Psychology 383: Health Psychology
Summer Session II 2013: July 7-August 8
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
Ryan Davidson
Psychology 133
TBD. Or by appointment.
rdavidso@email.arizona.edu
Course Description:
This is an introductory survey course in health psychology. The main aim of the
course is to introduce you to the broad theories, terminology, and substantive research
findings of the field through consideration of the psychological influences on illness and
wellness, as well as the effects of physical health on psychosocial functioning. Throughout
the term, we will examine how these processes operate across varied levels of analysis,
including, for example, consideration of the different biological systems of the body, how
people make health behavior changes, the effects of interpersonal contexts on physical
health, the development, maintenance, and psychosocial correlates of specific diseases,
cultural variation in disease and health behaviors, and the role of larger systems in
promoting wellness and the management of chronic illness.
Course Goals:
(1) To understand the intersection of health and psychology
(2) To understand the major concepts in the field of health psychology
(3) To think critically about topics and research related to health psychology.
Course Format:
This class is solely online. Therefore, it is critical that students read the syllabus and
make themselves familiar with the D2L website. This is a condensed course so there will be a
wide range of material covered each week. Each week materials will be posted on Monday by
10:00 A.M. Each week students will be expected to read chapters from the textbook as well as
watch the recorded Powerpoints. There will be some sections that will not require reading of a
chapter, but will require students to read the content posted on D2L. Each week you will also be
expected to complete several quizzes and 1 online discussion.
Course Readings:
Textbook: Straub, R. O. (2012) Health Psychology (3rd Edition). Worth Publishers.
Other Readings: There will be various other readings posted to D2L.
Grading
Online Discussions:
Students will have 5 online discussions; one for each week of the class. These discussions
will be covering the content presented for that week of class. Each discussion will be worth 5
points. The breakdown of points will vary with each discussion. Students will be required to
post a response to at least 2 other posts for full credit. Since you are required to respond to 2
other students’ posts, it is recommended that students do not wait until Saturday to post their
own discussions. As a reminder, this is a learning environment and respect is vital in both your
discussion posts as well as your comments. Any discussions or responses that do not meet these
standards will lose all points for the assignment.
Quizzes:
There will be a total of fifteen quizzes. Each quiz will be worth 5 points. Points will be
awarded as follows:
 2.5 points will be based on completion
 2.5 points will be based on accuracy.
 Total of 5 points possible
While you will have several quizzes per week they can be completed at any time during the
week. Once the quiz is opened you will only have 15 minutes to complete the individual quiz.
**Please note: The Syllabus Quiz will close on 7/10/13 at 11 A. M.
Exams:
There will be 2 exams for this course. Exams will available on D2L on Thursday by 12 P.M.
and close Sunday at 9 A.M. Students will have 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete the exam once
started. Each exam will consist of 15 multiple choice questions, 10 fill in the blank questions and
3 short answer questions. Points will be awarded as follows:
 Multiple choice question will be worth 1 point (15 points),
 Fill in the blank questions will be worth 2 (20 points)
 Short answer questions will be worth 5 (15 points)
 Total of 50 points.
The first exam will cover the topics from Week 1 & 2. The second exam will cover topics from
Week 3 & 4. Due to the nature of the exams, no late exams will be accepted.
Exam 1: Due 7/21 9:00 AM
Exam 2: Due 8/4 9:00 AM
Article Review Paper:
Students will have one paper to complete for this class. You will given a choice of 4
articles to write a 1-2 page review. A detailed rubric will be posted on D2L under the content tab.
You can turn your paper in between 7/27/13 and 8/8/13. The final due date for the paper will be
8/8/13 at 5:00 PM. Papers turned in after this point will not be accepted.
Final Grade Determination
Online Discussions (5 @ 5 points)
Quizzes (15 @ 5 points each)
Exams (2 @ 50 points each)
Article Review Paper
Total Points Available
25 points
75 points
100 points
20 points
220 points
Grading Scale
A = > 196 points
B = 174-195 points
C = 152 – 194 points
D = 130 – 152 points
E = < 130 points
Academic Honesty and Safety:
Students enrolled in this class are subject to the Student Code of Conduct.
Conduct prohibited by this Code consists of all forms of academic dishonesty, including, but not limited
to: Cheating, fabrication, facilitating academic dishonesty, and plagiarism as set out and defined in the
Student Code of Conduct, at
http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu/codeofacademicintegrity#prohibited_conduct
And, the Code prohibits threats of physical harm to any member of the University community, at
http://policy.web.arizona.edu/threatening-behavior-students
Students with Disabilities:
It is the University’s goal that learning experiences be as accessible as possible. If you
anticipate or experience physical or academic barriers based on disability, please let me
know immediately so that we can discuss options. You are also welcome to contact
Disability Resources (520-621-3268) to establish reasonable accommodations.
Caveat:
Information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence policies, may be
subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.
Course Schedule:
*Week 1-4 assignments will open on Monday and close Saturday at midnight (except for the
syllabus quiz)
**Week 5 assignments will open on Saturday and close Thursday at 5 PM
Exams will open on Thursday and close Sunday at 9 A.M. You will have 1 hour to complete the
exam from the time you open it.
Week
Topic
Chapter
Assignment
Week 1
(7/8-7/14)
Foundations of Health Psychology
Stress & Health
Monday
7/8
Introduction
Syllabus
Chapter 1
Tuesday
7/9
Research in Health Psychology
Biological Foundations
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Quiz 2
Wednesday
7/10
Stress & Health Part 1
Chapter 4
Discussion #1
Thursday
7/11
Stress & Health Part 2
Week 2
(7/15-7/21)
Behavior and Health
Monday
7/15
Coping with Stress
Chapter 5
Quiz 4
Tuesday
7/16
How to Read an Article
D2L Readings
Quiz 5
Wednesday
7/17
Staying Healthy
Chapter 6
Quiz 6
Thursday
7/18
Nutrition, Obesity, & Eating
Chapter 7
Discussion #2
Syllabus Quiz 1
(Due 7/10 @ 11 am)
Quiz 3
7/21 9:00 AM Exam 1 Due
Week 3
(7/22-7/28)
Health continued
Chronic Illness
Monday
Health Compromising Behaviors
Quiz 7
Tuesday
Substance Abuse
Chapter 8
Quiz 8
Wednesday
Close Relationships & Loss
D2L Reading
Discussion #3
Thursday
Cardiovascular Disease & Diabetes
Chapter 9
Quiz 9
Week 4
(7/29 – 8/4)
Chronic Illness continued
Monday
Psychoneuroimmunology
D2L Reading
Quiz 10
Tuesday
Cancer
Chapter 10
Quiz 11
Wednesday
HIV/AIDS
Chapter 11
Quiz 12
Thursday
Childhood Trauma, SES and Health
D2L Reading
Discussion #4
8/4 9:00 AM Exam 2 Due
Week 5
(8/5-8/8)
Monday
Role of Health Psychology in Health Care
Placebo Effect
Chapter 12
Quiz 13
Tuesday
Managing Pain
Chapter 13
Quiz 14
Wednesday
Complementary & Alternative Medicine
Chapter 14
Thursday
Health Psychology Today and Tomorrow
Chapter 15
Wrap-up Quiz 15
Discussion #5
8/8 5:00 PM Article Review Due