PSY 407: Health Psychology
San Diego State University
Fall 2012
INSTRUCTOR: Ariel Neikug
LECTURE: Tuesday 4-6:40PM in EBA-343
WEBSITES: blackboard.sdsu.edu
EMAIL: aneikrug@ucsd.edu
HOW TO REACH ME: email! I am very responsive to email. Make sure to have PSY407 in the subject title.
Emails not holding this title will not be opened in a timely fashion and may not be responded to at all. If you do not hear back from me within 24hr, email me again – do not feel bad sending multiple emails.
If you need to meet with me for any reason, email me in advance to set this up as I do not have office space on campus. I can meet with you individually on Tuesdays after class (by appointment only).
If you want to talk to me via phone, email me, and we will set a time for a phone conversation.
TA: Danielle Casteel
EMAIL: dlcastee@gmail.com
Prerequisites : Psychology 211 and 280. Proof of completion of prerequisites is required . As the material discussed and reviewed during this class assumes basic knowledge in learning processes and research methods, prerequisites will be enforced. You will need to provide appropriate documentation (i.e., copy of transcripts) to the TA no later than 9/4/12. I will also accept letters from your undergraduate advisor or department chair providing acceptable reasoning for your enrollment in this class without the prerequisites.
“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”
~~ World Health Organization, 1948~~
COURSE OVERVIEW: In this course you will be examining the biopsychosocial model to health and illness.
You will be learning a variety of definitions for health, illness, stress, and coping as well as how these concepts are researched and put into practice. The goal of this class is to give you both breadth and depth of knowledge in the field of health psychology and motivate you for a career in this field.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
By the end of this class you will know how to :
1.
Understand the impact of chronic disease on mental health and functioning
2.
Compare and contrast models of stress and coping
3.
Identify psychology’s role in chronic and terminal illness
4.
Integrate and apply course topics to health research presented in the media
5.
Mediate the political challenge of active health advocacy
6.
Apply health psychology topics to everyday life by

Writing weekly reflection papers

Actively participating in class discussion
REQUIRED MATERIALS:
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Health Psychology 8 th
ed . Shelley E. Taylor. McGraw-Hill. SBN: 0078035198 o This is available at the bookstore.
PSY 407, Fall 2012, Syllabus 1

ATTENDANCE & CLASSROOM POLICIES:

Attendance: Attendance is integral as material discussed during the lecture cannot be attained in any other way.

Lectures: lectures (ppt) will be available on Blackboard the day of the class. Feel free to print, or open them on your laptop as we go through the class. I will use a lot of media during the lectures. These will not be included in the ppt file but are part of the materials covered in the exams. Important information
(“take home message”) from the media will be discussed directly after each viewing.
While the lectures’ topic tends to follow the book chapter topics and material, they are not designed to summarize the book! You are responsible to read all chapters and failure to do so will significantly compromise your success in this class.

Class Participation: This class will be enjoyable only to the extent that you participate. Therefore, you can get up to additional 20 bonus points for participation in class discussion and activities.

Group participation: there will be multiple group assignments during the semester. Each student is expected to be active in the group and participate in each of the steps. You are to inform me about group members who did not participate appropriately in the workload. Points will be awarded according to the individual’s participation and according to the group’s overall performance on the assignment. Groups are selected randomly. There will be no switching!
HOWEVER , if you do not get along with your group, prefer working alone, or are simply not interested in the group assignment you can choose to replace any assignment with a scientific comprehensive review (20 pages APA style not including citations) on a health topic of your choice (must obtain approval for the topic). You are to conduct a thorough review of a disease or health concern, its related physiology and psychosocial variables, related health behaviors, related interventions, and further advances or research necessary in improving health as it relates to the topic.
You can also do this assignment if you choose not to take an exam. There are no limits to the number of papers you can write in replacement of class assignments. I will warn you that a paper is significantly harder work than any single assignment in this class.
You must obtain approval for your topic and this should be done via email with the reason for your desire to write a paper over any of the activities. Papers are due on the same date of the assignment it is designed to replace – late submissions will result in 0 for that assignment.

Respect: While in class, please show respect not only to the instructor but also to the other students—no cell phones, pagers, or two-way walkie-talkies. No texting, instant messaging, or ipods. Also, please be sensitive to the opinions of others by refraining from side conversations, interruptions, sleeping, etc. You will be asked to leave this classroom if you fail to show such minimum respect.
Any type of physical or verbal aggressive/violent behaviors will not be tolerated. Such behavior will be met with serious repercussions.

Late assignments/exams: No late assignments/exams will be given without documentation (e.g., doctor’s note). If you know that you will miss an assignment or exam, please make arrangements with the instructor at least 2 weeks prior to the assignment/exam . If you miss an assignment/exam without making prior arrangements, you will need appropriate documentation. Make-up assignments and exams will be scheduled on a case-by-case basis.

Grade challenges: Upon receiving graded exams and assignments, you have 1 week to check your grade with the instructor. This includes the grade for the final exam and your final grade for the class. After one week, grade challenges will not be reviewed.

Students with disabilities: ADA/Accommodations: San Diego State University seeks to provide equal access to its programs, services and activities for people with disabilities. If you will need accommodations in the class, reasonable prior notice needs to be given to the Student Disability Services
(SDS), 619.594.6473 or online at http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/sds. SDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. All written information in this course can be made available in alternative format with prior notification to the SDS.
PSY 407, Fall 2012, Syllabus 2

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Academic dishonesty: The Student Code of Conduct is online at http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html. The academic dishonesty code specifies actions for behaviors such as cheating on tests, plagiarism, and/or inappropriately collaborating with others. I will enforce the code in the course; cheating or other violations will result in appropriate penalties, including a failing grade on the assignment or in the course, and the reporting of that incident to the Office of Student
Rights and Responsibilities. Students have the right to appeal such action in accord with the due process.
Cheating and Plagiarism definitions
“
Cheating shall be defined as the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for academic work by the use of dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. Examples of cheating include, but are not limited to a) copying, in part or in whole, from another’s test or other examination b) discussing answers or ideas relating to the answers on a test or other examination without the permission of the instructor c) obtaining copies of a test, an examination, or other course material without the permission of the instructor d) using notes, cheat sheets, or other devices considered inappropriate under the prescribed testing condition e) collaborating with another or others in work to be presented without the permission of the instructor f) falsifying records, laboratory work, or other course data g) submitting work previously presented in another course, if contrary to the rules of the course h) knowingly and intentionally assisting another student in any of the above.
“ Plagiarism shall be defined as the act of incorporating ideas, words, or specific substance of another, whether purchased, borrowed, or otherwise obtained, and submitting same to the university as one’s own work to fulfill academic requirements without giving credit to the appropriate source. Plagiarism shall include but not be limited to a) submitting work, either in part or in whole, completed by another b) omitting footnotes for ideas, statements, facts, or conclusions that belong to another c) omitting quotation marks when quoting directly from another, whether it be a paragraph, sentence, or part thereof d) close and lengthy paraphrasing of the writings of another e) submitting another person’s artistic works, such as musical compositions, photographs, paintings, drawings, or sculptures f) submitting as one’s own work papers purchased from research companies.”
In other words, all written work submitted for this (or any other) class must be your own, original work. Each and any instance of academic dishonesty will result in a grade of 0 for that specific exam or assignment, and will be reported to the appropriate judicial committees of the university.
Additional information about plagiarism can be found at: infotutor.sdsu.edu/ plagiarism /
PSY 407, Fall 2012, Syllabus 3

GRADES: A number of different activities will be graded in this class, including in class quizzes, exams, media reports, reflection papers, and advocacy assignments. These are detailed below:

Quizzes . There will be a 10-12 quizzes (10 points each). The goals of these quizzes are to 1) motivate attendance 2) keep you reading the chapters with the pace of the course as well as 3) test your learning of each chapter in smaller “chunks.” These quizzes will be open-book but will be restricted to 15min (10-15 questions each time). Only 7 of the quizzes will count toward your grade (70 total points). The quizzes will be given randomly during the semester sometimes at the start of the class and at times at the end of class. The questions on these quizzes will be derived directly from the reading! You risk missing a quiz if you choose not to come to class, come late to a class, or leave early. Your lowest 3 (or up to 5) grades on the quizzes will be dropped. However, you can only drop 2 quizzes that you missed due to attendance
(unless appropriate documentation is provided e.g., doctor note or letter from the department chair). In other words assuming you missed 3 quizzes, and that we had 10 quizzes total for the year, your lowest score (of quizzes that you actually took) will be dropped. Additionally, 2 of the ‘0’ scores from the missed quizzes will be dropped (for a total of 3 grades dropped) and the third ‘0’ from the missed quizzes will be included in your final score. There will be no make-up quizzes .

Media Reports . There will be 2 media presentations during the semester (35 points each). The goal of these assignments is to critically analyze how health psychology is portrayed in the media. These will be done in small groups mostly during class time. Since these will be done in class it is imperative that you do not miss class on these days. Use of laptops, iPads, tablets, iPhones, and blackberries during these assignments is recommended. o Health Behaviors . You will be put in groups based on shared interests in some health promoting or compromising behavior. You will need to find research that was reported in the media in your topic. You will need to compare and contrast the media report with the actual research.
Each group will present their findings to the class (ppt presentation is required). The presentation will explain the importance of the health behavior, summarize the research article, and critically review how it was described in the media. o Chronic illness . You will be put in groups based on shared interests in some chronic illness.
You will read and analyze non-scientific accounts of that illness.
Each group will present their findings to the class (ppt presentation is required). In the presentation you will review the physiological elements of disease, its psychosocial impact, relationship to health behaviors, and how this disease was portrayed in the media.
Note : You are highly encouraged to use multimedia in your presentations. You will be rewarded with up to 5 additional bonus points per group member, per assignment, for innovation, use of multimedia, and your ability to maintain class interest.

Health Advocacy : (total of 80 points) In this course on health psychology we will discuss periodically the need to intervene at a political level to achieve desired health outcomes. This assignment is designed to inform you about the political dimension of health and options for intervening. During the semester you will identify a timely political issue that is relevant to a health topic. Then you will develop and implement an advocacy intervention. Hopefully this experience will inspire and prepare you for a career in health psychology.
This will be done in a group outside of class time. There are numerous modes of advocacy that would be appropriate for this assignment. Attending a meeting of a political discussion group or actively participating in a demonstration would be fine. Organizing an event to call attention to a health concern on campus would be great; setting up a meeting with a policy maker, aide, or advocacy organization would be excellent. For present purposes, letter or email to a representative or government official, letters to the editor of a newspaper or magazine, making a phone call, attending a lecture, joining an organization, signing a petition, or having discussions with friends will not be considered sufficient. Your activities and behaviors of health advocacy must be within the limits and adhere to organizational, municipal, and federal law !!!
There are 3 parts to this assignment.
1.
Write a 4 page maximum (per group) (APA format – double spaced) (20 points) briefing on the health topic, the related political issue, and the rationale for your intervention. Your proposal needs to include both scientific and
PSY 407, Fall 2012, Syllabus 4

non-scientific data sources. In other words, along with published peer-reviewed research (minimum of 7 sources and citations) use news stories, briefs from policy, advocacy organizations, or government reports as sources (minimum of 4 sources and citations). Additionally, you will need to indicate the responsibilities of each one in your group and how the assignment is going to be recorded (pictures, video, audio, online blogs etc.). I recommend that you assign a section per individual in the group for writing (e.g., review of the health concern/disease, related behaviors, political reality, reasoning of advocacy, methods of advocacy, expected outcome) this will make it easier on you. However, you can choose to arrange this in any way that works for you.
2.
Write a brief 1-2 page (per person) (APA format) (20 points) description of your political intervention, including the target person/population and methods. You will describe your part in the assignment as well as the part of the other group members, and summarize your experiences during the process.
3.
Prepare a 20min presentation (40 points) of your intervention during which you will present documentation of the intervention itself. Live media including video and pictures are highly encouraged. Additionally, you will be expected to present the challenges you faced and any outcome that you may have achieved.

Reflection Papers . The goal of these papers is to get you to reflect on the issues of health psychology outside of this classroom and outside of the book. Four 1-page reflection papers (single spaced, typed,
12-pt font, 1” margins) (10 points each; 40 total points) will be due during the semester. You can choose to submit any four of the five possible reflection papers bellow. You can also submit the fifth paper for extra credit (10 points). Reflection papers are just that—reflections of the material. This does not mean to summarize the text or my lecture!
There are no “wrong” reflections but summarizations will receive no credit . See dates below and on the schedule for due dates. (You must turn these via blackboard or email before the start of the lecture on the day these are due) o 1) Media and health behaviors paper : Public service announcements (PSAs) have attempted to increase health-promoting behaviors (e.g., wearing a seatbelt) as well as decrease healthcompromising behaviors (e.g., smoking). Write about a specific PSA—that is, describe the PSA and reflect on why you think it is effective (or not). Please also provide me with the link so that I can find it as well. o 2) Stress and coping : We will discuss the sympathetic nervous system and your “fight or flight” response. I want you to write about a time where you experienced this. Describe what happened and what exactly you experienced on a physiological level. o 3) Social support paper : We will discuss the various ways that other people help us in times of stress (e.g., tangible, emotional, informational). Describe two experiences where people in your life have provided you with two different types of social support. o 4) Patient-provider communication paper : Faulty communication can be a result of both the patient and the provider. Reflect on a time when you have experienced this. o 5) Quality of life paper : Quality of life is a subjective construct. What does quality of life mean to you right now? How has that changed in the last five years? How do you think it will change in the next five years?

Exams . There will be two multi-format exams (i.e., multiple choice as well as short answer responses.
They will be worth 70 points each. o Midterm : The midterm will include multiple-choice as well as short answer items and will be given on Tuesday, October 16. It will cover material from Chapters 1-TBD in your text and my lectures. o Final : The final exam will include multiple-choice as well as short answer items and will be given during regular class time on Tuesday, December 12. It will cover material from Chapters
TBD-15 in your text and my lectures.
PSY 407, Fall 2012, Syllabus 5

Grade Composition
Quizzes (7 @ 10pts)
Media reports (2 @ 35pts)
Health Advocacy
Group proposal paper (20pts)
Individual review (20pts)
Group presentation (40pts)
Reflection Papers (4 @ 10pts)
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
Possible extra credit
Class participation (20pts)
Media report Innovation (2@5pts)
5 th reflection paper (10pts)
Total Points
Points % of grade
70 17.5%
70
80
17.5%
20%
40
70
70
40
10%
17.5%
17.5%
10%
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
Grade Rubric in %: (pts gained/400)*100
92-above C 72-77
90-91
88-89
82-87
80-81
78-79
C-
D+
D
D-
E
70-71
68-69
62-67
60-61
59-below
400
Schedule is subject to changes according to class progress. Any changes to this schedule will be announced in class and on Blackboard.
Date
8/28
9/4
Topic
What is Health Psychology?
The Systems of the Body
Health Behaviors
Chapter
1 & 2
3
Activities Assignments due
9/11 Health Behaviors 4
Media report #1 prep time
Media report #1 prep time
Reflection Paper #1
9/18 Health Behaviors 5
9/25
10/2
Stress
Stress
6
7
8 & 9
Media report #1 presentations
Media report #1 presentations
Media report #1 presentations
Reflection Paper #2
Health Promotion proposal
Reflection Paper #3 10/9 Health services &
Patient and System Interactions
10/16 Midterm Exam
10/23
10/30
Pain, Discomfort, and Distress
Management of Chronic Illness
10
11
Media report #2 prep time
Media report #2 prep time
Media report #2 presentations
Reflection Paper #4
11/6
11/13
11/20
11/27
12/4
12/11
Chronic Illness
Terminal Illness
Chronic Illness
The Future of Health Psychology
Health Promotion presentations
Final Exam 4-6PM
13
12
14
15
Media report #2 presentations
Media report #2 presentations
Health Promotion presentations
Health Promotion presentations
Reflection Paper #5
Health Promotion write up
PSY 407, Fall 2012, Syllabus 6