Office Hours: Mon. – Thur. – 9:00 to 10:00am & 1:00 – 2:00pm

Friday by appointment only

Course Description: This course provides an advanced review of selected problems associated with family and parent-child relations. The course will focus on how child maltreatment, elder abuse, and family violence have both immediate and long-term effects on individuals and on the entire family system. Methods of prevention, intervention, and treatment will be discussed.

Purpose/Goals of Course/Course Objectives:

The main objectives of this course are to assist the student to gain a clearer understanding of what constitutes child maltreatment; identify key factors that contribute of child maltreatment and other family dysfunctions; and to explore resources available to assist families and their children. Considering specific objectives, students completing this course will be able to:

Demonstrate a basic understanding of acceptable child disciplinary practices and appropriate parenting skills.
Demonstrate a basic understanding of the causes and consequences of dysfunction in the parent-child relationship at each level of the child's development.
Demonstrate knowledge of the factors that constitute child maltreatment.
Demonstrate knowledge of theoretical principles underlying abusive behavior.
Demonstrate knowledge of factors that contribute to child maltreatment including: characteristics of the abuser, characteristics of the child, and contextual factors that may lead to child abuse.
Demonstrate familiarity with the various types of programs available for the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse and the roles of various agencies in the disposition of cases of suspected child maltreatment.
Demonstrate a deeper knowledge of current research that addresses one particular area of family dysfunction.

Required Text:

Crosson-Tower, C. (2008). Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. (7^th edition) Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Additional readings will be on reserve in the library.

Assignments:

Active participation in class discussions. 25 points

Throughout the course we will discuss several different topics based on assigned readings. These will usually be class wide discussions but may include small group discussions. Short, in-class assignments will occur on random days to help guide class/group discussions. Absences will reduce points.

Quizzes. 220 points

Throughout the course there will be 12 short quizzes (see course schedule). Each quiz will have questions based on the assigned readings, videos, class discussions, guest speakers, and instructor lectures. Some of the quizzes may include questions from the textbook (exploration questions found at the end of each chapter). Read carefully and take good notes. Quizzes may include multiple choice, true-false, matching, and short essay questions. Each quiz will be worth 20 points. I will pick your top 11 quizzes for a possible total of 220 points. There will be no make-up for missed quizzes. Under special circumstances you may be able to arrange to take the quiz early.

Article review. 50 points (25 points for written part and 25 points for class presentation)

Every student will be randomly assigned a day to present a short 5 – 10 minute review of a research article that is related to that weeks topic. Because of class size there will be days when two students will present their article reviews. Please time your presentations to be NO MORE THAN 10 MINUTES. This requires:

A. Find a journal article related to that week’s topic. This must be a scientific research article, not an opinion paper or review of literature. Some possible journal sources are Child Abuse & Neglect, Child Maltreatment, Journal of Sexual Abuse, Journal of Family Violence, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Violence and Victims, and Violence Against Women. Articles may have to be ordered through interlibrary loan so start looking for your articles EARLY.

B. Type an approximately 2 page double spaced APA style paper that INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING HEADINGS:

· Introduction – under this heading type the main point of the article you are reviewing. Is it related to a theoretical perspective? Any key points mentioned from past research?

· Research question/hypothesis – under this heading type the research question(s) that the author(s) is looking to answer.

· Subjects – under this heading describe the sample. What are the characteristics (age, race, income, etc…) of the subjects in the sample?

· Method – under this heading briefly tell how the researcher tested the hypothesis.

· Results – under this heading tell what the researcher found.

· Discussion/Application – under this heading tell how human service workers can use these findings. Any limitations of the study?

· References – on a separate final page list the article and any other sources that were cited in your paper (use APA style).

C. Present this information to the class using any combination of formats: short lecture (chalk & blackboard?), hand-outs, overhead slides, or even power point (but remember, no more than 10 minutes). You must turn in your 2-page paper and a copy of the article you reviewed.

Final research paper. 125 points (NOTE: 25 for rough draft of paper, 100 points for final paper)

Each student can choose any topic covered in class (i.e. incest, physical abuse, child neglect, elder abuse, domestic violence) for a final research paper. The topic area must approved by the professor before you begin your research paper. You may use the same topic that you covered on your article review or a different topic. I suggest choosing a topic that you are truly interested in. (see the attached Outline for Final Research Paper guidelines)

Attendance/Participation. Regular attendance and meaningful, cooperative participation in class discussions are required to pass this class. You will be expected to attend all classes and to arrive on time. If you find it impossible to do so, please discuss this with your professor. Students may receive a lower grade if several classes are missed. If for any reason you are having a problem with the course, please take it upon yourself to contact your professor.

GRADES

*Assignment*	Points
Active participation in discussions (attendance helps!)	25
Top 11 topic quizzes	220
Article review Written portion Class presentation	25 25
Draft of final research paper	25
Final research paper	100
Total…	420

Percentage of total points possible:

94 – 100 A 90 – 93 A- 87 – 89 B+ 84 – 86 B 80 – 83 B-

77 – 79 C+ 70 – 76 C 60 – 69 D < 60 F

Note: 5 extra credit points are possible by bringing in a current magazine or newspaper article related to that week’s topic and sharing it with the class. (Limit of 10 extra credit points)

Disability Statement

Penn State is committed to providing access to a quality education for all students, including those with documented disabilities. If a student has a disability and wishes an accommodation for a course, it is the student's responsibility to obtain a University letter confirming the disability and suggesting appropriate accommodation. This letter can be requested from the Campus Disability Contact Liaison. The contact at Shenango is Dr. Jane Williams, Director of Student and Enrollment Services in SH201. Students are encouraged to request accommodation early in the semester so that, once identified, reasonable accommodation can be implemented in a timely manner.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is defined as the pursuit of scholarly activity in an open, honest, and responsible manner and is a basic guiding principle for all academic activity at The Pennsylvania State University. Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, cheating, plagiarizing, fabrication of information or citations, facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others, submitting work of another person or work previously used without informing the instructor, or tampering with the academic work of other students. Penalties for academic dishonesty are outlined in Policies and Rules: A Handbook for Students, and may lead to disciplinary sanctions including a failing grade for the course.

Tentative Dates		Topics Agenda
August	26	Introduction, and Video: Child Abuse
	28	Lecture: Ch. 1-The maltreatment of children from a historical perspective
September	2	Video: Of Hopscotch and Little Girls
	4	Lecture: Ch. 2-The Family and Ch. 3-Maltreatment and the developing child
	9	After quiz, I will Lecture: Ch. 4- Neglect of Children	Quiz 1
	11	Finish Ch. 4, Video: Influences: Innocence Betrayed	Quiz 2 (take home)
	16	Lecture: Ch. 5-Physical abuse and Spanking (spanking article on library reserve)
	18	Videos: No one Saved Dennis and *Concrete Angel*
	23	Presenters # 1 & 2 & 3	Quiz 3
	25	*Video: The Spanking Controversy* & tape: Daddy’s Hands (in class assignment?)**
	30	Presenters # 4 & 5 & 6	Quiz 4
October	2	Lecture: Ch. 6-Sexual abuse and Ch. 7-Incest
	7	Video: Close to Home (childhood sexual abuse)
	9	Presenters # 7 & 8 & 9	Quiz 5
	14	Lecture: Ch. 8-Extrafamilial sexual abuse and Video: Veronica’s Story
	16	Presenters # 10 & 11 & 12	Quiz 6
	21	Lecture: Ch. 9-Psychological Maltreatment
	23	Video: Understanding the Six Forms of Emotional Child Abuse
	28	Presenters # 13 & 14 & 15 Video: Battered	Quiz 7
	30	Lecture: Domestic violence (readings on library reserve)
November	4	Presenter # 16 & 17 & 18 Video: Independence Day	Quiz 8
	6	Lecture: Domestic violence & children Video: Violence & Childhood Trauma
	11	Presenters # 19 & 20 & 21	Quiz 9
	13	Lecture: Elder Abuse (library reserve) DRAFT OF FINAL PAPER DUE! Video: Elder Abuse: Whose Problem
	18	Presenters # 22 & 23 & 24	Quiz 10
	20	Lecture: Ch. 10 & Ch. 11
December	2	*Video: Don’t Give Up On Me* Presenters** # 25 & 26	Quiz 11
	4	Lecture: Ch. 13 & 14-Treatment of physical and sexual abuse
	9	Lecture: Ch. 18-Prevention (not on quiz)	Quiz 12
	11	Presenters # 27 & 28 & 29 Final paper is due IN MY OFFICE BY 5PM

Office Hours: Mon. – Thur. – 9:00 to 10:00am & 1:00 – 2:00pm

Friday by appointment only

Purpose/Goals of Course/Course Objectives:

Required Text:

Assignments:

Points

Active participation in discussions (attendance helps!)

Top 11 topic quizzes

Article review