Location:
- Home
- Undergraduate Advising
Academic Goals
Departmental Learning Goals for Psychology 305: Abnormal Psychology
- Explain how psychologists have attempted to define and understand the nature, etiology, and treatment of psychopathology and appreciate how cultural values and norms influence this process.
- Explain how psychologists understand psychopathology according to several different models (i.e., biological, behavioral, cognitive, humanistic-existential, psychodynamic, social/cultural, and the multidimensional/integrative model) and how these models work together.
- Demonstrate sensitivity to the human struggle to live with psychological problems and respect for the dignity of individuals with psychological disorders.
- Identify the etiology and treatment of the following: anxiety disorders, stress-related disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenia, personality disorders, substance related disorders, dissociative disorders, disorders of childhood and adolescence, cognitive disorders, eating disorders, and disorders of aging.
- Understand "abnormal" behavior as the extreme end on a continuum that includes normal behavior. Explain how psychologists decide when a specific behavior pattern represents a disorder, and how research and treatment inform one another. Identify the resilience and protective factors relevant to psychological disorders.
- Critically evaluate psychological research regarding assessment and treatment by reading and critically analyzing original manuscripts, review articles, popular literature, and empirical papers. Be epistemologically aware – understand how psychologists come to know things. Apply knowledge of theory to understanding etiology and treatment of specific disorders like schizophrenia, depression.
- Appreciate that humans are social beings and that the disorders discussed occur within different contexts. Identify the contribution of socio-cultural factors in the prevalence and expression of various disorders. Understand aspects of human behavior that are shared across or may differ according to cultural ethnic, gender, geographic, or other boundaries.
- Formulate a written argument that is logical coherent, that relies on scientific evidence, and that draws appropriate conclusions from that evidence. In the course, apply course information in a written assignment, for example, by analyzing a case study. Students will explore problems, diagnosis, assessment, cultural context, etiology, and treatment.
