Psychology 101: Health Psychology

Spring, 2008 - Syllabus

Location: Psych 1824, Tuesday – Thursday, 5:00 - 6:15 PM

Instructor: Alex Schwartz

Office Hours: Wednesday 10:00 PM - 12:00 PM; Building 411, Room 120

E-mail: schwartz@psych.ucsb.edu

Teaching Assistant: Kim Mangel

Office Hours: Tuesday 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM; Psy 1308

E-mail: mangel@psych.ucsb.edu

Website: http://mentor.lscf.ucsb.edu/course/spring/psyc101/

Special note: There will be announcements, current events, changes to schedule, administrative issues, and readings posted on website. Please check it before coming to class.

Course Description: This class will attempt an integrative examination of the nature of health and its relation to psychological processes. Evolutionary origins and implications of health, illness, stress, etc. will be of particular interest. Biopsychological mechanisms underlying illness and methods for improving health will be included.

Learning Outcomes:

• An understanding of principles relating to health, such as outcome analyses, trade-offs, evolution by natural selection, etc.
• An understanding of how biological systems work (the adaptations that enable health), and how they fail.
• Building critical thinking skills through asking questioning, discussing media, reading scholarly journals, stories, etc.
• Perspectives and techniques on how to cope with health related issues such as diet, stress, anxiety, fear, disgust, aging, anger, addiction, illness, death, etc.

Evaluation:

30% Midterm 1, April 22^nd

30% Midterm 2, May 15^th

40% Final Exam, June 11^th, 7:30 – 10:30 PM

Course grades will be based on three exams (multiple-choice, short answer, and/or short essay). Only the final exam will be CUMULATIVE, though new material will be emphasized (approximately 25% of the Final Exam will be review from each of the previous sections (that is, 12.5% from each)). Midterm make-up exams will not be granted without prior approval from the instructor. There will be NO make-up for the final: if you cannot take the final exam when scheduled, then you must drop the course.

If you want the option of dropping the lowest midterm (Resulting in a 40% highest midterm, 60% final, only if it helps) send an email to the instructor AND the TA on or before your assigned date (see schedule; the due date is BEFORE CLASS of the day marked with the first letter of your last name). The subject line of the email MUST read “101 EMAIL 2008.” The email MUST contain between 200 and 300 words summarizing a current event, news report, personal anecdote, etc. The email must include an attached, or a link to a, peer reviewed journal article that relates to your summary. The email must represent between one and two hours of research and preparation.

Readings: Students are expected to come to class having read articles and chapters, unless otherwise noted. Additional readings will be assigned throughout the quarter, and will be posted on the website.

Reader = Why We Get Sick, Nesse & Williams, 1995

Zebras = Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, Third Edition, Sapolsky, 2004

Topics to be covered and tentative schedule:

DATE	TOPIC	READING	Email Due Date (Last Names Beginning with)
April 1^st	Introductions, Overview	-
April 3^rd	Origins of life; Why health?	Reader, Chapters 1 & 2
April 8^th	Evolutionary theory; adaptations, byproducts, trade offs	Evolutionary Psychology Primer	A and B
April 10^th	The EEA and Food	Reader, Chapters 3, 134-142	C and D
April 15^th	Diet and Pathogens	Zebras, Chapters 1 & 2	E and F
April 17^th	Documentary: Arms races	Zebras, Chapter 3	G
April 22^nd	Midterm I
April 24^th	Stress and Predators	Zebras, Chapter 4	H
April 29^th	Anxiety, Ulcers and OCD	Zebras Chapter 5	I and J
May 1^st	Stress and Disease	Zebras Chapter 8	K and L
May 6^th	Depression	Zebras Chapter 14	M
May 8^th	Hostility and anger	Zebras Chapter15	N
May 13^th	Documentary: Eating Disorders	-	O and P
May 15^th	Midterm II
May 20^th	Drugs and addiction	Zebras Chapter 16	Q and R
May 22^nd	Risk taking; drugs and drug policy	Hill 2001 (website)	S
May 27^th	Risk and status – violence	-	T
May 29^th	Aging and ageism	Zebras Chapter 12	U and V
June 3^rd	Inequality	Zebras Chapter 17	W and X
June 5^th	Techniques for healthy living	Zebras Chapter 18	Y and Z

Note: Topics and reading assignments subject to change. Please check the course website for updated information.

Grading scheme:

100% ≥ A ≥ 90%

90% > B ≥ 80%

80% > C ≥ 70%

70% > D ≥ 60%

60% > F ≥ 0%

Plus and minus grades will be given to people within 2% of the grade cutoff, inclusive. This means that an 87.9% is a B, an 88.0% is a B+, a 92.0% is an A-, and a 92.1% is an A.

Final note: Please do not ask or email me questions that are answered on the syllabus. I appreciate that administrative issues are of utmost importance. This is why the syllabus exists.

OK! OK! Dilute! Dilute! Do not drink soap!