Psychopathology
Spring 2011
PSY 412 CRN 21030
Tuesday 7:00 – 9:45 pm
Rod Merta, Ph.D
Office Hours: TBA
Phone: 575-894-9050
e-mail: rgps@windstream.net
Goal: To provide the student with an understanding of the range of human
behavior, normal and abnormal and the causes and treatments of psychological
disorder.
Learning Objectives:
Students will:
1. Identify parameters of normal behavior
2. Identify current paradigms for understanding psychopathology
3. Understand the importance and implications of diagnosis and assessment
of psychopathology
4. Identify primary features of the major psychological disorders recognized
in the DSM
5. Identify major forms of psychological and medical treatments used to treat
psychological disorders
6. Explore the legal and ethical problems that arise in the field of
psychopathology concerning issues such as treatment, privacy, crime, and
access to care.
Teaching Modalities: lecture, video, class activities, and discussion.
NOTE: Instead of a required text for this course, students will be expected to
research assigned topics online as well as consult with the recommended text
identified below.
Recommended Texts:
American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual
of mental disorders (4th ed.). William & Wilkins. Washington, D. C.: Author.
Course Evaluation
Class Participation/Weekly Exercises
Term Paper
Final Exam
30
40
30
points
points
points
Class Participation: will consist of attending class regularly, participating in class
discussions, and in completing weekly assigned online exercises. With the
exception of the 1/14 Organizational Meeting and the 5/10 Final Exam, the
remaining 15 class sessions will be worth a total of 30 points. The instructor, and
not the student, will subjectively determine the quality of participation.
Term Paper: will consist of a 10-page, APA-style paper, on a DSM IV Disorder. The
student will identify a disorder of his or her choice. The instructor will provide a
format for the Term Paper later in the semester. The Term Paper will be worth 40
points and will due in class on May 3, 2011. Students submitting Term Papers
after this date will be penalized.
Final Exam: will consist of completion of an in-class objective (multiple-choice)
exam worth 30 points. The objective portion of the exam will be in class, will be
based entirely on lectures, class discussions, and weekly online exercises.
Students will allowed to utilize their class notes and weekly online exercises
during the exam. You are encouraged to participate in a study group in
preparation for this portion of the exam. Neither computer-scoring sheets nor
blue books are needed for the in-class portion of the exam. Date for the Final
Exam: May 10, 2011.
Grading & Other Course-Related Issues & Concerns
Grading Scale: The following grading scale will be used in this course:
98-100 = A+
94-97 = A
91-93 = A-
88- 90 = B+
84-87 = B
81-83 = B-
78- 80 = C+
74-77 = C
71-73 = C-
SCHOLARLY WRITING
Use clear college level writing with correct spelling and grammar for all
assignments. If you need help in writing, you may check with the WNMU Writing
Center located in Miller Library or the Online Writing Center.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY AND PROCEDURES
Each student shall observe standards of honesty and integrity in academic work
as defined in the WNMU catalog. Violations of academic integrity include “any
behavior that misrepresents or falsifies a student’s knowledge, skills or ability
with the goal of unjustified or illegitimate evaluation or gain”. Generally
violations of academic integrity include cheating and plagiarism. Refer to the
catalog for definitions. Penalties for infractions are as follows:
Plagiarism:
1st infraction: Grade of “0” for assignments;
2nd infraction: dismissal from the class with grade of “F”.
Cheating:
1st infraction: dismissal from the class with grade of “F”.
BLACKBOARD DOWN TIME/INCLEMENT WEATHER:
Due to the possibility of Blackboard down time or lack of connection due to
inclement weather, it is important that you not wait until the last minute to finish
assignments, posting, or assessments.
SPECIAL NEEDS:
Students with disabilities in need of accommodations should register with the
Special Needs Office at the beginning of the semester. With student permission,
that office will notify instructors of any special equipment or services a student
requires. Office: Juan Chacon Room 210 – phone number (575) 538-6498.
COMMUNICATION POLICY STATEMENT REGARDING OFFICIAL EMAIL:
WNMU’s policy requires that all official communication be sent via Mustang
Express. As a result, all emails related to your enrollment at WNMU and class
communication – including changes in assignments and grades – will be sent to
your wnmu.edu email address. It is very important that you access your Mustang
Express email regularly to check for correspondence from the University. If you
receive most of your email at a different address you can forward your messages
from Mustang Express to your other address.
Example: Martin Class member was assigned a WNMU email address of
classmemberm12@wnmu.edu but Martin would rather receive his emails at
his home email address of martinclass@yahoo.com. Martin would follow
the directions provided at
http://www.wnmu.edu/campusdocs/direction%20for%20forwarding%20ema
il.htm
 Passwords shall contain at least six (6) characters.
 Passwords shall contain at least one capital (upper case) letter, and at least
one symbol (numbers and characters such as @ # $ % & *).
 Passwords shall be changed at least every 90 days.
The instructor reserves the right to adjust the syllabus in the interest of academic
integrity.