Faculty Contact Information:
| All class related issues should be addressed using WebTycho. For personal issues please use my E-mail: tsommerfield@faculty.ed.umuc.edu | |
Consultation:
| For any comments, questions, or concerns of a personal nature, please use email as listed above. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
McWhirter, J., et al (2004). At Risk Youth. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Wicks-Nelson, R. and Israel, A. (2003). Behavior Disorders of Childhood. Columbus, OH: Prentice-Hall. | |
Supplementary Readings:
| All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library at http://www.umuc.edu/library/. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
|
Course Description:
| This course is designed as an integrated study of the interaction of human behavior, learning, and the environment. Emphasis is placed on the symptoms, causes, and mediation of deviant behavior among children, adolescents, and young persons. Trends and practices in community mental health are studied. Instruction in the writing of a case study report is also given. | |
Course Goals:
As a required course in the M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling, this course seeks primarily to:
1. improve the professional counseling skills of the participants,
2. provide graduate students with foundational knowledge of the various
mental health problems of children and youth, and
3. familiarize graduate students with remedial measures that affect
changes in the child, adolescent, or young adult. | |
Course Objectives:
Students will:
1. identify and recognize, particularly within school-based settings, children and adolescents with mental health problems,
2. understand the causes of mental health problems in children and adolescents,
3. understand how theory provides a framework for remediation of presented problems,
4. study remedial measures that affect changes in the child or adolescent with poor mental health with special emphasis on the school, home, and community settings,
5. review trends in community, home, and school-based interventions for children and adolescents with emotional and/or behavioral problems,
6. obtain an in-depth awareness of mental health concepts as applied to school-age children,
7. develop a basic knowledge of how to access mental health resources, programs, organizations and referral services. | |
Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90%
B 80 89%
C 70 79%
F Below 70%
GRADES AND GRADING: Students who wish to excel in this course must give evidence of critical thinking, and demonstrate an ability to thoughtfully compose and carry out the written assignments. Students should interact with their fellow students in WebTycho Topic Areas. Diversity of opinion is encouraged; it will serve our learning if we respect each other, and the values and opinions of each of us. If we cultivate an atmosphere in which we can challenge each other and ourselves supportively, we all learn and grow!
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F(a) is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available in your local Education Center.
| |
Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to accomplish:
(Grading Summary - % weights of Requirements)
WebTycho Assignments/Participation - 45%
Written Project:
Class Paper with topic taken from the McWhirter text - 25%
Midterm Exam - 15%
Final Exam - 15%
Total - 100%
| |
Description of Course Requirements:
Grades will be given based on mastery of course objectives, class (WebTycho) participation and written assignments, and written Projects. Students will not use papers from past classes (in their entirety) and submit them in this class as the assigned paper. Segments/parts of student papers written in past classes may be used within any paper submitted in this course. (Please see Academic Policies section later in this syllabus.)
WebTycho Assignments and Participation - There will be WebTycho assignments to be posted each week. "Due date" means midnight on Sundays, on the due date, in your time zone. You will be further reminded, AND can ask questions about, upcoming weekly assignments, week by week. Please do not be tardy with work.
Because we are working on the internet (WebTycho), class participation is significant!! You are expected to read the required readings by the beginning of the appropriate week, then must log onto WebTycho, submit work and comments, and respond to others weekly. WebTycho assignments and Participation are worth 45 points. An important note, for WebTycho assignments: on your WebTycho postings, I want YOUR thoughts and observations, NOT a "cut and paste" from your textbooks; it is important that you take the ideas and concepts from the texts and "make them your OWN"!! No plagiarism!
Written Project The written Project is to give an eight to ten page class paper on a topic as presented in the McWhirter textbook and approved by me. I will post further guidelines and instructions within the first couple weeks of class. You'll send your class paper to me via email attachment by 27 February 2005, and is worth 25 points.
Mastery of objectives will be tested by "take home" Midterm and Final Examinations, during Weeks 7 ( due 19 December 2004)and 14 ( due 6 March 2005). Each exam will be worth 15 points for a total of 30 points and will consist of multiple choice and essay questions.
| |
Course Schedule:
Week 1: 1 7 November 2004
Welcome, Getting Started, and Introductions.
Orientation to subject.
Reading Chapter 1, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Introduction
Week 2: 8 14 November 2004
Reading Chapter 2, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Dosordered Behavior: The Developmental Psychopathology Perspective.
Week 3: 15 21 November 2004
Reading Chapter 3, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Influences and Risks in the Development Process
Week 4: 22 28 November 2004
Reading Chapter 5, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Classification, Assessment and Treatment
Week 5: 29 November 5 December 2004
Reading Chapters 6, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Anxiety Disorders
Week 6: 6 12 December 2004
Reading Chapter 7, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Mood Disorders
Week 7: 13 19 December 2004
Reading Chapters 8, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Conduct Disorders
Assignment Due: Midterm Exam on Chapters 1 8 omitting chapter 4.
Between Terms Break (20 December 2004 - 16 January 2005)
Week 8: 17 23 January 2005
Reading Chapters 9, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Week 9: 24 30 January 2005
Reading Chapters 10 and 11, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Learning and Language Disorders & Mental Retardation
Week 10: 31 January 6 February 2005
Reading Chapter 12, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Autism and Schizophrenia
Week 11: 7 13 February 2005
Reading Chapter 13, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Disorders of Basic Physical Functions
Week 12: 14 20 February 2005
Reading Chapter 14, Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
Psychological Factors Affecting Medical Condition
Week 13: 21 -27 February 2005
Reading Chapters 13 & 14, McWhirter text. (At Risk Youth)
Core Components of Programs for Prevention and Early Intervention
Peer Interventions
Assignment Due: Class paper sent via email to me.
Week 14: 28 February 6 March 2005
Reading Chapters 15 & 16, McWhirter text. (At Risk Youth)
Family Interventions & Legal and Ethical Issues
Assignment Due: Final Exam on Chapters 9 14 of the Wicks-Nelson/Israel text.
| |
Academic Policies:
Note: Any written assignment in this course may be submitted to TurnItIn.Com. This statement constitutes prior notice.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | | |
Faculty Bio:
Dr. Tom Sommerfield earned his A.A. in General Studies, a B.S. in Psychology, and a M.Ed. in Counseling & Personnel Services all through University of Maryland programs. He earned his Ph.D. in Psychology with a specialization in Family Psychology with Capella University. His primary interests are with parenting styles, divorce issues, and childrens exposure to media and/or domestic violence.
Dr. Sommerfield has lived in the Heidelberg, Germany area for about 16 years since leaving high school and joining the U.S. Army. After four successful years as a soldier, he has been working as a "civilian" in the Heidelberg military community since 1990. He is married and has a beautiful little family. His son Jerome Thomas is four and his daughter Sydney Joy is three.
When not working, he has "another side of life" while drumming in a very successful music project in the Heidelberg/Karlsruhe area. If interested in surprising him at a show, please visit their site to check the "termine" or schedule at: www.sammy-goes-nuts.de
| |