PSYC 2165 - Introduction to Abnormal Psychology
Fall 2009
Instructor: Dr. Barry Kicklighter
Office Location: Russell 309
Office Phone: 678-359-5036
E-mail address:
bkicklighter@gdn.edu
Office Hours:
M-TR 8:30-9:30
M&W; 12:15-12:45
T&W 1:45-3:00
General Course Description
An introductory survey of abnormal behavior and clinical
psychology from a variety of psychological disorders and their
psychotherapeutic treatments, including the application of psychoanalytical,
behavior, social, cognitive, and biological theories.
Prerequisite: PSYC
1101
Textbook
Comer, R.
(2008). Fundamentals of Abnormal
Psychology: Fifth Edition. New
York: Worth.
Online Information
Many of the PowerPoint presentations and
outlines presented in class will available online at http://www.gdn.edu/Faculty/bkicklighter/.
Student’s Responsibility
Attendance: For
perfect attendance, you will have 3 points added to your final grade. If you
miss one or two times, you will receive 2 points. If you miss 3 or 4 times, you
will receive 1 point. Attendance will be taken randomly throughout the semester
and at the beginning of class. If you are not present at the beginning of the
class when the attendance is taken, you will be considered absent; don’t be
late. Regular tardiness will also be considered a class disruption and will
result in a 3 point reduction from your test grade. If you need to leave early,
inform the instructor at the beginning of class. If a student must leave the
class prior to dismissal, he or she should notify the instructor before class
begins. Students who leave class early
without notifying the instructor prior to class will not receive credit for
attendance. Arriving late will be
permitted during the first 15 minutes of class, but no credit for attendance will be given. When entering late, sign the notepad provided
by the instructor. Students will not be allowed to enter after the first 15
minutes. When the door is shut, do not
open it and disturb the class.
Preparation for class and completion of
assigned work: In order to take the
best advantage of classroom lecture and discussion, it is important to prepare
for classes ahead of time by reading assigned material. Tests should be taken on the assigned day,
and assigned work should be completed by the due date.
Awareness and communication: It is the student’s responsibility: 1) to
be aware of test dates and assignment deadlines; 2) to obtain notes or other
information missed; 3) to turn in assignments by deadline dates; 4) to
communicate any special circumstances, events, or needs that will interfere
with his/her course work to the instructor in a timely fashion.
Special Learning Needs: All requests for changes in classroom
procedure (e.g. alternate testing environments, etc.), due to learning
disabilities, must first made to Christina Henderson in the Gordon College
Counseling Center
(Ext: 5221).
Academic Honesty
See the Gordon College Academic Catalog 2007-2008 online for
the official college policy. Evidence of
cheating on examinations or plagiarism of written assignments will, at minimum,
result in a grade of zero for the test or assignment. Any work turned in must be your original work
and any information taken from outside sources must be referenced. This includes facts, statistics, and ideas of
others, even if they are paraphrased. If you read, listen, or otherwise consult
any source in preparation for an assignment, that source must be identified in
a bibliography or other list of works consulted. If you use specific facts or
paraphrase specific sentences or phrases from a source, including the textbook,
that source must be identified not only in the bibliography but also at the end
of the sentence or paragraph in which it appears. If in doubt as to whether an
assignment can be collaborated on with another student, ask the
instructor.
Evaluation and Assessment
- There will be four unit tests and a comprehensive
final exam. Assessments will cover
material discussed both in the textbook and in class. Test dates will be announced one week in
advance. If you miss one of the
four unit tests due to an emergency or another extenuating circumstance,
you must provide written documentation (e.g. medical excuse, auto
service/repair receipt, car-towing receipt, court order) to verify the
reason. The instructor reserves the
right to determine what qualifies as a valid excuse. In the absence of a valid excuse no make
up test will be offered. Students
who take all four unit tests will be allowed to drop their lowest test
grade. Students who miss a test
without a valid excuse will forfeit this privilege. If two (2) tests are missed the second
will result in a zero (0).
- Each student will be expected to select, research,
and present information on a psychological disorder alone or with one other
student. (No more than 2 students will be allowed on a team.) The student
teams will prepare and present a class handout that includes a description
of the psychological disorder, its symptoms and diagnostic requirements,
causes, treatment methods, and a minimum of 2 case studies to illustrate
the disorder. The student teams should be able to explain all information
presented on these handouts including but not limited to, terms, causes, treatment
techniques, symptoms, etc. The presentation will be graded on how well
these areas are covered, the depth of knowledge demonstrated, and on the
creativity shown in presenting the material. Techniques such as posters,
videos, interviews, guest speakers, etc. are encouraged. These class presentations
will be presented throughout the semester as the psychological disorders
are covered in the text. Presentations
shorter than 30 minutes will be penalized.
- Each student will be expected to submit a unique 5 page paper discussing
symptoms, diagnostic requirements, causes, and treatment of the
psychological disorder they helped present in class. This paper can contain the same
information presented in class but must be presented in thesis and not
outline form.
- Each student will be expected to create a diagnostic
and treatment notebook that covers the disorders covered throughout the
course. This notebook can include a description of the disorder along with
symptoms, diagnostic requirements, suspected causes, and treatment
methods. This notebook may be used as
a resource during the final exam.
Grading Scale: 90 – 100 (A), 80 – 89 (B), 70 – 79 (C),
60 – 69 (D), Below 60 (F)
Holidays and Important Dates
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September 7
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Labor Day Holiday
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October 8
|
Midterm – withdrawals will be “WF” after this date
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October 12-13
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Fall Break |
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November 25-29
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Thanksgiving Holidays |
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December 7
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Last Day of Classes |
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December 8-11
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Final Exams |