PSYC 412-901, Health Psychology
Virginia Commonwealth University
Mondays and Wednesdays, 4:00-5:15 p.m.
Fall 2009
Instructor:
Eric Benotsch, Ph.D.
Office: Thurston House, 808 West Franklin, #301
Phone: (804) 828-0133
E-mail:
Office Hours: Monday 1:00-2:00 pm, Wednesday 2:00-3:00 pm, and by appointment.
Teaching Assistant:
Stephen Trapp, M.Ed.
E-mail:
Office Hours: Monday, 5:30-6:30
Note: Stephen’s office hour will be held at the Starbucks in Cabell Library
Textbooks:
Taylor, S.E. (2009). Health Psychology, 7th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill.
This text is required.
Prerequisites: PSYC 101 and PSYC 308 or PSYC 401
Official Course Description: Application of the principles and techniques of psychology to the field of medicine, to health maintenance and to illness. The integration of theoretical, research and applied issues is emphasized in the analysis of such topics as psychological/behavioral factors contributing to and protecting against physical illness (stress, smoking, exercise), factors relating to treatment and recovery (coping, treatment compliance), psychological problems resulting from illness and injury, and specific techniques and problem areas in health psychology (such as biofeedback, pain management, pediatric psychology, geropsychology, rehabilitation psychology and lifestyle change).
Course Overview. If you attend class regularly, take notes, participate in class activities, complete the reading and written assignments, and study, you will gain a broad knowledge of:
· The history, growth, and current status of Health Psychology’s inquiry into the complex interplay of mind, body, and environment
· Research in Health Psychology and related fields
· Stress physiology, the stress/illness relationship, and interventions that can reduce (bad) stress and protect your health
· The role played by personality and social support in health and illness
· The impact of serious illness on patients and family members
· The strategies for optimal health education programs
· The causes, treatments, and psychosocial stresses of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and other health problems
Note: Keep this syllabus and read it carefully; you’re responsible for knowing what’s in it.
Attendance. Lecture attendance is your responsibility. Material presented in lectures will expand on the assigned readings and will include information and theoretical perspectives not addressed in the texts. Thus, you should not expect that all of the material that has been assigned will be discussed in class. You will be responsible for all readings and material and perspectives presented in class. Beyond didactic material and discussion, this includes scheduling changes, announcements, etc. I will not provide notes or other materials, reviews, or repetitions for students who miss class without an acceptable excuse. If you miss class, you need to get notes, etc., from another student.
Readings. Unless I tell you otherwise, you are responsible for reading the assigned materials in their entirety, whether or not they have been discussed in class. This includes both text and handouts. Reading material before it is discussed in class is in your best interest. In addition to the readings in the Taylor text, I will assign various articles during the semester. These will be posted to Blackboard.
Exams. Three tests will be given. Each will consist largely of multiple-choice questions but may also include short-answer items. Tests will be drawn from lectures, class discussions, class exercises, assigned readings and in-class videotapes. Some questions will be drawn from material only covered in the text or only described in class, but most of the questions will cover material covered both in class and in the readings. Each of the three tests will be non-cumulative and will be worth 100 points (300 points total). Students are not permitted to keep the exams themselves, but you will have the opportunity to review the tests for as long as you wish. Exams are NOT open-book or open-notes. Use of dictionaries, calculators, cell-phones, PDAs, iPods, headphones, laptops, desktops, Encyclopedia Britannica, your roommate, etc., is not allowed. Use of these items may be considered cheating.
Make-up exams. Non-emergency requests for makeup exams must be submitted in writing (an e-mail is fine) at least 2 weeks before the exam date. Such requests must detail a valid and compelling reason for the request. To qualify for a makeup exam due to an emergency, documentation of the circumstances (medical illness, death in family) needs to be provided. All make-up exams are in short-answer and/or essay format.
In-class Assignments. 10 in-class assignments, guided discussions, self-tests, and group exercises will be conducted during the semester. Each exercise will be worth 5 points (50 points total). In order to receive credit, you must be in class on the day the exercise is conducted. One additional assignment will be given at the end of the semester for those who miss one of the 10 due to absence. Those who complete all 11 will receive 5 extra credit points.
Self-Assessment Project. The purpose of this project is to allow you to apply the knowledge and principles learned in the first-half of the course to your personal life. On September 16th you will be given a packet with detailed instructions and materials needed to complete this project. Your completed project (5-8 pages) will include a description of your current lifestyle and health risks, a profile and assessment of your health-relevant personality traits, health beliefs and social support, a realistic intervention plan for improving your health behaviors, and a summary evaluation section. This project is due on October 21st. This assignment is worth 50 points. Five points will be deducted for each day (weekday, weekend day, holiday, etc.) the assignment is late.
Extra Credit. There will be various opportunities during the semester to earn extra credit. These opportunities will be educational in nature and will be related to the field of health psychology, broadly defined. Extra credit will be available for research participation, in-class activities, or completing a report on a relevant topic. Each extra credit activity will be worth up to 5 points. The maximum extra credit that a student can earn through outside-of-class activities is 15 points. ALL extra credit MUST be turned in by May 4th, the final regular class period—no exceptions.
GRADING:
Your final course grade will be determined as follows:
Test 1: 100 points
Test 2: 100 points
Test 3: 100 points
In-class assignments: 50 points
Self-Assessment project: 50 points
Letter grades will be based on the following points:
Grade Percent Points
A 92-100 368 or greater
A- 90-91.99 360-367
B+ 88-89.99 352-359
B 82-87.99 328-351
B- 80-81.99 320-327
C+ 78-79.99 312-319
C 72-77.99 288-311
C- 70-71.99 280-287
D+ 68-69.99 272-279
D 62-67.99 248-271
D- 60-61.99 240-247
F <60 239 or fewer
Point cutoffs are firm. For example, 359 points is a B+ and 360 points is an A-.
Use of Blackboard. Some course materials will be posted on Blackboard, an online resource for students and instructors. Blackboard will also be used for announcements and for posting grades. All students enrolled in this course should have access to Blackboard. If you do not have access, please see me. You are responsible for checking the course Blackboard site for announcements and to obtain course materials.
Religious Holiday Accommodations. If you have a conflict with an exam or other course activity due to a religious holiday, please let me know and we will work out a way to accommodate your absence. Please note that per VCU policy, September 4th is the last day to provide written notice of your intent to observe religious holidays.
Disability Accommodations. For information on disability accommodations, please see: http://www.students.vcu.edu/dss/
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 require Virginia Commonwealth University to provide academic adjustments or accommodations for students with documented disabilities. Students seeking adjustments or accommodations must self-identify with Ms. Joyce Knight (, (804)828-2253, Student Commons), the coordinator of services for students with disabilities. After meeting with the coordinator and before the first exam, I encourage you to meet with me to discuss your needs.
Academic Misconduct. You are responsible for being observant of VCU policies about academic honesty as stated in the Honor Code: http://www.provost.vcu.edu/pdfs/Honor_system_policy.pdf
Cheating and plagiarism are gross violations of academic ethics and will result in an F in the course, in addition to other possible remedies. Plagiarism is the presenting of another person’s words or ideas as though they are your own. If you have a question about what constitutes cheating or plagiarism, please see me.
Class conduct. VCU has a structured policy on proper conduct in the classroom. Please see: http://www.provost.vcu.edu/pdfs/FacultyGuideToStudentConductInInstructionalSettings.pdf
I also have a set of expectations regarding what is appropriate classroom conduct. These will be explained on the first day of class and a copy will be posted to Blackboard for you to review at any time.
Emergencies. What to know and do to be prepared for emergencies at VCU
- Sign up to receive VCU text messaging alerts (http://www.vcu.edu/alert/notify). Keep your information up-to-date.
- Know the safe evacuation route from each of your classrooms. Emergency evacuation routes are posted in on-campus classrooms.
- Listen for and follow instructions from VCU or other designated authorities.
- Know where to go for additional emergency information (http://www.vcu.edu/alert).
- Know the emergency phone # for VCU Police (828-1234). Report suspicious activities & objects.
Tentative Schedule. The subject of this course is fascinating, sometimes controversial, and often stimulates valuable discussions. It is likely that several of you have relevant experiences and information that can benefit the class as a whole. To allow for such contributions and to explore in greater depth topics the class finds particularly interesting, I reserve the right to depart from the schedule listed below. I will, however, do my best to adhere to the exam schedule as listed. You will be informed of any changes in the schedule via announcements on Blackboard and during class.
Week 1:
August 24: Orientation and Introduction
August 26: The field of Health Psychology
Text: Chapter 1
Week 2:
August 31: Systems of the Body
Text: Chapter 2
September 2: Systems of the Body, Part II
Stress & Coping
Text: Chapter 6
Week 3:
September 7: No Class. Happy Labor Day!
September 9: Stress & Coping, Part II
Week 4:
September 14: Stress & Coping, Part III, Moderators of the Stress Experience
Text: Chapter 7
September 16: Health Behaviors, Theory and Overview
Text: Chapter 3
Week 5:
September 21: Health Behaviors, Part II, Specific Health-Related Behaviors
Text: Chapter 4
September 23: Health Behaviors, Part III
Week 6:
September 28: Health Behaviors, Part IV: Smoking, use of Alcohol and other drugs
Text: Chapter 5
September 30: Exam 1
Exam 1 will test on material covered through September 23rd (chapters 1, 2, 3, 4, 6 & 7, plus outside readings)
Week 7:
October 5: Using Health Services
Text: Chapter 8
October 7: Using Health Services, Part II
Week 8:
October 12: Patient-Provider Relations
Text: Chapter 9
October 14: Patient-Provider Relations
Week 9:
October 19: Pain
Text: Chapter 10
October 21: Pain, Part II
Self-Assessment Due
Week 10:
October 26: Pain, Part III
October 28: Management of Chronic Illness
Text: Chapter 11
October 30: Last day to withdraw from course with a mark of “W”
Week 11:
November 2: EXAM II
Exam II will test on material covered through October 21 (Chapters 5, 8, 9, and 10 plus outside readings)
November 4: Management of Chronic Illness, Part II
Week 12:
November 9: Advancing and Terminal Illness
Text: Chapter 12
November 11: Advancing and Terminal Illness, Part II
Week 13:
November 16: Heart Disease, Hypertension, Stroke
Text: Chapter 13
November 18: Heart Disease, Hypertension, Stroke, Part II
Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome
Week 14:
November 23: Psychoneuroimmunology, HIV/AIDS
Text: Chapter 14
November 25: Cancer
Week 15:
November 30: Arthritis
December 2: Health Psychology in the Future
Text: Chapter 15
Final Day to turn in Extra Credit
Finals Week
December 7: Final Exam 4-5:30 p.m.
Final exam is non-cumulative. Exam III will test on material covered through October 21 (Chapters 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 plus outside readings)