The University of Hong Kong
Department of Psychology
PSY2062
Second Semester 2015-2016
Introduction to Psychopathology (PSYC 2062)
Instructor
Name: Dr. Shirley X. Li, PhD, DClinPsy, Chartered Clinical Psychologist
Office: Room 663, Jockey Club Tower
Consultation hour: Wednesday 2-3pm
Email: shirley.li@hku.hk
Coordinator:
Name: Ms. Beverly Wong
Office: Room 619, Jockey Club Tower
Consultation hour: Thu 10:30-11:30
Email: beverlyw@hku.hk
Tutors:
Name: Mr Tommy Li
Office: C618, Jockey Club Tower
Consultation hour: Friday 13:30-14:20
Email: dstea@hku.hk
Name: Ms Vera Chan
Office: C712, Jockey Club Tower
Consultation hour: Wednesdays 12:30pm-1:30pm
Email: u3004075@connect.hku.hk.
 If you have any questions concerning the course, please direct them to Ms. Wong and/or to
your tutors!
 If these questions are of interest for the whole course, please post them on Moodle.
Course overview
This course provides an introduction to the modern concepts of psychopathology. Core features,
conceptualization, and treatment of major groups of psychological disorders will be covered.
Relevant cultural and ethical issues will be discussed.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course, students are expected to demonstrate knowledge of the basic
concepts and models of psychopathology. Students will be able to critically evaluate scientific
evidence on psychopathologies and their interventions. Course assignments are specifically
designed for students to apply acquired knowledge to conceptualize psychological problems in daily
life situations using validated models. Students are also equipped and encouraged to reflect on
their own assumptions and biases regarding psychopathologies and to demonstrate sensitivity to
the ethical issues relating to clinical practice in mental health profession.
The University of Hong Kong
Department of Psychology
PSY2062
Second Semester 2015-2016
Course materials
Textbook: Barlow, D. H., & Durand, V. M. (2015). Abnormal psychology: An integrative approach
(7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Copies will be available in HKU bookstore and from Main Library Reserve for 2-hr loans.
Readings: Selected journal articles and readings are recommended for further understanding of
specific topics. The citations will be posted on Moodle and links to the electronic copy of
the references will also be provided when possible.
Website: A Moodle site for this course is ready for use. Login with your HKU Portal UID and PIN at:
http://hkuportal.hku.hk and follow the instructions to get into Moodle through “My eLearning”.
Moodle will be used for making announcements regarding class and assignment schedules, posting
lectures notes, and reference materials, etc. You are expected to check Moodle regularly for
information updates; failure to do so will not be accepted as an excuse for missing important dates,
deadlines, or other information.
You should be able to access the Moodle for this course through your HKU portal once you have
successfully enrolled in the course. If you have not enrolled for this course, please access Moodle
through: http://hkuportal.hku.hk/moodle/guest, using the following login detail:
Username: psyc2062_2b_2015_guest
Password: Psyc2062_2b_2015_g
Course contents and schedule:
Lectures: Wednesday 10:30am-12:20pm; Venue: Theatre A, Chow Yei Ching Building
Week
Date
Textbook
Lecture Topic
chapter
1
20/1
1,2
Basic concepts in psychopathology
2
27/1
3,4
Clinical assessment & diagnosis
3
03/2
7
Mood disorders*
4
10/2
Class suspension period for CNY
5
17/2
8
Sleep-wake disorders*
6
24/2
9
Physical disorders and health psychology*
7
2/3
5
Anxiety disorders*
8
9/3
Reading Week
9
16/3
University Holiday
10
23/3
Mid-term test (Venue: CYPP3 / CYPP4)
11
30/3
8
Eating disorders* (TBC)
12
6/4
13
Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders*
13
13/4
6, 12
Personality disorders, dissociative disorders*
14
20/4
16
Ethical and legal issues in mental health*
15
27/4
10
Sexual dysfunction, paraphilic disorders and gender
dysphoria*
16
TBC
End-of-term test (Venue: TBA)
Exam Period: May
9 to 28, 2016
*Mini quiz will take place in the beginning of the lecture; late-comers will not be allowed to take the
test.
The University of Hong Kong
Department of Psychology
PSY2062
Second Semester 2015-2016
Tutorials:
You will sign up tutorial on Moodle from 9:00am, Jan 21 (Thu) to 9:00am, Jan 26 (Tue). There are 7
tutorial choices. Choose one timeslot in your tutorial selection.
Tuesday
09:30-10:20
Venue: CPDLG61
Week
3
4-5
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Tuesday
12:30-13:20
Venue: CPDLG61
Tuesday
13:30-2:20
Venue: CPDLG61
Tuesday
15:30-16:20
Venue: CPDLG21
Thursday
12:30-13:20
Venue: CPDLG21
Tutorial Topic
T1 Organization & Clinical assessment
No tutorials (CNY)
T2 Mood disorders (Group project video show)
No tutorials (Reading week)
T3 Anxiety disorders I (Group project video show:
Specific Phobia / Social Phobia)
T4 Anxiety disorders II (Group project video show:
Panic Disorder/Agoraphobia, Generalized Anxiety
Disorder)
No tutorials
T5 Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders
Group presentation: multidimensional integrative
approach
T6 Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
Group presentation: multidimensional integrative
approach
T7 Personality Disorders
Group presentation: multidimensional integrative
approach
Friday
10:30 -11:20
Venue: CPDLG21
Friday
11:30 -12:20
Venue: CPDLG21
Tuesday
Feb 2
Thursday
Feb 4
Friday
Feb 5
Mar 1
Mar 3
Mar 4
Mar 15
Mar 17
Mar 18
Mar 22
Mar 24
Mar 25
Apr 5
Apr 7
Apr 8
Apr 12
Apr 14
Apr 15
Apr 19
Apr 21
Apr 22
The course schedule may change. If this happens, every effort will be made to make sure that you
have ample notice. You are responsible for being aware of those changes by attending classes and
checking on Moodle. Most lectures will generally follow the outline of your textbook while
expanding on key concepts and issues but some may deviate substantially from the textbook in
order to cover more updated and/or culturally relevant materials. You are expected to attend class
regularly and punctually, as well as to obtain help from the tutors and the instructor if you are
having difficulty.
Course assessment:
Group presentation (15%)
You will form teams of three or four within your tutorial groups. Each team will prepare a 10minute presentation on the conceptualization of a psychological problem of a public figure (e.g.
John Nash, “A beautiful mind“). Please use the multidimensional integrative approach introduced
in the textbook and lecture to describe the problem. The presentation should cover some
The University of Hong Kong
Department of Psychology
PSY2062
Second Semester 2015-2016
background details of the “case”, the manifestation of the problem, an analysis of the nature and
etiology of the problem, and potential intervention strategies. The purpose of the assignment is to
facilitate application of knowledge learned in the course.
Group project (20%):
You will form teams of three or four within your tutorial groups. Each team will produce an original
video of 3-5 minutes, taking the form of a fictional short film on a specific disorder. Please illustrate
a specific situation in which a characteristic problem behavior of the respective disorder is
triggered.
Each team will present their video followed by a student-led discussion (8-10minutes) in the tutorial
on the specified date for the topic.
Based on the video, each team is required to engage and lead the audience to (1) analyse the
problem behavior, and (2) identify short- and long-term consequences, maintaining conditions, and
targets for psychotherapy. The entire group project presentation should be no longer than 15
minutes.
The grade for the videos will consist of ratings from tutors and fellow classmates. Within-group peer
rating will also be adopted to evaluate individual performance. More details will be announced in
tutorials. No late submission will be accepted. Selected videos may be aired in lectures.
Tutorial participation (10%):
What you get from this course is very much a function of what you put into it. You are expected to
participate actively in tutorials. Mere attendance will not lead to participation marks. You are
encouraged to contribute to class learning through showing respect to your fellow students and
teachers by punctual attendance and paying close attention to others’ presentations and
discussions, and sharing your ideas, questions, and personal experiences/observations in tutorials
and on the Moodle forum, and rendering assistance to your fellow students.
Mini quizzes (10%):
There will be mini quizzes taking place at the beginning of the selected lectures (please refer to the
course timetable). Each quiz carries 2% to the total mark, and only the marks of the best 5 quizzes
will be included, i.e., max: 10%. Each quiz covers the topic of the lecture on the date that the quiz is
scheduled (i.e. the quiz is assessing students’ preparation for the lecture).
Mid-term test (20%)
The mid-term test will consist of multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blanks questions. You will need to
have a good understanding of the terminology, concepts, as well as theories covered in the
required readings and lectures.
End-of-term test (25%)
The end-of-term test will consist of multiple-choice questions, which only include the materials
covered after the mid-term test. There will also be some short questions on the materials covered
in the whole course.
The University of Hong Kong
Department of Psychology
PSY2062
Second Semester 2015-2016
Make-up exam policy
If you were too sick to write a test and you have a valid medical certificate stating explicitly that you
are unable to write the test on the test date, you may be given the opportunity to write a make-up
test in a format that may differ from the test taken by the class.
Academic difficulties
Some students may regularly experience academic difficulty because of trouble managing time
effectively, an inability to adequately prepare for exams, or anxiety associated with test-taking.
Centre of Development and Resources for Students (CEDARS) offers programs to enhance study
effectiveness and stress management. Students experiencing difficulties due to sensory or physical
handicaps should notify the instructor; an attempt will be made to accommodate the special
learning needs. Students in this situation are also encouraged to contact CEDARS for supportive
services.
Academic Honesty & Plagiarism
The standard of academic conduct for The University of Hong Kong students requires that students
shall not engage in any conduct that involves the attempt to receive a grade by means other than
their own honest effort. Students are expected to complete their own work, with no unauthorized
aid of any kind.
You must not use or access a computer or any communication device during a quiz, not even to turn
it off when it sounds. Students suspected of cheating in a quiz will be referred to the Disciplinary
Committee for further action.
The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism. All cases of suspected plagiarism will be
investigated and if substantiated, reported to the University Disciplinary Committee. You are
strongly advised to read the booklets “What is Plagiarism” (http://www.hku.hk/plagiarism/) and
“Plagiarism and How to Avoid It” (http://ec.hku.hk/plagiarism/). A lack of understanding of what
constitutes plagiarism will not be considered as an acceptable excuse for the offence. No credit will
be given for an assignment that contains plagiarized materials. Further penalties may also be
applied. Plagiarism will also be reported to your Faculty for the consideration of possible
disciplinary action.
Student Etiquette
Your cooperation is necessary in maintaining a productive environment for everyone's learning. By
taking this course, you agree to abide by these classroom expectations:
 Be punctual in lectures and tutorials so that the teaching/learning process will not be
disrupted.
 If you have a question or a comment, share it with the whole class or within your group in
designated discussion times.
 Keep your electronic devices on silent mode.
We hope you will enjoy this course and gain a different perspective on psychopathology.