Outline

Overview

This unit of study critically examines core issues in abnormal psychology, concerning the description, explanation and treatment of psychological disorders. The unit of study will include topics such as: (a) Adult abnormal psychology: Anxiety and related disorders (specific phobias, panic disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, OCD, PTSD); Substance-related and Addictive disorders (drug, alcohol, gambling); Eating disorders (anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa); Depressive disorders, Bipolar disorders; Schizophrenia, Personality disorders. (b) Child abnormal psychology: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder; Conduct disorder; Anxiety disorders, Depression.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Psychology Academic Operations
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	(PSYC2010 or PSYC2910 or PSYC2011 or PSYC2911 or PSYC2015 or PSYC2915) and (PSYC2014 or PSYC2017)
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Ilona Juraskova, ilona.juraskova@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Ilona Juraskova, ilona.juraskova@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Final exam	Final take home exam 48 hour take-home assessment	50%	Formal exam period	2.5+ hours
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Written assignment Essay focusing on diagnosis and treatment	30%	Mid-semester break Due date: 13 Apr 2020 at 23:59 Closing date: 14 May 2020	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial quiz 1 Online written quiz on lecture and tutorial content (weeks 1-2)	4%	Week 03	20 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial quiz 2 Assessment on weeks 3-7	8%	Week 08	30 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Tutorial quiz 3 Assessment on weeks 8-12	8%	Week 13	30 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Written assignment: The essay question, marking criteria, and guidelines for writing the assignment will be posted on Canvas at the start of week 2, and discussed in the first tutorial in week 2. Because this is a compulsory assessment requirement, if you do not submit a serious attempt, you will receive an AF (Absent Fail) for PSYC3018.
Online quizzes: a short multiple-choice online quiz will be delivered online. Its main purpose is to provide you with feedback on how well you have learnt the material so far, and to give you an indication of the sorts of questions you might encounter in the exam.
Examination: take home exam. The examination will cover material from lectures, tutorials and the textbook.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	At HD level, a student demonstrates a flair for the subject as well as a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates the ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to produce original solutions for novel or highly complex problems and/or comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Distinction	75 - 84	At DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘Distinction’ reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding of the subject to produce good solutions for challenging problems and/or a reasonably well-developed critical analysis of theoretical concepts.
Credit	65 - 74	At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the unit material. A ‘Credit’ reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the unit material and can solve routine problems and/or identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.
Pass	50 - 64	At PS level, a student demonstrates proficiency in the unit material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory achievement and is awarded to a student who has threshold knowledge.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	1. Introduction to abnormal psychology; 2. Classification and diagnosis	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	1. Anxiety and related disorders; 2. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	Conceptual issues	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 03	1. Trauma-related disorders; 2. Transdiagnostic issues: Death anxiety	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Anxiety disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 04	1. Major depression; 2. Bipolar disorders	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Bipolar disorder	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 05	1. Child internalising disorders: Anxiety; 2. Child externalising disorders: Depression	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Child internalising disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 06	1. Child externalising disorders: ADHD.; 2. Child externalising disorders: Conduct Disorder	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	1. Child externalising disorders: Treatment; 2. Schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Child externalising disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 08	1. Eating disorders: anorexia nervosa; 2. Eating disorders: bulimia nervosa	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Schizophrenia	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 09	1. Eating disorders: binge eating; 2. Addictive behaviours: substance	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Eating disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 10	1. Addictive behaviours: gambling; 2. Sexual dysfunctions	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Gambling	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 11	1. Personality disorders I; 2. Personality disorders II	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Personality disorders	Tutorial (2 hr)
Week 12	1. Personality Disorders: Treatment; 2. Criticism of DSM-5	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	1. Critiques of DSM-5; 2. Health psychology	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	Feedback	Tutorial (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance requirements for this unit of study have been amended. Where online tutorials/workshops/virtual laboratories have been scheduled, students should make every effort to attend and participate at the scheduled time. Penalties will not be applied if technical issues, etc. prevent attendance at a specific online class. In that case, students should discuss the problem with the coordinator, and attend another session, if available.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed on the Library eReserve link available on Canvas.

Required textbook: Rieger, E. (Ed.) (2017) Abnormal Psychology: Leading researcher perspectives. Sydney: McGraw-Hill
Education (4 th Edition).

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. understand core concepts in abnormal psychology in their historical and philosophical contexts
LO2. identify the core diagnostic features of specific psychological disorders and differentiate these from normal behaviours, as well as from the features of other disorders
LO3. compare and contrast theoretical perspectives on the nature, causes, and maintenance of psychological disorders
LO4. seek, identify and critically examine empirical evidence concerning the causes, maintenance and treatment of psychological disorders.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

'No changes have been made since this unit was last offered'

Additional information

“Supplementary materials” (e.g., podcasts, videos) will be posted on Canvas for further learning related to each lecture topic. These materials are not examinable in any form, and are purely to deepen student learning.

Work, health and safety

We are governed by the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Work Health and Safety Regulation 2011 and Codes of Practice. Penalties for non-compliance have increased. Everyone has a responsibility for health and safety at work. The University’s Work Health and Safety policy explains the responsibilities and expectations of workers and others, and the procedures for managing WHS risks associated with University activities.

General Laboratory Safety Rules

No eating or drinking is allowed in any laboratory under any circumstances
A laboratory coat and closed-toe shoes are mandatory
Follow safety instructions in your manual and posted in laboratories
In case of fire, follow instructions posted outside the laboratory door
First aid kits, eye wash and fire extinguishers are located in or immediately outside each laboratory
As a precautionary measure, it is recommended that you have a current tetanus immunisation. This can be obtained from University Health Service: unihealth.usyd.edu.au/

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

PSYC3018: Abnormal Psychology

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links