Abnormal Psychology 4143

COURSE SYLLABUS

Summer C 2006

Instructor: V. Mark Durand

T.A. Josh Nadeau

Office: USF St. Petersburg , COQ216B

Office Phone: (727) 553-4055

Office Hours: By appointment

E-mail: abnormalpsy@stpt.usf.edu

REQUIRED TEXT :

Durand, V.M. & Barlow, D.H. (2006). Essentials of Abnormal Psychology (4th ed.). Wadsworth . ISBN: 0-495-03128-3

COURSE OBJECTIVES :

1) To provide students with an integrative overview of the field of abnormal psychology and major psychological problems and disorders;

2) To familiarize students with the multiple cases of psychopathology as viewed from a number of different theoretical perspectives;

3) To illustrate an integrative view of research in the area of abnormal behavior;

4) And, to discuss intervention and prevention strategies for psychological disorders.

DISTANCE EDUCATION

This course will be delivered through a series of CDs. You will view all lectures on the CDs and take exams on the USF St. Petersburg campus. You will need a computer with Internet Explorer and a CDROM drive to be able to see the lectures. Students should try out the sample CD before enrolling in the class to be sure their system is compatible and that they are comfortable with the format. If you need a sample CD, please contact our office (727-553-4055)

You need to pickup course materials the first week of classes on the Saint Petersburg campus in office COQ 216B between the hours of 9:00am-5:30pm.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY :

Any student caught cheating on an exam will receive a grade of F for the course.

EXAMS :

There will be four exams for this course that will be individually scheduled on the USF St. Petersburg campus (see the schedule below). You should email the office (abnormalpsy@stpt.usf.edu) at least a week before each exam to schedule an appointment. The exam schedule will be posted on blackboard and will be updated everyday after 5:00 pm

All exams will be multiple choice tests (approximately 50 questions) on the material for one fourth of the course. Therefore, the final will not be cumulative. The final grade will be determined by taking the scores from the best two of the first three exams plus the fourth exam. All students must take Exam #4. You must take all four exams to earn a grade in this course . Material for the exams will be taken from both the lectures and the readings. The instructor will not change borderline grades.

S-U POLICY: S/U contracts must be negotiated in writing within the first three weeks of the term.

INCOMPLETE GRADE POLICY : An incomplete will be awarded to students only under unusual circumstances and only with the pre-approval of the instructor. An 'I' grade indicates incomplete coursework and may be awarded to an undergraduate student only when a small portion of the student's work is incomplete and only when the student is otherwise earning a passing grade.

MAKE-UP EXAMS :

Please note that, except under extreme circumstances, no make-up exams will be given. If you have an extreme circumstance (e.g., death in the family or serious personal illness) that interferes with your ability to sit for an exam, you should acquire appropriate documentation (e.g., original copy of a physician's note) and contact Dr. Durand immediately. If you do not take an exam during the scheduled exam period, your score will be reduced by two points for each business day you are late. Therefore, if you are late by two days, your exam score starts out as 46 out of 50 (for the 50 point multiple choice test) even before you take the exam . No extra credit work (e.g., papers) will be accepted to improve exam grades.

COURSE OUTLINE

Exam Schedule Dates:

Exams will be given on these dates & times only!

Scheduling

You take the exams on the St. Petersburg campus and sign up for a convenient time. You should email (abnormalpsy@stpt.usf.edu) at least a week before each exam to schedule an appointment. All exams will be multiple choice tests (approximately 50 questions) on the material for the previous portion of the course.  Therefore, the final will not be cumulative.  The final grade will be determined by taking the best two scores from the first three exams plus the last exam for a total of 150 points.

Students must take all exams . Material for the exams will be taken from both the lectures and the readings.