Syllabus
Post Baccalaureate in Pre-Health
PSYO 1030: Abnormal Psychology – 8 week – Fall A 2024
Credits - 3
Description
This abnormal psychology course will explore basic concepts and theories related to abnormal psychology and how psychopathology is classified. Emphasis will be placed on understanding the history of abnormal psychology, the negative impact of stigma related to the diagnosis of mental health disorders, strategies for clinical assessment, the biopsychosocial model for explaining mental illness, as well as the classification, etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of the major disorders. Upon completion, students should be able to distinguish between normal and abnormal behavior patterns as well as demonstrate knowledge of etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders.
Materials
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
Program Outcomes
In lecture courses, students should be able to:
- Communicate scientific concepts and information clearly.
- Illustrate fundamental laws, theories, and principles of scientific disciplines.
- Apply knowledge and critical thinking skills to scientific problems.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Explain how psychologists define abnormal psychology and how it is classified.
- Identify types of mental health professionals.
- Explain perceptions, diagnoses, and treatments of mental illness with appropriate historical context.
- Analyze the stigmas associated with mental illness.
- Evaluate mental illness using the biopsychosocial model.
- Employ appropriate methods for clinical assessment.
- Describe the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of various anxiety disorders.
- Describe the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of various obsessive-compulsive and related disorders.
- Describe the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of various mood disorders.
- Describe the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of various dissociative disorders.
- Describe the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders.
- Describe the etiology, epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of various personality disorders.
Assignments
Self-Assessments/Matching Activities – Students will be provided a matching bank and will be asked to match key terms with their definitions or related concepts. Self-Assessments are not counted toward the student’s final grade.
Discussion Boards – Students will respond to a discussion prompt and will interact with peers by providing feedback to their discussion responses.
Clinical Assessment Assignment – In this assignment, students will watch a popular film depicting an individual with a mental health disorder and they will imagine they had an opportunity to administer a clinical assessment to the character and will complete the assessment with information provided in the film.
Reflection Papers – These written assignments ask students to reflect on different phenomena that occur in abnormal psychology in a manner that is informed by their own reading and research.
Problem-Based Learning Scenarios – These written assignments provide the student with a real-world example of a clinical issue from the subsection of diagnoses being addressed in that learning module. The student will be expected to apply their knowledge of abnormal psychology to suggest a strategy for diagnosing and treating the individual.
Creative Activity – Students will be asked to create a possible new mental health diagnosis. This proposed diagnosis will be justified using clinical research.
Holistic Case Study – In this written assignment, students will evaluate a complex case study of an individual with a mental health disorder. The student will be expected to apply their knowledge of abnormal psychology to suggest a strategy for clinical assessment, diagnosing, and treating the individual. The student will also be required to apply the biopsychosocial model to fully explain the etiology of the disorder.
Midterm Exam (Proctored)– This is a 25-item, multiple-choice exam that is proctored. Students will have 90 minutes to complete the exam. Students may use a single page (front and back) of notes during the exam. This Midterm Exam will cover material from weeks 1 – 4 and must be taken through ProctorU. See UNE’s ProctorU page for information about signing up and scheduling your exam. An external webcam is required.
Final Cumulative Exam (Proctored) – This is a 25-item, multiple-choice exam that is proctored. Students will have 90 minutes to complete the exam. Students may use a single page (front and back) of notes during the exam. This Cumulative Exam with content weighted towards weeks 4 – 6 and must be taken through ProctorU. See UNE’s ProctorU page for information about signing up and scheduling your exam. An external webcam is required.
Practice Proctored Exam – There is a highly recommended Practice Proctored Exam available to all students. The first attempt is free. This exam does not cover course material and is not included in your overall course grade. It prepares test takers for what the testing environment will be like, what forms of identification are needed, and provides a chance to test your external webcam with a live proctor. This is a great way to become familiar with and prepare for your exam!
Grading Policy
Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:
Grade Breakdown
| Assignment | Points |
|---|---|
| Discussion Board: Share and Reflect (3 @ 3 points each) | 9 |
| Reflection Paper (3 @ 5 points each) | 15 |
| Problem-Based Learning Scenarios (9 @ 4 points each) | 36 |
| Clinical Assessment Assignment | 10 |
| Creative Activity Assignment | 5 |
| Case Study Presentation | 10 |
| Mid-Term Assessment | 7.5 |
| Final Cumulative Assessment | 7.5 |
| Total | 100 |
Grade Scale
| Grade | Points Grade | Point Average (GPA) |
| A | 94 – 100% | 4.00 |
| A- | 90 – 93% | 3.75 |
| B+ | 87 – 89% | 3.50 |
| B | 84 – 86% | 3.00 |
| B- | 80 – 83% | 2.75 |
| C+ | 77 – 79% | 2.50 |
| C | 74 – 76% | 2.00 |
| C- | 70 – 73% | 1.75 |
| D | 64 – 69% | 1.00 |
| F | 00 – 63% | 0.00 |
Schedule
Week 1: Sep 4 – Sep 10
Week 2: Sep 11 – Sep 17
Week 3: Sep 18 – Sep 24
Week 4: Sep 25 – Oct 1
Week 5: Oct 2 – Oct 8
Week 6: Oct 9 – Oct 15
Week 7: Oct 16 – Oct 22
Week 8: Oct 23 – Oct 29
| Week | Topic | Assignments | Due Dates |
| 1 | Introduction to Abnormal Psychology |
|
Discussion Initial Post Due by 11:59 PM EST Sunday Response Posts & Assignments Due by 11:59 PM EST Tuesday |
| 2 | Contemporary Models of Abnormal Psychology & Clinical Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment |
|
Assignments Due by 11:59 PM EST Tuesday |
| 3 | Anxiety Disorders |
|
Assignments Due by 11:59 PM EST Tuesday |
| 4 | Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders |
|
Assignments Due by 11:59 PM EST Tuesday |
| 5 | Mood Disorders |
|
Discussion Initial Post Due by 11:59 PM EST Sunday Response Posts & Assignments Due by 11:59 PM EST Tuesday |
| 6 | Dissociative Disorders |
|
Assignments Due by 11:59 PM EST Tuesday |
| 7 | Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders |
|
Assignments Due by 11:59 PM EST Tuesday |
| 8 | Personality Disorders |
|
Discussion Initial Post Due by 11:59 PM EST Sunday Response Posts & Assignments Due by 11:59 PM EST Tuesday |
Student Resources
Online Student Support
Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies. Questions? Email: prehealth@une.edu.
Online Peer Support
Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.
Instructor and Support Contact Information
Check Brightspace for specific instructor and support specialist contact information.
UNE Libraries
- Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Brightspace.
- Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.
Further Assistance
Your student service advisor monitors course progression and provides assistance or guidance when needed. They can assist questions regarding ordering course materials, University policies, billing, navigating the course in Brightspace, and more.
Policies
Attendance Policy
Online students are required to submit a graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET of the first week of the term. If a student does not submit a posting to the graded assignment/discussion prior to Sunday evening at 11:59 pm ET, the student will be automatically dropped from the course for non-participation. Review the full attendance policy.
Assignments
Late assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted. Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded. Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.
Proctored Examinations
The University of New England has contracted with ProctorU to provide students with the most convenient online exam proctoring system. This system provides a simple, no cost to the student, secure, online proctor for exams and allows the student to take all the exams at home and on their own schedule.
Upon enrollment into the course, each student will register with ProctorU and establish a login name and password. This will give the student access to all of ProctorU's services. When ready, students will schedule each of their proctored exams with ProctorU. Exams must be scheduled at least 72 hours in advance to avoid fees. Prior to taking their exams, students must be sure that they have downloaded the ProctorU Chrome or Firefox extension and are using the most current version of Chrome or Firefox. They must also be sure their testing site's connection meets the minimum requirements by using ProctorU's "Test It Out" utility.
Upon the exam day and hour, students will log in to ProctorU and click on "exams". After following the procedures outlined at ProctorU's website, the student will log in to Brightspace and locate their correct exam. The proctor will then allow student access to that exam.
Students must use ProctorU and must follow all proctoring requirements for their exams to be credited.
Information about exam attempts can be found in your course.
Technology Requirements
Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Programs: Technical Requirements
Course Length
A schedule of lectures and assignments is included in this syllabus.
Courses in the program are equivalent to one-semester courses designed to be completed in 6 or 8 weeks
- Enrollment in the course begins the day your section opens which is listed in the Academic Calendar found on the Student Success Portal.
- Course due dates, start and end dates are in respect to Eastern Time.
Withdrawal and Refund Policies
Please review the policies in your confirmation email. Contact PreHealth@une.edu with any questions.
Grade Policy
Students are expected to attempt and complete all graded assignments and proctored exams by the end date of the course. Contact support with any questions.
Transcripts
Due to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, only the student may request official transcripts. This may be done online by going to the University of New England Registrar website and following the directions on the page.
Academic Integrity
The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:
- Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
- Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
- Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
- Multiple submission of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
- Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.
Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations. Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final. Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.
An UNE-Compliant Webcam and Whiteboard is required for proctored exams. If you do not have one, you may order one here: UNE-Compliant Webcam and Whiteboard – Portal for UNE Online Students.