a random thing you saw on TV— whatever sparks
your curiosity. I am happy to help!
Student Success Center. http://studentsuccess.tennessee.edu/ The Student Success Center contains
an array of information that is designed to help students adjust to and succeed at the university.
Writing Center: http://web.utk.edu/~english/writing.php. (865) 974-2611. The Writing Center helps
you craft your words in a way that makes sense to others. It is for writers of all skill levels. It is not a
free editing service where you can dump your paper off on somebody, but rather a place to get
feedback and bounce ideas off someone in a collaborative manner.
Academic Dishonesty. If you cheat, I will fail you. Period. If you are caught cheating on an exam,
quiz, or paper you will be given an F in the course and a letter will be sent to Student Judicial Affairs.
Cheating includes plagiarism, copying answers during an exam, etc.
Disability Services. If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a documented
disability or if you have emergency information to share, please contact the Office of Disability
Services at 191 Hoskins Library or 974-6087. This will ensure that you are properly registered for
services.
Withdrawing from the Course. (see p. 45 of the Undergraduate Catalogue)
 No W on transcript. Until July 11 you may drop this course without a W on your transcript.
 WP or WF on transcript: From July 11 until August 1 you may drop the course and receive
either a WP (Withdraw Pass) or WF (Withdraw Fail). If you are passing the course, I will
assign a WP which is not computed in your GPA. If you are failing the course, I will assign a
WF which is calculated as an F grade in your GPA. My signature is required on a WP/WF form
that you can pick up at the registrar’s office
EVALUATION
Grade Point Ranges. The total number of points you earn determines your grade. Using the total
points from 3 examinations (150 points), reaction papers (40), final paper (50), and psychological art
(30), you can earn as many as 270 points.
`
Grade
Point Range
A
B
C
D
F
270-243
242-216
215-189
188-162
161-000
Grades of Incomplete are not given except under extraordinary circumstances for which we will
want documentation. Examine your semester schedule carefully. If you will miss more than one exam
and the COMP because of some personal conflict, take the class some other time or semester.
Grade Postings. All grades will be posted on the Blackboard website. If you think there is an error
in your score, you have until the next exam date to correct any errors for the just-completed
section of exams, papers, and quizzes. In other words, if you think there is an error in your score,
come see me immediately.
Guidelines for Final Paper
Objective: The goal of this paper is to help you apply your knowledge to some real-life (or realistic fiction)
examples. I want you to understand that things are not always as clear-cut as they appear in the textbook, yet we
can still use our skills to understand unique human suffering. Your goal is to play clinician for a while and write
a case conceptualization of a person. I will post an example of a professional case conceptualization on
blackboard, so you can have an idea of what this looks like.
Paper Format: 8-10 pages double-spaced, 1 inch margins, size 12 font. Turn in a hard copy.
Structure: You can organize your paper however you see fit, and I encourage creativity. These are the things
you need to address at some point in the paper, however, and if you are struggling for an organizing structure,
this can serve as a template:
1. Book/Movie Summary: Please describe the main characters and plot of the book/movie in an
objective and interesting narrative manner. This section should be about 1 page long, and serve to give the
reader (me) an idea of the material, in case I am unfamiliar with it.
2. Case Conceptualization:
a. Presenting Problems: List and briefly describe the primary problems this person has in their
life. If they were coming into therapy, what would be their primary complaints? Be specific and use nondiagnostic language (the diagnosis comes later).
b. Hypothesized Mechanisms: Breifly list the biological, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral
factors might be contributing to these problems?
c. Mechanisms at Work: In a narrative fashion, describe how the above factors might operate on
a daily basis to produce the client’s problems. Your goal is to convey that you understand the underlying
dynamics of this person’s psychological problem. This will take a while, so this section should be the longest
one by far (at least 3-4 pages). This is also the place where you want to draw on the reading. For example, if
your person has some depressive thoughts, you might want to briefly mention (please do not bore me with pagelong descriptions of what we both already know) how Beck thought these cognitions contribute to the cycle of
depression.
d. Origins of the Mechanisms: Where do you think these mechanisms and problems came from?
If you don’t know anything about the person’s past, you could hypothesize (based on theory) what might have
caused this. This is another part where you might draw on the readings to explain how certain events may lead
to certain problems.
e. Treatment Plan: If this person came into therapy, what do you think would be the most
appropriate form of treatment? Medication? Cognitive therapy? Psychodynamic therapy? Pretend you are the
therapist and tell me how you would proceed.
f. Strengths: Everybody has strengths you can draw on. What does this person do well in life,
and how might these things be harnessed to help them cope with their difficulties?
g. Potential Diagnoses: Finally, what diagnosis would you most likely give this person? How
do they fit the symptoms or not fit the symptoms we learned about? If they were given a diagnosis in the
book/movie, do you agree with it? Why or why not?
3. Final Review: Do a brief (1 page or less) review of the movie/book. Did you enjoy it? Did you
think it was an accurate portrayal of mental illness? Did it raise any questions for you? What were the strengths
and weaknesses of this particular work? Do you think the authors were knowledgeable of psychology?
Grading: You will be graded on the depth of your analysis, the accuracy of your psychological explanations,
and— yes, to some extent— your writing. Therefore, I encourage you to use the Writing Center or me as a
resource when you’re writing your paper. Also, see my handout on Blackboard about “common mistakes of
student writers” and ways to address these potential pitfalls in your paper.
Unit 1:
Chapter 4: Models of Abnormality
Chapter 5: Anxiety Disorders
Chapter 6: Stress Disorders
July
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Introduction to Class
Ch. 3: Models of Abnormality
Lauren Slater Chapter
(reading reaction to Ch.)
Ch 5: GAD (reading
reaction)
Ch 5: Panic
OCD Excerpt (reading reaction)
Ch 5: OCD
Ch 6: PTSD
Exam 1
Unit 2:
Chapter 8&9: Mood Disorders
Chapter 11: Eating Disorders
Chapter 12: Substance Abuse
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Yalom Case Study: Greif
(reading reaction to Yalom)
Ch 8: depression
Ch 8&9: depression
Kay Jamison Excerpt
Ch 8: bipolar
Anorexia Case Study
(reading reaction to case study)
Ch. 11: Eating Disorders
Ch 11
Ch 12: Substance Abuse
Ch 12 (reading reaction)
Exam
Unit 3:
Chapter 14: Schizophrenia
Chapter 16: Personality Disorders
Chapter 17: Disorders of Childhood &
Adolescence
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Ch. 14 (reading reaction)
Ch 14
Ch 16 (reading reaction)
Ch 16
Ch 17 (reading reaction)
Ch 17 (final paper due)
Exam 3
Review Day & Party
(reading reaction)
Final Exam (optional)
All grades posted by
today