PSY2080 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY: Projects

Project 1

You are to select and watch any movie that addresses any topic or psychological disorder we have covered in class or in the text. Write a paper that discusses the movie and its character(s) in the context of your chosen abnormal psychology topic or disorder. Assume that I have not seen the movie you have selected and provide enough information about the plot and relevant characters so that I can follow your reasoning. Below this assignment is a list of possible movies from which you may select. You are welcome to choose any movie you want, but I encourage you to consult with me before selecting a film not on the list, to make certain that it is suitable for this assignment

In order to receive full credit for this assignment, your paper must include several things:

1. Provide a DSM-IV diagnosis on all 5 Axes (if you can, and state why if you cannot do this). Make sure to give your rationale for the diagnosis including the symptoms that meet the diagnostic criteria of the disorder.
2. Discuss any relevant part of the movie from the standpoint of abnormal psychology. For example, how did the other characters in the movie treat the person with the disorder? How were mental health professionals portrayed in the film? Did having the psychological disorder affect the character’s life? If so, how?
3. Review the movie for its accuracy in portraying the disorder.
   

Papers should be no less than 5 pages, double-spaced and with reasonable font size and margins. Remember to proofread as well as spell-check. No handwritten papers will be accepted. See the schedule for the due date for Project 1. Late papers will be reduced by 20% (20 points or 2 letter grades) for each day they are late.

Your project is to be an original production. Do not take material directly (word for word) from a source and present it as your own, as this is plagiarism. If you use books or other sources in this project, make sure you cite them in the text of your paper, and provide a reference list, in APA style, at the end of your paper. Make sure to proofread and spell check your paper before submitting it. Points will be deducted for failure to follow these guidelines, for failure to proofread and spell check, and for misspelling, typographical, and grammatical errors. Here is an APA style checklist.

You may want to use the Writing Center for help with writing your paper.

Click here and hereto be linked to websites with more ideas for suitable movies.

Agnes of God

Apocalypse Now

As Good As It Gets

Awakenings

Benny and Joon

The Bone Collector

Born on the Fourth of July

Boys Don’t Cry

Charley

Clean and Sober

A Clockwork Orange

The Crying Game

Dead Poets Society

The Deer Hunter

Drug Store Cowboy

Falling Down

Fatal Attraction

The Fisher King

Forrest Gump

Gas Light

Girl Interrupted

The Glass Menagerie

The House of Yes

Leaving Las Vegas

The Madness of King George

Marnie

Mr. Jones

My Own Private Idaho

The Odd Couple

Of Mice and Men

One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest

Ordinary People

The Other Sister

Pulp Fiction

The Prince of Tides

Psycho (the Alfred Hitchcock version)

Pulp Fiction

Rambo – First Blood

Rain Man

Raising Cain

Scent of a Woman

Shattered

Shine

The Silence of the Lambs

Slingblade

Sophie’s Choice

Sorry, Wrong Number

Spellbound

A Streetcar Named Desire

Sybil

Taxi Driver

Terminator 2

The Three Faces of Eve

Trainspotting

Vertigo

What About Bob?

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

When a Man Loves a Woman

The World According to Garp

Project 2

You will research and develop a brochure highlighting a specific disorder. First, you need to select a psychological disorder. You may select any disorder which is not covered in detail in class.  I recommend that you choose a disorder as soon as possible, because only one person can develop a brochure for each disorder, and disorders will be assigned on a first-come basis.  You must have a disorder approved by the second exam.

Information to be included in your brochure:
1. Description and examples of symptoms.  You may NOT simply list the DSM criteria – use your
     own words to describe symptoms.  Examples of symptoms, course of the disorder and
     prevalence information must also be included.
2. An overview of the most widely accepted current theories of the cause of the disorder
3. Current treatments for the disorder, including therapy and medication.

Do not take material directly (word for word) from a source and present it as your own, as this is plagiarism. 

See the links page for resources related to researching your chosen disorder.

Reference List:
A list of your references, in APA format is due with your brochure. The references should be in APA style, which is different than MLA style which is used for English and history classes.  You should reference all sources of information used in your brochure (books, Internet web sites, and journal articles). Do not take material directly (word for word) from a source and present it as your own, as this is plagiarism.  See me with any questions about this.  Points will be deducted for not adhering to APA style.  You will find a guide to referencing on the course website, here, or see me.  You must use at least five sources.  At least one of your sources MUST be a book and two MUST be journal articles.  You may not use more than two websites as sources.
 

Presentation of Brochures:
Brochures will be presented to the class on the last day of classes.  See your schedule for the due date.  You should make enough copies of the brochure for the entire class (I’ll tell you how many to make when we get closed to the due date).  I will also give you more specific instructions about how brochures will be presented. 

Brochures earning grades of A will be given to the Counseling Department and I’m working with them to try to make copies of these brochures available for students. 

Evaluation:

75% of your grade will be based on the content of your brochure, including the quality and comprehensiveness of the material you present. 25% of your grade will be based on the clarity of presentation. This includes the organization and layout of the brochure.

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Updated September 03, 2010