Rochester Community and Technical College

Psychopathology- Psyc 2622
Instructor: Ivonne Tjoe Fat

 

                                

            RCTC Catalog description:

Analysis and understanding of abnormal behavior, covering topics such as the historical background, mood, anxiety and schizophrenic disorders;personality disorders, substance related disorders, disorders of childhood and adoloescence; causes of abnormal behavior, prevention and therapy; cultural diversity of abnormal behavior.

            Course Objectives:

- Abnormal Behavior in historical context

- An integrative approach to psychopathology

- Clinical assessment and diagnosis

- Research methods

- Anxiety disorders

- Somatoform and dissociative disorders

- Mood disorders and Suicide

- Eating and Sleep disorders

- Physical disorders and health psychology

- Sexual and gender identity disorders

- Substance-related and impulse-control disorders

- Personality disorders

- Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders

- Developmental disorders and cognitive disorders

- Mental health services

           

Teaching Procedures

 

            Lectures, power point slides, readings, class discussion, group work in class, some viewing of transparencies and videotapes, personal reflection time.

 

            Class Attendance Policy

 

            Turn off cellular phones and beepers during class time! You will be asked to leave the classroom.

 

Class attendance is strongly recommended, documentation indicates that students who attend regularly achieve higher grades and succeed.

Students who do not, don’t.

It is especially important that students attend class for 2 reasons:

-           we explore interactions with other people

-           class/group activities can not be replicated outside of class

There is a difference between attending class and taking active part in class.

Prepare and plan carefully, so lectures and class discussions will not seem totally alien to you.

You don’t have to call me if you will be absent in class!

You are responsible for any work missed due to absences.

 

            Class participation is required. Participation means that students will be attentive, active, spontaneous and willing in the oral/written and group assignments in class. It is expected that you demonstrate a mature, courteous and positive attitude. You are responsible for all announcements made in class, whether or not you are present!

 

TELL ME, I FORGET

                        SHOW ME, I REMEMBER

                                    INVOLVE ME, I UNDERSTAND   (Ancient Chinese proverb)

         

Remember, a positive attitude always helps!

 

            Refrain from talking during lecture-time and video showing, this is considered very immature, disrespectful to everyone in the classroom and disruptive to the learning process of your classmates. You will get 2 warnings, then you will be asked to leave the classroom in case of continued disruptive behavior.

 

            During video showing, you are expected to take notes, and not sleep/ talk/ or do homework for another course!

           

            You are expected to be in class on time; chronic late arrivals (= more than 5 minutes) will not be tolerated as they are disruptive to the lectures, class-activities and set-up of technical equipment in progress. Late arrival is considered class absence.

 

            To help stay on schedule and be an active participant in class, you are expected to read the assigned material from your textbook.

 

            Testing Policy

 

            Be on time on test dates! Late arrival (=more than 5 minutes) will not be accepted, unless you have my approval before the test date. Once any student has left the classroom after completion of the test, latecomers can not take the test anymore. There will be no make-up tests unless you have a valid reason, which has to be conveyed to me before the test date.

If I accept your excuse, you will take the make up test during my office-hours within a week after the scheduled test-date.

 

           If you are eligible to take the tests in the Student Support Center, you have to submit the appropriate forms to me, no later than the last class session before the test date.

 

            Academic dishonesty: any form of knowing and willful cheating or plagiarism is unacceptable and may result in failure of the course.

 

                        Course Grading     

 

A: 90-100                   C: 70-79                    F: 0-59

B: 80-89                     D: 60-69