Abnormal Psychology 342
Summer Term 2013
Section 002: 171 TLRB on T Th from 4:00pm to 6:30pm
Instructors: (Yoko) Hiu Wai Tsui
Office Hours: TBA, by appointment
Email: stsuiyoko@gmail.com
Course Information
Material (Required Text)
Abnormal Psychology – DSM5 Update
Ronald J. Comer
8th ed, ISBN: 9781464137198
Worth Publishers
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to provide a foundation overview of how the current field of Clinical
Psychology generally defines normal versus abnormal populations, in preparation for learning
about specific disorders. Specific disorders and syndromes will be discussed in lectures and
readings to help the students recognize, define, and differentiate disorders. Specific etiologies,
diagnoses, and treatments of psychopathology will be addressed and analyzed. Research
methods and current findings will be considered in the unfolding understanding of what causes,
manages, mitigates, and cures mental illness.
Learning Outcomes
1. Critique concepts and theories – students will critically examine key concepts and
theroies in abnormal psychology.
2. Forms of psychological disorders and major theories – students will identify and describe
the major forms of psychological disorders and the major theories regarding the
classification, etiology, and treatment of psychological disorders, and current data
relevant to such theories.
3. Service learning and exposure to psychological disorder – students will engage in
service learning by serving persons diagnosed with psychological disorders.
4. Use sources to analyze topics regarding disorders – students will examine and critique a
topic in abnormal psychology using the current research literature.
Attendance Expectations
Attendance is mandatory as we will discuss issues and examples not necessarily covered in the
text. To help ensure attendance, there will be a quiz at the beginning of each class to ensure
that a basic level of understanding has been reached for the required readings. No make-up
quizzes will be provided, but the lowest two quiz scores will be dropped. Students are
responsible for arriving to class on time to avoid missing the quiz at the beginning of class.
Participation Policy
Come to class prepared to participate, such as asking questions of the readings or providing
feedback on the projects of others.
Grading Policies
In-class quizzes (your best 10 grades)
Case studies
Academic Experiential Learning
Exam 1
Exam 2
Extra Credits
Total points possible
100 points possible
100 points possible
50 points possible
100 points possible
100 points possible
5 points
455
Grading Scale
Course grades will be based upon the percentage of total points earned throughout the term on
in-class quizzes, case study journals, group presentation, and exams. Grades will be assigned
based on the following scales:
Assignments
In-class quizzes: A brief in-class quiz will be taken at the beginning of each class that a basic
level of understanding has been reached for the required reading. Each quiz will be worth 10
points and the two lowest scores will be dropped. Expect the quizzes to be part multiple choice
and/or part short answer.
Case studies: After each class period, you will be asked to write a short case study (at least ½
page double-spaced) in which you create a character and describe how their daily life might
look like with a particular disorder (for details see the rubric). A case study for each class period
will be due the following Tuesday at the beginning of class. It means I will receive 2 case studies
from each of you every Tuesday. Each case study journal worth 10 points.
Academic Experiential Learning: Utah State Hospital has provided us with the unique
opportunity to serve as volunteers in their various programs. Shawna Peterson, USH Director of
Volunteer Services (344-4254, speterson@utah.gov), will offer a 90-minute orientation at the
times listed on the schedule in Classroom 21 of the Heninger Building, 1300 East Center Street,
Provo. The orientations will be offered on Thursday, June 27 at 6pm and Saturday June 29
at 9am. You must be in attendance at one of these sessions in order to volunteer there.
At this orientation, you will view a media presentation depicting the history of Utah State
Hospital, which largely parallels the recent history of mental illness in the world. You will also
receive information regarding the 20+ potential assignments and be given the chance to sign up
for a volunteer setting that meshes with your own personal interests. It is possible you will meet
the area coordinator or unit volunteer coordinator in your field of interest so that you can arrange
an orientation time for your specific assignment. Alternatively you will be given the name and
number of the appropriate coordinator so that you can arrange your first meeting. PLEASE
BRING A COPY OF YOUR DRIVER’S LICENSE OR OTHER PICTURE ID WITH YOU TO THE
ORIENTATION. The volunteer tracking system requires that you “check-in” and “check-out” at
kiosks located a various locations throughout the hospital. Be certain you contact Ms. Peterson
immediately if, after attending the orientation and requesting an assignment, you determine that
you will be unable to volunteer.
It is required that you provide documentation of TB testing within the last year in order to serve
as a volunteer at USH. These tuberculin skin tests (Mantoux - PPD) can be obtained for $10
through the BYU Student Health Center Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays (appointment
required for TB test, no appointment needed for return visit, 422-5156, 9th East and University
Parkway) or for $18 through the Utah County Health Department (walk in 8:00-4:30 MTF; 8:004:00 W; 851-7044, 151 South University Avenue, Room 1800, payment by cash, in-state check,
Visa or MasterCard). For the BYU Student Health Center, you must return to have the results
read 72 hours later. For that reason, no tests are given on Wednesdays or Thursdays there.
However, the Utah County Health Department will read the results between 48-72 hours after
the test. Volunteers must submit their Tuberculosis Skin Test results prior to beginning their
volunteer work on the units. This means that Shawna Peterson must receive your test results
along with a copy of your driver’s license for the background check prior to the individual area
orientations; these will be held the week following the general orientation and can be attended
only by those who have completed the main orientation and submitted their test results along
with a copy of their ID.
The hospital has asked that you complete 11 hours of service during the summer term2013,
not including the general orientation. If you volunteer 2 hours per week, you will have no
difficulty meeting this expectation. Obviously, if your normal day to volunteer falls on a holiday or
you are ill, you will need to make other accommodations to complete those hours. You can
always go to a nursing home or convalescent center on a Sunday afternoon or Monday evening
in order to make up small amounts of time while visiting with patients suffering from dementia or
other similar conditions. It is my hope that all students will take advantage of the USH
experience and find themselves genuinely involved in learning and serving, such that the
assigned patients will not be dropped abruptly at the close of the semester.
You will be asked to email me a brief report (2 pages double-spaced) by 9:00 p.m. the day of
the final exam, expressing changes in your feelings and attitudes towards mental illness,
including a summary of your particular experience at the Hospital. A total of 50 points will be
given to those completing this assignment, assuming your paper meets the basic criteria
outlined above (30 points for your volunteer work + 20 points for the paper). Incidentally, if you
go to the hospital with a specific appointment to see an individual or engage in an activity and
for some reason the person/group is unavailable, you may still count 1 hour toward your
required number of hours because of the time you spent trying to meet your commitment. On
the other hand, you cannot get credit for one hour’s service if you simply show up at the hospital
and are unsuccessful in making contact with patients. Please know that the service-learning
component of this experience is an important one and an integral part of the mission of BYU.
Exams: There will be two examinations during the term. Material included on exam 1 and 2 will
be based primarily on the readings, lectures and classroom activities. The exams may consist of
multiple choice, matching, fill-in-the blank, short answer, and essay responses. Both exams will
be closed book/notes. Each exam will be worth 100 points. Exams schedule see course
schedule below. I highly encourage you to form study groups to work on readings and review
exam material. This will help you in this class and create a model for effective study in graduate
school.
Extra Credits: 5 extra points will be given to those who finish an online class evaluation towards
the end of this term.
Make-up/late assignments
No extension will be made for the due dates associated with any assignments. No make-up
assignments/exams will be offered unless there is a bona fide emergency (e.g., serious illness).
NOTE: oversleeping does NOT qualify as an emergency. In the event of a genuine emergency,
it is your responsibility to provide me legitimate written documentation of the emergency as soon
as possible (e.g., a physician’s note). Make-up assignments/exams for students who have real
emergencies may be in an alternative format. Unavoidable conflicts (e.g., travel by athletes)
must be resolved well before assignments/exams so that you can complete assignments/exams
early.
Policies
BYU Honor Code : In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are
expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most
fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not
that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and
additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the
Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and
ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and my
own expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call
the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.
Preventing Sexual Discrimination and Harassment: Title IX of the Education Amendments of
1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity
that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education and
pertains to admissions, academic and athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities.
Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees, other students,
and visitors to campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination,
please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895 or 1-888238-1062 (24-hours), or http://www.ethicspoint.com; or contact the Honor Code Office at 801422-2847.
Students with Disabilities: Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and
learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you
have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please
contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office (422-2767). Reasonable academic
accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities.
Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the SSD Office. If you need
assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of
disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by
contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB.
Plagiarism Policy: Writing submitted for credit at BYU must consist of the student's own ideas
presented in sentences and paragraphs of his or her own construction. The work of other writers
or speakers may be included when appropriate (as in a research paper or book review), but
such material must support the student's own work (not substitute for it) and must be clearly
identified by appropriate introduction and punctuation and by footnoting or other standard
referencing. The substitution of another person's work for the student's own or the inclusion of
another person's work without adequate acknowledgment (whether done intentionally or not) is
known as plagiarism. It is a violation of academic, ethical, and legal standards and can result in
a failing grade not only for the paper but also for the course in which the paper is written. In
extreme cases, it can justify expulsion from the University. Because of the seriousness of the
possible consequences, students who wonder if their papers are within these guidelines should
visit the Writing Lab or consult a faculty member who specializes in the teaching of writing or
who specializes in the subject discussed in the paper. Useful books to consult on the topic
include the current Harcourt Brace College Handbook, the MLA Handbook, and James D.
Lester's Writing Research Papers.
Schedule
Date
T – Jun 25
Topics
Introduction, syllabus
Assignments Due
Reading: CH 1
Abnormal psychology: Past and Present
Th – Jun 27
T – Jul 2
Research in Abnormal Psychology
Reading: CH 2, 19
Law, Society, and the Mental Health Profession
Quiz 1
Models of Abnormality, Clinical Assessment,
Diagnosis, and Treatment
Reading: CH 3, 4
Th – Jul 4
Independence Day Holiday
T – Jul 9
Anxiety and Stress Related Disorders
Quiz 2
Reading: CH 5, 6
Quiz 3
Th – Jul 11
Somatic and Dissociative Disorders
Reading: CH 7
Quiz 4
T – Jul 16
Mood Disorders and Treatments
Reading: CH 8, 9
Quiz 5
Case Studies: # 1, 2
Th – Jul 18
Suicide
Reading: CH 10
Quiz 6
Jul 19 – 23
Exam 1 @ Testing Center
(covers materials from Jun 25 to Jul 18)
T – Jul 23
Eating Disorders
Reading: CH 11
Case Studies: # 3, 4
Quiz 7
Th – Jul 25
Substance Use and Disorders of Sex and Gender
Reading: CH 12, 13
Quiz 8
T – Jul 30
Schizophrenia, Treatments, and Other Severe Mental
Disorders
Reading: CH 14, 15
Case Studies: # 5, 6
Quiz 9
Th – Aug 1
Personality Disorders
Reading: CH 16
Quiz 10
T – Aug 6
Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence
Reading: CH 17
Case Studies: # 7, 8
Quiz 11
Th – Aug 8
Disorder of Aging and Cognition
Reading: CH 18
Quiz 12
T – Aug 13
Exam Preparation Day
Case Studies: # 9, 10
Th – Aug 15
Aug 14 – 15 Exam 2 @ Testing Center
Academic Experiential
Learning Brief Report
(covers materials from Jul 25 to Aug 8)