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SouthernUniversity and A & M College
Department of Psychology, Social Work and Sociology
Concentration: Psychology
Psychology 468 (Abnormal Psychology—Online)
Syllabus
INSTRUCTOR: Catrice L. Tolbert, Ph.D.
EMAIL: catrice_tolbert@subr.edu SEMESTER: Spring 2018 PSYC
-CRN:
OFFICE NUMBER: 228 A. C. Blanks Hall
OFFICE PHONE: (225) 771-2320
OFFICE HOURS: 9:30-10:30AM MW; 1:00-4:00PM TTH, any other times by
appointment only
(E-mail: Put your class time in the subject box)
*E-mail will be checked each morning*
COURSE DESCRIPTION AND GOALS
Abnormal Psychology provides an orientation to various approaches to the development of
psychological disorders. The purpose of the course is to provide an overview of the types of
psychological disorders, theoretical and social perspectives as it relates to these disorders.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Students will learn about various psychological disorders and the treatment of these disorders and
will explore ways in which they can apply these concepts to their own lives.
COURSE MATERIALS
Required Text: Abnormal Psychology, 17th Edition
Jill M. Holley, James N. Butcher, and Susan M Mineka;
Publisher: Pearson
ISBN-13: 978-0133852059 ISBN-10: 0133852059
Resources (suggested but not required text): Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Health
Disorders- Fifth Edition (DSM-V) by the American Psychiatric Association.
Unless you intend to be a professional in the field of psychology, there is no need to purchase
this book. Additionally, even if you do intend to be such a professional, you should probably
wait until graduation to purchase this text because it is updated every few years. The newest
edition is the DSM-V. However, we will closely examine some of its contents during class so
please have a way to access it later in the semester
.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
LiveText is required for this course
The following items are important components for student evaluation in this course:
Weekly Reading Assignments and Quizzes
Weekly Discussion Board
Exams
MOODLE
PSYC468 is a 3-credit course and should meet 3 hours per week. As it is an online class,
it will be available to students on a 24-hour basis. To receive credit for 3 hours per week,
students must logon to complete assignments, take quizzes/exams and/or participate in
discussions.
Moodle is an online course environment and is the place where the course notes,
links, discussion board, your grades, and everything else related to the course, will
be located. You will need to log onto Moodle using the format —
firstname_lastname_00 or 01for the username and the password is the last 4 digits
of your student number. You can choose the Psyc 468 link once you have
successfully logged in. For more information on using Moodle, go to:
http://moodle3.subr.edu.
ELECTRONIC MAIL
E-mail — represents the major mode of communication in an online course and as
such it deserves attention. The University requires that all Moodle users use the
University’s email server. Your e-mail address is listed under the Tools menu and
the password is the last four digits of your social security number. You will need
to check this email account on a regular basis to ensure that you do not miss
communication that will be directed to you periodically concerning the course. If
you have an assignment you need to submit to me, you should do so within the
confines of Moodle. I will not accept any attachments via e-mail, if you send one
it will delete it. E-mail is a major avenue through which viruses are transmitted.
Therefore, I choose to protect my data/records by prohibiting the use of
attachments.
Communicate using standard English as much as possible to ensure that
most who read what you have written will understand it, mainly me. Be
courteous do not yell at people by using all caps to write to someone. You
should follow the appropriate etiquette when communicating with others
online. Always fully identify yourself using your first and last names and
indicate the course you are enrolled in when sending e-mail. Please watch
your signature line. I will only respond to emails from your SUBR account,
others will be deleted with no response.
Do not email from Moodle, only from www.subr.edu. The emails directly
from Moodle do not appear in my emails. Please allow at least a 24-hour time
period for email responses, however some responses may occur before a 24 hour
period.
TEAMWORK
All assignments are meant to represent individual work and should not be completed with
a partner or team unless otherwise assigned by the professor. Remember that
“collaboration” without explicit permission is cheating.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism will not be tolerated in the course. Please read Moodle for further description
of Plagiarism. Turnitin will be utilized for this course.
COURSE OUTLINE
The course schedule is on Moodle. Listed are chapters/readings, exam dates, and due
dates for assignments. Reading assignments are to be completed during the dates as
indicated on Moodle. Students who do well tend to keep up in the reading. Discussion of
reading material is highly encouraged.
An online lecture will be posted every Monday. The lecture will
compliment your chapter readings with multimedia displays, graphics, and
PowerPoint presentations. The exams will cover the chapters as well as the
online lectures.
All assignments and quizzes are due by the specified time of the
respective week. Late assignments will not be accepted nor graded. All
assignments, discussions, etc. are due by midnight on Moodle or Livetext.
Students will be informed of all Livetext submissions.
Quizzes/Exams will be posted on Fridays at midnight and due by 7:30pm.
Grade Disputation- Any grade disputation MUST be handled with the
professor within 3 days after the grade is posted or the grade will remain in
the gradebook.
*The midterm will Friday March 23 from midnight and due by 7:30pm
the same day*
.
COURSE EVALUATION
The number of possible points accumulated in the class will determine course grades.
*Note* These points are derived from percentage conversions, therefore some students
get confused about the way I arrive at these figures. During the semester your points for
Assignments may appear inflated and your points for Discussions may seem scant,
although they impact your final grade equally when converted to percentages. Bottom
line – Asks for clarification before making assumptions about your grades.
A = 540 – 600 D = 360 –419
B = 480 – 539 F = < 359
C = 420 – 479
*Please use your total points to locate your grade on the grading scale
*Do not use the percentage from Moodle for the total grade
Extra Credit
Extra credit will not be offered in this course. If an opportunity presents itself, I will
notify you via Moodle. There will be no need to ask for bonus opportunities.
Course Requirements Explanation
Assignment Description Point
Value
Asynchronous
(Threaded
Discussions)
This form of participation replaces the actual presence of
students in the classroom and it is a basic component of
this course. Your presence in discussions should occur
about 2 times weekly on separate days. Students are
expected to make meaningful and thoughtful
contributions to all discussions rather than “I agree” or “I
dislike” kind of comments. Express yourself clearly each
time you send a message to the discussion board. The
course requires going online at least a 4 to 6 times a week
besides reading, writing, and fieldwork experiences.
Expect spending the same or more time than you spend
when taking a traditional course. It is your responsibility
to back up and keep track of your participation (print
your comments and contributions).
100
Assignments Assignments given should be completed to the
instructor’s specification. Guidelines will be provided
with the assignment. Two assignments will be
completed and submitted via Livetext only. Other
assignments will be submitted via Moodle only.
2 ( x 65)
130
Exams Exams: There will be four (4) “online” exams (see
schedule of topics and assignments for dates). Exams
will include both multiple choice and will cover both
online lecture material and the text. Note that these two
sources of information are only partially overlapping,
i.e., viewing lectures and good notes will contribute to
better test performance than will reading the text alone.
Please be aware that the exams will not be tests of rote
memorization; rather, they will assess your ability to
apply the information you have learned in the course.
Final will be comprehensive!
You will have a time limit to complete each exam. Exams will
be available on the days as indicated from 12midnite to 7:30PM.
3 (x 50)
Final
(100)
250
Quizzes Approximately ten (10) quizzes covering key chapter
terms will be posted as indicated on the course outline
You will have a time limit to complete each exam. Exams will
be available on the days as indicated from 12midnite to 7:30PM.
120
Total Points 600
INSTRUCTOR POLICIES
1. Writing assignments are to be typed, double-spaced, with 1″ for all margins, and
in 12 point font. Proper grammar, punctuation, and spelling are expected on all
assignments; i.e., points will be deducted if not followed.
2. Please take advantage of office hours. They are set aside so that you can clarify
any questions or concerns you have about the class or assist you if you are having
difficulty with the class or a particular assignment. My goal in this course is for
you to excel and learn something useful, but I cannot do this without some effort
on your part.
3. I will not drop students from the class. It is the student’s responsibility to drop
from the course if s/he chooses. Simply not attending class or not taking tests is
not sufficient. Any student on the roster at the end of the semester will receive a
grade regardless of attendance or test performance.
4. Late Policy: Missed assignments are the responsibility of the individual student.
Late assignments will not be graded or accepted by the instructor. Late is
considered after the due date and time. NOTE: This is an online class and
activities will be presented on Monday and is due on Thursday (except
tests/quizzes).
5. Livetext is required and a detailed explanation is on Moodle.
6. Academic Misconduct: Anyone caught cheating will automatically receive a zero
on the assignment and fall under the jurisdiction of SU’s Statement on Academic
Integrity.
7. You are to check Moodle every day in order to ensure that you receive
information in a timely fashion. Quizzes are during that week; they will
typically fall on Fridays 12 midnight to 7:30PM on the same day.
8. Incomplete grades are not offered in this class.
9. Any grade disputation MUST be handled with the professor within 3 days after
the grade is posted or the grade remains.
10. Any Moodle issues MUST be handled through TNS on the 2nd floor of Moore
Hall.
11. Moodle announcements MUST be read in its entirety not just the heading.
12. You must email before the quiz or test deadline, preferably immediately, if you
have issues with a test or quiz. Follow instructions on Moodle.
DISABILITY STATEMENT
Southern University encourages applications from qualified applicants of both sexes from
all cultural, racial, religious, and ethnic groups. The University does not discriminate on
the basis of race, religious belief, national origin, disability or age in admission or access
to its programs and activities. Southern University does not discriminate on the basis of
disability in the recruitment and admission of students, in the recruitment and
employment of faculty and staff, or in the operation of any of its programs and activities,
as specified by federal laws and regulations. The designated coordinator for compliance
with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation act of 1973, as amended, is Patricia Hebert
(patricia_hebert@subr.edu), Coordinator of Student Services, 246 Augustus C. Blanks
Hall, (225) 771-3546.
Students who have been officially admitted into the undergraduate program of study who
have special needs which qualify for accommodations under the Rehabilitation Act of
1973, particularly Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act, must report their
disability to the Office for Services to Students with Disabilities located in Augustus C.
Blanks Hall, room 246. Information on making a request for services and
accommodations on how to report a disability can be secured by writing to:
Southern University and A&M College
Office for Services to Students with Disabilities
236 Augustus C. Blanks Hall
Southern University
Baton Rouge, LA 70813
patricia_hebert@subr.edu
