Current Issues in Psychopathy

COURSE OBJECTIVE
This course will provide students with the tools to understand abnormal behaviour from different perspectives and to critically discuss new developments in psychopathology. The course is relevant to students in medicine, health sciences, law, psychology and education, and other disciplines concerned with (aberrations in) human behaviour.   

COURSE CONTENT
Abnormal behavior can be understood from different perspectives. For example, biological hypotheses emphasize abnormalities in brain structure and function, possibly triggered by genetic variation. In contrast, the family systems perspective emphasizes the influence of early attachment style and interpersonal relationships in the development of psychopathology. This course will discuss the main theories of psychopathology, starting from the assumption that different perspectives should be seen as complementary, rather than mutually exclusive.

TEACHING METHODS
Each topic in the Perspectives series will be introduced through a keynote lecture by a researcher with extensive research and teaching expertise the area. These lectures will be held weekly in 2-hr sessions and will offer plenty opportunity for you to interact with the lecturer. Each of these sessions will be followed up by a second session, in which students will give a presentation on a related specific topic, to be determined in consultation with the lecturer. After the second week, student will start writing their first writing assignment, related to the public health perspective. After the final lecture, students will have until the end of November to complete their final writing assignment. During the discussion groups there will be practice assignments for the writing assignments. In total, there will be 7 keynotes and 6 discussion meetings

TYPE OF ASSESSMENT
Students are evaluated based on two writing assignments and an oral presentation. Each week there is a (short) reading assignment, which is obligated, but not graded, to ensure that everyone has the same (basic) knowledge when participating in each discussion meeting.