DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOPATHOLOGY
47.361 • Fall, 2011
Syllabus
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Instructor: |
Dr. Doreen Arcus |
Section 201 |
MW 9:30-10:45, MA 108 |
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Office: |
Mahoney 211 |
Section 202: |
MW 11:00-12:15, MA B8 |
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Phone: |
978-934-4172 |
Class website: |
http://faculty.uml.edu/darcus/47.361 |
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Doreen_Arcus@uml.edu |
My Office Hours: |
M 12:30-1:30, W 1:00-3:00 |
Course Description
This course is designed to provide you with an understanding of the major psychological disorders of childhood and adolescence with a special focus on the role of these issues in the developing person and in the context of family, school, and culture. We will focus on a limited number of topics in depth rather than survey a large and more comprehensive list of pediatric psychological problems at a more superficial level. You will have an opportunity to learn more about topics not covered in this class as part of your assignments.
This material builds on a prior course in child and adolescent development (47-260 Child & Adolescent Psychology or equivalent), which is an absolute prerequisite for enrollment in 47-361. It is the responsibility of each student to have completed all prerequisites prior to enrolling in this class.
Note: Students taking this course for Honors credit must do so by contract before the end of the drop-add period. There will be additional requirements and meeting times.
Why take this course?
This course is especially appropriate for anyone intending to work with children or adolescents in any capacity in our increasingly inclusive world. For example: students with disabilities were frequently excluded from regular education classes—and even from the public school system—for most of the twentieth century, but recent federal non-discriminatory legislation ensures increased participation of students with disabilities in public schools and other public venues. Children and adolescents with behavioral, social-emotional, and learning disorders need more than informed therapists and specialists involved in their growth and development. They need the involvement of educated parents, neighbors, teachers, camp counselors, day care providers, librarians, health care providers, police officers, and policy makers as well.
Goals and Objectives
At the completion of this course you should be able to:
Grading
Grades will be based on class participation (5%), three in-class exams (15% each) and a comprehensive final exam (20% for a total of 65% from exams), and assignments completed outside class time and presented in class (30%). Descriptions of extra credit opportunities will be posted. In general, A range grades are 90-100, B 80-89, C 10-19, D 60-69, and F 59 and below. If you do not take an exam or hand in an assignment, your grade will be 0.
I expect that you will attend and participate in class. An informal lecture will be used for most class meetings. It is critical that you must read materials prior to the class for which they are assigned, since lecture will not reiterate all of the information in the readings, but amplify and attempt to bring important points alive. When we view video, it is expected that students attend to the material in preparation for a class or small group discussion.
Projects
There are two projects for this course for all students in the course. The first, a brief Research Review, is designed to acquaint students with the research literature relevant to developmental psychopathology. You will be required to locate three empirical articles that address a question of your choice but to be approved in advance by the instructor. Articles must appear in peer reviewed journals. You will introduce the question of interest, summarize briefly the methods and results of each article, and synthesize the implications of the three taken together with respect to the research question. Type and double space your papers using APA citation style. They should be 4-5 pages including a page for references. An electronic version of your paper should be submitted to Turnitin.com, and a hard copy to me.
Honors section: Two additional articles will be included
The second project is an Interview. Guidelines will be posted. Briefly, you must find and interview (a) someone who has (or has had) a psychological disorder during childhood or adolescence or (b) who works with children or adolescents who do. You will ask about (a) their experience and its influence on their life across important developmental contexts such as family, school, and friendships, or (b) about the motivation behind their career choice, their preparation, the challenges and rewards of their work, and how they see influences of psychological disorders on the children or adolescents with whom they work. The interview itself will probably last about 30 minutes. You will transcribe it, and write a 5 page paper integrating the results of the interview with specific information from the course, providing appropriate citations, and appending the transcribed interview.
All students should note:
· Additional details are found under Assignments on the class website.
· You must use the citation style of the American Psychological Association in class projects (APA style). The Publication Manual (6th edition) is available at the UML bookstore, and highly recommended.
Exams
There are three in class exams and a comprehensive final. All exams will be multi-format. You will have the entire class time to work on the exam. Both multiple choice and short answer questions will be included. Use material covered in class as a guide for what will be on exams; it will be especially important to be able to distinguish between the disorders we will be covering and to explain how they might contribute to observable behaviors. Exams will be based on both lecture and readings. Brief study guides will be provided and students may bring one page of notes into the in-class exams (two for the final).
The final exam will be comprehensive. There will be no new material on the final. Two pages of notes will be permitted. The final is NOT optional.
Honors credit: Additional integrative short answer question on each exam.
Texts
There is one required book for this class: Mash, E.J. Wener, C. & Kerig, P. (2006). Developmental Psychopathology. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
Class web sites
Class home: http://faculty.uml.edu/darcus and follow the links. You should check our class website at least once each week as you are responsible for material or announcements posted on the site. All hyperlinks (anything that is underlined) on this syllabus are live on the course website so that you can click and connect.
Please check McGraw-Hill resources for our current textbook. The website from the text previously used for this course may also be of interest to you. Wadsworth publishers textbook materials.
Lecture Capture will be used to post each lecture online: http://echo360.uml.edu/arcus2011/devpsychFall.html
Other issues
All students are responsible for their own academic integrity. Plagiarism, whether intentional or not, is an offense of the highest order and will not be tolerated. Please make sure you have read the academic policies of the University of Massachusetts Lowell. These are found in the UML Undergraduate Course Catalogue that can be accessed online through the Office of the Registrar. Additional suggestions for avoiding plagiarism can be found on the Highly Recommended resources on our class website.
Cell phones should be on silent settings during class time. Please only take calls that are emergency (i.e., from a daycare provider) and do so by quietly excusing yourself from class while you talk outside. Under no circumstances are cell phones to be used during exams. Do not use your cell phone or PDA to check messages or e-mail during class. It is rude and distracting to other students and to me.
Students with disabilities who require accommodations should submit materials from the Office for Disabilities as soon as possible. These communications are confidential.
Any student seeking assistance in the course should contact me. I am happy to meet outside office hours by appointment. Do not wait until the proverbial 11th hour. I am happy to provide assistance under the assumption that you are providing the effort. Don’t come to ask me what you missed in class if you couldn’t be there. I don’t do reruns. Do come to ask about issues that are unclear to you after you have read the material and come to class.
Life happens. I understand that you have other demands on your time and that unforeseen events can sometimes cause you to miss class. I do not take attendance in class, but remember that it is hard for you to participate or contribute if you are not there. In other words, you should attend every class!
In the event that you must be absent, it is your responsibility to contact another student to get notes for that day. If you are late to class for unavoidable reasons, please come in quietly—but do come in! If you must leave early, please let me know.
The one exception to this rule is on exam days. Any student who is absent from an exam without prior notification and subsequent documentation of the emergency that kept him or her from class will receive a zero (0) for that exam with no opportunity for a make-up. I will permit students to make up exams at my discretion, provided they have offered proper notification.
A class contact sheet will be developed and distributed. Participation is voluntary.
This class works best as a collaborative effort. I welcome your questions and suggestions in class; unless it is a private matter, please bring them up in class. So often, students will ask a question or make an observation after class when only I can hear it, thereby depriving their fellow students of their careful consideration and insight. If you have a question, please do not hesitate to ask; if I think we should discuss after class instead, I will say so (nicely). For the most part though, your participation will make the class a much better experience for all involved.
Finally, students often end up disclosing information about themselves, friends, or family members as we discuss different issues.