Course Syllabus

Wrightsman, Lawrence S. Forensic Psychology. Wadsworth, 2001.

1. JAN 30 Introduction Ch. 1

FEB 01 The Challenge of Forensic Psychology
 
2. FEB 06 Roles and Responsibilities of Forensic Psychologists Ch. 2

FEB 08 The Police: Selection, Training and Evaluation Ch. 3
 
3. FEB 13 Criminal Profiling Ch. 4

FEB 15 The Criminal Justice System
 
4. FEB 20 FIRST EXAMINATION

FEB 22 Hypnosis and Lie Detection in Criminal Investigation Ch. 5
 
5. FEB 27 Improving Eyewitness Identification Procedures Ch. 6

MAR 01 Research on Eyewitness Identification
 
6. MAR 06 Police Interrogations and Confessions Ch. 7

MAR 08 Defense Attorneys and Prosecutors
 
7. MAR 13 Alternative Dispute Resolution and Trial Preparation Ch. 8

MAR 15 SECOND EXAMINATION
 
8. MAR 20 Jury Selection Ch. 9

MAR 22 Jury Selection
 
9. MAR 27 Insanity and Competency Ch. 10

MAR 29 The Battered Woman Syndrome and Domestic Violence Ch. 11
 
10. APR 03 The Rape Trauma Syndrome Ch. 12

APR 05 Rape

Spring Break April 9-13

11. APR 17 Child Custody Ch. 14

APR 19 THIRD EXAMINATION
 
12. APR 24 Sexual Abuse of Children Ch. 13

APR 26 The McMartin Trial
 
13. MAY 01 Discrimination Ch. 15

MAY 03 Sexual Harassment Ch. 16 
 
14. MAY 08 Death Penalty Trials and Appeals Ch. 17

MAY 10 Influencing Public Policy Ch. 18
 
15. MAY 15 FOURTH EXAMINATION

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Students will be required to conduct a class project. Some suggestions are listed below:

 a. Attend a jury trial of a misdemeanor or a felony. Summarize the evidence that you heard in court, the juries verdict, the judges actions and anything else that you think was interesting or pertinent. Also suggest ways that the issues discussed in class were relevant to your understanding of the trial. You should be present in the courtroom from the moment the opening statements are given until the jury verdict is returned. If at all possible, you should be present during jury selection also (Many simple cases are concluded in one day).

b. Interview an actor in the legal system and report to the class on your interview. Please try to interview someone that you don't already know. Actors might include: police officer, public defender or district attorney, judge, probation or parole officer, convict, criminal defendant, bail bondsman, rape center counselor, advocate for battered women, psychologist who testifies in court as an expert witness, or some other person you are interested in interviewing. (Pass your idea by me if you decide to interview someone not on the above list). Exactly what you ask this person is up to you, but keep in mind that we are interested in the role of human behavior in the legal system and in the assumptions that law makes about how and why people do what they do.

 c. Assemble a collection of clippings from newspapers and magazines that are relevant to issues raised in this class and/or raise empirical ("researchable") questions related to psychology and law. Explain the relevance of each clipping and/or the research possibilities. Try to collect good clippings but note that your "statements" will count most.

d. Read a book or an example of empirical research relevant to psychology and law. Summarize your reading, explaining what was interesting about it, and how what you read can be applied?

One requirement for this class is to have an email address. The following links will help you get started:

To find out how to get an email account at CSUN click HERE

Lots of useful information about computers on the WEB PROJECT page

Student Computer Workshops are available at WORKSHOPS

This course is using a program on the internet called WebCT. Follow these directions to establish your WebCT account (You will only do this once):

1. Go to WebCT at http://webteach.csun.edu

2. Click on Create my WebCT

3. Fill in the starred boxes and your email address. Be sure that your user ID is your first initial and last name. For example: The name Amy O'berg-Walsh would have a user ID of aobergwalsh

Do not in any spaces or punctuation marks! Do not use any capital letters in the user ID!

4. Click Continue

5. Enter the User ID and Password that you have just created

6. Click on Add Course

7. Click on Psychology

8. Click on Psy386

9. Do not put the user ID or Password in. Just click Register

10. Click Go to Course. You are now finally in the homepage of this class.

Part of this class will be conducted "online" through the World Wide Web. Weekly debates and other topics for discussion will be posted in HyperNews and class members will be required to participate in these discussion forums. Weekly topics will be posted each Monday morning to give you time to read the material and prepare for discussions in class. Each entry must include your name and an email address. Class projects (see above) will be posted in the HyperNews forum.

Your posting could be in the form of a comment, a question, a suggestion, a disagreement, etc. These HyperNews sessions will function as "virtual" classroom time.

Go To HyperNews

I will hold "Virtual Office Hours" on the World Wide Web every week. This time will function both as an open office hour and a question and answer period. Times will be announced in class and on HyperNews. To enter the Online Chat Center, click on the link below:

Go To Online Chat Center

There will be four examinations. All exams will contain multiple choice questions only. Grades for the course will be based on the total cumulated points on these exams and your class projects. There will be no comprehensive final. No 'plus' or 'minus' grades will be given. NO MAKE UP EXAMS WILL BE GIVEN FOR ANY REASON. If illness prevents you from taking more than one exam you may take an incomplete or drop the class (medical verification necessary).

• EXAM 1 FEB 20 Class materials and text Ch. 1- 4.
• EXAM 2 MAR 15 Class materials and text Ch. 5 - 8.
• EXAM 3 APR 19 Class materials and text Ch. 9 - 12, 14.
• EXAM 4 MAY 15 Class materials and text Ch. 13, 15-18.

Policy on Incompletes: PERMISSION TO TAKE AN "INCOMPLETE" MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE INSTRUCTOR BEFORE SEMESTER GRADES ARE DUE. A special form is required and it is the student's responsibility to obtain one (available in the Administration Building), fill it out, and contact us about it. An incomplete should be requested only for serious or emergency reasons such as illness on the day of the final exam. An incomplete should not be requested because one did not get around to finishing the course project in time since you have had a full semester to work on it. A missing final is expected to be made up in a short period of time--within a few weeks of the incomplete grade assignment--unless extremely unusual circumstances prevail. Please note: If anything is missing, I will simply assign a grade of "U" (unorthorized incomplete) and do nothing else until I hear from you for an explanation. If I do not hear from you, the grade eventually and automatically reverts to an "F".

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