PSYCHOLOGY 403 – Forensic Psychology - Section: F11N01
Instructor:
Office:
Office Hours:
Website:
Lynn McCaw
Bld 356 Room 344
Monday/Wednesday afternoons; by appointment, or drop by before class
http://web.viu.ca/mccawl
HOW TO REACH ME: Lynn.McCaw@viu.ca or By Phone:
753-3245 local 2134
Course Description: Welcome to an Introduction to Forensic Psychology!
This course will cover a range of topics and activities designed to introduce you to some representative
areas of Forensic Psychology. This course assumes little knowledge of the application of psychological
theories to the understanding of criminal behaviour and is aimed at anyone with an interest in Forensic
Psychology and a willingness to consider, discuss, and debate the major issues raised.
Forensic Psychology deals with the application of psychological knowledge or methods to tasks faced
by the legal system. These tasks include: criminal investigation, assessing defendants for insanity or
competency, assessing people for risk of violence, sexual offense or other dangerous behaviors,
understanding interrogations, confessions and eyewitness identification.
Course Prerequisite: Student Engagement and Participation and an Open Mind
Course Objectives:
This course will help students develop an informed understanding of the complexity of issues
surrounding crime and perhaps dispel some myths along the way. It is my desire that you leave this course
with a good understanding of the contexts (environmental, social, and psychological) within which
criminal behaviour occurs. My hope is that this course will help you to distinguish reliable, valid
information from the “not so reliable” information you will often encounter as information consumers.
COURSE FORMAT: This course will be delivered in a blended format, including professor and
student lectures, small and large group class discussions, films, documentaries, and guest
speakers. I prefer a seminar type format that allows for collaborative learning, so you are strongly
encouraged to actively participate in class. Classroom activities will focus on topics listed in the
outline. Lectures will generally not provide a complete review of the readings and will often
introduce outside material. Students are responsible for reading all the assigned readings for this
course and readings should be completed prior to that week’s class.
The course is designed to help you learn as much as possible but, ultimately, what you get
out of this course depends on what you put into it.
REQUIRED TEXT:
Forensic Psychology (3rd Edition). Pozzulo, J., Bennell, C.
& Forth, A. (2006). Toronto, Ontario: Prentice Hall
Note:
additional readings may be assigned in class
CLASS DECORUM:
Forensic Psychology is an interesting subject that can create very diverse
discussions. Students are encouraged to make comments and enter into discussion freely. Some of the
discussions in class will involve controversial issues that can incite impassioned responses. Expressing
your passion about a topic, or your position on it, is perfectly acceptable and encouraged. However, it is
important to bear in mind that every opinion is welcome without judgment, regardless of its
popularity and regardless of what you assume about the instructor’s beliefs. In addition, all students
are expected to treat one another and the course instructor with civility and respect. I will try to
structure the class so that everyone feels comfortable taking part. If you find it difficult to get a word in, or
if you are not used to participating, tell me. If you tend to talk a lot, remember to give others a chance .
Don't simply dismiss viewpoints that conflict with your own. Listen to what others have to say.
COURSE EVALUATION:
Midterm 1
Midterm 2
Attendance & Participation (labs)
Presentation
Oct. 6th
Nov 17th
weekly
Dec 1st
30%
30%
25%
15%
EXAMS: Two exams (not cumulative) will be given during the term and the format will include
multiple choice questions, true/false, and short answer questions. All material covered in the
class, assigned readings (regardless of whether specific material was covered in class), class
discussions, films and guest speakers is fair game for exams. Any student who misses a scheduled
exam without prior approval will be given a grade of “0” for that exam. No make-up exams will
be given and no extra credit work will be made available to make-up for a poor test grade.
ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION: Class attendance and participation is expected. You are
responsible for work, activities, or information missed during any absence from class. Throughout the
course you will be given the opportunity to participate by completing small assignments or activities either
in class or at home. Assignments & activities will be distributed throughout the semester and must be
handed in on the due date for it to count toward your participation mark. Not all assignments or activities
will be graded; however, it will be marked for completion. If you leave early or do not come to class on a
day that there is an assignment or activity, you will not be able to make it up for marks. As a senior level
undergraduate course, there is a component allocated for student seminars. Good participation
involves having read and thought critically about the assigned readings before coming to class;
presenting, questioning, and challenging information from the course materials; probing, clarifying
and questioning ideas presented by others in the class; and sharing your ideas relating to the
various concepts presented in this course. At the end of the semester, students will evaluate their
own performance in participating in class and assign themselves a participation mark for the course
(see participation hand out).
MOST THURSDAYS (not on exam nights): Please bring in 1 article from the media
about a crime or crime-related issue and be prepared to discuss or state your thoughts on the
topic. Print your name on the article (yes, this is for lab credit). We will open each class with a
selected couple of articles.
PRESENTATION:
For your presentation, you will be required to research a forensic psychology topic of your choice
in depth and give an oral presentation on your question/topic. The purpose of the presentation is
to provide you with an opportunity to explore an area of forensic psychology in greater depth and
to demonstrate your understanding of that topic and to explain it to an audience. A list of
possible topics will be discussed in class. See presentation handout.
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COMPUTERS IN CLASS:
It is my strong preference that you do not bring laptop computers to class. Should you
choose to bring a laptop to class it must only be used for course activities; email, instant
messaging, online poker, checking sports scores, or showing your friends something really
cool/funny/weird/gross are not course activities and will result in the loss of the privilege of having
your computer in class.
STUDENT ACCOMMODATIONS:
It is the policy of the University to make reasonable accommodations for students with
disabilities. If you are a student with a disability and you need academic accommodations, please
see me and contact Student Support Services in Building 200 or call 740-6416. All academic
accommodations must be arranged through that office.
Documented (or not) problems should be discussed with the instructor PRIOR to the
test, or, in the extremely rare case of an emergency which prevents contacting the instructor prior
to the test, as soon as possible. I intend to be quite strict about this. Note that having other
assignments, tests, or papers due, friends in town, vacation plans, hangovers, and the like DO
NOT constitute acceptable excuses. You have prior warning!!
Please take note:
Parts of this course deals with very sensitive matters. While the instructor will make
every effort to present course content in a sensitive manner, students should bear in mind
that issues such as violent crime and sexual offending are central to the field of forensic
psychology. During the course of this semester we will view films that contain nudity,
sexuality, violence, and/or profanity. Individuals who are easily disturbed by these films or
discussion topics may find some of the material offensive or difficult to deal with. Students
who prefer not to watch a film for any reason should speak with me prior to the scheduled
viewing to make alternative arrangements. As well, some of the material we cover may
challenge you to think in new ways that could feel uncomfortable and some of the things
covered in this class may relate to personal experiences you have had.
If you experience any difficulty, or feel the need to leave the classroom at any time for
personal reasons, please do so, but I ask that you check in with me after class. If you have
any concerns, you are encouraged to discuss this matter with your instructor or you may
wish to consider alternative courses.
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COURSE SYLLABUS:
The syllabus represents a “best” plan for the course, but, as with most plans, it is subject to
changes. The course outline, as well as exam dates, may change as the course progresses. Students
should attend all class meetings to learn of any schedule changes. Most of the following topics
will be discussed during classes, although we may only do selected sections of some chapters.
Sept 8th
Review course syllabus & expectations for course
Chapter 1: An Introduction to Forensic Psychology
Sept 15th
Chapter 2: Police Psychology
Chapter 3: Psychology of Police Investigations
Sept 22nd
Chapter 4: Deception
Chapter 5: Eyewitness Testimony
Sept 29th
Chapter 6: Child Victims and Witnesses
************topic proposal due*******************************
Oct 6th
****Midterm 1 Chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Oct 13th
Chapter 7: Juries: Fact Finders
Oct 20th
Chapter 8:The Role of Mental Illness in Court
Oct 27th
Chapter 10: Risk Assessment
Nov 3rd
Chapter 11: Psychopaths
Nov 10th
Chapter 12: Assessment and Treatment of Young Offenders
Nov 17th
****Midterm 2 Chapters 7, 8, 10, 11, 12
Nov 24th, Dec1st
Presentations
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Psychology 403 - PRESENTATION HANDOUT
Topic proposal due: September 29th
Presentation Dates: Nov 24th & Dec 1st
You will give an oral presentation of your research paper. This presentation should be
approximately 20 minutes long, with about 5-10 additional minutes for questions/comments. You
should prepare a PowerPoint presentation to help guide the class through your lecture and
provide a handout of your power point to the instructor.
You may work alone or in a group. Based on your research, you/your team will develop a short,
20-minute presentation that integrates and organizes your research information and
demonstrates that you understand the ideas in the course, can apply them properly, and can do so
critically. You can choose the topic as long as it has relevance for forensic psychology and is not
too broad (in other words, you need to keep it reasonably specific) AND you have turned in a
written topic proposal.
In order to minimize duplication and overlap between presentations, students will need to
identify their topic as soon as possible and hand in a written proposal for your topic. Your topic
proposal should include a very brief statement of what specifically you will be researching,
and the names of your group members. Once a topic has been identified, other students may
not duplicate the same topic.
When working in teams, all members must contribute to the final effort. Presenters will receive
the same grade for their presentation unless their contribution is significantly different than other
team members. To discourage social loafing, I will be asking you to evaluate the contributions of
each team member, including yourself. These evaluations will be kept confidential (and may be
used to assist in assigning grades to each person if the evaluations so dictate). Any student who
fails to turn in a group contribution form will have 25% deducted from their own
presentation grade.
Note: It is expected that you will attend all presentations. Unless there are
extreme mitigating circumstances and prior permission from the instructor, if
you are absent for the presentations, you will receive a zero for your
participation mark.
Grading: The presentations will be graded for content based on how extensively the topic was
researched (i.e., how much more than what we can read in the textbook), the organization of the
presentation, and how clearly the topic was explained. The best grades will go to presentations
that are concise but complete and thoughtful reviews of the topic.
You may come and talk to me or submit as many drafts as you like providing
you give me enough time to give you feedback!
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CLASS PARTICIPATION SELF-ASSESSMENT
Due: November 24th
At the end of the semester, students will evaluate their own performance in participating
in class and assign themselves a participation mark for the course.
Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes, and to actively participate in
class discussions. If you need to miss a scheduled class, it is your responsibility to
inform me - in advance if at all possible.
You should come to each class prepared to discuss the assigned readings and topics
explored during that class. The topics and readings are noted in detail in the course
outline, but these may change depending on how far we get with each class.
I am asking you to evaluate your own participation and assess your mark out of 10.
This assignment is due on November 24th. Participation self-assessment should be
based not only on how frequently you participated and in what ways, but the quality of
your participation. Please hand in a one (1) page TYPED evaluation of your
participation.
Your assessment should consider the following evaluation criteria:
1. Whether you were present or absent from classes, arrived on time, and stayed
for the duration;
2. Whether you came to class fully prepared to discuss, question and/or
summarize the readings and lecture/seminar topics;
3. Whether you attempted to contribute to group and class discussions. Measure
yourself against your usual inclination for "speaking up" and NOT against how
much you talked in relation to how much other people talked;
4. Whether you dealt respectfully with others' questions, confusion, and discussion
priorities. In other words, in what ways did you contribute to making the class an
inclusive and constructive learning environment?
5. In group work, did you work with and help your fellow students? Did you do your
share of the work?
6. Did you use class discussion, regardless of whether you spoke, as an
opportunity to expand your understanding of the topics explored?
Because you need to support your self-assessment, you might want to keep a diary of
your attendance and participation for each class. If completed with sufficient selfreflection, your participation self-assessment will be highly persuasive in the
determination of your actual participation mark for the course. You should note,
however, that I reserve the right to change your mark, either up or down, if I disagree
with your assessment.
NOTE: Try to have some fun with this - think about the class, think about your
participation, but don't get bogged down with it. Be creative, stick up for yourself,
and if you didn't talk a lot, let me know what you got out of discussions!
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