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Prerequisite: Psychology 1 or 2
Description of Course:
Psychology 2510 provides a survey of the major conceptualizations
and research findings regarding various forms of abnormal behavior,
as well as an overview of the treatment approaches toward such behavior.
The course is intended for students who have completed introductory
psychology and who have a basic knowledge of the main theories and
methods in psychology.
Textbook:
Alloy, L. B., Jacobson, N. S., & Acocella, J. (1999). Abnormal
psychology: Current perspectives (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
- Coming to class is essential to doing well in this course. Lectures
will not simply repeat what is in the textbook but will help you
to understand the material better. If you complete the reading
before the lecture for which the reading was assigned, you will
get more out of the course and will very likely earn a higher
grade.
- Please be courteous to your fellow students and to the instructor.
Some of the ways you can do this include (a) arriving on time
and staying until the end of class, (b) not talking loudly or
reading the newspaper during class, and (c) respecting others'
views or comments, no matter how different they are from your
own.
- Participate in class as much as possible. Your questions and
comments during class are welcome.
There will be three exams, evenly spaced throughout the semester.
The first and second exams will each have 50 multiple choice questions,
and the third exam will have 70 multiple choice questions (each
question will be worth one point, with a total of 170 points for
the course). Approximately half of the exam questions will come
from the text, and half from the lectures. Exams will be graded
on a modified curve. Exams are tentatively scheduled for February
27, April 10, and May 15. These dates are subject to change and
any changes will be announced in class. Students are responsible
for keeping themselves informed about changes in the examination
schedule. Each test will be computer scored, so please bring two
(in the event one breaks) #2 pencils to each exam. In order to receive
credit, you must print your name on both the computer answer sheet
and on the front of the exam questions. Scores will be posted in
the hallway outside of the classroom approximately one week following
each exam. Students who have any questions
about their score or grade on an examination should contact the
teaching assistant to schedule an appointment.
If you need accommodations because of a disability, please notify
Dr. Borduin or the teaching assistant as soon as possible. Reasonable
effort will be made to accommodate your special needs. To request
academic accommodations (e.g., extended testing time), students
must also register with Disability Services (A038 Brady Commons,
882-4696), the office responsible for reviewing documentation about
disabilities and for helping to plan accommodations that are consistent
with course requirements. Another source, MU's Adaptive Computing
Technology Center (884-2828), is available to provide computing
assistance for students with disabilities.
Students who miss either of the first two examinations should notify
the teaching assistant the class after the scheduled examination
to arrange for a specific time to take an essay make-up exam. All
make-up exams will be essay and will be taken during the week of
April 15-19. Students are responsible
for contacting the teaching assistant and will receive a grade of
"0" for
neglecting to schedule a make-up exam on time. If you cannot reach
the teaching assistant, you can leave a phone message for the TA
at the Psychology Office (882-6860) or a written message in the
TA’s mailbox in the Graduate Student Lounge (Room 3) in McAlester
Hall, located on S. Sixth St.
Students may elect to obtain extra credit with a term paper. Up
to 15 points can be obtained by writing a paper. Any topic that
is relevant to the study of Abnormal Psychology is acceptable. However,
specific topics must be submitted to Dr. Borduin or the teaching
assistant on or before March 8. Students should submit a
detailed outline or paragraph (not a few sentences) proposing their
paper topic. (Some practical advice: Spend some time in the library
investigating a topic that interests you before
you submit a paper topic proposal; otherwise, your description of
a proposed paper topic is unlikely to be detailed enough to be approved.)
Paper topic proposals will be returned with feedback shortly after
they are submitted; students should not begin writing a paper before
their topic proposal has been approved and returned (only approved
papers will be awarded points). Papers should be 10-15 typed pages
(double spaced) in length and should use 12-point font, 1-inch margins,
and page numbers. Papers are due on or
before April 22. Late papers will be penalized 3 points for
each day after April 23. Clarity of ideas, organization, content,
and style (including basic rules of grammar) will be considered
in awarding points. All sources must be cited in the body of the
paper as well as included in a reference list. (Students can receive
assistance with their writing from the MU
Writing Lab, 100 Student Success Center, 882-2493.) Some examples
of possible topics include:
- Use one of the paradigms in the text (e.g., psychoanalytic,
behavioral or humanistic) to analyze a character from a work of
fiction. From the point of view of abnormal psychology what sort
of disorder does the character have? What are the symptoms? From
the point of view of your particular paradigm, what might have
caused the disorder?
- Pick one of the disorders in the textbook and read 4-5 research
studies about its causes. Describe the studies and their results.
What do the studies tell us about the causes of the disorder?
Note: These research studies should
be taken from professional journals,
such as those found in Ellis Library (e.g., Journal
of Abnormal Psychology, Journal
of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal
of Abnormal Child Psychology, Archives
of General Psychiatry, Psychological
Bulletin), and NOT from the popular
press (e.g., Readers Digest,
Parents Magazine, Science
Digest, Psychology Today,
a newspaper article), an internet site, or another secondary source.
See the teaching assistant or Dr. Borduin if you are unsure about
the distinction.
- Pick one of the disorders in the textbook and, using recent
research studies evaluating various treatments of the disorder,
discuss the effectiveness of the treatments. What are the strengths
and limitations of the different approaches to treating the disorder?
What factors might explain differences in the effectiveness of
the various treatments? Note: The
research studies should be taken from professional
journals (see Example #2).
- (For students who work in an applied setting.) Write a case
study about one of your clients
(not a family member, friend, or
acquaintance) discussing his/her symptoms, possible causes of
the symptoms, and treatment strategies. Be sure to disguise any
identifying information about the person to protect his/her confidentiality.
Check with the staff at your agency for permission.
- Many other topics that are of special interest to you are possible.
However, all topics must be approved.
Academic honesty is fundamental to the activities and principles
of a university. All members of the academic community must be confident
that each person's work has been responsibly and honorably acquired,
developed, and presented. Any effort to gain an advantage not given
to all students is dishonest whether or not the effort is successful.
Examples of academic dishonesty include cheating (e.g., looking
at another student's test, trying to use notes during a test) or
knowingly assisting another student in committing an act of cheating,
plagiarism (submitting material as one's own work when such work
has been prepared by another person or copied from another person),
unauthorized possession of examinations, and unauthorized changing
of grades or a grade record. When in doubt
about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quoting, or collaboration,
consult the course instructor or teaching
assistant. The following website also provides useful information
about plagiarism and how to cite sources: http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/author1.htm.
Academic dishonesty is a very serious matter, with serious consequences
that range from probation to expulsion. In this course, students
who commit an act of academic dishonesty will be subject to University
disciplinary procedures. Although policy states that cases of academic
dishonesty must be reported to the office of the Provost for possible
action, the instructor also may assign a failing grade for the examination/assignment
in question or a failing grade for the course. Please do not jeopardize
your integrity or academic status at MU.
Date/Topic/Assignment
Jan. 23--Introduction to course
25--Paradigms--Ch. 1 (pp. 3-11), 4, 5
28 " " " " " "
30--Assessment and Classification--Ch. 2
Feb. 1 " " " "" "" "
4--Research Methods--Ch. 3
6 " " " " "
8--Stress and Coping--Ch. 6 (pp. 157-161)
11--Psychophysiological Disorders--Ch. 8
13 " " " " " "
15--Anxiety Disorders--Ch. 6 (pp. 149-157, 161-175)
18 " " " " "
20--Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders--Ch. 7
22--Review for Exam
25--Schizophrenia--Ch. 13 (pp. 369-385)
27--EXAM 1--Ch. 1 (pp. 3-11), 2-8
Mar. 1--Schizophrenia (cont.)--Ch. 13 (pp. 386-407)
4 " " " " " " "
6--Affective (Mood) Disorders--Ch. 9
8 " " " " " "
(Last day to submit topic proposal for optional paper)
11 " " " " " "
13--Sexual Disorders and Dysfunctions--Ch. 12, 17 (pp. 504-509)
15 " " " " " "
18--Substance Use Disorders--Ch. 11
20 " " " " " " "
22--Personality Disorders--Ch. 10, 17 (pp. 493-504, 509-520)
SPRING BREAK
Apr. 1--Personality Disorders (cont.)
3 "" ''"
5--Review for Exam
8--Childhood Disorders--Ch. 15
10--EXAM 2--Ch. 9-13, 17
12--Childhood Disorders (cont.)
15 " " " "
17--Mental Retardation--Ch. 16 (pp. 463-473, 479-489)
19 " " " " " "
22--Infantile Autism--Ch. 16 (pp. 473-479) (Last
day to hand in optional term paper)
24 " " " " "
26--Treatment--Ch. 1 (pp. 12-24)
29 " " " " "
May 1 " " " " "
3--Legal Issues--Ch. 18
6--Prevention--Ch. 19
8 " " " " "
10 " " " " "
15 (10:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.)--EXAM 3
--Ch. 1 (pp. 12-24), 15, 16, 18, 19
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