HSV524 – Psychopathology and

Psychological Assessment

Course Syllabus
Course Description:
This course explores a wide variety of pathological mental and emotional disorders,
dysfunctional behaviors and their treatment within the field of human services. Students
will explore not only the disorders, but also the clinical diagnostic criteria in addition to
effective treatment procedures and ethical/legal considerations.

Pre-requisites: HSV 520 or HSV 521

Credit Hours: 3

Post University Credit Hour Expectations

Post University takes the integrity of our coursework very seriously. A credit hour is an
academic unit earned for engaged academic time, including classroom or online
instruction and outside study. This expectation varies based on the type of class in
which you are enrolled:

Main Campus Courses: For a 3-credit semester course, you are expected to
engage in three hours of in-class learning and six hours of outside study for a total of
nine hours of engaged academic time per week for 15 weeks.

Accelerated Online or Hybrid Site Courses: For an accelerated 8-week, 3-

credit hybrid site or online course, you are expected to engage in 17 hours of engaged
academic time per week; for a hybrid site course, 3 of those hours will be on site.

Blended Courses: Blended courses vary in the balance of classroom and

online instruction. For a 3-credit blended course, students are expected to complete a
total of 135 hours of engaged academic time, whether it is a semester-long or
accelerated format.

What is ‘engaged academic time’? This is the time you are engaging in academic
learning activities related to a course. These activities include both in-class, out-of-
class, and online activities such as readings, lectures, group work, videos,
presentations, webinars, research, writing, surveys, discussions, practice exercises,
web development, creating, producing, studying, and any other learning experiences
that contribute to the achievement of course outcomes.

Your responsibility as a student at Post University is to fulfill these academic

expectations in the time you devote to this class.

For the full Academic Credit Hour Policy, please refer to the Post University Catalog
Section 9, the Post University website, or the Blackboard student services portal.
Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

 Define abnormal behavior as a concept that incorporates biological,

psychological, and social perspectives.
 Gain a basic understanding of mental illness throughout history.
 Understand psychological research methodology to better interpret the findings
of research studies.
 Learn about treatment planning with short- and long-term goal setting, various
modalities of treatment, and the role of the clinician’s theoretical perspective as it
influences treatment.
 Describe the goals and basic types of assessment procedures, including the
mental status exam.
 Describe how clinicians use multiple sources of information about a client in
putting together a case study report.
 Understand abnormal behavior in terms of psychodynamic, humanistic,
sociocultural, behavioral and cognitively-based, and biological perspectives.
 Learn the characteristics, theories, and treatment approaches to categories of
psychological disorders.
 Review ethical and legal issues of mental disorders including informed consent,
confidentiality, insanity, competency, and commitment.
 Understand the importance of cultural competency as a counselor.

Required Instructional Materials:

Halgin, Richard P. and Whitbourne, Susan Krauss (2017). Abnormal Psychology:

Clinical Perspectives on Psychological Disorders (8thed). McGraw Hill. ISBN 97-0-
07-786198-8

American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of

mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

Electronic course materials are also provided in each unit.

Student Responsibilities & Course Companion Websites:

APA Formatting & Style Guidelines: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

APA is the standard format for any written work in the field of psychology and human
services. If you are unfamiliar with APA, it may benefit you to purchase the most
current edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association or
to access one of the internet sites that provides a summary of this information. The
website listed above is offered as a companion to the most current edition of the APA
style manual. However, it should not be considered a substitute for directly consulting
the most current edition of the APA manual for standard of procedures for applying APA
style. The Post University Writing Center (writingcenter@post.edu) is available for
consultation and proof reading of all work. Please consult them for assistance.
Academic Integrity: Students in this course are expected to exhibit academic integrity at
all times. Be aware that plagiarism is presenting someone else's work as your own.
Whether the act is deliberate or unintentional is irrelevant. Please review closely
the information listed on the Course Information thread of your course which outlines
issues of academic integrity (and self-plagiarism) as well as University policy. Academic
dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, willful or inadvertent plagiarism, cheating,
unauthorized collaboration, unauthorized use of digital materials, introduction of viruses,
willful interruption of systems and may also include unintentional complicity in other’s
academic dishonesty. Instructors regularly monitor assignment submissions utilizing but
not limited to plagiarism detection software. No papers, discussion boards, or projects
submitted in a previous course will be accepted in subsequent courses. Any cases of
academic dishonesty will be reported to the appropriate Academic Program Manager
and other University personnel as the situation dictates. Confirmed dishonesty may
result in penalties up to and including dismissal from the program of study and denial of
any financial reimbursement. Students have the right to appeal decisions of academic
dishonesty and should consult their Academic Success Counselor for guidance.

Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism occurs when a student (intentionally or unintentionally):

 Uses someone else’s language, ideas, or other original materials without

acknowledging the source.
 Directly copies someone else’s language, ideas, or other original materials
without using quotation marks, even if a citation is used.
 Re-submits their own previously written material without acknowledging the
source (self-plagiarism). Previously submitted assignments may not be re-
submitted without substantial revision.

Depending on circumstances surrounding the incident and after consulting with the
APM /Dean involved, a review of past submissions within the course may be conducted
by the instructor. Previous violations of the University Academic Dishonesty policy, if
found, may impact any decision on the student’s status going forward.
Students are required to cite sources correctly according to APA style, or other
University approved citation formats, in order to avoid plagiarism. Resources to assist
students in proper citation formats include the University Learning Center, the Traurig
Library, and tutor.com.

Penalties for Academic Dishonesty:

Post University upholds a three-strike policy for acts of academic dishonesty; however,
a flagrant violation of academic dishonesty may involve immediate dismissal from the
University.
  Strike One: The student will receive a zero for the assignment in which the act of
academic dishonesty occurred.

 Strike Two: The student will immediately fail the course in which the second act
of academic dishonesty occurred, even if the first incident occurred in a different
course.

 Strike Three: The student will immediately be expelled from the University and
receive an F on the final transcript.

Late Work: Assignments (such as written assignments or quizzes) that are submitted on
time or early are eligible to earn full points. Assignments are to be submitted on the day
assigned and submitted via Blackboard. Assignments submitted past the due date will
lose 5% of the total points awarded for the assignment for each day it is submitted late.
For example, an assignment worth 100 points will lose 5 points per day submitted late.
Discussion boards cannot be entered past the unit in which they are due per Academic
Affairs policies. No credit can be awarded for discussion board contributions entered
before or after the scheduled unit dates. Technology issues are not a valid excuse for
late submissions.

Submissions: Please submit your work via Blackboard. All students will have access to
our course via blackboard. If you need assistance with Blackboard, please contact the
Online Support Center (Help Desk) via the information below.
Online Blackboard Support Center (Help Desk): If you require technical assistance,
please visit 24/7 Tech Support through Blackboard at the Students Services tab or call:
1-888-458-POST (7678)
Post University Virtual Library: http://www.post.edu/maincampus/library.shtml
This link will take you to many useful resource tools including: Ebscohost which consists
of 10 databases which offer access to over 3000 journals across all disciplines including
business, sociology, counseling, human services, psychology and more. Many of these
journals are full text and a new service & Reference 24/7, where you can ask a
reference question after library hours with a live librarian. Obtaining a library bar code
will give you full free access to all of the online journal subscriptions in which Post
University subscribes. Please contact the library if you need assistance accessing
resources.
Center for Academic Success: http://www.post.edu/maincampus/learningCenter.shtml
The Center for Academic Success at Post University provides services that support
students on their journeys to gain scholastic independences and achieve academic
success. Please contact them and take advantage of their services to make sure your
written work reflects professional writing and proper APA style.
-Written assignment submission form: https://post.edu/student-services/center-for-
academic-success/writing
-Peer/Professional tutoring scheduling link: https://post.edu/student-services/center-for-
academic-success/tutoring
Center for Academic Success: North 116
CAS@post.edu
203-596-4686
Hours: Fall and Spring (Sept-April) Monday-Thursday 8-8; Friday 8-4; Sunday 4-8.
Summer (May-August) Monday-Friday 8-4

- TUTORME (accessible through Blackboard) - Post University has partnered with

Tutor.com to provide our students with online tutoring service that’s available 24 hours a
day, 7 days a week at no additional charge. TUTORME provides:
-24/7 synchronous tutoring services at both undergraduate and graduate level.
-You can now “favorite” your tutor to continue working with them in the future.
-Video chatting is now available.
All active Post students are granted 12 free hours per 8-week term
Blackboard: All students should use Blackboard during this course as all submissions
should be made via this learning management system. If you are unfamiliar with
blackboard, please seek assistance and contact your academic success counselor.

Course Requirements, Performance-Based Assessment, and Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation Method: The final grade is calculated on the following criteria:

Discussion Boards: 35%

Case Study 1: 20%
Case Study 2: 20%
Case Study 3: 25%
Student Survey*
* To ensure that we continue to meet our academic standards and your learning
expectations, we routinely assess our programs, courses, and instructors. Completion
of the end-of-course Student Survey is a required component of this course.

Please note that discussion boards and other assignments in Unit 8 will end
Friday at 11:59 pm EST. Please prepare in advance.

Discussion Boards

You will be required to participate in ongoing discussions with your classmates

throughout each unit via topics posted on Blackboard. These discussions will allow for a
more in-depth exploration, analysis, and understanding of the subject matter.
Additionally, please be informed that discussion boards will not be accepted and graded
past the unit in which they are due according to Post University policy. Participating in
these discussions during the assigned unit “takes the place of classroom attendance”
and is unable to be replicated. Your full participation in these online discussions is not
only essential for your learning but also critical to determining your final grade.

PLEASE review the discussion board grading rubric on the course information tab
for details of what is required. All assignments are to be submitted on EST.

Case study papers: You are required to complete three case study papers worth 100
points each. Each paper will be 3-6 pages in length (double-spaced). See the “Case
Study Guidelines” document for specific information. This is located on the course
information page.

Please be sure to avoid using internet sources such as Wikipedia or other web-based
resources that do not have strong academic backing. You will also be required to use
in-text references in your work in accordance with APA style to avoid plagiarism. You
must use at least 3 additional scholarly sources used in this course. Plagiarism
detection software will be used to scan each paper and any paper that is determined to
have academic integrity issues will earn a score of 0, fail the course or be dismissed
from the university. Self-plagiarism is a form of plagiarism so please take precautions.

Refer to the writing rubric for a guideline as to how your paper will be graded. Students
are strongly encouraged to use the writing center (writingcenter@post.edu) for
assistance with all assignments as APA style is historically a challenge for most writers.
The electronic email version of your research paper, in WORD format (no other format
accepted), should be submitted via the blackboard website. Email submissions are not
acceptable.

PLEASE review the writing grading rubric on the course information tab for details of
what is required. All assignments are to be submitted on EST.

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