The University of Texas at Dallas

Abnormal Psychology
Psy 4343 Spring 2005

Instructor: M. Matthew Housson, Ph.D. Email: housson@utdallas.edu

Office Hours: By Appt. Office: GR 4.309
Classroom: Green 4.428 Class Schedule: Thursday 7:00-9:45
Teaching Asst: Maneesha Bendkhale Email: maneesha@utdallas.edu

Goals: This course is intended to acquaint you with the scientific study of maladaptive human
behavior. Issues in the conceptualization and classification of abnormal psychopathology will
be covered, as well as major theories of etiology and treatment. Students are expected to be
able to understand the causes, symptoms, and treatments for mood disorders, anxiety
disorders, stress disorders, personality disorders, psychotic disorders, sexual disorders,
dissociative disorders, substance abuse disorders, and childhood disorders. Students are
expected to demonstrate a basic understanding of these topics and to demonstrate their
mastery of the information on the objective tests described below.

Organization and Grading: We will meet once a week for lectures, discussions, and
videotape presentations. The reading assignments for each meeting are indicated below.
There will be three exams and no comprehensive final. All exams will be composed of
multiple choice or short-answer questions.

Exam I Thursday, 2/10 33% of Course Grade

Exam II Thursday, 3/24 33% of Course Grade
Exam III Thursday, 4/28 33% of Course Grade

Final Grades will be determined as follows:

A+= 97 or above
A= 94-96
A- 90-93
B+= 87-89
B= 84-86
B- 80-83
C+= 77-79
 C= 74-76
C- 70-73
D+= 67-69
D= 64-66
D- 60-63
F= Below 60

Everyone must take exams at the scheduled times. Make-up exams will be given only in the
event of serious illness or other emergency situations (e.g., death of a family member, car
wreck). In case such an emergency situation arises, you must contact me prior to the time of
the exam or as soon as possible and request permission to take a make-up exam. It will be left
to my discretion as to whether make-up exams will be allowed. Make-up exams may be
composed of essay questions in addition to multiple-choice questions. You must make up the
exam within one week of the originally scheduled test.

Tests: You will need the Pearson Exam System II Scantron form. The Form number is
229630. You will not be allowed to take the test without this scantron sheet.

Text: Nevid, J.S., Rathus, S.A., Greene, B., Abnormal Psychology in a Changing World, Fifth
Edition, 2003.

Class Attendance: I will not take attendance regularly. However, if you miss a class, it is your
responsibility to contact a peer for the notes. I will not make my lecture notes available to
individuals who miss class. Please find a buddy in the class whom you can contact if you have a
question about a missed class.

Classroom Environment: I encourage your participation in class. Please be on time to class.

Tests will not be handed out after 7:20. If you need to leave class before the end of the period,
please make arrangements with me prior to class. Students entering and leaving in the middle of
class are distracting to other students and to the instructor. Please turn cell phones and
pagers off before coming to class.

Policy on Academic Dishonesty: Students who violate University rules on scholastic

dishonesty are subject to disciplinary penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course
and/or dismissal from the University. Since such dishonesty harms the individual, all students,
and the integrity of the University, policies on scholastic dishonesty will be strictly enforced.

Class Feedback: It is my hope that this course will be a stimulating and relevant part of your
continuing education. Your comments and suggestions regarding the class are welcome. Office
hours by appointment can be used to talk to me about course material and I am also happy to
use that time to discuss individual student’s interest in psychology.
READING ASSIGNMENTS:

1/13 Historical Overview and Research Methods Chapter 1

1/20 Theoretical Perspectives and Classification Chapters 2 and 3
1/27 Treatment Chapter 4
2/03 Mood Disorders and Suicide Chapter 8

2/10 Exam I (Chapters 1-4, 8)

2/17 Anxiety Disorders Chapter 6

2/24 Stress, Dissociative, and Somatoform Disorders Chapters 5 and 7
3/03 Personality Disorders Chapter 9
3/10 Spring Break
3/17 Substance Abuse and Dependence Chapter 10

3/24 Exam II (Chapters 5-7, 9-10)

3/31 Gender Identity Disorder and Sexual Disorders Chapter 12

4/7 Schizophrenia and Psychotic Disorders Chapter 13
4/14 Childhood Disorders Chapter 14
4/21 Eating Disorders and Sleep Disorders Chapter 11
4/28 Exam III (Chapters 11-14)