Abnormal Psychology

AS.200.212, Spring 2018

Tues/Thurs 12:00 – 1:15 pm

Lecture Location Discussion Sections Locations

Remsen 1 Hodson 203 (Papadakis)
Latrobe 107 (McGlaughlin)

Professor: Professional Teaching Assistant:

Dr. Alison Papadakis Meghan McGlaughlin
137 Ames Hall 140 Ames Hall
alison.papadakis@jhu.edu meghan.mcglaughlin@jhu.edu
Office hours: Mon 1:30 – 3:00 Office hours: Mon 12:00 – 2:00,
Thurs 1:30 – 3:00 Tues 1:30 – 3:00, Thurs 1:30 – 2:15

Graduate Teaching Assistant: Undergraduate Teaching Assistant:

Hannah Schryver Carol Daffre
116 Ames Hall 136 Ames Hall
hannah.schryver@jhu.edu cdaffre1@jhu.edu
Office hours: Tues 3:00 – 5:00 Office hours: Fri 10:00 – noon

Discussion Section Teaching Assistants:

Idy Ding
Zereen Sarwar

Meetings with the Professor and TAs:

While I hope that you will ask questions during class, often it is helpful to meet with Meghan or me
individually. If you wish to meet with me, I encourage you to make an appointment during my office
hours, using my online scheduling tool: https://papadakis.youcanbook.me . To make an appointment
outside of office hours, please email me or catch me after class. While appointments are encouraged,
feel free to drop by my office, and I will meet with you if I do not have an appointment or other
obligation.

Similarly, appointments are preferred for office hours with Meghan, Hannah, and Carol. You may
schedule an appointment by emailing them directly. For students with last names ending in A – L,
Meghan should be your first point of contact; for students with last names ending in M – Z,
Hannah should be your first point of contact. However, please cc me and the other TA when you
email your TA with questions.

Required Textbook:
Comer, R. J. (2015). Abnormal psychology (9th ed.). New York: MacMillan.
You need the 9th edition. Any format (physical book, loose leaf, e-book, etc.) is fine.

Course Description:
“He’s a psycho”…”You’re crazy”…”That’s insane”… How many times have you heard these phrases,
or others like them? How many times have you used them to describe someone you know, or a situation
you encountered, or even yourself? While unnecessarily pejorative and generally insensitive, it is
common to hear these terms and phrases used to describe behavior that seems odd, out of place, deviant,
dangerous, or dysfunctional, or in other words, abnormal. But what makes a behavior abnormal? How
is “abnormal” defined? When is “abnormal” just different, and when is it indicative of a psychological
disorder? What are the causes of abnormal behavior and psychological disorders? What can be done to
treat or prevent them? How does modern society, with all its pressures and stress, affect our mental
health? How is the experience of psychological disorder influenced by gender, race, culture, and
poverty? How does the media affect the way we view mental health and illness? What assumptions do
you hold about the mentally ill?

These are some of the questions we will explore this semester. This course is designed to provide an
overview of abnormal human behavior, also termed psychopathology. The course will introduce the
major categories of psychopathology, including mood disorders, anxiety disorders, dissociative
disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders, and disorders of childhood and
adolescence. We will discuss how these disorders develop, with an emphasis on biological,
psychological, and social factors that influence behavior, and on the role played by culture and society in
shaping how we define and respond to mental illness. Finally, models of treatment for psychological
disorders will be presented. Throughout the course, emphasis will be placed on the use of the scientific
method to study psychopathology and its treatment, and the questions about psychopathology that
remain unanswered will be discussed.

Course Goals and Learning Objectives:

The course goals and learning objectives for this course are for students to be able to:
 Distinguish between “normal” and “abnormal” behavior and characteristics, while recognizing
that there are multiple perspectives on this distinction including theoretical models and cultural
viewpoints.
 Describe the history of the study and treatment of mental illness.
 Describe the current diagnostic classification system. Name and discuss the strengths and
limitations of the current system.
 Recognize, identify, and distinguish between various psychological and behavioral disorders,
including their symptoms, etiology, course, and treatment. Apply the diagnostic criteria to the
differential diagnosis of case studies.
 Describe and apply multiple theoretical approaches used to explain psychopathology and its
treatment, with an emphasis on empirically supported theories.
 Identify and describe the factors that contribute to psychological disorders, as well as their
successful prevention and treatment.
 Critically evaluate the influence gender, race, socioeconomics, and culture exert on the etiology,
phenomenology, and treatment of psychological disorders.
 Be aware of and critically reflective about personally held assumptions about human behavior,
mental health, and mental illness.
 Describe research, ethical, and social justice issues pertaining to psychopathology and its
treatment.

Class Format:
This course will utilize in-class lectures, online lectures, in class discussions, discussion section small
group discussions, case studies, and films and other media tools to cover the material.

Course Requirements:
Lecture Class Participation and Clickers
Abnormal psychology is a fascinating topic, and you will learn best if you actively engage the material
in class, rather than simply try to memorize facts. Students who ask questions, share opinions, and
critically evaluate the material presented in the readings and in class will learn more. The class periods
for this class are designed for me to share information with you but also to promote discussion and to
allow for time for you to ask questions. Class participation is highly encouraged. Please ask questions
about things that are unclear to you; it is likely that others have the same or a similar question.

Because of the size of the class, I recognize that not everyone will want to ask questions or share their
thoughts with the full class. Therefore, we will use a classroom response system (“clickers”) and small
group discussions in the lecture to provide more opportunities for active engagement with the material.
Your participation in the clicker questions will count towards your grade. To allow for excused
absences, forgetting your clicker on occasion, and technical problems, you do not need to answer every
question in the semester. I will curve the clicker points by 25 percentage points so that if you respond to
75% of all clicker questions posed during the semester, you will receive full participation credit. If you
answer fewer than 75% of the clicker questions, your participation points will be prorated. Here is the
formula I will use to calculate participation points, with a cap of 23 points (100%):
# 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑
𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑖𝑐𝑖𝑝𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑠 = (( ) + .25) ∗ 23
𝑡𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 # 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 𝑎𝑠𝑘𝑒𝑑
Please note that the clicker questions will not necessarily be evenly distributed throughout the semester,
so it is in your best interest to attend and participate regularly. It is cheating and an Academic Ethics
Code violation if you have someone else use your clicker or if you use someone else’s clicker to
make it appear as though someone is present in class when they are not.

Also note you do not need to give a correct answer to earn the credit because active engagement is
the goal. If you have questions about clickers, please see: https://cer.jhu.edu/clickers

Quizzes
There will b five in-class quizzes (out of 8 points each) over the semester. Quizzes will be at the
beginning of class. Quizzes will evaluate your acquisition and application of information provided in
the proceeding lectures and reading assignments. The quizzes are designed to assist your learning in
preparation for the midterm and final exams. They will give you feedback regarding your learning
progress and give you the repetitive practice that is helpful to learn the material in this course. The
quizzes are also designed to ensure that you are prepared for class, paying attention in class, and keeping
up with the readings. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped. There are no makeup quizzes. If
you have an extended illness or situation that causes you to miss several quizzes, please schedule an
appointment with Dr. Papadakis to discuss your specific situation.

Case Study Homework and Discussion Section Participation

Over the course of the semester, you will attend two 35-minute discussion sections that will occur
during the lecture class time (T/TH 12 – 1:15). These discussion sections are designed to give you a
chance to apply what you are learning to case studies and to have a chance to engage more deeply with
the material in a small group setting with the professor or TA. Just after the Add Deadline, you will be
able to express your preferences about which topics/dates you want to attend via a Blackboard survey.
We will notify you of your assigned sections shortly after.

You will complete two case study homework assignments, one for each of your assigned discussion
sections. You will read or watch a case study before the section and answer homework questions about
it to prepare for the discussion. Type, print, and submit your homework case assignments on paper
at your discussion section. During discussion, you should be prepared to take handwritten notes on
important ideas/answers you may have missed. All case homework assignments are due at the start of
your assigned discussion section. Since they will be discussed in section, I will not accept late
homework assignments. If you are unable to attend your discussion section, please email your
submission to Dr. Papadakis and Meghan McGlaughlin before the start of your assigned
discussion section.

Your participation in the discussion sections will be graded. Your discussion section participation grade
will be based on your active engagement in section and how well you provide meaningful input to class
discussions. Meaningful input requires not just respectful active listening but also contributing to the
class discussion. Your participation grade will reflect:
 Active engagement. By active engagement, we mean listening attentively, avoiding distractions,
participating in discussions in small groups, and contributing to the overall section discussions. To
promote good discussions and to assist you with avoiding distractions, electronic devices must
be stored during discussion sections.
 Meaningful input. Meaningful input is not determined solely by the amount said, as one can talk a
great deal about something completely off-topic. Meaningful input is defined as:
o Comments or questions that further the understanding of the class regarding an issue.
o Comments or questions that add to the discussion by making connections, illustrating points,
demonstrating insights, applying concepts in novel ways, etc..
 Respect of others. The discussions may include some controversial and challenging topics, and
therefore, openness in discussions is important among class members. Comments or non-verbal
behaviors that are disrespectful or create a hostile or guarded environment will be seen as
inappropriate and deserving of a very low participation grade. Conversely, comments and non-
verbal behaviors that demonstrate sensitivity to others, including issues of diversity, will be awarded
high participation grades.
Unfortunately, the logistics of the course are such that we cannot offer a make up section. If you miss
your assigned discussion section, you will not receive participation points. If you must miss
section for a reason covered under the Illness and Make-Up Policy, please contact Meghan
McGlaughlin and Dr. Papadakis as soon as possible.

Online Lectures/Learning Checks

There are five required online lectures. The lectures contain material that is central to the course and
will be on the exams. Having these online lectures enables us to have discussion sections to talk about
case studies. Embedded in the online lectures are learning check questions (i.e., mini quizzes). The
questions are designed to help you be sure that you learned important material from the lectures, and
they can be retaken until you get the correct answers. In order to earn the learning check points, you
must complete the learning checks by the due date.

Exams
There will be two non-cumulative midterm exams and a cumulative, comprehensive final exam. The
exams will be comprised of predominately multiple-choice and true-false questions but will also include
short answer questions. The exams will test you on material covered in lectures (both in class and
online), assigned readings (whether they were discussed in class or not), and issues and information
shared in class discussions. There is no senior option for this course.

Extra Credit:
Before each exam, I will collate review questions. You may submit up to four questions and answers for
each of the reviews. If one of your questions is selected, you will receive a quarter of a point towards
your final grade. You may earn up to one point per exam and three points total this way.
You may also earn extra credit points by registering and participating in research through the Sona
system. You may earn 2 points per Sona participation credit. Sona credits are approximately equivalent
to 1 hour of participation.

The maximum total extra credit for the course is capped at 6 points. Please note that you cannot
change your grade from a failing grade (F) to a passing grade (D) or from a D+ to a C- with extra
credit.

Course Grading:
Requirement Points %
Lecture Class Participation 23 points 5.75% curved by 25%, capped at 23 points
In-Class Quizzes 32 points 8% 5 quizzes, drop the lowest grade
Online Lecture Learning Checks 15 points 3.75%
Discussion Section Participation 10 points 2.5%
Discussion Section Homework 20 points 5%
Midterm Exams 160 points 40%
Final Exam 140 points 35%
Total 400 points 100%

Grade Points %
A+ 388 – 400 97 – 100%
A 372 – 387 93 – 96%
A- 360 – 371 90 – 92%
B+ 348 – 359 87 – 89%
B 332 – 347 83 – 86%
B- 320 – 331 80 – 82%
C+ 308 – 319 77 – 79%
C 292 – 307 73 – 76%
C- 280 – 291 70 – 72%
D+ 268 – 279 67 – 69%
D 252 – 267 63 – 66%
F 0 – 251 0 – 62%

Note: Final grades will not be rounded. You must fall at or above the minimum points in a range to
earn the grade.

Illness and Make-up Policy:

If you must miss class, it is your responsibility to check with a classmate to find out what you missed.
After doing so, you are also invited to come to my or TA office hours to go over missed material. In
general, scheduling accommodations (e.g., make up exams) will be granted only when you have:
 A serious illness or injury that prevent you from preparing adequately for an exam or sitting for
an exam
 The death or serious illness of a family member or close friend
 A court appearance
Out of fairness to all students, I request that when possible, you provide reasonable documentation of the
illness or situation. If your situation does not fall within those categories or you fail to provide
requested documentation, you will be penalized at least one full letter grade.
We have tried to build some flexibility into the course, but there is not a lot of wiggle room. There are a
lot of pieces of this course, and since they build on one another, it is important to complete them in
sequence and to not fall behind. Please plan ahead, be proactive in contacting the teaching staff if you
anticipate or learn that you will have a problem completing the course requirements.

The following are the illness/make-up policies for specific course requirements:
Missing Class – Clicker Points – As stated above, clicker questions will be curved by 25
percentage points to account for excused absences, forgetting your clicker on occasion, technical
problems, etc.

Missing a Quiz – As stated above, there will be five in class quizzes. To account for excused
absences, the lowest quiz grade will be dropped. Because the quizzes are discussed in class,
there are no makeup quizzes.

Online Lecture Learning Checks – You have flexibility for when you do the online learning
checks, but in order to earn the points, you must complete the learning check by the due date.

Case Study Homeworks and Discussion Section Participation Points – If you are unable to
attend your discussion section, please email your homework to Dr. Papadakis and Meghan
McGlaughlin before the start of your assigned discussion section. If you must miss a discussion
section, please contact both Dr. Papadakis and Meghan McGlaughlin as early as possible via
email. Because of the logistics of the course, we are unable to offer makeup discussion sections.
Cases will be reviewed on an individual basis, but missing a discussion section could result in
receiving a 0 for participation points for that day.

Exams – If you must miss an exam for one of the excused absence reasons, please contact both
Dr. Papadakis and your TA as early as possible via email. I retain the right to use an alternate
version of the exam if a make-up is required. For all students, it is expected that you will not
speak with any student about the exam until after everyone has completed it. Failure to comply
will be considered to be an ethics violation.

Academic Ethics:
You have an obligation to yourself, your classmates, and instructors to conduct yourself with integrity
and in an ethical manner. The strength of your education, of your academic and professional reputation,
and of the University as a whole rest on your integrity. You are expected to know and uphold the
standards of academic ethics as stated in the Constitution of the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences,
specifically the section describing the Undergraduate Academic Ethics Board (http://e-
catalog.jhu.edu/undergrad-students/student-life-policies/). Ethical violations include, but are not limited
to: failure to cite sources properly, cheating, plagiarism, reuse of part or all of your own or others’ work,
receiving or providing unauthorized assistance or collaboration, improper use of sources (including
electronic devices), lying, forgery and falsification, unfair competition, facilitating academic dishonesty
(including failure to report violations of which you are aware), and using someone else’s classroom
response system device (“clicker,” e.g., to make it appear that someone was in attendance when s/he was
not).

Please report any violations to the instructor. You may wish to consult with the Associate Dean of
Student Affairs and/or the Chairman of the Ethics Board beforehand. All suspected violations will be
handled and adjudicated following the policies of the Academic Ethics Board (http://e-
catalog.jhu.edu/undergrad-students/student-life-policies/#UAEB). Penalties for violations may include,
but are not limited to: failure of the assignment/exam, a lowered course grade, failure of the course, a
notation on your permanent transcript, suspension, or expulsion. If you have questions regarding what is
permissible in this course, consult the professor.

Accommodation of Disabilities:
To request academic accommodations due to a disability, please contact the Office of Student Disability
Services (https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/disabilities/ , 385 Garland Hall, 410-516-4720,
studentdisabilityservices@jhu.edu). If you have a registered disability and would like to request
accommodations in this course, please request that SDS share your accommodation letter with Dr.
Papadakis, and schedule an office hour appointment meeting to meet with Dr. Papadakis discuss your
accommodations. Please do so well in advance of when you will require the accommodation (e.g., quiz,
exam).

Counseling Services/Crisis Management:

College can be a very fun but stressful experience. Sometimes this class, in particular, stirs up old and
new issues for people or causes them to become more aware of issues that they may want to deal with.
If you would like to talk about life stressors or issues with a professional, there are lots of resources
available to you. The JHU Counseling Center provides free and confidential counseling and referral
services. More information is available at: http://web.jhu.edu/counselingcenter/services/. If you or a
friend needs help, do not hesitate to call.

Technology Policy:
Research has shown that students who use laptops in class have difficulty staying focused and learn less
than those who do not use them, and laptops are distracting not only to those who are using the laptop
but also to those who are around them (e.g., Sana, Weston, & Cepeda, 2013). Even for students who are
only using the laptop to take notes, research has demonstrated that students who take notes on the
computer learn less and perform worse than those who take notes by hand (e.g., Mueller &
Oppenheimer, 2014). Despite the research that supports banning laptops in class, I am sympathetic to
students who prefer to take notes on a computer, and I will allow laptops for note taking. However, to
lessen the negative impact of laptop use on others, we will have a technology section in the classroom.
If you choose to use a laptop or other device (including your smartphone) in class, you will be required
to sit in the technology section. The location of this section will be announced in class.

Etiquette and Professionalism:

College is a time of many transitions, one of which the development and refinement of how you present
yourself professionally, and I encourage you to think of the classroom as a professional context. I value
having a classroom environment that is conducive to respectful learning and in which everyone (students
and instructors alike) feel respected by one another. I will conduct myself in a manner to promote such
an environment, and I ask that you do so as well by doing the following:
 Please be punctual to class. It demonstrates conscientiousness.
 If you are late, please enter in a non-disruptive manner.
 Please remain in the classroom for the full class period, unless it is truly necessary, so as not to
disrupt the instructor or your classmates.
 To promote your own, your classmates’, and your instructor’s ability to focus in class, minimize
disruptions including:
o Inappropriate use of technology (checking text messages, email, facebook, etc.)
o Anything that generates noise (i.e., turn off cell phones, alarms, computer sound, etc.).
o Refrain from chewing gum.
 If you would like to make any recording of the class or a portion of the class, ask permission
 before doing so.
 Most of all, treat your classmates with civility and respect both in and outside of the classroom.
Understand and be sensitive to the fact that the course material may be personally relevant to
members of the class. Be mindful and respectful of the privacy and feelings of others (e.g., do
not make light of personal information disclosed by another during a class or share it with others
after class).
 Be judicious about self-disclosure. While this course helps some students gain better insight
about personally-relevant issues, it is designed as an academic course, and not group therapy. If
you find that you need to talk more about such issues, please make use of the JHU Counseling
Center.
 Tentative Course Schedule
You are responsible for being aware of changes announced in class, on Blackboard, or via email.
Reading is due on the day that it is listed.
Week
# Date Tuesday Thursday Online
1 1/29 Course Overview Abnormal Psychology: Past Lecture 1: Abnormal
Defining Abnormality and Present (Part 1) Psych: Past and Present
Chapter 1 (Part 2)
Rosenhan, 1973 due Tues 2/6 at 11:45 am
2 2/5 Models of Abnormality Models of Abnormality Lecture 2: Research in
Chapter 3 Abnormal Psychology
Leahy, 2009 Chapter 2
Schauer et al., 2004
Adams et al., 2004
DeRubeis et al., 2005
due Tues 2/13 at 11:45 am
3 2/12 Class cancelled, instructor Models of Abnormality Lecture 3:
illness Frances, 2016 Assessment, Diagnosis,
Treatment (Part 2)
Assessment, Diagnosis, Kupfer, 2012
Treatment (Part 1) Frances, 2012
Chapter 4 due Tues 2/20 at 11:45 am
Quiz 1 (Models)
4 2/19 Anxiety Disorders Anxiety Disorders
Chapter 5 Quiz 2 (Anxiety)

5 2/26 Trauma and Stress

Disorders
MIDTERM EXAM I
Chapter 6 (pp 177-196)

6 3/5 Mood Disorders Mood Disorders & Suicide

Chapter 7 Chapters 8, 9
Quiz 3 (Trauma, Mood)
7 3/12 Mood Disorders & Suicide DISCUSSION SECTION Lecture 4: Dissociative
Chapters 8, 9 Mood Disorders Disorders
Chapter 6 (p 196-213)
due Tues 3/27 at 11:45 am
3/19 Spring Break
8 3/26 Eating Disorders DISCUSSION SECTION
Chapter 11 Dissociative Disorders
9 4/2 Eating Disorders DISCUSSION SECTION
Quiz 4 (Eating D/Os) Eating Disorders
10 4/9 Schizophrenia & Severe
MIDTERM EXAM II Mental Illness
Chapter 14
11 4/16 Schizophrenia & Severe DISCUSSION SECTION
Mental Illness Schizophrenia
Chapter 15
12 4/23 Personality Disorders Personality Disorders Lecture 5: Childhood
Chapter 16 Disorders
Quiz 5 (Schizophrenia) Chapter 17
due Fri 5/4 at noon
13 4/30 Personality Disorders DISCUSSION SECTION
Class Wrap Up Personality Disorders

FINAL EXAM Tuesday May 15, 9 – 12 noon

Supplemental Readings:

Adams, K. B., Sanders, S., & Auth, E. A. (2004). Loneliness and depression in independent living retirement
communities: Risk and resilience factors. Aging & Mental Health, 8, 475-485. doi:
10.1080/13607860410001725054
DeRubeis, R. J., Hollon, S. D., Amsterdam, J. D., Shelton, R. C., Young, P. R., Saomon, R. M., . . . Gallop, R.
(2005). Cognitive therapy vs. medications in the treatment of moderate to severe depression. Archives
of General Psychiatry, 62, 409-416. doi:10.1001/archpsyc62.4.409
Frances, A. (2012, November 13). You can’t turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse [blog commentary]. Retrieved
from http://www.psychiatrictimes.com/dsm-5/you-can%E2%80%99t-turn-sow%E2%80%99s-ear-silk-
purse
Frances, A. (2016, March 6). Saving psychotherapy from the medication takeover [blog commentary].
Huffington Post. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allen-frances/saving-psychotherapy-
from_b_9299402.html
Kupfer, D. J. (2012, November 7). Field trial results guide DSM recommendations [blog commentary].
Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-j-kupfer-md/dsm-5_b_2083092.html
Leahy, R. L. (2009). The confessions of a cognitive therapist. The Behavior Therapist, 32, 1-3.
Rosenhan, D. L. (1973). On being sane in insane places. Science, 179, 250-258. doi:
10.1126/science.179.4070.250
Schauer, E., Neuner, F., Elert, T., Ertl, V., Onyut, L. P., Odenwald, M., & Schauer, M. (2004). Narrative
exposure therapy in children: A case study. Intervention, 1, 18 – 32. Retrieved from: http://nbn-
resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:352-opus-42151

Technology Policy References:

Mueller, P. A., & Oppenheimer, D. M. (2014). The pen is mightier than the keyboard: Advantages of
longhand over laptop note taking. Psychological Science, 25,
Sana, F., Weston, T., & Cepeda, N. J. (2013). Laptop multitasking hinders classroom learning for both
users and nearby peers. Computers & Education, 62, 24-31. doi:10.1016/j.compedu.2012.10.003