Course Syllabus, AI Policy, Weekly Schedule, and Grading Criteria

Course Syllabus: Click on this link for the full Course Syllabus: https://andromeda.ccv.vsc.edu/Learn/Grid/SectionDetail.cfm?SEC_NAME=PSY-2060-VO02&grid=Fall

 

I offer one "Free Week" of 5 points for personal use (e.g., debilitating sickness or family emergency) for non-exam weeks; other than that, no points can be earned for a missed discussion. Due to the collegial, interactive nature of the Discussion Q&A, assignments can neither be made up in the following week's Discussion, nor emailed to me for credit.

You may be penalized for work posted after the four specific due days. Even so, if you miss those deadlines, please post as much of the assigned work as possible before the week ends. All of it and on time is best, some of it and late is better than not at all.

For non-exam Discussion weeks when you need more time to complete the assignments, I offer two 48-hour late passes to avoid possible penalties. See "Free Week & Late Passes" in the Course Resources Module.

 

Artificial Itelligence (AI) Policy: 

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Integrated: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges the use of AI is an essential skill in today's world. By using genAI for specific purposes, students become equipped with relevant skills and tools necessary to thrive in a technology-driven society. Emphasizing the mastery of generative AI should empower you to harness its potential, enhancing your problem-solving abilities and preparing you for future challenges and opportunities. Be aware, however, that any time generative AI is used at any point in the assignment without attribution it may be considered a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

 

Weekly Assignments: Fall 2024 (September 3 - December 16) 

• Interacting with classmates is an essential part of online discussions and cannot be made up after the fact.

Interacting with your course colleagues is not only required, it's the cornerstone of our online discussions and your learning, and it cannot be made up after a week has ended. Your work should be posted no earlier than Tuesday morning and no later than Monday night, including participating fully in the Q&A.

You must post at least once during the 24/7 class week to be marked Present. While it's always better to post late before the week ends than not at all, if you miss a week, you can't make up the old assignments and must move on to the new week.

Start your work by carefully reading the current week's Announcement, Guide, and Discussion instructions. Taken together, they provide the information you need to successfully complete the week's assignments and the course.

If you encounter technical problems with your computer or connection--which happens to all of us periodically--please post from your nearest CCV academic center, your local public library, a wifi cafe, or by using a public wifi hotspot (https://publicservice.vermont.gov/content/public-wifi-hotspots-vermont).

 

Week One, September 3 - 9: Why Study Psychopathology? Read, listen to, and/or view the week’s case studies and all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Course Description: This course is an introduction to the study of psychopathology which explores the description, classification, and treatment of mental disorders. Topics will include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and childhood disorders. Essential Objectives for the week: 1. Analyze the shifting concept of maladaptive behavior within the cross-cultural spectrum of human conduct, and 6. Distinguish between fact and opinion, recognize unstated assumptions, and evaluate arguments according to the quality of supporting evidence in the literature.

Week Two, September 10 - 16: Moral Treatment & Asylum. Read, listen to, and/or view the week’s case studies and all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objectives: 2. Describe the development of psychopathology as a scientific discipline, and 5. Identify and analyze several legal and ethical issues surrounding the research and treatment of mental disorders.

Week Three, September 17 - 23: Coercion & Force in Treatment. Read, listen to, and/or view the week’s case studies and all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objective: 5. Identify and analyze several legal and ethical issues surrounding the research and treatment of mental disorders.

Week Four, September 24 - 30: Diagnosis and Treatment. Read, listen to, and/or view the week’s case studies and all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objectives: 1. Analyze the shifting concept of maladaptive behavior within the cross-cultural spectrum of human conduct, and 5. Identify and analyze several legal and ethical issues surrounding the research and treatment of mental disorders.

Week Five, October 1 - 7: Women & the Mental Health System. Read, listen to, and/or view the week’s case studies and all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objectives: 6. Distinguish between fact and opinion, recognize unstated assumptions, and evaluate arguments according to the quality of supporting evidence in the literature, and 7. Locate, select, and effectively use research materials that address specific problems in psychopathology.

Week Six, October 8 - 14: History of Psychopathology. Read, listen to, or view all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objectives: 2. Describe the development of psychopathology as a scientific discipline, and 5. Identify and analyze several legal and ethical issues surrounding the research and treatment of mental disorders.

Week Seven, October 15 - 21: Midterm Exam: Psychological Theories. Read, listen to, or view all of the required references, and create your own case study. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least FIVE (5) of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objectives: 2. Describe the development of psychopathology as a scientific discipline, and 3. Compare and contrast the major paradigms in psychopathology including biological, psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and sociocultural models.

Week Eight, October 22 - 28: Crazy! For a case study this week, select a specific example of popular entertainment that focused on madness or maladaptive behavior (e.g., from a movie, book, magazine article, song or album, video/DVD, TV show, online diversion). Read, listen to, and/or view all of the required references to use in your report. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case study and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objectives: 2. Describe the development of psychopathology as a scientific discipline, and 4. Describe common symptoms and treatments of mental disorders including anxiety, mood, somatic, dissociative, sexual, and psychotic disorders.

Week Nine, October 29 - November 4: Mood & Madness. Read, listen to, and/or view the week’s case studies and all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objective: 4. Describe common symptoms and treatments of mental disorders including anxiety, mood, somatic, dissociative, sexual, and psychotic disorders.

Week Ten, November 5 - 11: Sexuality. Read, listen to, and/or view the week’s case studies and all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objective: 4. Describe common symptoms and treatments of mental disorders including anxiety, mood, somatic, dissociative, sexual, and psychotic disorders.

Week Eleven, November 12 - 18: Childhood Challenges. Read, listen to, and/or view the week’s case studies and all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objective: 4. Describe common symptoms and treatments of mental disorders including anxiety, mood, somatic, dissociative, sexual, and psychotic disorders

Week Twelve, November 19 - 25: Madness and Spirituality. Read, listen to, or view all of the required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (describing and quoting from the case studies and all required references). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objectives: 1. Analyze the shifting concept of maladaptive behavior within the cross-cultural spectrum of human conduct, 3. Compare and contrast the major paradigms in psychopathology including biological, psychoanalytic, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic, and sociocultural models, and 4. Describe common symptoms and treatments of mental disorders including anxiety, mood, somatic, dissociative, sexual, and psychotic disorders.

Week Thirteen, November 26 - December 2: Exploring Madness and Mental Illness. Read, listen to, and/or view the week’s required references. Inside the Discussion forum, create and host your own thread where you’ll post your personal reflection and your case study report (creating your own case study). Reply to any and all questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least three of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objective: 4. Describe common symptoms and treatments of mental disorders including anxiety, mood, somatic, dissociative, sexual, and psychotic disorders, and 7. Locate, select, and effectively use research materials that address specific problems in psychopathology.

Week Fourteen, December 3 - 9, Final Exam, Part 1: Who Leads for Diagnosed Vermonters? Post your leadership nomination with embedded media and all of the required references. Reply to any questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least FIVE (5) of your colleagues' posts. Essential Objectives: 6. Distinguish between fact and opinion, recognize unstated assumptions, and evaluate arguments according to the quality of supporting evidence in the literature, and 7. Locate, select, and effectively use research materials that address specific problems in psychopathology. 

Week Fifteen, December 10 - 16: Final Exam, Part 2: First-Person Psychopathology. Post your self-assessment of learning in this course and a fictional account of your future career as a psychologist, and then reply to any questions and comments about your work. Quote from, comment on, and ask questions for at least FIVE (5) of your colleagues' posts. Course Description: This course is an introduction to the study of psychopathology which explores the description, classification, and treatment of mental disorders. Topics will include anxiety disorders, mood disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and childhood disorders.

 

 

Grading Criteria:

The grading system is simple: You can earn up to 5 points for each of the 12 regular Discussion weeks, 10 points for the midterm exam, and 30 points for both parts of the final exam. This is a total points system of 100 points (with no weighted assignments).

1. DISCUSSIONS. Participation at our twelve regular Discussions will account for 60 percent of your grade (for 0 to 60 possible points). You can earn a maximum of five points each week by:

-- Hosting your own thread by posting a personal reflection and a case study report (500 words or more with correct APA references). Your case study report will focus on the week's case studies while quoting from them and the required references. By the end of the week you must reply to any and all comments and questions about your work.

-- Reading every post made on time and replying with comments and questions for at least three different posts by your colleagues, directly quoting from their work when you do.

Your score of 0-5 points will be based on the number and quality of your posts each week (where 5 = A+, 4 = B-, 3 = D-, and 0-2 = F).

Roughly, a personal reflection = 1 point, case study report = 2 points, Q&A = 2 points, although it's your overall participation, the whole of it, that most determines your points for the week. For example, you can be lacking on one assignment (say, the case study report), but doing advanced work on another (the Q&A), which balances out or "sugars off" to full credit.

After the week ends (and before Thursday of the new week), I'll enter your score into the online grade book with brief feedback, which you may check at Grades or by clicking on Recent Feedback at your Dashboard and in a side bar at the Home page.

2. EXAMS. The midterm exam takes place in Week Seven, and it is the culmination of your work during the first half of the course. It will be worth 10 percent of your total grade, or 0 to 10 possible points.

The final exam is in two parts:

-- Part 1 in Week Fourteen includes your mixed media nomination of a Vermont leader for diagnosed Vermonters, and in-depth Q&A.

-- Part 2 in Week Fifteen requires a personal reflection on becoming a professional psychologist, a self-evaluation of your learning, and in-depth Q&A.

The final exam will account for 30 percent of your total grade, or 0 to 30 possible points.

 

Points, Letter Grades, & Feedback:

Your current Total points and a corresponding letter grade are available at Grades and are updated weekly. You'll also find at Grades the points you earned each week, along with my comments about your work and tips for improving it, which I'll add as early as Tuesday and no later than Thursday of the following week.

Your Total points convert to letter grades as follows:

CCV Letter Grades, "CCV's Evaluation System Policy." (2020, July 1). Retrieved from http://docs.ccv.edu/CCVPolicyFiles/Evaluation_System_CCV_Policy.pdf (Links to an external site.)

A+ through C- indicates satisfactory completion of course objectives and expectations as specified in the course description.

D+ through D- indicates marginal performance that will not count as credit for specific program requirements or competence area requirements.

F indicates failure to meet course objectives and/or failure to meet grading criteria for successful completion as specified in the course description.

You also have the option of choosing the pass/fail system (Pass or No Pass) or auditing this course (AU), as long as you let me know before the start of the third week of class.

P Equivalent to D (+/-) or better and therefore course will not count as credit for specific program requirements or competence area requirements. 

NP indicates failure to meet course objectives and/or failure to meet grading criteria for successful completion as described in the course description.

If you are not taking the course at any point for any reason, you must notify the College or receive an F for a grade under CCV grading policies. Just disappearing from class or never participating does not constitute "dropping" or "withdrawing." CCV strongly urges students who are considering dropping a course to discuss it first with their academic advisors, as well as with financial aid to understand that aspect of dropping a course.

It's possible to withdraw officially before November 4 and receive a W for a grade, which will not affect your grade point average (GPA), even if you were failing the course when you withdrew.

To withdraw, please reach out to your advisor, who will help you complete that process. For more information, click on https://ccv.edu/explore-ccv-programs/classes/drop-a-class/

If you miss three or more weeks of class, you cannot complete the course for academic credit, although you're always welcome to participate for learning's sake.