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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Introduction to Forensic Psychology

Course Title:	PY505 - Introduction to Forensic Psychology
Department:	Social and Behavioral Sciences
Instructor:	George Wolford, PhD, E-Mail -- Vita
Credentials:	BS Behavioral Science, MA Counseling Psychology PhD Clinical Psychology, PhD Community Psychology
Email:	wolford@canyoncollege.edu

Office Hours

For office hours, I use AIM Messenger, my AIM name is GeoWolford.
To download AOL Instant Messenger free go to http://www.aim.com.

Software Requirements

• Microsoft Windows Operation System (Windows 98, ME, 2000, or XP)
• Microsoft Office 2000 (or higher)
• Internet Explorer 5.0 or higher http://www.microsoft.com/downloads
• Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 7, be sure to get the updates free http://www.adobe.com
• AOL Instant Messenger: free download via the Internet http://www.aim.com

NOTE: If you do not have MS Office or can not afford it, go to http://www.openoffice.org and download the FREE generic version that is fully compatible.

Course Description

Upon completion of this course the student will have an understanding of the roles of mental health professionals in the legal system. The course topics will include: an introduction to forensic psychology, the use of psychology in civil and criminal proceedings, intervening with offenders and ethical issues in forensic psychology.

Methods of Instruction

• Selected reading assignments from the required text
• Midterm and final exams
• Final Project: A 2000 word summary paper of learning as applied to the vignette due at the end of week 8. See the final page of this syllabus.
• APA format for all of the above, of course.

Required Texts  Online Bookstore

Hess, A & Weiner, (2005/2006). The Handbook of Forensic Psychology 3^rd Edition. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN-13: 9780471692324  ISBN: 0471692328

Grading

The course grading will be based on a midterm essay, a final essay and a project paper. The points will be distributed as follows:

300	Midterm Essay
300	Final Essay
400	Project Paper

The grading scale is:

A	90 - 100%
B	80 - 89%
C	70 - 79%
D	60 - 69%
F	59% and below

Course Schedule

All reading assignments are in The Handbook of Forensic Psychology

Week One:

• Read the following chapters on the context of forensic psychology:
• Chapter 1: History of Forensic Psychology
• Chapter 2: Defining Forensic Psychology
• Chapter 3: Legal Research for the Social Scientist

Week Two:

• Read the following chapters on applying psychology to civil proceedings:
• Chapter 7: Personality Assessment in Personal Injury Litigation
• Chapter 8: Legal Influences on the Identification and Treatment of Educational Disabilities
• Chapter 9: Civil Competency
• Chapter 10: Informed Consent in Treatment and Research

Week Three:

• Read the following chapters on applying psychology to criminal proceedings:
• Chapter 11: Evaluating Eyewitness Testimony in Adults and Children
• Chapter 12: Competency to Stand Trial: A Guide for Evaluators
• Chapter 13: Criminal Responsibility and the Insanity Defense
• Preparation and review for midterm

Week Four:

• Read the following chapters on applying psychology to criminal proceedings:
• Chapter 16: Recommending Probation and Parole
• Chapter 17: Violence Risk Assessment: Research, Legal and Clinical Considerations
• Midterm essay due: See the last page of this syllabus.

Week Five:

• Chapter 18: Psychology and Law Enforcement
• Chapter 19: Polygraph Testing: Current Status and Emerging Trends
• Chapter 21: Writing Forensic Reports

Week Six:

• Chapter 24: Practicing Psychology in Correctional Settings
• Chapter 25: Psychotherapy with Criminal Offenders
• Chapter 26: Diagnosis and Treatment of Sexual Offenders
• Prepare for final essay and final project

Week Seven:

• Chapter 27: Practicing Principled Forensic Psychology: Legal, Ethical and Moral Considerations
• Prepare for final essay and final project

Week Eight:

• Final Essay due: See the last page of this syllabus
• Final Project due

APA FORMAT REQUIRED CORRECT FORMAT IS A PART OF YOUR GRADE
For all writing assignments in this class you are required to use the American Psychological Association (APA) 5th Edition style of format and source citation.  An example of this can be found at the OWL site. Below the OWL site is a link for citing e-sources. Use the link below to resolve any questions you may have about APA format. You may also request a model APA paper from me by email. Here is a web link for additional information:

http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html#General%20Format

http://www.apastyle.org/elecref.html for electronic citations.

Plagiarism

Main Entry: pla·gia·rize
Function: verb
Etymology: plagiary
transitive senses: to steal and pass off (the ideas or words of another) as one's own : use (another's production) without crediting the source
intransitive senses: to commit literary theft : present as new and original an idea or product derived from an existing source
Do not plagiarize! I use an Internet service to scan all papers. If I find a plagiarized paper, you will receive an F for that paper. A second offense results summary expulsion with an F.

Midterm Paper: In a 1500 word or more paper, summarize your learning to Chapter 18 as it relates to your career goals.

Final Exam: In a 1500 word or more paper, summarize your learning from Chapter 19 to Chapter 27 as it relates to your career goals.

Project Paper: Given the hypothetical case given below and utilizing the sum total of your learning, write a 2000 word scholarly paper covering the following items:

1. Identify the problem, include methods of verification
2. Identify solutions, cite sources
3. Design a treatment plan to recommend to the court
4. Prepare a summary of your testimony
5. Support your findings and recommendations vigorously with citations. A recommended balance for APA style papers is two references for every 500 words.

Roger is a 25 year old male with a criminal history of misdemeanors. He is in court this time for a DWI. You strongly suspect by physical signs that he is afflicted with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. http://www.rsoa.org/lectures/07/07.ppt#660 give it time to load. Follow steps 1-5.