North Seattle Community College
Yearly Schedule Requests for Previously Approved Integrated Studies Courses
Yearly IS Schedule Request 2013-14
BASIC COURSE INFORMATION
1. Program/Linked Course Title: Madness in Movies: Abnormal Psychology in American Film
(Coordinated Studies Course)
2. Proposed Quarter/Year: Winter 2014
3. Number of Credits: 10-12
4. Proposed meeting times and days of week: We are somewhat flexible with our times/days. Our
order of preference:
1st choice: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10:00 am- 2:20 pm in CC2153
2nd choice: Mondays and Wednesdays, 10:00-am-2:20 p.m. in CC2153
3rd choice: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 10:00 a.m. – 1:20 p.m. in CC 2153
5. Name(s) of Faculty and Divisions:
Brian Holt, Psychology
JC Clapp, English/Humanities
6. Course Abbreviations & Numbers and Course Names:
Students would register for 10 credits of the following (any two of the below courses, for a total of 10
credits):
 ENGL& 102: Composition (5 credits) OR
 HUM 110: Introduction to American Film (5 credits) OR
 PSYC& 220: Abnormal Psychology (5 credits) OR
Optional 2-credit courses students may choose to also register for:
 ENGL& 299: Special Topics in English (2 credits)
 PSYC 298: Special Problems in Psychology (2 credits)
Is there a prerequisite for any of your courses? If so, please note:
ENGL& 102 has a prerequisite of a passing grade in ENGL& 101 – we require that all students
enrolling in this program have passed ENGL& 101, regardless of which courses they are
registered for, since we will be expecting ENGL&102 level work.
7. What degree requirements does your course meet?
Composition (ENGL& 102)
Visual, Literary, and Performing Arts (HUM 110)
Individuals, Cultures, and Societies (PSYC& 220)
Integrated Studies
8. Particular reasons to offer this course in this quarter:
This course would be in demand for several reasons. There is at least one (often two) fully enrolled
sections of HUM 110 taught each quarter and ENGL& 102 is always in demand, as well. PSYC& 220
always fills when offered, and we believe that this particular combination would give many students the
exact mix of courses they need. The last time we taught this class (Spring 2012), it filled!
9. In what ways, if any, will your proposed course significantly support student learning around the
larger 2013-14 IS/Year of Learning theme of “Bodies”?
We’re unsure exactly how the theme of “Bodies” is being interpreted by the committee. Bodies of
knowledge? Bodies of work? Bodies of water?  Human bodies? The mind/body connection?
We’re going to look at the “Bodies” theme broadly in two particular ways: 1) the large body of American
film that portrays mental illness, and 2) mental illness as an inextricable part of the human body’s
experience. Psychology is the study of the human mind (a part of the body), and we’re concerned with
the ways the mind works “normally” and “abnormally” to shape human experience. Films portray a
wide array of mental illnesses, but rarely do they depict accurate representations. The disconnect
between the reality of mental illnesses and the “madmen” shown in films, encourages viewers to
stigmatize those with mental disorders. In this class we look carefully at the cinematic representations
of “crazy” people and compare the depictions with the reality of those with mental illness – in an
attempt to show students how inaccurate the depictions are and to encourage them to question
broadly how various peoples are represented.
10. You might also want to consider addressing other specific elements of the Committee Rubric for
Evaluating New Courses. Some of these include bringing new disciplines and faculty into our program
offerings and providing mentoring for new faculty with experienced IS faculty, as well as enrollment
data for the last time this course was offered.
We provide four different degree requirement options (Composition, VLPA, ICS, and IS), and the last
time we offered the class we had strong enrollments. Our course evaluations were positive, and the
students reported that they found the combination of courses offered valuable to an integrative
learning experience. We participated in the “Making Learning Visible” symposium with our students,
and they loved the interdisciplinary activity of making posters that demonstrated their learning about
the representations of “insanity” in film.
MARKETING SUPPORT
Even if you think we have it, please provide a description (maximum 60 words) for the quarterly class
schedule which can also be used in any marketing copy:
What does Hannibal Lecter have in common with the Green River Killer? Did A Beautiful Mind capture
schizophrenia? Why has Hitchcock’s Psycho stood the test of time? Does it help a story for an antagonist
to have a psychological disorder? “Madness in Movies” seeks students who are interested in
filmmaking and abnormal psychology and how the intersection of the two reveal what we believe about
ourselves.
Signatures of Faculty and Dean(s) from each division involved:
Signature of faculty
Date
Signature of Faculty
Date
Signature of Dean
Date
Signature of Dean
Date
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