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Class Meetings: |
Room 204 Gordon Palmer Hall TR 2:00 - 3:15 PM |
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Readings: |
A compilation of articles and chapters, which will serve as the readings for this course, will be sold at the bookstore. |
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Course Description: |
This course will address general issuesin forensic psychology. Students will be required to read a series of articles dealing with a specific topic in forensic psychology each week. The student will be required to write 10 reaction papers (approximately 2 pages in length) over the course of the semester. A different topic will be addressed each week to ensure that the student will be exposed to a broad range of issues in psychology and law. The student will also be required to submit a research paper in an area of forensic psychology that is of interest to the student and that has been approved by the instructor. |
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Course Objectives: |
The purpose of this course is to encourage the student to learn more about issues in forensic psychology. Upon completion of the course, the conscientious student should have acquired knowledge in the major topic areas of forensic psychology, including risk assessment, criminal competencies, insanity, psychopathy, mentally disordered offenders, rights of children and adolescents, and juvenile justice. |
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Grading: |
50% Reaction Papers (10 papers each worth 5%) 25% Research Paper 25% Attendance and Participation Grades will be rounded to the nearest whole number. The University grading system will be used. |
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Reaction Papers: |
Ten reaction papers are required during the course of the semester. The student is free to choose the weekly topics for which s/he will write reaction papers. If the student wishes to write more than 10 reaction papers, the 10 highest grades will be used in the calculation of the student's overall grade; the lowest remaining grade will be droppped for each additional reaction paper written. The reaction paper does not have to be lengthy but should not be less than 2 pages double-spaced. If possible, try not to go over 5 pages in length, however, if you are captured by a topic, do expand on your ideas. I will be grading your papers based on the thought and creativity put into them. Each paper will be graded out of 5. |
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Research Paper: |
A major research paper will be due on the last day of classes (December 7). The student is free to choose any topic of interest in forensic psychology for this paper, however, the topic must be approved by the instructor no later than September 15. A summary of major references is due no later than October 15 and an outliine of the research paper is due no later than November 1. The research paper should be no less than 15 pages and no more than 20 pages in lebgth. All references should be in APA format. Be sure not to plagiarize. That is, be sure to appropriately cite all work that is not your own. |
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Office Hours: |
Monday - Thursday 10:45 - 11:30 or by appointment |
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Academic Misconduct: |
All acts of dishonesty in any work constitute academic misconduct. The Academic Misconduct Policy of the University of Alabama will be followed. You are required to do your own work on all class assignments, papers, and exams. Papers are to be the product of your own thinking and writing. Plagiarism of all forms is to be avoided at all cost. If you are in doubt as to whether some act constitutes a violation of the misconduct policy, please ask me. |
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Special Needs/Disability Accommodation: |
To request accommodations, please contact Disability Services at 348-4285 during the first week of class. After initial arrangements with that office, please contact me during the first week of class. |
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Website: |
http://bama.ua.edu/~pzapf/classes/PY491 |
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