Psychology of Suicide

Transcription

1 Psychology of Suicide (PCO 4930, Section 2255) Fall 2012 Mondays, 4:05 pm 7:05 pm; Room 130, Psychology Instructor: Frederic Desmond, PhD Phone: Office Hours: Thursdays, 1:00 pm 2:00 pm or by appointment (room 236-C PSY) Teaching Assistants: Brittani Bolanos, Alana Cato, Sarah Deatherage, Rusty Gillian, Amanda Hong, Dennis Mcleod, Ashley Nolan, Lelia Uchuya Course Objectives Welcome to Psychology of Suicide! I am delighted that you are taking this course, and my hope is that this course helps you to develop both personally and professionally. The overall objectives of this course are to: 1) Increase your understanding of theories, research, assessment, interventions, and prevention as they relate to suicide. 2) Integrate new knowledge and experiences from class into your understanding of suicide and related topics. 3) Increase your ability to empathize and understand different points of view and worldviews. This course is designed to be intellectually stimulating as well as challenging. Students are expected to read, comprehend, and integrate a large amount of information through a variety of experiential and interactive activities. Like many other courses, you get out what you put in. Course Structure Class time usually will be divided into two parts. The first part will consist of a lecture or guest speaker presentation; the second part will involve small-group discussions and other activities. Required Text Granello, D. H., & Granello, P. F. (2007). Suicide: An essential guide for helping professionals and educators (1 st ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN: Web-Based Materials and Class Communication Various course materials (syllabus, required readings, supplemental materials, student grades, etc.) will be posted on Sakai, UF s web-based e-learning system ( Also, course-related announcements and other communications will be sent to students via from within the course website. It is important to visit this site daily. (Note: I highly recommend that you activate the Auto Forward Message feature in Sakai, so that s sent from within Sakai are received at your preferred external address. To activate this feature, click on mail and then settings, type in your external address, and click auto forward. Grades Final grades for the course are based on mastery of the material and are not curved. Graded course activities are as follows: 1. Topic Papers (6 25 points each = 150 points total) Topic papers consist of general questions related to topics covered in course lectures and guest speaker presentations. The questions are meant to challenge your thinking and your

2 ability to integrate and apply course material. Answers must be at least 2 pages long, but no more than 3 pages. Answers must be typed using a Times Roman font with a 12-point font size and 1-inch margins, and must be double-spaced. Also, write your UF-ID and group number in the top-right corner of the first page. Although grammar will not be purposely graded, a maximum of 5 points can be taken off for excessive spelling and/or grammatical errors. Papers are due in hard copy format at the beginning of class (4:05pm) on the class date following the date on which they are assigned. Additionally, papers must be submitted electronically in the Assignments section of Sakai prior to the beginning of class on the day they are due. Papers will not be accepted after midnight on the day on which they are due. 2. Pop-Quizzes (6 15 points each = 90 points total) At some point during 6 classes throughout the semester, a pop-quiz will be administered. Questions can be multiple choice, true/false, fill-in, or short-answer format. Quizzes may include questions from assigned readings, lectures, or presentations from the previous week. If you keep up with the readings and attend class, you will greatly increase the likelihood of doing well on the pop-quizzes. Questions on quizzes may be weighted differently depending on the knowledge required to answer them. Make-up quizzes will NOT be given except in the case of a medical emergency in accordance with the UF guidelines, or with prior permission from the instructor (this means you must talk to me BEFORE you are absent from class. Sending me an is NOT considered contacting me you must hear back from me). 3. Discussion Groups (11 discussion 10 points each = 110 points total) The ability to express and share your feelings, thoughts, and opinions related to the course topics is an integral part of this course and your learning. Each discussion group will consist of about 10 students and is facilitated by one or two teaching assistants. Students can earn up to 10 points for each discussion group meeting, as follows: 4 points for attending the entire discussion group and 6 points for actively participating (as judged by the group facilitators) in the discussion. 4. Community Project Planning and Implementation (100 points) Each discussion group will be divided into sub-groups that will design and implement a project related to suicide awareness, prevention, intervention, or postvention in the local community or beyond. All students must participate in all aspects of the community project (e.g., if written materials are developed, everyone must contribute to their development). This activity will be entirely student-run; however, one of your discussion group facilitators will help with and oversee the project, and may participate as necessary. Students can earn up to 100 points for this assignment, as follows: 70 points for actively participating in designing, developing, and planning the project, and 30 points for being actively involved in implementing the project. Using a format/structure provided by the course instructor, each student will be required to keep track of and verify all community project-related activities he or she conducts (e.g., attending planning meetings, creating materials needed to implement the project, communicating with other project members). Sub-groups may end up doing projects that are somewhat similar, but each project must be relatively unique. Additional guidelines, expectations, and tips will be posted on Sakai.

3 5. Community Project Presentation (30 points) During the last two classes of the semester, each sub-group will give a presentation to the class about their community project. Presentations need to be creative and informative, and may use any media that can be displayed in the classroom (PowerPoint presentations, pictures, video, etc.). The length of the presentations will vary depending on the number of sub-groups created. Additional guidelines, expectations, and tips will be posted on Sakai. All sub-group members must attend and participate in their project presentation. Exceptions will only be made with prior permission from the instructor (or in the case of a medical emergency according to UF guidelines). Students who are granted prior permission or cannot participate in presentations due to a medical emergency will be required to write a brief research review paper worth 30 points. 6. Community Project Peer Support (20 points) Students not presenting a community project are required to participate as audience members. Exceptions will only be made with prior permission from the instructor (or in the case of a medical emergency according to UF guidelines). Students who are granted prior permission or cannot participate as audience members due to a medical emergency will be required to write a brief research review paper worth 20 points. The total number of points for each course activity and the entire course are as follows: 6 Topic 25 points each total points 6 15 points each...90 total points Discussion-Group Participation (11 10 points each) total points Community Project Planning and Implementation total points Community Project Presentation...30 total points Community Project Peer Support...20 total points Entire course Total Points The grade scale for the course is as follows: Grade Points Percentage A % and above A % 91.99% B % 89.99% B % 87.99% B % 81.99% C % 79.99% C % 77.99% C % 71.99% D % 69.99% D % 67.99% D % 61.99% E 299 Below 60% Extra Credit Opportunities may arise to participate in research or other activities for which students will be able to earn extra credit. Such opportunities will be announced during class time only. The amount of extra credit will be based on the time commitment required to participate in the activity. Extra credit opportunities will be offered at the instructor s discretion and may be

4 available during or outside of class. If extra credit opportunities do arise, each student will only be allowed to earn up to 10 extra credit points in the course. Opportunities for extra credit will always be offered to everyone in the class, never to certain students only. There are no make-ups for extra credit opportunities under any circumstances. Make-Up Policy There will be no make-up assignments except in the case of extreme and unavoidable circumstances that meet the criteria of the University of Florida policy for an excused absence. Make-ups will only be given for illnesses that require medical treatment, valid emergencies, and valid scheduling conflicts. Students must provide written documentation of the excusable absence as per UF policy. With the exception of emergency situations, if you are aware that you will be absent for an assignment due date, you must obtain permission from the instructor prior to the due date or you will receive a zero for the missed assignment. Use of Laptops and Other Electronic Devices Out of respect for your fellow students, please make sure that all cell phones or any other electronic devices are silenced during class. Please do not use laptops during class for anything other than taking notes. Experience has shown me that students who use laptops in class often multitask with , instant messaging, surfing the Internet, and other activities that distract other students and are extremely disrespectful to class members and the instructor. If you do use a laptop during class, be aware that if a member of the teaching team notices that you using the laptop for non-course-related activities, he or she will tap your shoulder, and someone on the teaching team will talk to you about the issue after class. Academic Honesty Cheating is NOT tolerated at the University of Florida. Cheating is defined in the University Handbook, and it is the student s responsibility to be familiar with its many forms (including plagiarism). As a result of completing registration at the University of Florida, every student has agreed to the following statement: I understand that the University of Florida expects its students to be honest in all their academic work. I agree to adhere to this commitment to academic honesty and understand that my failure to comply with this commitment may result in disciplinary action up to and including expulsion from the University. Accommodations for Students with Disabilities Students requesting classroom or testing accommodation must first register with the Dean of Students Office. The Dean of Students Office will provide you with the necessary documentation, and you must then provide this documentation to me when requesting accommodation. I will be happy to work with both you and the Dean of Students Office to make arrangements that will help you to meet the course requirements and your individual needs. Personal Issues or Emotional Discomfort The topics covered in the course can evoke personal issues and/or emotional discomfort. If you find that the course precipitates personal issues or emotions that need to be addressed, I encourage you to consider speaking with a counselor at the UF Counseling Center ( ). These services are free to registered students.

5 Class Date Group Meeting Course Schedule and Timeline 1 Topic Paper Due Topic Readings (to be read prior to class) 1 8/27 #1 Course Overview Syllabus 9/3 LABOR DAY; NO CLASS 2 9/10 #2 Introduction to Suicidology Chapter 1 3 9/17 #3 Paper #1 Suicide Risk Factors Chapters 3 9 Article 1 4 9/24 #4 Suicide Risk Assessment *Community project ideas in groups Chapter /1 #5 Suicide Risk Assessment (continued) 6 10/8 #6 Paper #2 Suicide Prevention Chapter /15 #7 Paper #3 Suicide in the Media Suicide in the Military *Community project proposals due 8 10/22 #8 Suicide Intervention with Children, Adolescents, and Adults Chapter 12 Chapter /29 #9 Paper #4 Survivors of Suicide Loss Chapter /5 #10 Legal and Ethical Issues Chapter 14 Article 2 11/12 VETERANS DAY; NO CLASS 11 11/19 #11 Paper #5 Self-Injury and Suicide The Bridge Article 3 Article /26 Paper #6 Project Presentations 13 12/3 Project Presentations Guest speaker 1 This schedule is a tentative list of topics and dates and may change due to various reasons. All students in the class will be informed of any change(s) via , an announcement in class, and an announcement posted on Sakai.