PSY 357: The Psychology of Eating Disorders and Obesity (online)
Course Syllabus – Fall, 2023
INSTRUCTOR:
Michael R. Lowe, Ph.D.
E-mail: lowe@drexel.edu
Phone: 215-553-7116
CLASS LOCATION: Online course
OFFICE HOURS:
Please e-mail me if you’d like to set up an appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course will present an overview of psychological, biological, social, environmental, and genetic
determinants of body weight and eating behavior, causes and consequences of eating disorders and obesity and
treatments for these conditions. The course will begin with an introduction to factors influencing eating and
weight regulation. Next, etiology, classification, and treatment regarding eating disorders and obesity will be
discussed. Empirically supported psychological, behavioral and nutritional therapies will be covered.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course, students will have demonstrated the ability to:
1. Understand the most significant factors contributing to eating and weight regulation and dysregulation
2. Learn how to integrate three sources of knowledge about eating and weight disorders: research
findings, clinical practice and personal beliefs and understanding
3. Describe psychological and physiological causes and consequences of eating and weight disorders
4. Understand current approaches to the assessment and treatment of eating disorders and obesity,
including:
a. Discussing the most commonly used treatment approaches to eating disorders and obesity
b. Evaluating the effectiveness of different treatment approaches to eating disorders and obesity
READINGS:
Readings for the course are mostly taken from: Brownell, K.D. & Walsh, B.T. (2016). Eating Disorders and
Obesity: a Comprehensive Handbook – 3rd edition. New York: Psychology Press. However, all readings will
be available through Blackboard.
REQUIREMENTS AND GRADING:
The course is organized around weekly units, with two lectures a week, corresponding to the two weekly
readings. There are also videos you will be viewing during some weeks of the course. In order to engage in
online discussion of the assignments, you will be divided into two discussion groups, with 9-11 students per
group (Group A or B). I will e-mail you your group assignment the week before the course begins.
There will be two types of questions you will answer. The first type of question is those I pose at the end of
the second reading of every videotaped lecture [ LISTEN FOR THIS QUESTION BUT IGNORE OTHER
INFORMATION I DESCRIBE ABOUT HOW TO PROVIDE YOUR ANSWER; THIS OTHER
INFORMATION IS BASED ON A PRIOR COURSE AND IS NOW INACCURATE.] When you give your
Discussion Board responses each week to my questions about on the readings/lecture/video, base them, at least
in part on information you learned from the week’s assignments. When answering my questions, be sure to
explain why you feel or believe what you do and, as much as possible, justify your explanations with
information from the assignments. You should NOT just give your thoughts or opinions about the reading
without also mentioning parts of the reading you are basing them on.
The second type of question involves you providing your “best thought” about one or both of the readings. In other
words, after considering everything you thought about the readings, did you have any new insights about eating
disorders or obesity or did the readings raise new questions in your mind about the topics presented? Do your views
of a topic differ from what you read and, if so, how?
For the first half of the course (weeks 2 through 6), students assigned to Group A will only answer the weekly
question I pose and Group B will only give their “best thought” about the readings. For the second half of the course
(weeks 7 through 10), these assignments will reverse. Here’s the schedule for which question you should answer
each week:
Group A
Group B
Weeks 2-6
Answer question in second video
Give your “best thought”
Weeks 7-10
Give your “best thought”
Answer question in second video
All responses each week should be 5 sentences or less, so make your points succinctly.
Each week you should have completed the reading and lecture video by Tuesday night and then go into the
Discussion Board and click on your group’s link for the appropriate week. You should complete your assigned
question (based on the table above) by Thursday evening. All comments must be posted by Thursday night or
they will be considered late. Between Friday and Monday, I will read all of the responses generated by each of
you and provide a grade to each student. The grade I give you each week will be based on the clarity, novelty
and perceptiveness of your answer.
You will receive a grade of 3 (outstanding), 2 (very good) or 1 (satisfactory) or 0 (unsatisfactory). I will
comment on many of the individual responses you provide and post certain of my comments in a weekly
announcement to the whole class. The comments I post in each weekly announcement provide some of the
most valuable information generated in the class because they are based on your comments on the readings, so
it is important that you read and study this information just like you do with the weekly readings. Some of my
comments will become the subject of test items on the mid-term or final. The average of your Discussion
Board grades over the whole course will represent 40% of your final course grade.
I strongly recommend that each week you first do the first assigned reading, followed by the first lecture which
will cover similar topics. Then do the same with the second reading and lecture. The lecture material does not
cover everything in the readings but includes additional topics not included in the reading.
If you have questions about either the course material or the course requirements, please e-mail me directly.
Your course grade will be based on three components. The first is the average grade for all of your Discussion
responses you provide each week (40%). The mid-term and final exams will be worth 30% each. There is no
extra credit offered in the course.
Each exam will consist of a combination of multiple-choice, true-false, and short-answer questions that will
represent material from the readings, lecture and my comments on your Discussion responses each week. This
means you should pay close attention to my weekly postings about the classes’ weekly responses and best thoughts.
Students are expected to complete all the course assignments. If you are sick, please let Dr. Lowe know that,
along with an indication of when you will complete your assignments.
With advance notice, Dr. Lowe has the prerogative to change the contents of the course; any such changes will
be communicated with sufficient advance notice.
PROCEDURES FOR EVALUATION AND GRADING:
The final grade will be based on the following system:
Grade
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
D
F
Grade
Points
4.00
4.00
3.67
3.33
3.00
2.87
2.33
2.00
1.67
1.33
1.00
0.00
Percentage of
Total Points
97 – 100
93 – 96
90 – 92
87 – 89
83 – 86
80 – 82
77 – 79
73 – 76
70 – 72
67 – 69
63 – 66
Below 63
FEEDBACK:
You are strongly encouraged to complete a course evaluation at the end of the course.
PROFESSIONALISM AND ACADEMIC HONESTY:
Drexel University expects all members of its community to uphold the highest values of academic integrity. In
upholding these values, the University is committed to investigating any allegation of violations of academic
integrity against a student. Violations include, but are not limited to: plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, and
academic misconduct.
Sanctions for violations of academic integrity are administered through the Office of Student Conduct and
Community Standards in conjunction with the Office of the Provost and other University offices as deemed
appropriate. It is generally the responsibility of the faculty member overseeing the academic activity to report
the violation to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards and to determine the appropriate
sanction. A student who believes he/she has been wrongly sanctioned has a right to an appeals process.
In addition to any other sanction, the University reserves the right in its sole discretion to withdraw an earned
degree even though it has been granted should it be discovered at any time that the work upon which the degree
was based, or the academic records in support of such degree, have been falsified. In that situation, the degree
will be withdrawn promptly upon discovery of the falsification and the academic record will be updated to
reflect the withdrawal of degree.
Here is the link to Drexel’s Academic Honesty Policy:
http://www.drexel.edu/provost/policies/academic_dishonesty.asp
DISABILITY SERVICES:
REGISTERING WITH DISABILITY RESOURCES
Students who seek accomodations for a documented disability should can obtain further information here:
https://drexel.edu/disability-resources/support-accommodations/student-family-resources/accommodations/
Students will first need to complete an Online Intake Form. Students can submit this request through the
ClockWork database. On the ClockWork menu page, select the Online Intake Form and follow the instructions.
Here is the link to policies regarding student with disabilities: http://drexel.edu/oed/disabilityResources/students/
RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES:
Drexel University supports an environment that respects the religious observances of others. Students must
inform their instructors of any anticipated absences or conflicts with an examination schedule due to religious
observances well in advance of anticipated absences so that appropriate accommodations can be developed.
COURSE ADD/DROP and WITHDRAWAL POLICY
Students may drop or add a course within one week of the start of the course
Withdrawal from a course after the official course add/drop period affords a student the means to adjust course
load through a significant part of an academic term in accordance to the official course withdrawal deadlines.
Students may withdraw from a course during the withdrawal period beginning at the end of the course
Add/Drop Period through Friday of week 7 of the.
Here is the link to Drexel’s Drop/Add policy: https://drexel.edu/provost/policies-calendars/policies/courseadd-drop/
Here is the link to Drexel’s course withdrawal policy:
http://drexel.edu/provost/policies/course-withdrawal
PSY 357 Psychology of Eating Disorders and Obesity Class and Assignment Schedule
Week/Date
Wk1:Lec1
9/26/2310/1/23
Wk1:Lec2
Wk2:Lec1
10/2/2310/8/23
Topic
Introductions
Review of syllabus
Introduction to the
class and Dr. Lowe
Regulation of body
weight and
influences on eating
behavior
Energy balance and
biological
underpinnings of
eating and weight
Wk2:Lec2
Wk3:Lec1
10/9/2310/15/23
Wk3:Lec2
Determinants of
eating and body
weight; impact of
dieting
Assignments
Jeffrey
Friedman video:
https://www.you
tube.com/watch
?v=oN3woHJ7Z
DY
Readings
No readings for this week; Dr. Lowe will
provide broad overview of biological
factors contributing to body weight and to
eating and weight regulation
“Energy Balance and Body Weight
Homeostasis”
(Chapter 1 from Kusher, R., Practical
Guide to Clinical Obesity)
Stephen
Biological Underpinnings of Eating and
O’Rahilly:
Weight (no reading-lecture only)
Biology of
Obesity:
https://www.yo
utube.com/wat
ch?v=zMjS_X
5Hk7Y
(First 15
minutes only)
Food insecurity
Chapter 14 “Acquisition of Food
article:
https://www.bo Preferences and Eating Patterns in
nappetit.com/st Children” by Jennifer Fisher
ory/childhoodfood-insecurity Chapter 17 “Impact of Dieting” by Dianne
Neumark-Sztainer
Wk4:Lec1
10/16/2310/22/23
Causes and
consequences of
eating disorders
Diets don’t
work:
https://www.te
d.com/talks/san
dra_aamodt_w
hy_dieting_doe
sn_t_usually_w
ork
Chapter 22 “Sociocultural Influences on
Body Image and Eating Disturbance” by
Anne Becker
Chapter 41 “Risk Factors for Eating
Disorders” by Karina L. Allen and Ulrike
Schmidt
Wk4:Lec2
Wk5:Lec1
10/23/2310/29/23
Classification and
diagnosis of eating
disorders
Chapter 27 “Anorexia Nervosa” by
Evelyn Attia
Chapter 29 “Bulimia Nervosa” by Pamela
K. Keel
EXAM 1
Wk5:Lec2
Wk6:Lec1
10/30/2311/5/23
NPR - This
American Life
Start listening
to this podcast
at minute 14:
https://www.th
isamericanlife.
org/742/thething-imgettingover/act-1-9
Chapter 46 “Cognitive Behavior Therapy
and Eating Disorders” by Christopher G.
Fairburn
Treatments for
eating disorders
Chapter 51 “Psychological Treatment of
Binge Eating Disorder” by Michael
Devlin
Wk6:Lec2
Wk7:Lec1
11/6/2311/12/23
Wk7:Lec2
Obesity overview,
etiology, and
consequences
Childhood
obesity:
https://www.cd
c.gov/grandrounds/pp/2018
/20180821childhoodobesity.html
Chapter 61 “Early Life Risk Factors for
Childhood Obesity” by Elsie M. Taveras
Chapter 70 “Food, Addiction and
Obesity” by Erica Schulte et al.
Wk8:Lec1
11/13/2311/19/23
Wk8:Lec2
Nutrition-related
treatments of
obesity
Barbara Rolls
and
Volumetrics:
https://www.yo
utube.com/wat
ch?v=j8ld0aDn
EBc
Chapter 78 “Macronutrient Composition
and Obesity Treatment” by Arne Astrup
and Jennie Brand-Miller
Chapter 82 “Portion Size and Energy
Density” by Barbara J. Rolls and
Samantha M.R. Kling
Nutrition-related
treatments of
obesity (cont.)
Thanksgiving
Break (week
of Nov. 20Nov. 26)
No readings
or lectures
Wk9:Lec1
11/27/2312/3/23
Behavioral and
surgical treatment
of obesity
Wk9:Lec2
Pediatric obesity,
behavioral
treatment of
obesity, and surgery
(cont.)
Wk10:Lec1
12/4/2312/10/23
Impact of Policy
and Public Health
Approaches to
Obesity
Denise
Wilfley:
https://www.yo
utube.com/wat
ch?v=icAzwab
pA-Q
Marion Nestle:
Food Policy
https://www.yo
utube.com/wat
ch?v=fS62f26e
wUk
Chapter 83 “Behavioral Treatment of
Obesity”Meghan L. Butryn and Thomas
A. Wadden
Chapter 84. “Treatment of Childhood
Obesity” by Denise Wilfley
Chapter 92 “The Role of Government in
Contributing to and Addressing the
Obesity Epidemic” by Thomas Farley
Chapter 95 “National Food Policy:
Helping or Hurting Obesity?” by Marion
Nestle
Week 10
Week of
12/11/23
Final Exam
Time to be announced