Clinical & Abnormal Psychology - PSYC 277/300a - Winter 2012
Professor - Tim Kasser - tkasser@knox.edu, x7283, SMAC E 119
Teaching Assistant – Amanda Bigham – ambigham@knox.edu
Purpose of the course: This course is designed to provide
students with an overview of common psychological difficulties,
their causes, and their treatments. The first quarter of the
course provides an overview of the major perspectives on
disorders and their treatment. The last three-quarters of the
course explores specific types of disorders.
My primary goals for the course are for students to learn: a) to
apply the major theoretical perspectives used for understanding
the diagnosis, causes, and treatment of common psychological
disorders; b) to discuss in a psychologically-informed manner the
psychopathology and treatment of particular individuals; c) how
psychologists can work to prevent the development of
psychological disorders that are due in part to social problems;
and d) how to write and speak more clearly. These goals overlap
with the following goals of the Knox College Psychology
Department, including that psychology majors will be able to:
a) Successfully search the scientific psychological
literature to find existing work that can inform the
specific claims they are making.
b) Understand the basic theoretical approaches and classic
empirical findings of psychology.
c) Effectively communicate with clear, grammatically-correct
writing that conforms to APA style.
d) Make effective oral presentations that are clear, wellorganized, and interesting.
e) Empathically communicate a reasonably accurate
understanding of another person’s experience.
Materials:
Abnormal Psychology, 9th Ed. - Alloy, Riskind, & Manos.
Case Studies in Abnormal Psychology - Gorenstein & Comer
Exploring Psychological Disorders - Chute & Bliss (reserve)
Evaluation:
1) Tests. Four tests will be given in this course. They will
include multiple-choice, fill in the blank, short answer, and
essay questions. The tests will be cumulative in the sense that
earlier material will need to be understood, as it is relevant to
disorders covered later in the class. 25 points each, 100 points
total.
2) Diagnostic assignments. Students, alone or in groups of up
to three people, will use the "Exploring Psychological Disorders"
Booklet (on reserve in SMAC library) to complete a five axis,
DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of two famous individuals. Diagnoses must be
in APA format and placed in the class computer drop box by the
start of class on the due date; name the files
“lastname_dx#.doc.” Hard copies will not be accepted. More
specific information about how to do the diagnostic assignments
will be provided later in the term. There are three possible
diagnostic assignments, of which students must do two. 15 points
each, 30 points total.
3) Case questions - Students will turn in questions about five
of the six case studies (from Gorenstein & Comer) that we will
read. The questions will be used both to assess that students
read the case and to facilitate class discussion. Questions will
be graded on the basis of the quality of the question asked,
i.e., its clarity, how pertinent it is, the likelihood that it
could facilitate discussion, how well-written it is, etc. Handwritten questions will NOT be accepted. 1 point each, 5 points
total.
4) Be Abnormal. Do something that is abnormal and write an ~ 400
word paper that: a) describes what you did; b) explains other
people’s reactions to what you did; and c) explores what it felt
like to do something abnormal. 5 points.
5) Class Participation. Students will be graded on the extent and
quality of their participation in the class. Each class period,
the professor will record the level of the student’s
participation and whether the student was absent, late, asleep,
or distracting. 15 points.
6) Course Presentations – Working in groups of five, students
will make 30-minute presentations about how to lessen the
detrimental effects of a particular social problem on people’s
mental health. Students will be assigned one of four broad
social problems (poverty/unemployment, violent media, the
sexualization of girls, and returning home after serving in a
war) and will then devise an intervention program that could be
implemented to prevent the negative effects of this social
problem on Knox County residents’ mental health. Presentations
will take the form of an oral proposal requesting a $150,000
grant from a local community foundation. In the 30 available
minutes, presenters will need to: a) educate the foundation about
the mental health outcomes associated with the social problem; b)
describe in some detail the nature of the proposed intervention;
c) explain its potential benefit(s) to Knox County residents; d)
justify its budget; e) describe how the intervention’s
effectiveness will be assessed; f) describe how the project will
continue past the time of the grant (e.g., through community
partnerships); and g) answer questions for 5 minutes. Grades
will be assigned through a combination of ratings by the
professor, the Executive Director of the Galesburg Community
Foundation, and the teaching assistant. Three weeks before their
presentation, students will be required to provide an ~ 500-800
word synopsis of their plans for their presentation and to meet
with the professor to discuss their progress thus far. 5 points
for synopsis + 30 points for presentation, 35 points total.
Grades: There are 190 points available in this class. I will
take the number of points you earn on your assignments and divide
it by 190 to determine your final grade. For example, if you
earn 179 points in the term, you would have a 94%, or an A. I
use a standard grading scale and give plusses and minuses.
Note on late assignments. Assignments are due on the assigned
date at the beginning of class, unless otherwise noted or
arranged. An assignment turned in by midnight of the date it is
due will have 5% taken off; an additional 10% will be taken off
for each additional 24 hour period that the assignment is late.
Presentations and case questions will NOT be accepted after the
due date.
Note on group work: All students within a group will generally
receive the same grade, but if a particular member of a group is
identified by the other group members as having contributed less
than his or her fair share, that individual’s grade may be
decreased for that assignment.
Note on writing quality. Please visit my website at:
http://faculty.knox.edu/tkasser/teaching.html#coursepolicies
The 10 Writing mistake rule will apply to the diagnostic
assignments, the case questions, the “be abnormal” paper,
and the presentation synopsis. I may take additional points
off of assignments for sloppy editing, poor grammar,
frequent typographical errors and the like. APA format
should be used for all citations.
Note on plagiarism. Please visit my website at:
http://faculty.knox.edu/tkasser/teaching.html#plagiarismpolicy
Note on class preparation: Please make sure to have completed
the assigned readings by the day of the lecture. I will refer to
these materials in lecture as if you have read them.
Date
1/4
1/6
1/9
1/11
Topic
Course Business
Abnormality
Diagnosis
Causes & Treatment
Assignment
Schizophrenia
TEST 2
Schizophrenia
Readings
None
ARM – Ch. 1
ARM – Ch. 2
ARM – Chs. 4
& 5
ARM – Ch. 6
ARM – Pgs.
98-102
ARM – Ch. 10
None
ARM – Ch. 10
GC – Case 5
ARM – Ch. 7
ARM – Ch. 7
ARM – Ch. 7
GC – Case 3
ARM – Ch. 14
None
ARM – Ch. 14
1/13
1/16
Causes & Treatment
Prevention
1/18
1/20
1/23
1/25
1/27
1/30
Mood Disorders
TEST 1
Mood Disorders
Mood & Anxiety
Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
2/1
2/3
2/6
2/8
Schizophrenia &
Personality Disorders
ARM – Ch. 11
GC – Case 12
Case Question 3
Presentation
Synopsis
2/10
Meetings w/ Prof. re:
Presentations
Personality Disorders
– Mandy Bigham
Personality Disorders
ARM – Ch. 11
2/13
2/15
2/17
Childhood Disorders –
Gail Ferguson
2/20
TEST 3
2/22
Childhood Disorders –
Gail Ferguson
2/24
Childhood &
Dissociative Disorders
2/27
Dissociative &
Somatoform Disorders –
2/29
Somatoform Disorders
3/2
Presentations
Guest – Josh Gibb
3/5
Presentations
Guest – Josh Gibb
Finals TEST 4
ARM = Alloy, Riskind, & Manos;
GC – Case 13
Be Abnormal
TEST
Case question 1
DX 1 - Van Gogh
Case question 2
TEST
DX 2 - Hitler
Case question 4
ARM – Ch. 16
TEST
ARM – Ch. 16
GC – Case 16
ARM – Ch. 8
ARM – Ch. 8
Case question 5
GC – Case 6
None
Case question 6
Presentation
None
Presentation
DX 3 - Manson
None
TEST
GC = Gorenstein & Comer