Syllabus

BCSC 271: Syllabus

Fall 2023

Time & Location

Room 205 Morrey Hall
Mondays and Wednesdays at 2:00 – 3:15 PM

Personnel

Daniel W. Mruzek
Office: Meliora Hall Room 323
Email:
Office Hours: Thursdays at 10 AM and by appointment

Course Description

In this seminar, we will investigate the neurological, cultural, and functional implications of autism spectrum disorder and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Operating from a biopsychosocial model, discussions will include systematic review of the state-of-the-science as relates to genetics, brain structure, and behavior, as well as related implications for clinicians and researchers. Special emphasis will be placed on imbedding our discussion in the context of a historical record, as well as consideration of next-step initiatives and new horizons, as related to research and service. At the heart of our investigations will be a consideration of the implications of our discoveries for the lived experience of autistic individuals, as well as for persons with other intellectual and developmental disabilities. Investigation of primary scientific sources (e.g., peer-reviewed publications), other scholarly publications, and first-person accounts will, together, compose the primary means of investigation for this course.

Prerequisites

This is an upper level seminar course; therefore, successful completion of BCSC 110, BCSC 172 or BCSC 205 is required to participate in this course.

Course Learning Objectives

At the end of the course you should be able to:

  • Demonstrate understanding with regard to the assessment and evaluation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
  • Demonstrate a working knowledge of the etiology and underlying genetic, biological, and neurological factors implicated in the expression of ASD.
  • Demonstrate a comprehension of the state-of-the-science regarding ASD and broader IDD intervention, as well as an appreciation of key considerations related to advocacy with autistic persons regarding their full membership in their communities.
  • Engage in research of the scientific literature regarding specific topics related to ASD and IDD, and critically evaluate findings through a scientific lens.
  • Effectively communicate the results of your investigations of the scientific literature related to ASD and IDD by writing clear, persuasive, appropriately formatted APA-style reports.

Required Text

Hollander, E., Hagerman, R. J., & Ferretti, C. (2022). Textbook of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.

We recommend you rent or purchase the ebook version.

Recommended if you plan to publish psychological research or scholarly manuscripts

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company. ISBN-13: 978-1433832161

In addition to readings that you discover and share as part of your own research across the semester, additional readings will be assigned regularly. These will be posted on Blackboard.

Library Research Help

The research guide for Psychology may be useful

If you need research help for this course/assignments, River Campus Librarians may be able to help.

Help accessing library resources off-campus. You can also ask for help at the Q&i Desk in any of our campus libraries or chat with a librarian online via the "Online Chat" link on the library website.

Purdue University maintains an excellent resource for writing in general and formal writing in psychology more specifically.

General Goals and Expectations

Our goal for all of you taking this course is for you to, at the end of this course, to have current, science-based knowledge about autism spectrum disorder and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. This is a terrifically exciting time to be in the field, as a brain researcher, psychologist, advocate, or self-advocate! It is our hope that this course reflects that excitement and serves as a “jumping off point” for your own contributions to the field. We need good thinkers with fresh ideas exerting their influence in all of the topics that we cover this semester, and you can be one of them!

To best achieve these goals, we expect that you come to each class prepared to discuss and critique the materials presented. This is a relatively new science; therefore, all assumptions are “fair game” for analysis and scrutiny. It is this dynamic process of spirited exchange of ideas, grounded in the available science, that makes for an exciting, rewarding experience.

Our ground rule for those times that we are engaged in class discussion is that we all respect each other and each other’s point of view. We hope that we can all make an effort to listen to each other’s comments courteously without interrupting, and to respond to each other in a mature and thoughtful manner. This will help us all get the most out of the course.

Finally, we expect for each of you to make an effort throughout the course to make your needs, concerns, and any other feedback that you might have known to me or to the teaching assistant. Most importantly, we need to know if you have special needs or circumstances that are impacting your performance or completion of work for the course. We are willing to be flexible and accommodating of special circumstances, but can only reasonably do so if you keep us informed about what it is that you need.

Laptop Policy: We understand that many scholars prefer to take notes on their laptops during class and there are times that it will be useful for scholars to use laptops in class for refererncing materials related to discussion. However, we have found that the use of laptops in class can be distracting for other class members, as well as the scholar using the laptop. Laptop use often takes away from active participation in class – especially with respect to class discussions. For this reason we ask that you take special care to ensure that you do not allow electronics to hamper your full attention to class. Please be fully present during class time and respect classmates through undivided attention as much as possible.

Zoom Policy: Unless university-wide policies and procedures prevent in-person attendance, our expectation is that all class participants regularly attend class in person. Except for very extraordinary circumstances (e.g., in coordination with the UR Office of Disability Resources), we do not provide Zoom access to course proceedings. If you miss a class, please confer with a classmate, course assistant, or professor during office hours.

Policy Regarding Instructor’s Materials: We want to encourage each scholar to be active, engaged learners; therefore, except for extraordinary circumstances (e.g., in coordination with the UR Office of Disability Resources), it is at the instructor’s discretion with regard to providing access to course materials to an individual student (e.g., access to Powerpoint slides) to a student who has missed a class).

What You Can Expect of Us: We are committed to making this course not only an educational experience, but a fun and positive experience as well. To that end, just as we expect for each of you to make efforts over the course of the term to communicate your needs and concerns to us, We will endeavor to give you regular feedback and make ourselves available to you. In addition to the time that we spend together in class, we will do our best to make ourselves available to you for help and consultation outside of class time, and we hope you will avail yourself of our office hours.

Grading

  • A 93 – 100%
  • A- 90 – 92%
  • B+ 87 – 89%
  • B 83 – 86%
  • B- 80 – 82%
  • C+ 77 – 79%
  • C 73 – 76%
  • C- 70 – 72%
  • D 60 – 69%
  • F <60%

Please check the Blackboard website frequently for updates, announcements and information about the course.

Course Requirements and Assignments

Class Participation. We expect you to do all the readings in advance, and participate in both online (on the Blackboard Discussion Board on Blackboard) and in class discussions. Throughout the semester, we expect you to comment and provide constructive help to classmates. We will call on you if we don’t hear from you on a regular basis (5% of your grade).

Discussion Questions. You are required to respond to at least seven questions that we pose on the Blackboard discussion board and respond to two of your classmates responses as well. We expect each of your reflections to be substantive in nature (i. e., contributes a unique thought, observation, or question to the discussion). Information describing these assignments in greater detail is available on Blackboard. Typically, these questions will be presented on Wednesday, and you will be expected to provide your response by Friday at 5 p.m. of the same week and then comment on two of your classmates’ posts by 5 PM Sunday (10% of your grade).

Topical Presentations. Over the course of the semester you will be expected to team up with a classmate to lead a 15- minute discussion regarding a particular topic. Your major role as discussion leader is to (a) present a current scientific discussion of a particular topic; and (b) help stimulate class discussion of that topic. You are highly encouraged to use PowerPoint for your questions or distribute copies to the class. A separate handout will provide additional instruction regarding this portion of your responsibilities (15% of your grade).

Independent Research. You will be invited to select a topic of your choice to independently investigate through exploration of the available scientific literature. Your responsibilities include (a) developing a paper describing your research (using APA format); and (b) presenting your research to the class A separate handout will provide additional instruction regarding this portion of your responsibilities (20% of your grade).

Midterm and Final. Two exams will be administered at the midpoint and end of the semester. They will require that you respond to question related to course content (i.e., in-class discussions, reading assignments). Both exams are worth 25% for a total of 50% of your final grade.

Opportunities for extra credit may be made available throughout the semester

The University of Rochester supports the right of all enrolled students to a full and equal educational opportunity. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require that students with disabilities be reasonably accommodated in instruction and campus life. Reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities is a shared faculty and student responsibility. Students are expected to inform faculty [me] of their need for instructional accommodations by the end of the first week of the semester, or as soon as possible after a disability has been incurred or recognized. Disability information, including instructional accommodations, as part of a student’s educational record is condidential and protected under FERPA.