Discussing "Abnormal Psychology"

Video version of the discussion prompt to provide additional engagement can be found at: https://youtu.be/dYBd-VmDlv8 

You were asked to read about a name change to what was previously known as the Journal of Abnormal Psychology and how it may contribute to the stigmatization of mental health. Discuss with your classmates mental health stigma you have observed or experienced and explain why or why not the term ‘abnormal’ contributes to it.  Your original post and responses should collectively address the following questions. 

•  How does the term (or how does it not) ‘abnormal’ contribute to mental health stigmatization? 

• Does harmful dysfunction adjust the interpretation?  

• Should the name of this course be reconsidered by institutions? What about academic journals and textbooks?  

• What would a replacement term for ‘Abnormal Psychology’ be?

• What is one other way, besides moving away from the term “abnormal” that we can decrease the stigma associated with mental health and psychological disorders?

Remember that discussions are graded on substance, depth, relevance and insteractiveness – no simply answering the questions.  Original posts are due Thursdays at 11:59pm and 4 peer responses are due Sunday at 11:59pm.  Please refer to the syllabus for additional information.  The rubric is uploaded to the LMS.   

Students will complete discussions on topics as scheduled.  Please read this section very carefully. 

Posting Discussions (Where/How):  In the BlackBoard course, you will navigate to the Discussion Board.  You will see thread appear when there is a discussion assignment.  You will reply to the thread’s prompt which facilitates your discussion and interactions with one another.   Make sure you adhere to the Respect Policy.  It is okay to disagree and still be respectful. 

Class Interaction (What): Using the prompt and course material as your guide, you are to interact with one another and have a virtual class discussion within the thread.  You are to respond first to the prompt that is given to you by me.  This should be done with thought and substance. Video posts are welcomed! Although there is no official word count/video minimum requirement, posts are expected to be long enough to respond appropriately to the prompt (quality matters!) This original post is due by Thursday of its assigned week at 11:59pm.   You are also required to respond to 4 peers.  NO videos for peer responses!! Your responses should, again be thoughtful and respectful.  Although there is no official word count requirement, replies that consist only of responses such as “You make an excellent point” or “Good example” do not demonstrate significant thought or effort on your part and will be graded accordingly. Again, the overall substance and depth of your overall interaction/posts will determine your grade (see rubric).  Social moments, tangents, and use of supporting sources are welcome if relevant.  See below for due date explanation and look at the uploaded rubric for additional details.

Posts and responses should be grammatically correct, and without spelling errors. I recommend that you compose first in a word- processor so that you can check for grammar and spelling correctness, then copy and paste the post in the forum. Please, do not use fragments or abbreviations such as you use in text messages to friends. This is a college course, and you are expected to correspond as an educated adult. 

Plagiarism (copying text and/or ideas from another source without proper citation and quotes or paraphrasing) is not tolerated. Posts that are reasonably believed to be plagiarized will be assigned a grade of 0 and considered an honor violation.  If you think you need to include a citation, please do so and provide the reference.  This goes for both the posts and responses.  Note that the parenthetical citation cannot be included in your word count.   

Due Dates (When):  You should be starting your discussion as early as possible, especially if you want to get the full quality out of it.  Your original posts are due on the Thursday of their assigned week and the peer responses are due Sunday of the assigned week. 

Note.  Discussions are set so that you will not see any posts until you have posted something.  Although late posts are not accepted, partial credit can still be awarded for doing the peer responses – which means you would have to post something.