Psychology (PSYC) 395

Overview

Forensic Psychology covers a range of topics that are of mutual interest to psychologists and other professions involved in the law. In today’s society, psychology affects virtually every aspect of the legal system, and psychologists are increasingly being asked to provide knowledge to this system. Psychology 395 will comprehensively examine the role of the forensic psychologist in the criminal justice system in Canada. It will focus on the interaction between the psychology and law, with an emphasis on Canadian applications.

Outline

Unit 1: An Introduction to Forensic Psychology
Unit 2: Police Psychology
Unit 3: The Psychology of Police Investigations
Unit 4: Deception
Unit 5: Eyewitness Testimony
Unit 6: Child Victims and Witnesses
Unit 7: Juries: Fact Finders
Unit 8: The Role of Mental Illness in Court
Unit 9: Sentencing and Parole in Canada: Practices and Public Opinions
Unit 10: Domestic Violence and Sexual Offenders
Unit 11: Homicidal and Psychopathic Offenders
Unit 12: Risk Assessment
Unit 13: Assessment and Treatment of Young, Female, and Aboriginal Offenders

Evaluation

To receive credit for PSYC 395, you must complete the research paper, all of the quizzes, achieve a mark of at least 50 per cent on the final examination, and obtain a course composite grade of at least "D" (50 per cent). The weighting of evaluation components is as follows:

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

Course Materials

Textbook

Other materials

The course materials include a study guide, course manual, audio interviews, and many online study tools.

Challenge for Credit Course Overview

The Challenge for Credit process allows students to demonstrate that they have acquired a command of the general subject matter, knowledge, intellectual and/or other skills that would normally be found in a university level course.

Full information for the Challenge for Credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.

• Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Policy
• Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Procedures

Challenge Evaluation

To receive credit for the PSYC 395 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least "D" 50 per cent on the final exam and a composite grade of “D” (50 percent).

Undergraduate Challenge for Credit Course Registration Form

• Challenge for Credit Form