Overview:
This is an advanced course in psychopathology, which focuses on the scientific study of mental disorders. We will focus on the nature, classification and impact of mental illness, description and classification of specific forms of abnormal behavior, current knowledge regarding etiological pathways, and methodological issues involved in studying these problems. The course content focuses mainly on adult psychopathology, but students are welcome to address issues related to child disorders for their paper and presentation.
The readings and class meetings are designed to help you prepare for two complementary, and ideally inseparable, professional roles: clinical practice and empirical research. Practicing clinicians need to recognize and distinguish various kinds of mental disorder, and also think critically about factors involved in the development and maintenance of mental disorders. Psychopathologists also need a sophisticated appreciation for the phenomena associated with mental disorders. In both roles, you will need to understand basic methodological issues that influence the validity of scientific evidence.
Course objectives:
By the end of the course, you will develop a better understanding of the following issues:
1. The description and identification of specific features of psychopathology (e.g., hallucinations), as well as how these symptoms cluster to form diagnostic categories (classification systems).
2. Broad conceptual issues affecting the way in which we think about psychopathology (e.g., definitions of disease/disorder, the stigma of mental illness, ethical issues related to experimental psychopathology).
3. Consideration of how differential diagnoses might be related to each other and to other constructs in the development and maintenance of mental disorders.
4. Epidemiology, including cross-cultural and gender differences in the distribution of mental disorders.
5. Research methods. Readings and discussion in class will emphasize how basic methodological issues affect the way we collect and interpret information regarding psychopathology.
6. Etiological perspectives, including the influence of psychosocial, cultural, and biological factors on specific types of disorder.
7. How to investigate and evaluate controversial issues (including critique of theory and methodology) in the study of psychopathology. Intellectual (not personal) debate will be encouraged in class discussions.
Textbooks:
• Hersen, M., Turner, S. M., & Beidel, D. C. (2007, Editors). Adult psychopathology and diagnosis (Fifth edition). New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons Inc.
• American Psychiatric Association*. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: Text revision (DSM-IV-TR). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press.
For each disorder discussed in class, students are expected to be familiar with the basic diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV. Thus, even though specific readings are not assigned, this book will be a regular reference throughout the course. *Available in clinic so you do not need to purchase.
Prerequisites:
I assume all students have completed a course in Abnormal Psychology and are familiar with the major DSM diagnostic categories.
Reading Responses:
Weekly reading responses will account for 25% of your grade. Each week that there is reading response assigned, you will be expected to post your reading response on the course web site (on the ‘Blogger’ link). Please also bring in a paper copy so that you can read the response out loud in case not everyone has a chance to read one another’s responses in advance. The response (1 page maximum; typically only 1-2 paragraphs) could include a critique of research methodology, comparison of ideas between articles, or other thoughts about the readings. At the end of each response you should conclude with at least one question that has struck you from the readings that you would like the class to discuss. This could be a clarification question, a point you disagreed with, or a broader question about the implications of a particular finding or theory. If you are going to be away, please email your response to either myself or another class member so that it can be discussed during class. (You can miss 1 response without having your grade influenced.)
Presentation of Additional Article:
During each class, one student will be responsible for bringing in an additional article of interest that relates in some way to the class topic. This can be a research article or a newspaper/other popular article. Showing a brief TV or film clip would also be fine – the goal is to add some material to the class that has caught your eye and will deepen or broaden the discussion. The student is expected to summarize the article to the class and lead a brief discussion about issues raised by the article. Each student will be responsible for bringing in an extra article and leading discussion twice over the course of the semester. Dates will be assigned during the first class.
Paper:
The final paper will account for 25% of your grade. This paper will be based on a topic of your choice in any area of experimental psychopathology. The goal is to choose a controversial area in clinical science and to take a position on this controversy. You are expected to present the range of arguments on the issue but note why you consider some evidence to be superior to other evidence, and describe clearly your thesis on the issue. Feel free to choose a topic that is relevant to your own research or use this as an opportunity to learn a new area. It will be important for you to read the original sources so that you can evaluate the research methodology in defining your position on the issue.
Prior to submission of the paper, all topics must be approved. Please submit a proposal (worth 5% of your grade) outlining the topic, clarifying both the controversy and your thesis, the basic structure of the paper (e.g., which arguments you will consider), and noting why this topic is significant to the field of clinical science (the proposal will be approximately 1-2 pages). The final paper will be graded based on depth of thinking, clarity of arguments, ability to analyze and synthesize a range of resources in order to develop your own position, and organization. Papers should not exceed 20 pages in length, including references.
Sample topics might include:
• Was DSM-III (and the categorical classification system) an important advance?
• What is the impact of being assigned a ‘mental illness’ label?
• Can anxiety and depression be meaningfully distinguished from one another?
• Does evidence support the disease model of alcoholism?
• Should ADHD be treated with stimulants?
Final Paper Presentation:
You will each conduct an in-class presentation based on the topic covered in your paper. This presentation will be 15 minutes in length followed by a few minutes for questions. The presentation will be graded based on clarity of the arguments presented, structure and organization, ability to integrate multiple perspectives yet still present a clear thesis, and evidence of understanding of the complexities of the issue. You will be expected to prepare a handout for the class (either a copy of the slides or summary of main points).
Evaluation:
There will be no exams in this course. Your grade will be based on your ongoing participation in class (including your weekly reading responses), and a paper and presentation. The assignments and the percent that each assignment will count toward your grade are listed below. For all assignments, there will be a 5% deduction for each day late.
Assignment Percent of Grade
Class Attendance and Participation 25%
Weekly Reading Responses 25%
Presentation of Additional Article (5% each time) 10%
Final Paper Presentation 10%
Final Paper Proposal 5%
Final Paper 25% Total: 100%
Structure of the Class:
We will begin each class with an opportunity to summarize and clarify the day’s readings, but each class will predominantly follow a discussion format, during which we will review the assigned topic of the class. This discussion will include conversation about each of the questions you have prepared as part of your weekly reading responses, as well as a series of issues raised about the assigned readings and general questions about diagnosis and etiology of different disorders.
Class Attendance and Participation:
Class attendance includes showing up on time to class, and being able to discuss the assigned readings during class. You can miss 1 class without having your participation grade influenced. If there are extenuating circumstances where you need to miss more classes, please speak with me privately.
Overview: This is an advanced course in psychopathology, which focuses on the scientific study of mental disorders. We will focus on the nature, classification and impact of mental illness, description and classification of specific forms of abnormal behavior, current knowledge regarding etiological pathways, and methodological issues involved in studying these problems. The course content focuses mainly on adult psychopathology, but students are welcome to address issues related to child disorders for their paper and presentation. The readings and class meetings are designed to help you prepare for two complementary, and ideally inseparable, professional roles: clinical practice and empirical research. Practicing clinicians need to recognize and distinguish various kinds of mental disorder, and also think critically about factors involved in the development and maintenance of mental disorders. Psychopathologists also need a sophisticated appreciation for the phenomena associated with mental disorders. In both roles, you will need to understand basic methodological issues that influence the validity of scientific evidence. Course objectives:By the end of the course, you will develop a better understanding of the following issues: 1. The description and identification of specific features of psychopathology (e.g., hallucinations), as well as how these symptoms cluster to form diagnostic categories (classification systems). 2. Broad conceptual issues affecting the way in which we think about psychopathology (e.g., definitions of disease/disorder, the stigma of mental illness, ethical issues related to experimental psychopathology). 3. Consideration of how differential diagnoses might be related to each other and to other constructs in the development and maintenance of mental disorders. 4. Epidemiology, including cross-cultural and gender differences in the distribution of mental disorders. 5. Research methods. Readings and discussion in class will emphasize how basic methodological issues affect the way we collect and interpret information regarding psychopathology. 6. Etiological perspectives, including the influence of psychosocial, cultural, and biological factors on specific types of disorder. 7. How to investigate and evaluate controversial issues (including critique of theory and methodology) in the study of psychopathology. Intellectual (not personal) debate will be encouraged in class discussions.Textbooks:• Hersen, M., Turner, S. M., & Beidel, D. C. (2007, Editors). Adult psychopathology and diagnosis (Fifth edition). New York, NY: John Wiley and Sons Inc.• American Psychiatric Association*. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: Text revision (DSM-IV-TR). Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Press.For each disorder discussed in class, students are expected to be familiar with the basic diagnostic criteria in the DSM-IV. Thus, even though specific readings are not assigned, this book will be a regular reference throughout the course. *Available in clinic so you do not need to purchase.Prerequisites:I assume all students have completed a course in Abnormal Psychology and are familiar with the major DSM diagnostic categories.Reading Responses:Weekly reading responses will account for 25% of your grade. Each week that there is reading response assigned, you will be expected to post your reading response on the course web site (on the ‘Blogger’ link). Please also bring in a paper copy so that you can read the response out loud in case not everyone has a chance to read one another’s responses in advance. The response (1 page maximum; typically only 1-2 paragraphs) could include a critique of research methodology, comparison of ideas between articles, or other thoughts about the readings. At the end of each response you should conclude with at least one question that has struck you from the readings that you would like the class to discuss. This could be a clarification question, a point you disagreed with, or a broader question about the implications of a particular finding or theory. If you are going to be away, please email your response to either myself or another class member so that it can be discussed during class. (You can miss 1 response without having your grade influenced.)Presentation of Additional Article: During each class, one student will be responsible for bringing in an additional article of interest that relates in some way to the class topic. This can be a research article or a newspaper/other popular article. Showing a brief TV or film clip would also be fine – the goal is to add some material to the class that has caught your eye and will deepen or broaden the discussion. The student is expected to summarize the article to the class and lead a brief discussion about issues raised by the article. Each student will be responsible for bringing in an extra article and leading discussion twice over the course of the semester. Dates will be assigned during the first class.Paper: The final paper will account for 25% of your grade. This paper will be based on a topic of your choice in any area of experimental psychopathology. The goal is to choose a controversial area in clinical science and to take a position on this controversy. You are expected to present the range of arguments on the issue but note why you consider some evidence to be superior to other evidence, and describe clearly your thesis on the issue. Feel free to choose a topic that is relevant to your own research or use this as an opportunity to learn a new area. It will be important for you to read the original sources so that you can evaluate the research methodology in defining your position on the issue.Prior to submission of the paper, all topics must be approved. Please submit a proposal (worth 5% of your grade) outlining the topic, clarifying both the controversy and your thesis, the basic structure of the paper (e.g., which arguments you will consider), and noting why this topic is significant to the field of clinical science (the proposal will be approximately 1-2 pages). The final paper will be graded based on depth of thinking, clarity of arguments, ability to analyze and synthesize a range of resources in order to develop your own position, and organization. Papers should not exceed 20 pages in length, including references.Sample topics might include: • Was DSM-III (and the categorical classification system) an important advance?• What is the impact of being assigned a ‘mental illness’ label?• Can anxiety and depression be meaningfully distinguished from one another?• Does evidence support the disease model of alcoholism?• Should ADHD be treated with stimulants?Final Paper Presentation:You will each conduct an in-class presentation based on the topic covered in your paper. This presentation will be 15 minutes in length followed by a few minutes for questions. The presentation will be graded based on clarity of the arguments presented, structure and organization, ability to integrate multiple perspectives yet still present a clear thesis, and evidence of understanding of the complexities of the issue. You will be expected to prepare a handout for the class (either a copy of the slides or summary of main points).
Evaluation:
There will be no exams in this course. Your grade will be based on your ongoing participation in class (including your weekly reading responses), and a paper and presentation. The assignments and the percent that each assignment will count toward your grade are listed below. For all assignments, there will be a 5% deduction for each day late.
Assignment Percent of Grade
Class Attendance and Participation 25%
Weekly Reading Responses 25%
Presentation of Additional Article (5% each time) 10%
Final Paper Presentation 10%
Final Paper Proposal 5%
Final Paper 25% Total: 100%
Structure of the Class:
We will begin each class with an opportunity to summarize and clarify the day’s readings, but each class will predominantly follow a discussion format, during which we will review the assigned topic of the class. This discussion will include conversation about each of the questions you have prepared as part of your weekly reading responses, as well as a series of issues raised about the assigned readings and general questions about diagnosis and etiology of different disorders.
Class Attendance and Participation:
Class attendance includes showing up on time to class, and being able to discuss the assigned readings during class. You can miss 1 class without having your participation grade influenced. If there are extenuating circumstances where you need to miss more classes, please speak with me privately.
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