Johnson State College
External Degree Program
PSY-3065-JYB01 Abnormal Behavior
Syllabus – Spring 2017
Instructor: DeAnne Blueter
[email protected]
Dates: Accelerated Online Section (7 weeks)
March 13 to April 30
Location: Online using Moodle (http://myjsc.jsc.edu)
ADA Statement: Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in
this class are encouraged to contact JSC’s Learning Specialist in Academic Services, as soon as
possible to ensure that accommodations, if needed, are implemented in a timely fashion.
Please call 802-635-1264 or email [email protected].
Academic Honesty: (from JSC Catalog) Students are expected to conform to the highest
standards of academic honesty in all of their academic work at Johnson State College. Academic
dishonesty in any form is prohibited and unacceptable. Acts of dishonesty for which a student
may be disciplined include, but are not limited to, receiving or providing unauthorized
assistance on an examination and plagiarizing the work of others in writing assignments. The
American Heritage Dictionary defines plagiarism in the following way: “To steal or use (the
ideas or writings of another) as one’s own.” Students are responsible for knowing what specific
acts constitute plagiarism; if students are uncertain as to whether a particular act constitutes
plagiarism, they should consult with their instructors before turning in assigned work.
Texts: Texts are available through the JSC bookstore. Call 802-635-2503 or go to
www.jsc.bkstr.com.
Course Description:
This course will provide an introduction to the psychological study and understanding of
abnormal behavior. We will explore an array of abnormal behaviors, how they are classified and
understood, and various ways to treat them. For each type of abnormal behavior, we will discuss
their typical symptoms and behaviors, relevant theories about their causes and development,
cultural and other factors that influence them, and different treatment and intervention strategies.
Textbook: Essentials of Abnormal Psychology, 7th ed. V. Mark Durand & David H. Barlow.
Cengage Learning.
Course format
Since this is an accelerated, 7-week course, course-work will be composed of two main
elements, taking place in parallel. The first element will consist of studying theoretical ideas
from the assigned reading material and discussing them in a class forum (on Moodle). The
second element will consist of students’ independent research on a pre-approved paper topic.
Attendance Policy/Expectations: Although this course takes place entirely in an online
environment, students are expected to dedicate as much time completing reading, participating in
discussions, asking questions, and responding to both the instructor’s and other students’
postings as they would in the traditional classroom environment. Students will need access to a
computer with a stable Internet connection, and be willing to check into the “online classroom”
at least TWO different days per week responding thoughtfully with comments, questions, and
observations. Absences will affect your grade. Having computer problems will not excuse you
from the weekly discussions. You can access the course from any computer with Internet access.
If you anticipate a lengthy medical problem or other emergent personal issues that will result in
missing weekly discussions, please contact me proactively. This is an Accelerated section of
Abnormal Psychology; if a student misses one week of discussion over the semester, it may
not be possible to pass the course.
The instructor will facilitate the online discussion; however, my teaching philosophy is centered
upon students being active participants in the learning process, essentially learning from one
another as well as from the instructor. Assignments and posts should demonstrate critical
thinking. Students’ thoughts and opinions should be supported with references to our readings
cited appropriately.
1) Weekly posts (reading-based)
Each week students will be required to read the assigned reading material and discuss it in the
weekly discussion forum (on Moodle), according to the instructions. For the purpose of this
course, a week will consist of 6 days from Monday to Saturday. Unless explained otherwise, the
weekly format will be as follows: During the week students will discuss the material by posting
at least 6 posts:
Monday – Wednesday (11:59 pm) post one thought question that you come up with from
the first assigned chapter for the week, AND two responses to other students’ thought questions.
(The second post should be at least 80-100 words long, help further the discussion, develop an
idea fully, expresses knowledge of the reading material, and demonstrate critical and creative
thinking.)
Thursday – Saturday (11:59 pm) post one thought question that you come up with from
the second assigned chapter for the week AND two responses to other students’ thought
questions. (The second post should be at least 80-100 words long, help further the discussion,
develop an idea fully, expresses knowledge of the reading material, and demonstrate critical and
creative thinking.)
2) Weekly quizzes (reading-based)
Each quiz will deal with the main ideas in the week’s reading material. Unless announced
differently, each quiz will consist of 20 multiple-choice questions, and students will have 30
minutes to complete it. A quiz can be taken any time between Friday morning and Saturday
night.
3) Weekly Assignment: Journal Entries
Students will post a “Journal Entry” for each chapter regarding their experiences in learning
about abnormal psychology from the readings and assignments for the week. The format will be
to answer, on a weekly basis, for each chapter, the following questions:
 What is the most significant fact that I learned about abnormal psychology this week?
 What did I learn this week about the field of abnormal psychology that changed my
existing perceptions (e.g., what “myth” did I once believe that I now see differently)?
So, 2 journal entries are due each week (1 for each chapter) by Saturday 11:59 pm. Journal
entries do not have to be overly long (100-150 words). Remember, quality is more important
than quantity. Please only disclose information that you are comfortable with me reading!
4) Final Paper
The final paper (APA format, 7-10-page length, including title and abstract pages) will be written
on a pre-approved topic related to a disorder listed in the DSM-V. Choose a disorder that you
are interested in and want to learn more about. You will need to have 3 sources (not including
your book). Be sure to review APA guidelines (Purdue OWL is an excellent site
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/1/ ).
General Course Information:
The assignments/topics of discussion for the week will be posted on Monday and the weekly
Discussion Forum opened. Your initial posting in response to the assignments is due by
Wednesday midnight, with a second assignment due by Saturday midnight. NOTE: The
Wednesday and Saturday due dates are deadlines; you are welcome to post prior to these
days as your schedule allows. Please do not post to a week's discussion after Saturday
midnight (11:59 pm); it will not be graded (without prior arrangement/approval). The
weekly Discussion Forum is closed Saturday prior to midnight (11:59 pm). We do not meet
as a full group at particular times, as in a traditional class. You are free to participate during the
week at times and days of your choosing, as long as you comply with the participation guidelines
below.
Participation: To earn full participation points for the week, you must:
1. Read the assigned material and reference it in your postings. Citations are to follow APA
guidelines.
2. Contribute quality topical information to the discussion submitted in college-level writing.
The first posting (assignment) should be entered by Wednesday midnight, the second by
Saturday midnight. All required postings for the week must be made by Saturday prior to
midnight (11:59 pm).
3. Participate on at least two different days throughout the week.
4. Ask at least two pertinent questions (one for each chapter) of the class regarding our weekly
topic(s). A separate discussion thread will be established each week for student questions that
are to address the weekly topical material.
5. Respond to at least two questions or postings (for each chapter) made by other students and/or
myself with a response post, which references our readings. A response post for the purpose
of this course is a well-developed post a minimum 100-150 words that references our
readings or other appropriate source. A response post is NOT one or two sentences of
general statements or unsupported opinion. Students are welcome to reply to one another with
general statements in addition to the guidelines outlined above; however, these posts do not meet
the criteria of a substantive post. You will lose points for the week for each late posting.
Assignments and posts are graded on both academic quality and quantity. If you are not present
for a week, you will not earn any discussion points for that week. Accommodations can be
arranged privately with the Instructor if students experience family emergencies, illness, or other
circumstances that interfere with the ability to participate in the course.
Grading Criteria: Assignments will be evaluated on some or all of the following criteria,
depending upon the nature of the assignment:
Thought Questions
(5 points each) (10 points/wk x 7 wks =)
70 points
Response Posts
(5 points each) (20 points/wk x 7 wks =)
140 points
Journal Entries
(5 points each) (10 points/wk x 7 wks =)
70 points
Quizzes
(20 points/wk x 7 wks =)
140 points
Final Paper
30 points
Total
450 points
GUIDELINES FOR THE USE OF EMAIL COMMUNICATIONS WITH STUDENTS:
Students are expected to use their JSC email account as an official means of communication.
Course announcements and others important information are sent to students’ JSC e-mail. It is
students’ responsibility to regularly check their JSC e-mail for the purpose of this course,
as well as for administrative communication.
Course schedule by week:
March 13, 2017 – Chapter 1: Abnormal Behavior in Historical Context
Chapter 2: An Integrative Approach to Psychopathology
March 20, 2017 – Chapter 3: Clinical Assessment, Diagnosis, and Research in Psychopathology
Chapter 4: Anxiety, Trauma – and Stressor-Related, and ObsessiveCompulsive and Related Disorders
March 27, 2017 – Chapter 5: Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders and Dissociative
Disorders
Chapter 6: Mood Disorders and Suicide
April 3, 2017 – Chapter 7: Physical Disorders and Health Psychology
Chapter 8: Eating and Sleep—Wake Disorders
April 10, 2017 – Chapter 9: Sexual Dysfunctions, Paraphilic Disorders, and Gender Dysphoria
Chapter 10: Substance-Related, Addictive, and Impulse-Control Disorders
April 17, 2017 – Chapter 11: Personality Disorders
Chapter 12: Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
April 24, 2017 - Chapter 13: Neurodevelopmental and Neurocognitive Disorders
Chapter 14: Mental Health Services: Legal and Ethical Issues
NOTE: The above weekly schedule is subject to change