PSYC 3303 Abnormal Psychology
<h2>About the Course</h2>
<p>Abnormal Psychology is designed to introduce you to a variety of theories, concepts, perspectives, and research on psychological disorders. Abnormal psychology is a fundamental course for the student of psychology because it draws on research in many areas of psychology including neuroscience, personality theory, psychotherapy, cognition, memory, language, human development, stress, coping, and health. Throughout this course, we will explore a broad spectrum of maladaptive and disruptive patterns of thinking and behavior that may even help us to understand more about ourselves – a goal expressed eloquently in the above quotation from the great psychologist and philosopher William James.</p>
<h2>Objectives/Outline</h2>
<ul>
<li>Appreciate the historical foundation and major theoretical trends of contemporary psychopathology.</li>
<li>Identify the research methods and major diagnostic criteria for judging whether behavior and cognition are psychologically disordered.</li>
<li>Understand the symptoms, issues, explanations, and treatment of the anxiety disorders, mood disorders, schizophrenic disorders, and other clinical disorders.</li>
<li>Judge the overall importance of legal and professional issues of clinical psychology and psychiatry.</li>
</ul>
<h2>Required Text</h2>
<p>Butcher, James N., Mineka, Susan, and Hooley, Jill M. (2008). Abnormal Psychology: Core Concepts. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.</p>
<h2>Instructor Contact</h2>
<p><strong>Phone:</strong>(303) 492-4753</p>
<p><strong>Email:</strong> <a href=”mailto:brettk@buffmail.colorado.edu”>brett.king@colorado.edu</a></p>
<p>Brett King received his B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in psychology from Colorado State University. In addition to abnormal psychology, Dr. King has taught undergraduate courses on the history of psychology, cognitive psychology, psychology of personality, social psychology, and introductory psychology at Colorado State University and the University of Colorado at Boulder. His scholarly work has been translated into several languages. Among his research interests are the development of Carl Jung’s word association method, the depiction of the psychology of women and sport psychology in cultural magazines of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the impact of Dorothea Dix on the humanitarian reform movement, classic Gestalt theory, and psychology and law. He recently completed his first novel.</p>
<p>Dr. King has won several teaching awards and, in 1995, he was honored as CU Boulder’s “Best Professor” in a campus-wide student poll conducted by <i>The Colorado Daily</i>, CU Boulder’s campus newspaper. Along with the abnormal psychology course, he also teaches online and print-based CE courses on PSYC1001 General Psychology, PSYC2602 Social Psychology and PSYC4511 History of Psychology.</p>
<p>Outside of academia, his time and interest are devoted to his wife, Cheri, (also a psychologist and the course instructor for a separate correspondence course, PSYC2145 Cognition and Perception) and their twin sons, reading (mostly biographies, historical books, and psychological thrillers), the Denver Broncos, cinema, music, and art history.</p>