PSY 531 -
PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
Fall, 2009
Wednesday, 1:00-4:00 pm
Brooke J. Cannon,
Ph.D.
e-mail: cannonb@marywood.edu
Website: www.brookecannon.com
REQUIRED TEXT: American Psychiatric Association (2000). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-IV-Text Revision (TR). Washington, D.C.: APA.
DESCRIPTION: An in-depth examination of the range of psychiatric disorders, with emphasis on affective, personality, and cognitive disorders. Etiology, diagnosis, and treatment will be explored. Relevant empirical research will be reviewed.
OBJECTIVES: After successful completion of this course, the student should have:
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: Marywood University complies with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the American with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students with disabilities who need special accommodations should advise the instructor and submit documentation of the disability at the Office of Disability Services, Liberal Arts Center 202, in order for reasonable accommodations to be granted. The Office of Disability Services will determine the appropriate accommodation and in cooperation with the instructor, will work to ensure that the student has a fair opportunity to perform in this class. To best service the needs of the student, he/she should notify the instructor and the Office of Disability Services of special accommodation needs by the last day to register for semester classes. Contact the Academic Excellence Center, LAC 202 (340-6045). More information available at http://www.marywood.edu/disabilities/disabilityservices.html.
REQUIREMENTS:
1. Examinations (each 20% of grade) - There will be three (3) examinations, covering assigned material in the DSM text, assigned readings on reserve, handouts, and lecture. Format will be objective test items and short answer. Should an emergency necessitate a make-up exam, the resulting raw score will determine the grade; that is, the student will not benefit from the modified curve based on class performance. Therefore, there is a distinct advantage to taking the exam as scheduled.
2. Oral presentation (10% of grade) - Each student will choose a proposed new category for possible inclusion in the DSM, as outlined in Appendix B, for the oral presentation topic. This topic first must be approved by me, with no more than 2 students per topic. Topic assignments will be granted on a first-come-first-served basis, so claim your topic early! To request a topic, submit (in writing) the name of the disorder and 2 citations of empirical research on the topic. This means you must do a literature search on the topic first. Not all topics have available references, so this will save you from panicking right before your presentation is due... This is to be a 10-15 minute PowerPoint presentation (I will time you – no less than 10 and no more than 15 minutes – practice ahead of time). Include an overview of the disorder and its criteria, a summary of the research you reviewed, and your opinion as to whether or not it should be included in DSM-V. The schedule for presentations will be handed out after all students have chosen topics. There will be one exam question from each disorder presented, so pay attention! If you are not familiar with PowerPoint, see me to arrange for a tutorial.
3. Film discussion assignment (10% of grade) – Select a movie from www.psychmovies.com that portrays an adult psychopathology. Before watching the film, review the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for the disorder, if already known, or at least keep it handy during viewing, and determine the accuracy of the film portrayal. Also consider etiology and treatment issues, whether or not portrayed in the film. This should be no more than 2-3 pages. Turn in a copy to me and have a copy for yourself to reference during our class film discussion following Exam #2. If you have trouble getting a copy of a film, let me know – I own several and also belong to Blockbuster Online, from where I am likely to be able to get a film within a few days, which you may then borrow.
3. Research review paper (20% of grade) - Each student will prepare a 15-20 page paper (not including title, abstract-not needed, or reference pages), with 1" margins, 12-point Times Roman font, double-spaced, addressing a particular aspect of any of the adult DSM diagnostic categories, such as current psychopharmacological treatment of major depression, social functioning in paranoid schizophrenia, diagnosis of eating disorders, etc. The paper must include at least ten (10) empirical research references (empirical means an actual study - subjects, method, results, etc., not a review or theoretical paper), each of which is critically examined in the body of the paper and appropriately cited. These are to be primary citations, that is, you must directly read the article, not reference it "as cited in" another article. Along with your paper, all cited references must be turned in. Put your name on top of each article; they will be returned with your paper. The paper is meant to be an exercise in critical thinking, not simply an overview of the topic, with attention paid to each study’s design, methods, conclusions, and generalizability. Integration of the research covered in the paper is expected, with some general conclusion reached regarding the status of the area examined. The paper must be written in current APA format. If you are unclear as to how to approach this assignment, discuss it with me. I will read drafts and give feedback, allowing for 1 week turnaround time – don't give me a paper to review less than 8 days before it is due, to allow for your revision time. Earlier is better. Students are strongly encouraged to use this editorial process, but are not required. Only the paper turned in on the due date will be graded. Don't hand in a paper that is less than 15 FULL pages of text or has margins greater than 1" or your grade will lowered significantly!!!
PLAGIARISM WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. Any written or orally presented material must be in your own words, with appropriate citation for the proper paraphrasing of another's work. Any direct quotes from another source must be designated with quotation marks and cited according to the APA Publication Manual; also see this manual for additional information about plagiarism. Direct quotation should be minimal, i.e., no more than a few words or phrases which cannot be paraphrased adequately. Quoting or using the exact wording of another author because you do not understand what is written is no excuse. Find another reference if that is the case. Any assignments completed through plagiarism will receive a grade of zero. Ignorance is no excuse. Give me your draft, or portions of it, and the references as part of the editorial process and I will assess for proper paraphrasing, citation, etc. Every student must complete the University of Indiana Plagiarism Test, if not already done for another class; a copy of the certificate of completion must be submitted no less than 1 week prior to the due date for the research paper.
GRADING: Grades for the requirements will be assigned according to the following subjective descriptors:
|
A = outstanding |
B+ = above average |
B- = below average |
C = seriously deficient |
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A- = excellent |
B = average |
C+ = poor |
F = failing |
Assignments will be graded for content and quality, according to the essential components of each requirement. For example, the final paper should contain each of the elements outlined above (content), and the student’s critique and integration of the research discussed should be clear and organized.
Grading of exams will be based on a modified "curve," with the top grade on each exam determining the "A," or 100%. The A range will be from 95-100%; the A- range from 90-94%; the B+ range from 85-89%; the B range from 80-84%; the B- range from 75-79%; C+ from 70-74%; C from 65-69%; and F<65%. The curve is not based on the number of people, but the percentage of earned points. Therefore, there is no limit to the proportion of students who can earn As (or any other grade).
NOTHING WILL BE ACCEPTED LATE! Plan ahead. Expect printing problems, computer viruses, etc. I will gladly accept assignments early. If you are sick or your car won’t start or whatever on the day the paper is due, put it in the mail that day or the next morning - I will check the postmark.
PROPOSED CLASS SCHEDULE:
[Any alterations from this schedule will be discussed in class.]
|
Date |
Topic |
Assignment |
|
9/2 |
Class introduction; basic concepts; psychopathology through history |
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9/9 |
NOTE: Class begins at 2:00 pm due to University’s opening events. Classification ; DSM ; Impulse-Control Disorders |
Rosenhan, Spitzer, & Widiger & Samuel readings; DSM pp. xxiv-12; 27-37; 663-677 |
|
9/16 |
Substance-Related Disorders ; Delirium; Dementia ; Amnesia; amnesia film |
Brown & Barlow reading on alcoholism; DSM pp. 135-141; 147-180; 194-295 |
|
9/23 |
Exam #1 – Dissociative Identity Disorders Film |
|
|
9/30 |
DSM pp. 519-582
|
|
|
10/7 |
RESEARCH PAPER TOPICS APPROVED BY TODAY |
Szasz and Taylor readings; DSM pp. 297-343 |
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10/14 |
ORAL PRESENTATION TOPICS APPROVED BY TODAY |
DSM pp. 685-729 |
|
10/21 |
Exam #2; Film Assignment Discussion |
|
|
10/28 |
DSM pp. 345-401 |
|
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11/4 |
Brown & Barlow reading on OCD; DSM pp 429-476 |
|
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11/11 |
Sleep Disorders; Somatoform Disorders |
DSM pp. 485-511; 597-661 |
|
11/18 |
Eating Disorders |
Brown & Barlow reading on bulimia; DSM pp. 513-517; 579-683; 583-595 |
|
11/25 |
NO CLASS – Thanksgiving |
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12/2 |
RESEARCH REVIEW PAPERS DUE |
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|
12/9 |
ORAL PRESENTATIONS |
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12/16 |
Exam #3 |
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NOTE: You do not need to know the "recording procedures" sections of the DSM or any numeric codes. You also are not responsible for disorders in the "differential diagnosis" sections which we have not yet covered. The only "specifiers" you need to know are those for Adjustment Disorders.
ASSIGNED READINGS (on reserve or on-line):