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: Intimate Partner Violence; and Sexual Offenders
Unit 11: Psychopaths; and Homicidal Offenders
Unit 12: Risk Assessment
Unit 13: Assessment and Treatment of Young 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 percent on the final examination, and obtain a course composite grade of at least D (50 percent). The weighting of evaluation components is as follows:
Activity
Weight
Six Quizzes
30%
Research Paper
30%
Final Exam
40%
Total
100%
The final examination for this course must be requested in advance and written under the supervision of an AU-approved exam invigilator. Invigilators include either ProctorU or an approved in-person invigilation centre that can accommodate online exams. Students are responsible for payment of any invigilation fees. Information on exam request deadlines, invigilators, and other exam-related questions, can be found at the Exams and grades section of the Calendar.
To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University’s online Calendar.
Materials
Pozzulo, J., Bennell, C., & Forth, A. (2015). Forensic psychology (4th Canadian ed.). Toronto, ON: Pearson Education Canada. (Print)
Other Resources
The course materials include a study guide, course manual, audio interviews, and many online study tools.
Challenge for credit
Overview
The challenge for credit process allows you to demonstrate that you 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 about challenge for credit can be found in the Undergraduate Calendar.
Evaluation
To receive credit for the PSYC 395 challenge registration, you must achieve a grade of at least D (50 percent) on the final exam and a composite grade of D (50 percent).
Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice. Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized study counterparts.