eTROY
***Master Course Syllabus***
PSY 3360 - Forensic Psychology
***Term & Year***
*** NOTE:
All information shown between *** *** characters should be deleted and replaced by actual course information. Do not edit or delete any information located outside of the *** ***characters.
For course syllabus posted prior to the beginning of the term, the instructor reserves the right to make minor changes prior to or during the term. The instructor will notify students, via e-mail or Blackboard announcement, when changes are made in the requirements and/or grading of the course.
eTROY Courses at Troy University
All eTROY courses at Troy University utilize the Blackboard Learning System. In every eTROY course, students should read all information presented in the Blackboard course site and should periodically check for updates-at least every 48 hours. Remember: This is not a 'correspondence course' in which a student may work at his/her own pace. Each week there are assignments, online discussions, online activities and/or exams with due dates. Refer to the schedule at the end of the syllabus for more information.
Instructor Information
***Information should include your Title; Name; Location; Phone Number(s); and Troy E-mail. ***
***Insert a specific time each week when you will be available for student questions, or a plan for communicating with student. Be sure to let them know hours you can be contacted by phone. ***
Instructor Education
***Provide a list of your earned degrees here or refer students to your Blackboard Web site. ***
Catalog Course Description:
Forensic psychology is the application of the science and profession of psychology to questions and issues relating to law and the legal system. This course will introduce students to the specialty area of forensic psychology. Particular emphasis will be on applied aspects of the field.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES (SLOs, approved by the UPCC 2012):
As a result of taking this course students will demonstrate knowledge of forensic psychology, including the following topics:
1. Describe the psychological approach to studying law and the role of human decision-making in legal outcomes; discuss the differences between the adversarial and inquisitorial models of trials in terms of these processes. [APA 1.2, 4.3]
2. Identify the different types of courts that have been created and some Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) procedures. [APA 1.2; 4.1, 4.2, 4.3]
3. Understand the various theories of crime (e.g., sociological, biological, psychological, etc.). [APA 1.1, 1.2, 1.3]
4. Discuss the history and practice of police psychology including mental and aptitude testing. [APA 1.2, 1.2(a)3; 4.2]
5. Describe basic information processing in regard to eyewitness and child testimony. [APA 1.2, 1.3]
6. Identify methods of evaluating deception by criminal suspects, including the detection of false confessions. [APA 1.2, 4.3]
7. Describe the steps in the legal process between arrest and trial, including psychological influences on the plea-bargaining process; describe the procedures and processes involved when a case is brought to trial. [APA 1.2, 1.3, 4.2]
8. Identify the legal standards for competency and the assessment of insanity in criminal and juvenile cases; analyze the considerations relevant to forensic assessment in civil cases. [APA 1.2, 1.3]
9. Understand how jury representativeness is influenced by the jury selection process; evaluate the decision processes of juries. [APA 1.2, 1.3, 4.2, 4.3; 8.4]
10. Understand victimology and the psychological effects of victimization; describe the psychology of sexual assault and distinguish between battering, date rape, pedophilia, and sexual harassment. [APA 1.2, 1.3, 4.2,.4.3]
11. Evaluate the purposes of punishment and sentencing, including the death penalty; apply psychological study of the law in an examination of juvenile and adult corrections. [APA 1.2, 1.3, 4.3, 4.4]
12. Explain different research methods used by psychologists and evaluate the appropriateness of conclusions derived from psychological research. [APA 2.2, 2.3; 3.1]
13. Demonstrate effective writing skills and application of APA style. [APA 6.2, 6.3, 6.4;7.1]
Course Prerequisites
SIX SEMESTER HOURS OF PSYCHOLOGY
Specific Course Requirements
The requirements of the course are as follows:
1. Attend class meetings.
2. Read assigned material.
3. Participate in class discussions or discussions via internet (online course)
4. Complete all exams.
5. Complete any homework assignments
Research Component
***Insert any research requirements for this course. ***
Entrance Competencies
***Insert a description of any special skills students need to perform well in the class. ***
Required Textbooks
Forensic PsychologyAuthor: Fulero, Solomon M. / Wrightsman, Lawrence S.Edition: 3RD 09 ISBN 13: 978-0-495-50649-2 ISBN 10: 0-495-50649-4 MBS Direct SKU #: 823655 Publisher: Wadsworth, Inc
Without Conscience : The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among UsAuthor: Hare, Robert D.Edition: 1993 ISBN 13: 978-1-57230-451-2 ISBN 10: 1-57230-451-0 MBS Direct SKU #: 429105 Publisher: Guilford Press
The textbook provider for the eTROY of Troy University is MBS Direct. The Web site for textbook purchases is http://www.mbsdirect.net/Index.htm .
Students should have their textbook by the first week of class. Not having your textbook is not an acceptable excuse for late work. Students who add this course late should refer to the 'Late Registration' section for further guidance.
[<***** Note to faculty: consult the Master Textbook List for the approved textbook(s) for this eTroy course. The Master Textbook list may be obtained from Dana Bush () or at the Troy University Psychology Program Livetext. All psychology faculty -especially those who will be teaching one of the Psychology Designated Assessment courses - are expected to have a free LiveText account – contact Marci Shirley to open your account at . The Psychology LiveText site has resources for onground and online faculty. If you have further questions, please consult the Psychology Curriculum Committee Facilitator, Karena T. Valkyrie at or >****]
Supplementary Materials
None
Attendance Policy
In addition to interaction via Blackboard and e-mail contact, students are required to contact the instructor via e-mail or telephone by the first day of the term for an initial briefing. Although physical class meetings are not part of this course, participation in all interactive, learning activities is required.
Submitting Assignments
***Include any specific instructions you have for students to submit assignments, such as where or how they will be submitted (assignment feature, discussion board, etc.)***
Make-Up Work Policy
Missing any part of this schedule may prevent completion of the course. If you foresee difficulty of any type (i.e., an illness, employment change, etc.) which may prevent completion of this course, notify the instructor as soon as possible. Failure to do so will result in failure for an assignment and/or failure of the course. (See "Attendance" Policy.) If I have not heard from you by the deadline dates for assignments, exams, or forums, no make-up work will be allowed (unless extraordinary circumstances exist, such as hospitalization). Requests for extensions must be made in advance and accompanied by appropriate written documentation. "Computer problems" is not an acceptable excuse.
Method of Evaluation
***Insert breakout of how grades will be determined, including weighting used. ***
Examination Schedule and Instructions
***Insert your plan for giving examinations, including dates (or refer students to schedule at end of syllabus), type of tests administered (proctored or not proctored, open or closed book, multiple choice or essay, time limits and policies, etc. Example follows:
• The exams will be multiple-choice.
• They will be available for a specific time period. See the Course Schedule in the back of this syllabus for the dates during which time the exams will be available.
• The exams will be delivered online via Blackboard. They will be found in the Assignments section. The exams will be timed. Points will be deducted if the student overruns the time limit for the exam. See the exam instructions for the time limit and how the overrun deductions are calculated. ***
Late Registration
Students who register during the first week of the term, during late registration, will already be one week behind. Students who fall into this category are expected to catch up with all of Week #1 and Week #2's work by the end of Week #2. No exceptions, since two weeks constitutes a significant percentage of the term's lessons. Students who do not feel they can meet this deadline should not enroll in the class. If they have registered, they should see their registrar, academic adviser, GoArmyEd or Military Education officer to discuss their options. Also note that late registration may mean you do not receive your book in time to make up the work you missed in Week #1. Not having your book on the first day of class is not an excuse for late work after the deadlines in the Course Schedule.
Incomplete Grade Policy
Missing any part of the Course Schedule may prevent completion of the course. If circumstances will prevent the student from completing the course by the end of the term, the student should complete a request for an incomplete grade. Note: A grade of incomplete or 'INC' is not automatically assigned to students, but rather must be requested by the student by submitting a Petition for and Work to Remove an Incomplete Grade Form. Requests for an incomplete grade must be made on or before the date of the final assignment or test of the term. The form will not be available after the last day of the term. A grade of 'INC' does not replace an 'F' and will not be awarded for excessive absences. An 'INC' will only be awarded to student presenting a valid case for the inability to complete coursework by the conclusion of the term. It is ultimately the instructor's decision to grant or deny a request for an incomplete grade, subject to the policy rules below.
Policy/Rules for granting an Incomplete (INC):
• An incomplete cannot be issued without a request from the student. To qualify for an incomplete, the student must:
1.) Have completed over 50% of the course material and have a documented reason for requesting incomplete (50% means all assignments/exams up to and including the mid-term point, test, and/or assignments.)
2.) Be passing the course at the time of their request.
• If both of the above criteria are not met an incomplete cannot be granted.
• An INC is not a substitute for an 'F'. If a student has earned an 'F' by not submitting all the work or by receiving an overall 'F' average, then the 'F' stands.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT:
Students should refer to the Standards of Conduct section of the Oracle, the student
handbook, for policies regarding misconduct. Students who engage in academic misconduct may receive a grade of "F" for the course. Your work may be submitted to an on-line plagiarism detection service. Cheating, plagiarism, or knowingly furnishing false information to the University constitutes academic misconduct, and disciplinary procedures specified in the Student Handbook will be followed.
The College of Educations defines plagiarism as:
· Three consecutive words that are not common professional language used from another source without quotation
· Rephrasing another author's words without appropriate citation
· Using another author's ideas or data without appropriate citation
· Submitting another author's or student's writing as one's own
· Directly quoting a source without using appropriate APA or MLA style (whichever is required by the instructor) citation to show that it is a direct quote.
· Intentionally taking information from a source and not giving appropriate credit
Students who commit plagiarism will be subject to disciplinary actions as outlined in The Oracle for Academic Misconduct and violation of the Honor Code. The Standards of Conduct and Disciplinary Procedures define university procedures in these matters. Students have the right to request consideration by the Student Services Conduct Board.
Consequences for plagiarism in (course number) are as follows: {*NOTE TO FACULTY*: This is where faculty will outline consequences for plagiarism in any assignment/assessment/activity in (course prefix and course number) as follows: Penalty/Failure can only be applied to the assignment. Only in situations where the assignment is critical to successful completion of the course may the faculty fail the student for the course.}
HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM - Plagiarism is academic dishonesty and is an unacceptable activity at Troy University. Based on United States law, words and ideas are intellectual property and are protected from theft.
Defining Plagiarism:
Plagiarism is representing someone else's ideas or work as your own original ideas or work. Plagiarism encompasses many things, and is by far the most common manifestation of academic fraud. For example, copying a passage straight from a book, a website, or any other source into a paper without using quotation marks and explicitly citing the source is plagiarism. Additionally, paraphrasing is plagiarism where you fail to cite your original source and, in some cases, where you fail to use quotation marks as well. It is very important that students properly acknowledge all ideas, work, and even distinctive words or phrases that are not their own. (1)
All of the following are considered plagiarism:
• Turning in someone else's work as your own
• Copying words or ideas from someone else without giving credit
• Failing to put a quotation in quotation marks
• Giving incorrect information about the source of a quotation
• Changing words but copying the sentence structure of a source without giving credit
• Copying so many words or ideas from a source that it makes up the majority of your work, whether you give credit or not (2)
Additionally, if you download a paper from the Internet and submit it as your own work or if you submit a paper you wrote and submitted in a previous class, you have committed acts of plagiarism.
Penalties:
At Troy University, penalties for plagiarism include, but are not limited to, a reduction of grade on an assignment and/or a course as well as such sanctions as loss of student privileges, probation, suspension, and expulsion. These penalties for plagiarism are described in the Standards of Content section of The Oracle: The Troy University Student Handbook. (4)
Guidelines to Academic Honesty:
If you are unsure if an assignment is plagiarized, use the following checklist for guidance:
You need to cite the specific source(s) in your work, even if:
1. You put all direct quotes in quotation marks.