Ethics and Psychology Spring I 2019

Course:

PSYC 3025: Psychology and Ethics

Professor:

Dr. Linda M. Woolf

Office Hours:

• 318 Interdisciplinary Science Building

• 10:00 - 11:00, MWF or by appointment.

• Phone: 246-6970 or 246-7062

• Email through Canvas or woolflm@webster.edu

• Woolf Web Page: http://faculty.webster.edu/woolflm/

Text:

Selected Readings on Canvas

Course Description

Psychology and Ethics is designed to introduce students to ethical sensitivity, reasoning, decision-making, motivation, and implementation within the discipline of psychology and related fields. The class will examine: historically why ethics are a foundational and necessary aspect of psychology and related professions; ethical guidelines and professional ethics code as they relate to various professional endeavors including research, therapy, consultation, and teaching; how to engage in ethical decision-making processes; and how to apply ethical guidelines to complex professional and global dilemmas. The purpose of this course is not to provide answers but assist students in learning how to come to ethical decisions and behaviors as well as identifying factors impacting ethical motivation and the implementation of decisions.

Course Outcomes: By the end of the course, students should have:

1. An increased understanding of the current and historical experience of professional psychologists, the development of the field and its professional and ethical challenges.
2. A knowledge of the ethical principles, practice standards, regulations and laws governing the practice of psychology and how they apply to typical situations encountered by psychologists.
3. An enhanced ability for ethical reflection and an increased ability to apply this kind of thinking to everyday ethical challenges.
4. The opportunity to reflect upon personal career goals, interests, development and possible future directions.

Incoming Competencies/Prerequisites:

Prerequisite: PSYC 1100 and 6 credit hours of psychology; or permission of the instructor. .

Class Meetings:

The class will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays from 1:00-2:50. Attendance in class is important as we will be discussing and evaluating a range of ethical concepts and participation. The discussion will greatly enhance your understanding of the material. Moreover, material will be presented in lecture that will not be in the readings.

Course Requirements:

A midterm exam, a final exam, three short paper assignments, CITI training, and class participation.

All grades will be assigned on a scale of 0 - 100 with:

90 - 100	A, A-	Superior work
80 - 89	B+, B, B-	Good work
70 - 79	C+, C, C-	Satisfactory work
60 - 69	D+, D	Passing, but less than Satisfactory (not passing if required for the major or general education)
Less than 60	F	Unsatisfactory

Percent of Grade:

Midterm Exam	25%
Final Exam	25%
Short Papers	30%
CITI Training	10%
Class Participation and Discussion	10%

Exams: Examination format will include short answer and essay. Each exam will focus largely on knowledge of historical event, various codes, and case studies analyses reflecting understanding of various ethical principles. Both exams will be in-class but also open readings/notes. Each exam will constitute 25% of your final grade. All exams must be taken on the date scheduled except in case of emergency. In case of the above, the instructor must be notified. No make-up exams will be provided if you fail to notify and discuss your situation with the instructor. Please note that no extra credit work will be made available to make-up for a poor test grade.

Short Papers. Three short papers (4-5 pages, excluding title page and references) in APA format are required. The papers topics are:

• An examination of the unique ethical concerns related to work or research with a specific vulnerable population. You will need to include a discussion of the elements that characterize this population as vulnerable; discuss ethical practice or research with that population; and strategies aimed to protect that population.

• An examination of a specific area of psychology in relation to specific ethical requirements. You are to discuss the unique ethical issues for that field; discuss the primary areas of ethics relevant to this field; and discuss areas of dilemma in relation to other codes of ethics.

• Compare and contrast of one ethical principle (e.g., competence, justice, beneficence) using at least four different codes of ethics from psychology, counseling, and social work. You will need to discuss the particular principle and then discuss similarities and differences between the codes.

CITI Training: All students are required to complete CITI training for the Social and Behavioral Sciences. CITI is the Research Ethics Training used by Webster University and the IRB. Additional information about the training will be available on Canvas. Also, see http://www.webster.edu/irb/training.html

Policy Statements:

Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom: Please respect others in the class by turning off all cell phones before entering the room. Text messaging during class is not acceptable. Laptops may be used in class but are only to be utilized for class related activities (e.g., taking notes). If it becomes apparent you are using the computer for non-class activities (e.g., checking your email, Facebook, playing games) then you may be asked to turn off your computer and refrain from bringing it into class in the future. Laptop use is restricted to the back or sides of the classroom so that other students are not distracted during lecture. Please be aware that according to research published in Psychological Science has demonstrated that taking hand-written notes leads to better processing of information and higher exam scores!

Plagiarism (attempting to pass off the work of another as one's own) is not acceptable. Plagiarism includes copying all or part of another's writings (even a single sentence), inappropriate paraphrasing, using another student's paper as your own, submitting a paper for more than one class. All papers will be submitted to the university's plagiarism database for review. Plagiarism, either intentional or unintentional, will result in a grade of 0 for that assignment but also may be turned over to the appropriate university source for disciplinary action and a grade of F for the course. In addition, cheating on exams will also result in the same fate.

Here are some Web sites that will help you avoid the problem of plagiarism particularly plagiarism resulting from paraphrasing too closely to the original source. -

• Establishing Authorship by Paul C. Smith, Alverno College

• How to Avoid Plagiarism Tutorial

• Webster University Plagiarism Page

• The University of Indiana's Online Plagiarism Tutorial - You can print out a certificate of completion!

It should be noted that, as is common in many university courses, little time will be spent lecturing on topics adequately addressed by the text. Students are expected to arrive at class meetings having already read the material assigned, and to ask questions to clarify any areas that remain unclear. While every attempt will be made to explain or expand upon particularly difficult areas, the primary purpose of classroom lecture is to enhance, rather than to duplicate, the textbook material.

Students with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations in this class are encouraged to contact me or the Director of the Academic Resource Center, as soon as possible to ensure that such accommodations can be implemented in a timely fashion.

Late withdraws from this class will not be approved by the instructor except in cases of emergency discussed with the instructor. No late withdraws will be approved on the basis of poor class performance.

This syllabus is subject to change at the instructor's discretion. All changes concerning course requirements will be provided in writing. Changes concerning exam dates may be made at the instructor's discretion and communicated verbally to the class.

It is understood that remaining in this course (not dropping or withdrawing from this course) constitutes an agreement to abide by the terms outlined in this syllabus and an acceptance of the requirements outlined in this document. No grade of Incomplete will be issued for this course.

COURSE OUTLINE
Week	Topic	Reading
Week One	Introduction to Ethics History and the Codes Introduction to Research Ethics	Hitler's Psychiatrists, Strous CITI Training Modules
Week Two	Research Ethics CIT Training Due	CITI Training Modules
Week Three	Beneficence and Nonmaleficence Paper on vulnerable populations due	General Ethics Principles, Nagy Avoiding Harm, Nagy
Week Four	Competence Midterm	Competence, Knapp
Week Five	Fidelity, Responsibility, and Integrity	Privacy and Confidentiality, Nagy Pseudoscience, Olatunji, Parker, and Lohr
Week Six	Respect for the Rights and Dignity of Persons and Peoples: Human Rights Paper on specific area of psychology due	Human Rights, Sveaas & Woolf
Week Six	Respect for the Rights and Dignity of Persons and Peoples: Social Justice Paper on ethical principle analysis due	Multicultural Ethics, Fisher Multicultural Guidelines, APA Social Justice, Vasquez
Week Eight	Decision-Making Models FINAL EXAM	Ethical Decision-Making, Cottone