Advanced Psychopathology

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2010:

PSYC00029 Graduate Research Methods

PSYC00030 Psychological Assessment across the Lifespan

PSYC00031 Introduction to Psychopathology

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Description, Subject Objectives, Generic Skills and Assessment Requirements of this entry.

The University is dedicated to provide support to those with special requirements, Further details on the disability support scheme can be found at the Disability Liaison Unit website: http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

A comprehensive biopsychosocial approach to the examination and evaluation of various competing theories of aetiology and maintenance for psychological problems/disorders that commonly present to clinicians. The conceptual strengths and weaknesses of these theoretical positions will be examined and discussed, and their empirical status will be evaluated.

The subject will give studentes the opportunity to gain:

• a critical understanding of psychopathology from various theoretical and descriptive perspectives; identify the major theories of aetiology and maintenance for psychological problems that commonly present to clinical practitioners;
• Critically evaluate the empirical status of these theories and their conceputal strenths and weaknesses; and
• An imporved understanding of the diversity and the complexity of the causality of individual behaviour.

An end-of-semester examination of 2 hours duration (80% of assessment) and a mid-semester essay of 500 words (20% of assessment).

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

Students will gain:

• Written and interpersonal communication skills;
• Analytic, synthesizing and proble-solvingskills.