ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
CLP3144, SECTIONS 3428 & 031D
INSTRUCTOR: KEN SWAN, PHD
EMAIL: LKSWAN@UFL.EDU | PHONE: 352-273-2191 OFFICE: 017 PSY | HOURS: CLICK HERE TO SCHEDULE
WELCOME!
You’ve probably already watched this. If not, click the image above and meet your instructor.
Welcome aboard!
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
You’ll need three things to survive our semester-long journey into madness:
1. Reliable Access to UF’s Canvas System
If you aren’t already comfortable with the Canvas platform (http://lss.at.ufl.edu; click “Canvas
Login”), I highly suggest that you spend some time exploring its various components. It’s our
everything portal; the repository for all of the resources you’ll need to make your way through the
course.
2. This Textbook
Nolen-Hoeksema, S. (2013). (Ab)normal Psychology (6th edition).
McGraw Hill. ISBN-13: 9781308476124
Click here to buy direct from the publisher for $53. They’re
print-and-ship-to-order, so click soon!
• It’s listed erroneously as the “1st edition” on the publisher website; ignore that,
buy with confidence.
• The UF Bookstore upcharges to $63 for the same book, listed (frustratingly)
under a different ISBN: 9781259745294. But that one works, too.
CLP3144: Abnormal Psychology, Sections 3428 & 031D
Spring 2016 Syllabus, Page 1
Honestly, I’d prefer to avoid using a textbook altogether. In a traditional (face-to-face) class, we’d
get on fine without one, wading out into the swamplands of psychopathology together with
PowerPoints and heated discussions. But in a fully online, self-guided survey course like this one, I
just can’t imagine leaving you without a comprehensive reference. Indulge me for a few lines while
I try out a hiking metaphor (therapists love metaphors): my face-to-face class would feel a bit like
treading through a densely verdant forest with a tour guide and lots of outdoorsy friends. Everyone
shows up at 8:00am, everyone stays more-or-less on the path, and everyone learns roughly the same
tidbits about the wildlife. The online version is more akin to strolling up to the park ranger’s desk,
grabbing a book of trail maps and descriptions of local flora and fauna, then heading out into the
woods on your own time. The book seems much less dispensable to me in the latter case, and
Nolen-Hoeksema managed to write one that I really don’t hate reading. I hope you’ll agree.
Why you really, really want the 6th edition: I’m usually in favor of downgrading to an older
edition in the interest of our collective wallet, but this book’s latest upgrade (from 5th to 6th)
featured a legitimate and critical change to the book’s content: coverage of and accurate references
to the new version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (the DSM-V—the
so-called “Bible” of mental illness diagnosis—hit shelves in May of 2013). The new DSM release
rendered a significant portion of the 5th edition textbook content obsolete or inaccurate. If you're up
for the extra challenge (seriously, this will be taxing), you might be able to cross-reference what
you read in the 5th edition with a bit of Googling (with heavy emphasis on the DSM-V Wikipedia
page, I suspect). But it's a gamble, and it'll significantly up your workload. I wouldn't risk it myself.
If you search for a copy of the textbook on your own (“Abnormal Psychology” by NolenHoeksema, 6th edition), you’ll find this (e.g., on Amazon):
It’s got a few extra chapters—ones we won’t cover together— and some pretty color
images, but it’s otherwise identical to the $53 version you can buy by using the
direct-from-publisher-to-consumer link. The standard version pictured left is much
more expensive (fully $184 for a new copy as of 01/01/2016) than those additions
(extra chapters and color images) warrant, in my view.
Finally (thanks for reading my textbook manifesto), you’ll need…
3. One of These Brilliant Books:
CLP3144: Abnormal Psychology, Sections 3428 & 031D
Spring 2016 Syllabus, Page 2
You’re looking at twelve of my favorite trade books—most published within the last ten years or
so—on psychopathology-related topics. Penned by some of the brightest minds our field has to
offer, each of these books has profoundly changed the way I think about mental health and illness.
Some present cutting-edge, controversial ideas. Others are critically-acclaimed personal memoirs,
designed to pull readers into the bona fide phenomenological experience of someone living with a
“mental disorder.” They’re all bestselling, gripping, and full of elegant prose.
Choose wisely. I ask that you pick one (just one) of these books to read as we move through the
semester. Below you’ll find a full APA-style citation for each book, a paperback ISBN, and a link
to each book’s Amazon.com page (where you can find a synopsis and reviews; most have fairly
comparable page counts):
Ronson, J. (2011). The psychopath test: A journey through the madness industry. Riverhead Trade.
(Paperback ISBN: 1594485755).
Cahalan, S. (2012). Brain on fire: My month of madness. Simon & Schuster. (Paperback ISBN:
1451621388).
Sacks, O. (2008). Hallucinations. Vintage. (Paperback ISBN: 0307947432).
Adam, D. (2015). The man who couldn’t stop: OCD and the true story of a life lost in thought.
Sarah Crichton Books. (Hardcover ISBN: 0374223955).
(Paperback version—cheaper—to be released on February 2nd: 1250083184)
Saks, E. R. (2008). The center cannot hold: My journey through madness. Vintage. (Paperback
ISBN: 1401309445).
Bering, J. (2014). Perv: The sexual deviant in all of us. Scientific American Press. (Paperback
ISBN: 0374534837).
Whitaker, R. (2010). Mad in America: Bad science, bad medicine, and the enduring mistreatments
of the mentally ill. Basic Books. (Paperback ISBN: 0465020143).
Wilson, T. (2011). Redirect: The surprising new science of psychological change. Penguin.
(Paperback ISBN: 0141042249).
Grandin, T. (2013). The autistic brain: Thinking across the spectrum. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
(Paperback ISBN: 0544227735).
(Sometimes listed with an alternative subtitle, Helping Different Kinds of Minds Succeed, but
the content’s identical)
Sapolsky, R. (2004). Why zebras don’t get ulcers (3rd edition). Holt (Paperback ISBN:
0805073698).
Solomon, A. (2015). The noonday demon: An atlas of depression (2nd ed). Scribner. (Paperback
ISBN: 1501123882).
Braitman, L (2014). Animal madness: Inside their minds. Simon & Schuster. (Paperback ISBN:
1451627017).
CLP3144: Abnormal Psychology, Sections 3428 & 031D
Spring 2016 Syllabus, Page 3
Hopefully, the book you choose will serve as a nice companion to the textbook. Some of what
you’ll find between their covers will dovetail nicely with what Nolen-Hoeksema has to say. Some
will expand on something that she mentions only briefly. Some will downright contradict her.
Especially in the latter case, I think they’ll give you an unfiltered and unadulterated view from the
bridge, and (ideally) get you riled up a bit.
EVALUATION
Your grade will be determined by your performance in three domains:
1. Chapter quizzes (150 points)
At the beginning of most weeks, I’ll open up a 15-question multiple-choice quiz on Canvas.
They’ll be timed, such that you probably won’t be able to look up answers quickly enough without
knowing exactly where to look, so a preparation’s important (keep your eyes peeled for a quiztaking strategy guide in Canvas—it’ll show up during the first few weeks of class). These quizzes
are for the most part non-cumulative, but, strictly speaking, everything you’ve encountered in the
course up to that point is fair game. I don’t do this because I want to surprise you (or trip you up)
with something from Week 4 on Quiz 7 (I promise). It’s because the course builds on some fairly
fundamental principles that show up early on (e.g., the nature of psychiatric diagnosis), and that’ll
apply over and over again as you move forward. So, quiz questions tend to become increasingly
more complicated, often drawing on ideas developed in previous weeks. The major focus will
always be on the topic at hand (e.g., depression), though. 10 quizzes X 15 questions (1 point each) =
150 points total.
2. Weekly “Book Club” Discussion Postings (20 points)
Most weeks, I’ll ask that you post a brief reflection about something from that week’s content (i.e.,
textbook chapters, videos, audio files) or something you read in your trade book (due by 11:59pm
each Thursday). You’ll join a discussion board forum based on the trade book you choose to
read—this’ll be your “book club” for the duration of the semester. Each of these postings is worth 1
point. Your reflection may take any form you like (e.g., a question, confusion, elaboration,
disagreement). They don’t have to be long-winded, or even particularly well-informed. Think of
these as very low-stakes writing assignments to simulate what we might do with each other in class
if time permitted. You have good ideas. Share them. I’m not one for strict guidelines, but I’ve had
students request more explicit rubrics in the past. So, shoot for at least 5 sentences per post.
On those weeks I’ll also ask that you contribute two replies to your classmates’ reflections. The idea
is to get a conversation going—you can answer someone’s question (perhaps with an overlooked
fact or with your own opinion, or maybe with a YouTube video link?), disagree (civilly, of course),
or otherwise expand on someone’s initial post. As long as you’re thinking deeply and talking to
each other, I’m happy. Each response is worth ½ point each.
Recap: You can earn 2 fairly easy points most weeks by (a) making an initial post (for 1 point) and
(b) commenting on two of your classmates’ posts (1 point for two replies). Pulling back the curtain:
I don’t intend for this to be a burden. You shouldn’t need to read or research anything extra for your
weekly discussions (though I’d be thrilled if you did)—if you keep up with this by simply posting
on time and giving your words a bit of thought, you can easily secure all of these weekly discussion
points. I call them “write-about-whatever posts/replies, and there are 9 sets in total (18 points). Toss
CLP3144: Abnormal Psychology, Sections 3428 & 031D
Spring 2016 Syllabus, Page 4
in 2 obscenely easy points that you can earn during the very first week of classes for (a) uploading a
profile picture in Canvas and (b) letting me know which trade book you’ll be reading by filling in
this survey (link), and we’re at a cool 20.
3. Digression Discussion Posts (10 points each)
On weeks 11, 13, and 15, we’ll depart from business-as-usual to consider something beyond the
scope of the textbook. No quiz or write-about whatever posts/replies on digression weeks. Instead,
I’ll post instructions for a slightly more in-depth discussion post task. Usually, it’ll involve
Googling around a bit to research a particular topic (e.g., the autism-vaccine scare) and reporting
back to the group. Each of these digression discussion tasks is worth 10 points (30 points out of 200
overall).
The first two are topics I’m personally passionate about (mental illness denial and fringe/bogus
treatments). The third—our last stop on this madness tour—is our book club finale.
A few more words about the book club: It’s up to you to read your trade book at your own pace
during course of the semester. When you’re done, I ask that you write a final review to post to your
discussion board (our third “digression” week). Your goal for the review is twofold: (1) to make it
clear that you’ve actually read the book, and (2) to incorporate as many relevant ideas and concepts
from the course as you can. Did something the author said make you think of something we talked
about in class? Or perhaps something you learned in another psychology course? Didn’t understand
something? Disagree with the author? Found yourself surprised and rethinking some aspect of your
life? Dig deep, and get ready to discuss with your book club fellows.
Is this really just a selfish ploy to get us to talk to you about books that you, Ken, personally
enjoyed, you ask? Yes. Yes it is. But these books do happen to be about some of the best ideas in
abnormal psychology, and I suspect that reading one of them will return more long-term value than
would, say, studying for a final cumulative exam (which you’ll notice we don’t have).
***
Thus, your final course grade will reflect how many total points (out of 200) you accumulate:
CLP3144: Abnormal Psychology, Sections 3428 & 031D
Spring 2016 Syllabus, Page 5
CLASS IN A NUTSHELL
At the beginning of each week, you should log into Canvas and read the new “This Week at a
Glance” summary you’ll find on our home page. It’ll outline the tasks you’ll need to complete
before that week’s end, which will usually consist of reading a textbook chapter, perusing some
additional content (articles/videos/audio files), taking a quiz, and posting in your trade book’s
discussion forum (either about something you encountered in the readings/videos/listenings that
week or about something you read in your trade book). Some weeks we’ll digress and discuss
something not covered in the textbook, but the general idea is the same—just follow the “This
Week at a Glance” guide. It’s all about raw course points—the more you end up with, the higher
your letter grade.
It’s probably quite obvious at this point that you’re driving this bus. You determine when you
complete readings/watch videos/listen to audio clips, when you take quizzes and work on
assignments, and when you ask for help. But don’t let the autonomy fool you. Even if you don’t
contact me, I’ll be with you all the way through, behind the scenes and happy to chat if you care to.
At a bare minimum, you’ll catch me awkwardly talking to my webcam the class for a few minutes
at the beginning of each week.
A FEW CLASS POLICIES
Computer Troubles
The scene: It’s 11:53pm on a Sunday night. You’re a classic procrastinator, having waited until the
(literal) eleventh hour to take your weekly quiz, but you’re not bothered. In fact, you’re feeling
rather capable and confident about your performance—I tossed 15 questions your way, and you
parried back 15 answers that you’re pretty sure are correct.
Then, disaster. Maybe your cat pounces onto your laptop, mashing a hapless housefly into your
function keys and closing your browser just before you could hit submit. Or perhaps a meteorite
crashed improbably through your ceiling to cauterize a perfectly destructive hole right through the
center of your hard drive. Either way, you’re up a creek…no saved answers, no time, and no hope
of contacting me in time to ask for a “reset.” <panic>
Don’t panic. Bad news first, though: once I release all the questions and answers out into the public
domain ether (every Monday morning at 8am), the ship, I’m afraid, will have already sailed. I don't
usually have any extra questions lying around, so there’s not much I can do after the quiz due date
passes. If you reach out to let me know that there’s been a problem early enough in the week (by,
say, Saturday afternoon), I can usually make things right by just re-opening the quiz (your best
option). But…if the unthinkable happens; if the universe decides that your living room really is the
best place to deposit a bit of cosmic debris, there is hope. During the last few weeks of the term, I’ll
open up a totally optional cumulative make-up quiz that’ll amount to a get out of
“procrastination-computer-crash” jail free card. Details in March.
Late Work
Our whirlwind journey through madness moves at a brisk pace. We’ll all need to stay on target to
make it through to the other side. Behavioral incentive (they work): each day that an assignment is
CLP3144: Abnormal Psychology, Sections 3428 & 031D
Spring 2016 Syllabus, Page 6
late levels a 10% point deduction (e.g., a digression post made two days late can at best receive an
8/10).
Academic Honesty
I’m told I have to include this text in all of my syllabi: “Cheating is defined in the UF Handbook,
and it is the student’s responsibility to be familiar with its many forms (including plagiarism). If a
student is caught cheating, the first offense will result in a zero for that exam or assignment and a
record of the event will be placed in a temporary file with the Office of Student Affairs. The second
offense will result in an “E” for the course, and the student will go before the Honor Court. As a
result of completing registration at UF, every student has agreed to the following statement: “I
understand that UF expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to
this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this
commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University.”
So…don’t cheat, I guess.
Disability Accommodations
If you are a student with a disability and would like to request disability-related accommodations,
please contact the Disability Resource Center (and me) as early in the semester as possible. The
DRC is located in 001 Building 0020 (Reid Hall). Their phone number is 352-392-8565.
Contacting Us:
By “us,” I mean myself and my all-star cast of TAs. Once you’ve picked your trade book, you’ll
have a dedicated set of TAs to help guide you through the course. Check the Canvas homepage for
names and email addresses.
CLP3144: Abnormal Psychology, Sections 3428 & 031D
Spring 2016 Syllabus, Page 7
SYLLABUS
Module
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Dates
1/05 1/10
1/11 1/17
1/18 1/24
1/25 1/31
2/01 2/07
2/08 2/14
2/15 2/21
2/22 2/28
2/29 3/06
3/07 3/13
3/14 3/20
3/21 3/27
3/28 4/3
4/4 4/10
4/11 4/20
(Tues)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Sun)
(Mon)
(Wed)
Topics
Introductions and Course Overview:
A History of Madness
Diagnosing Mental Illness
Trauma, Anxiety, ObsessiveCompulsive, and Related Disorders
Somatic Symptom and Dissociative
Disorders
Mood Disorders and Suicide
Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other
Psychotic Disorders
Personality Disorders
Neurodevelopmental and
Neurocognitive Disorders
Assignments Due
¤ Fill out the Trade Book Survey and
Upload a Profile Picture
¤ Weekly Discussion Post + 2 Replies
¤ Quiz 1 (Covers Weeks 1 & 2)
¤ Weekly Discussion Post + 2 Replies
¤ Quiz 2
¤ Weekly Discussion Post + 2 Replies
¤ Quiz 3
¤ Weekly Discussion Post + 2 Replies
¤ Quiz 4
¤ Weekly Discussion Post + 2 Replies
¤ Quiz 5
¤ Weekly Discussion Post + 2 Replies
¤ Quiz 6
¤ Weekly Discussion Post + 2 Replies
¤ Quiz 7
Spring Break!
Eating Disorders
¤ Weekly Discussion Post + 2 Replies
¤ Quiz 8
Digression: What is Mental Illness,
Really? Controversy and Denial
¤ Digression Discussion
Treatments
¤ Weekly Discussion Post + 2 Replies
¤ Quiz 9
Digression: Fringe and Bogus
Therapies
¤ Digression Discussion
Topic by Vote!
¤ Quiz 10
Digression: Book Club
¤ Digression Discussion (due dates TBA)
Green = Due Thursday by 11:59pm
Blue = Due Sunday by 11:59pm
CLP3144: Abnormal Psychology, Sections 3428 & 031D
Spring 2016 Syllabus, Page 8