Course Form (revised 5/1/12)
(Instructions: http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/documents/forms/courseform_instructionsX.aspx)
I. Summary of Proposed Changes
Dept / Program
Prefix and Course # Psyx 291
Department of Arts and
Sciences
Course Title
Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology
Please check one or more
 New course  Delete course
of the following:
Course Changes
 Course Title  Description  Learning Outcomes
 Prerequisites  Cross-listing  Other
 Credits
from _________ to________
 Number / Level from 291
to 240
 Repeatability
from _________ to________
Justification / explanation (required for ALL proposals) For new courses please provide rationale for why
the course is needed, how it fits with exiting curriculum and whether there are curricular adjustments.
This course is required by the new Licensed Addition Program and the Pre-Social Work Program
offered through Missoula College at the University of Montana. It also is an elective course for General
A.A. students. The course encourages students to develop an understanding and an appreciation for
the variations in human behavior. Students explore the historical development of our current
classification system; we examine the criteria for major mental illnesses, the different potential causes
for these mental illnesses, and the popular forms of treatment; in addition, current mainstream
controversies relevant to abnormal psychology are explored.
Has the Department gone through common course Review?
 Yes  No  In process
II. Syllabus/Assessment Information Required for new courses, learning outcome changes and
course change from U to UG.
Important: please spell out learning goals and learning outcomes clearly in the syllabus.
Learning Goals are a list of what students should know, understand, or be able to do at the end of
the course, including essential information and knowledge or skills relevant to the subject area.
Learning Outcomes are measures of performance or behavior that indicate, to the teacher and the
students, that students understand the material, and what criteria differentiates among different
levels of understanding. Attach syllabus at the end of the document.
III. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Date
Requestor:
Alison Pepper
243-7924/
Phone/ email :
Approve
alison.pepper@mso.umt.edu
Program Chair(s)/Director: Cathy Corr
Dean(s):
Lynn Stocking
All other affected
programs:
N/A
Are other departments/programs affected by this
modification because of
(a) required courses incl. prerequisites or corequisites,
(b) perceived overlap in content areas
(c) cross-listing of coursework
Signatory Comments (required for disapproval):
 Yes  No
 Yes  No
 Yes  No
 Yes  No
 Yes  No
 Yes  No
Please obtain signature(s) from the
Chair/Director of any such department/ program
(above) before submission
IV: To Add a New Course Syllabus and assessment information is required (paste syllabus into
section V or attach). Course should have internal coherence and clear focus.
Common Course Numbering Review (Department Chair Must Initial):
YES
NO
Does an equivalent course exist elsewhere in the MUS? Check all relevant disciplines if
course is interdisciplinary. (http://www.mus.edu/Qtools/CCN/ccn_default.asp)
If YES: Do the proposed abbreviation, number, title and credits align with existing course(s)? Please indicate
equivalent course/campus. 
If NO: Course may be unique, but is subject to common course review. The course number may be changed
at the system level.
Short Title (max. 26 characters incl. spaces)
Exact entry to appear in the next catalog (Specify course abbreviation, level, number, title, credits,
repeatability (if applicable), frequency of offering, prerequisites, and a brief description.) 
Complete for UG courses (UG courses should be assigned a 400 number).
Describe graduate increment - see procedure 301.30
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/procedures/default.aspx
Complete for Co-convened courses
Companion course number, title, and description (include syllabus of companion course in section V)
See procedure 301.20 http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/procedures/default.aspx
New fees and changes to existing fees are only approved once each biennium by the
Board of Regents. The coordination of fee submission is administered by
Administration and Finance. Fees may be requested only for courses meeting specific
conditions according to Policy 940.12.1 http://mus.edu/borpol/bor900/940-12-1.pdf .
Please indicate whether this course will be considered for a fee.
If YES, what is the proposed amount of the fee?
Justification:
V. Change an Existing Course
1. Current course information at it appears in catalog
(http://www.umt.edu/catalog) 
Offered intermittently. Experimental offerings of
visiting professors, experimental offerings of new
courses, or one-time offerings of current topics.
YES
NO
2. Full and exact entry (as proposed) 
This course provides a broad introduction to
abnormal psychology, which includes defining
abnormality, examining the history of abnormal
psychology, identifying how abnormal
psychology relates to other disciplines in
psychology, exploring major research methods
used in abnormal psychology, discussing various
mental illnesses and their potential causes and
possible treatments, and applying major
abnormal psychological findings to practical
problems.
N/A
3. If cross-listed course: secondary program & course
number
4. Is this a course with MUS Common Course Numbering?
http://www.mus.edu/Qtools/CCN/ccn_default.asp
If yes, please explain below whether the change will eliminate the common course status.
Changing this course from Psyx 291 to 240 will not eliminate the common course status.
5. If co-convened course: companion course number, title, and description
YES
X
NO
(include syllabus of companion course in section V) See procedure 301.20
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/procedures/default.aspx
N/A
6. Graduate increment if level of course is changed to UG.
Reference procedure 301.30:
http://www.umt.edu/facultysenate/procedures/default.aspx
Have you reviewed the graduate
increment guidelines? Please check (X)
space provided.
X
(syllabus must be attached)
7. Other programs affected by the change
N/A
8. Is there a fee associated with the course?
No
VI Department Summary (Required if several forms are submitted) In a separate document list course
number, title, and proposed change for all proposals.
VII Copies and Electronic Submission. After approval, submit original, one copy, summary of
proposals and electronic file to the Faculty Senate Office, UH 221, camie.foos@mso.umt.edu.
MISSOULA COLLEGE
SEMESTER
PSYX 291: Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, Section ??
COURSE SYLLABUS
PROFESSOR: Alison Pepper, Ph.D.
I. CONTACT INFORMATION
 Office: HB02 (The Fishbowl)
 Phone: 243-7924
 Office Hours:
o TBA
 Email: Alison.Pepper@mso.umt.edu
o When you email, please use your student account (i.e. umconnect).
o In the subject line of every email, please state your class, section and
purpose; Ex: Psyx 291, Section ??, Exam 1.
o If you do NOT follow this format, there may be a delay in my response and
I may reply asking you to include this information before responding to
your direct query. My personal commitment is to respond to my students’
emails within 24 hours (no later than 36) when I receive them Mon – Fri.
However, there may be delays when emails are received on weekends.
II. COURSE DESCRIPTION
Welcome to fundamentals of abnormal psychology! This course provides a broad introduction to abnormal
psychology, which includes defining abnormal psychology, examining its history, exploring how abnormal
psychology relates to other disciplines in psychology, exploring major research methods used in abnormal
psychology, discussing various mental illnesses and their potential causes and possible treatments, and
applying major abnormal psychological findings to practical problems. Psyx 100 is a prerequisite of this
course.
III. IMPORTANT NOTES:
 This class is a requirement for students in the Licensed Addiction Counseling and Pre-Social Work A.A.
programs.
 This class can count as an elective course for those working on their general A.A.
IV. COURSE LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Define abnormal psychology and what psychologists in this area do;
2. Describe the historical context that influenced the development of abnormal psychology;
3. Describe the relationship of abnormal psychology to other branches of psychology and related disciplines;
4. Describe and explain the major research methods and measures used in abnormal psychology;
5. Define the major concepts and phenomena in abnormal psychology;
6. Apply the major abnormal psychology findings to practical problems.
IV. REQUIRED MATERIALS
1. TEXT & SUPPLEMENTS: The following three texts are packaged together and available for purchase at the
Missoula College bookstore.
o Comer, R.J (2008). Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, Fifth Edition (paperback).
o Scientific American magazine
o
Gorenstein, E.E. & Comer, R.J. (2002). Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology.
2. REQUIRED WEBSITE:
o
Moodle: http://umonline.umt.edu/ (NOTE: Please use Firefox, to run Moodle.)
V. ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
 Your grade in this class is weighted on the following scale:
1.
2.
3.
4.

10 Discussion Questions
5 Case Studies
4 Article/Media Responses
5 EXAMS
100
50
100
500
750
Final grades are based on the +/- system. Traditional rounding rules apply (i.e. .5 and above are rounded up
and less than .5 are not). The breakdown is as follows:
93-100%
90-92%
87-89%
83-86%
80-82%
77-79%

10 points each
10 points each
25 points each
100 points each
TOTAL POSSIBLE
A
AB+
B
BC+
73-76%
70-72%
67-69%
63-66%
60-62%
< 60%
C
CD+
D
DF
ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES:
The University of Montana assures equal access to instruction through collaboration between students
with disabilities, instructors, and Disability Services for Students (DSS). If you think you may have a
disability adversely affecting your academic performance, and you have not already registered with DSS,
please contact DSS in Lommasson 154 or call (406) 243-2243. I will work with you and DSS to provide
reasonable modifications. “Reasonable” means the University permits no fundamental alterations of
academic standards or retroactive modifications.
For more information, please consult
www.umt.edu/dss.
VI. DESCRIPTIONS OF ASSIGNMENTS:
1. Discussion Questions (DQ)
 You are required to complete 10 discussion questions (DQ’s), worth 10 points each.
 The dates and times of when these DQ’s will be posted in Moodle, and when they are due, are in the
course calendar.
 You MUST submit your first post, at least, to the DQ by the Wednesday (12pm, NOON) that the DQ
is due.
 The grading rubric for these discussion questions is as follows:
0
<5
Did not complete. Plagiarism.
Submitted 1st post after 12pm (NOON) on the Wed before the DQ was due.
6
Poor. Submitted 1st post by Wed (12pm, NOON) of week DQ is posted. Incomplete,
simple, concise (i.e. 2-3 sentences) posts. Did not interact with others. Poor/inappropriate
grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc…
Successful. Submitted 1st post by Wed (12pm, NOON) of week DQ is posted. Offered
opinion in 4-5 sentences but did little to advance the discussion. Statements were very general
or unclear. Some problems with grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc… Conversed with at least
1 other person.
Exceptional! Submitted 1st post by Wed (12pm, NOON) of week DQ is posted. Submitted
a thorough, substantial, and thoughtful post. Demonstrated unique thoughts about the topic.
Included additional links from internet or other material to support his or her opinion or to help
advance the discussion. Conversed with at least 2 other people.
8
10
2. Article/Media Responses (ARs):
 There are 4 scheduled article/media responses, each worth 25 points.
 These article/media responses are much like the DQ’s, but you will be asked to either read an article in
Scientific American or watch video clips that I provide in Moodle. Then, you will post a response to my
prompts in a discussion forum. Like the DQ’s, you are required to read your peers’ posts and reply.
 The exact dates of when the article/media responses are available in Moodle, as well as their due dates,
are listed in the course calendar.
 You MUST submit your first post, at least, to the AR by the Wednesday (12pm, NOON) that the AR
is due.
 The grading rubric is as follows:
0
<5
5
10
15
20
25
Did not complete. Plagiarism.
Submitted 1st post after 12pm (NOON) on the Wed before the AR was due.
Poor. Submitted 1st post by Wed (12pm, NOON) of week AR is posted. Incomplete,
simple, concise (i.e. 2-3 sentences) posts. Did not interact with others. Poor/inappropriate
grammar, punctuation, spelling, etc…
Satisfactory. Submitted 1st post by Wed (12pm, NOON) of week AR is posted.
Responses were vague. Unclear whether student read article or watched clips. Did not
demonstrate unique thoughts, questions, etc… Did not advance the discussion. Poor
grammar, punctuation, spelling. May not have interacted with others.
Good. Submitted 1st post by Wed (12pm, NOON) of week AR is posted. Offered simple
and concise (i.e. 2-3 sentences) responses. Did not demonstrate unique thoughts, questions,
etc… May not have interacted with others. May have had some errors with grammar, spelling,
punctuation, etc…
Successful! Submitted 1st post by Wed (12pm, NOON) of week AR is posted. Responded
to all of the questions. However, offered opinion in 4-5 sentences. Did little to advance the
discussion. May have included some citations of sources of information. May have had some
errors with grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc… Conversed with at least 1-2 other people.
Exceptional! Submitted 1st post by Wed (12pm, NOON) of week AR is posted.
Thoroughly responded to the questions. Demonstrated unique thoughts about the topic and
included additional links from internet or other materials to advance or enhance the discussion.
Used appropriate grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc… Conversed with at least 2 other
people.
3. Case Studies:
 Over the semester, you will be asked to read 5 Case Studies, which are worth 10 points each.
 The instructions for these case studies will appear under the “Assignments” Header in Moodle.
 Once you have read the case study, you are to respond to questions that I have posed in the instructions.
 Unlike the Discussion Questions and Article/Media Responses, you are not required to interact with your
peers.
 You will simply answer the questions, and then upload your responses to me in Moodle to submit them.
Directions on how to upload your documents will be included in the instructions.
4. EXAMS:
 All exams will be administered in Moodle.
 There are five (5) scheduled exams, which are worth 100 points each. They include about 50 multiplechoice (2 points each) and true-false (1 point each) questions.
 The questions on the exams will be applied and conceptual in nature, rather than factual recall (or rote
memorization).
 While I do NOT provide study guides for any of the exams, I do provide “Learning Objectives” for each
of the chapters. Exam questions are tailored to address these learning objectives.
 Exams are NOT cumulative. This includes the final!
 You will have about 56 hours to complete each exam in Moodle. The dates/times of when they will be
launched in Moodle and when they are due are in the course calendar below. Please take careful notes
of these due dates and times!
 NO late exams are accepted. No exams will be dropped. Also, I will not make alternative
arrangements to give any exams early due to travel plans, school projects, or other courses
requirements so please do not ask. NO EXCEPTIONS!
 The best action for exams is to be proactive and PLAN for unforeseen emergencies. What this means is
that you are responsible to understand due dates and meet deadlines.
***HOWEVER, UNIVERSITY POLICY ALLOWS for me to make 3 exceptions to this policy, which include:
1. when the student is participating in a university-sanctioned athletic event
2. when the student has a prolonged or severe illness
3. when the student has experienced a death in his or her family.
– If you miss an assignment due to one of these exceptions, valid documentation MUST be
provided in order to make-up the assignment.
“Valid documentation” includes a note from the university confirming your participation in a
university-sanctioned athletic event in situation #1 above; a note from your physician or mental
health professional in situation #2 above; and in the case of situation #3, please contact me via
email a.s.a.p. to discuss appropriate documentation.
– In addition, you have 48 hours after the missed assignment’s due date to notify me so that we
can arrange for you to make-up the work.
 Thus, do NOT wait for weeks after your excused absence to inform me that you missed an
assignment and need to make up the work.
− Please be aware, I strictly enforce this policy and WILL REQUIRE documentation in situations
1-3.

VII. STUDENT CONDUCT CODE (PLEASE READ CAREFULLY)
The Student Conduct Code, which can be found here: http://life.umt.edu/vpsa/student_conduct.php, will be strictly
enforced in this class. Specifically, cheating in any form, will not be tolerated. You are not allowed to collaborate on
any exam, assignment or discussion with anyone, including, but not exclusively, students who have previously taken
this course, graduate students in psychology or related disciplines, friends, etc... Thus, all ASSIGNMENTS and
DISCUSSIONS must be completed INDEPENDENTLY, unless otherwise stated in the instructions (e.g. group
projects) or when students seek services from the Writing Center or tutoring, etc…. ALL EXAMS MUST ALSO BE
COMPLETED INDEPENDENTLY, unless accommodations have been approved by your instructor. Plagiarism or
cheating will result in FAILURE (that is, a zero or an “F”) on the exam, assignment, or discussion, at minimum, and
it will be reported to Department Chair and/or the Dean. The instructor reserves the right to assign an “F” for the
course if cheating or plagiarism occur. Additionally, you are subject to University sanctions, suspension or
expulsion.
If you do not know what plagiarism is, you can ask me, visit the Writing Center at the Mountain campus (Liberal Arts
144, 243-2266, http://www.umt.edu/writingcenter/), the Mansfield Library (243-6866;
http://libguides.lib.umt.edu/plagiarism), or at the COT campus (Academic Support Center).
VIII. CLASS ETIQUETTE
 Please be on time. If you must leave early, out of courtesy for myself and your classmates, please let me
know before class and try to sit close to the door so you can excuse yourself quietly.
 Please turn your cell phones off or on vibrate before class begins.
 Please, DO NOT TEXT during class. It is very distracting to your classmates as well as myself, especially
when you trying to be inconspicuous (i.e. texting under the desk, under notes, using your text as a barrier,
etc…). If something is that urgent, excuse yourself from class, walk away from the classroom door, because
voices echo down the hall, and finish your conversation. You are then welcome to return to class.
 If you type your notes on a computer during class, please DO NOT use Facebook, play games, check
email, surf the internet, etc…during class. While I may not be able to see you, your peers sitting behind you
can see, which can be very distracting.
 Please do not talk to your neighbors during class. Just like attempting to text inconspicuously is especially
distracting, so is whispering.
 I ask that you please raise your hand if you have a question or comment during lecture. Please do not blurt
out questions or responses to my questions.
 If you continue to be disruptive after several of my prompts to cease texting or whispering, I politely will ask
you to leave.
IX. COURSE TIMELINE:
THIS COURSE IS SET UP TO GIVE YOU TIME TO COMPLETE YOUR ASSIGNMENTS IN A TIMELY MANNER.
Make sure you read your text according to the suggested timeline below. Should you lose this syllabus, or the course
calendar, they are also available on Moodle.
TENTATIVE COURSE CALENDAR – REVISED 8/22/2012
NOTE: All times are in MST; 12pm = NOON
**Please note, this is a tentative course schedule. You are responsible for any changes, which I will clearly
announce.
WEEK
FALL 2012
1
Mon, 08/27
Wed, 08/29
Fri, 08/31
Lecture Topic
 Welcome
 Chapter 1
 Chapter 1
Assignment
 DQ1a: Contract
 DQ1b: Biography
DATE POSTED
 Mon (8/27) at 12:00pm
 Mon (8/27) at 12:00pm
DATE DUE
 Tue (9/04) by 8pm
 Tue (9/04) by 8pm
2
3
Wed, 09/12
Wed, 09/19
Mon, 09/24
Wed, 09/26
Fri, 09/28
Mon, 10/01
Wed, 10/03
Mon, 10/08
Wed, 10/10
Fri, 10/12
Mon, 10/15
8
Wed, 10/17
Fri, 10/19
Mon, 10/22
9
10
11
12
13
14
 DQ3
 EXAM 1: Chapters 1-3
 Mon (9/10) at 12:00pm
 Wed (9/12) at 12:00pm
 Sun (9/16) by 8pm
 Fri (9/14) by 8pm
 Chapter 5
 Chapter 5
 Chapter 5
 Article Response 1, PTSD
 Mon (9/17) at 12:00pm
 Sun (9/23) by 8pm





Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
 Article Response 2, False
Memories
 Mon (9/24) at 12:00pm
 Sun (9/30) by 8pm








Chapter 8
 Case Study 4 or 5
 DQ4
 EXAM 2: Chapters 4-6
 Mon (10/01) at 12:00pm
 Mon (10/01) at 12:00pm
 Wed (10/03) at 12:00pm
 Sun (10/07) by 8pm
 Sun (10/07) by 8pm
 Fri (10/05) by 8pm
 Media Response 3, Thin
 Mon (10/08) at 12:00pm
 Sun (10/14) by 8pm
 Case Study 10
 DQ5
 Mon (10/15) at 12:00pm
 Mon (10/15) at 12:00pm
 Sun (10/21) by 8pm
 Sun (10/21) by 8pm
 DQ6
 EXAM 3: Chapters 7-10
 Mon (10/22) at 12:00pm
 Wed (10/24) at 12:00pm
 Sun (10/28) by 8pm
 Fri (10/26) by 8pm
 Case Study 12
 DQ7
 Mon (10/29) at 12:00pm
 Mon (10/29) at 12:00pm
 Sun (11/04) by 8pm
 Sun (11/04) by 8pm
 DQ8
 Mon (11/05) at 12:00pm
 Sun (11/11) by 8pm
 Case Study 15, 16 or 17
 Article/Media Response 4
 EXAM 4: Chapters 11-13
 Tue (11/13) at 12:00pm
 Tues (11/13) at 12:00pm
 Wed (11/14) at 12:00pm
 Sun (11/18) by 8pm
 Sun (11/18) by 8pm
 Fri (11/16) by 8pm
 Case Study 19
 DQ9
 Mon (11/26) at 12:00pm
 Mon (11/26) at 12:00pm
 Sun (12/02) by 8pm
 Sun (12/02) by 8pm
 DQ10
 Mon (12/03) at 12:00pm
 Sun (12/09) by 8pm
 EXAM 5: Chps 14-16
 Mon (12/10) at 12:00pm
 Wed (12/12) by 8pm
 Chapter 2 & 3
Mon, 09/10
Fri, 10/05
7
 Chapter 3
 Chapter 4
 Chapter 4
 Chapter 2
Fri, 09/07
Fri, 09/21
6
 Sun (9/09) by 8pm
Wed, 09/05
Mon, 09/17
5
 Tues (9/04) at 12:00pm
 NO CLASSES
Fri, 09/14
4
 DQ2
Mon, 09/03
Chapter 7
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Fri, 10/26
 Chapter 11
 Chapter 11
Mon, 10/29
 Chapter 12
Wed, 10/31
 Chapter 12
Fri, 11/02
 Chapter 12
Mon, 11/05
 Chapter 13
Wed, 11/07
 Chapter 13
Fri, 11/09
 Chapter 13
Mon, 11/12
 NO CLASSES
Wed, 11/14
 Chapter 14
Fri, 11/16
 Chapter 14
Mon, 11/19
Fri, 11/23
 Chapter 14
 NO CLASSES
 NO CLASSES
Mon, 11/26
 Chapter 15
Wed, 11/28
 Chapter 15
Fri, 11/30




Wed, 10/24
Wed, 11/21
15
Mon, 12/03
Wed, 12/05
Fri, 12/07
16
Mon - Fri
12/10-12/14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
FINALS WEEK
NO CLASSES