HD 300-01, Child Abuse & Neglect

Spring 2008

Instructor Information:

Jackie McReynolds
Education/Human Development Building, Room 228
Phone: 360-546-9740
Fax: 360-546-9076
Office Hours: Tuesdays 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., or by appointment
Email: mcreynol@vancouver.wsu.edu
Home Page: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/mcreynolds/mcreynolds.html

Course Information:

Schedule:

M, W, 9:10 - 10:25 a.m.

Location:

Multi-media Classroom Building , Room 217

Description and Objective:

The primary objectives of this course are to assist the student in gaining a clear understanding of what constitutes child maltreatment, assess underlying causes of abuse and neglect, and explore resources available to assist families and their children.  More specifically, it is anticipated that students in this class will be able to:

  1. demonstrate knowledge of what constitutes child maltreatment;
  2. demonstrate knowledge of theoretical principles underlying abusive behavior;
  3. demonstrate knowledge of factors underlying/contributing to child maltreatment;
  4. demonstrate a basic understanding of appropriate child-rearing practices, good parenting skills, and the causes and consequences of dysfunction in the parent-child relationship; and
  5. demonstrate knowledge of the various types of programs/resources available for the prevention, intervention, and treatment of child abuse.

Note to Students: The intent of this class is to take an objective look at child maltreatment. Some material presented will be graphic and troubling. If you have unresolved issues from your own childhood that may interfere with your ability to be objective, you may want to reconsider your enrollment in this course.

WSU Vancouver Free Counseling Services: Dawnn McWatters, 360-546-9446, mcwatted@vancouver.wsu.edu, or Student Services Center (SRC), Room 111..

Prerequisites and Other Notes:

Six hours social sciences..

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Required Texts and Other Materials:

Required Text:

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

Web Site Addresses:

(a) CASA:  http://www.nationalcasa.org
(b) Children's Defense Fund: http://www.childrensdefense.org
(c) Administration for Children & Families: http://www.acf.hhs.gov
(d) Child Trends Data Bank: http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org
(e) Annie Casey Foundation: http://www.aecf.org
(f) APA Reference Guide: http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/hd/resource.htm

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Classroom Requirements:

Electronic Mail

All students are required to be on e-mail to further communication between students and instructor. Students at WSU Vancouver have access to free e-mail by going to the following web site:  http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/vis/vit/accounts.htm.  A home e-mail account is also acceptable.

Blackboard

All class notes and assignment information for this class will be posted on WSU Vancouver’s “Blackboard” web-based system.  All students must be enrolled in the class in order to access the information.  To “sign-up” use the following address and go to “Blackboard” on the menu.   http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/vis/vit/accounts.htm.   The official link to “Blackboard” is http://www.blackboard.wsu.edu/.

Exams

It is anticipated that exams will cover both the assigned reading and the material presented in class by the instructor, guest speakers, and videos.  Exams will be a mix of multiple choice, true/false, and short answer type questions.  There will be no make-up exams without a prior excused absence.  Exams are NOT cumulative.

Reflection Papers

Five (5) 10-point short papers will be assigned during class over the course of the semester.  These papers will be based on information gained from in-class videos and/or guest speakers.  Students will be asked to reflect on how the information from the video or speaker has enhanced what the student has learned about child abuse/neglect.  Dates will be announced in class. 

Research Review Paper

Each student will write one paper summarizing and responding to a research-based article on child maltreatment.  The campus library now has an entire data base of reports and journal articles on child abuse that can be accessed through their on-line site.  Each student will select one journal article from that database, summarize it, reflect on its content, and relate the article to material that has been covered in class. This paper must be written using APA 5th edition standard format.  The style guide web site is listed in the "Web Sites" section of this document.

Late Papers Will NOT Be Accepted

All papers should be handed directly to the instructor, placed in the student drop box (VEHD Building, 2nd floor), faxed directly to the instructor, or e-mailed to the instructor as a Word attachment.  It is highly recommended that the student save an electronic copy of any submitted paper.

Procedure for Submitting and Retrieving Assignments

The Human Development Department maintains a student drop box on the second floor of the VEHD building for students submitting assignments to Human Development faculty.  Directions for using the box are located on the top of the box.  The box is checked several times daily and the contents distributed according to the faculty name that has been placed on the reusable envelope that is provided.  DO NOT submit assignments by putting them in the file cabinet underneath the drop box.  The file cabinet is used only for returning assignments to students and for students to pick up copies of non-graded class materials such as class notes, handouts, etc.

Reasonable Accommodation:

Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have a documented disability. All accommodations must be approved in advance by the Assistant Director for Student Development, located in VSSC, Room 20C or at 360 546-9155.

Inclement Weather:

When students have questions about classes being held during inclement weather, please contact the faculty support for the department.  Faculty support will have information regarding class closures and will post that information on their voice mail messages.  Please see the Human Development faculty support telephone number for information regarding this class: Lynda Dezellem, 360/546-9721.

Academic Calendar:

The WSU Vancouver Academic Calendar for the current semester is located at the following web site:http://www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/calendars.htm. Please refer to this document for important campus dates and deadlines throughout the semester.

Student Conduct and Academic Dishonesty:

Students are expected to show due respect for the rights of others and to be familiar with the Washington State University standards of conduct presented in the WSUV Student Handbook.  Dishonesty on exams and/or plagiarism on written assignments will result in a grade of zero points for the exam/assignment in question. (www.vancouver.wsu.edu/ss/handbook/conduct.html ).

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Grading:

Grading procedures:

Assignment Total Points
3 Exams (including a final) @ 100 points each 300
5 Reflection Papers @ 10 points each 50
Research Review Paper 50
Total points possible 400

Grading Scale:

The standard Human Development grading scale is as follows:

Grade Percent Points
A 100-94 376-400
A- 93-90 360-375
B+ 89-87 348-359
B 86-83 332-347
B- 82-80 320-331
C+ 79-77 308-319
C 76-73 292-307
C- 72-70 280-291
D+ 69-67 268-279
D 66-60 240-267
F 59 or below 236 and below

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Schedule:

Tentative Course Outline

Week Date Readings/Assignments
1 Jan 7 Introduction to the course, review syllabus, fill out information sheets
  Jan 9 Chapter 1, The History of Child Abuse/Neglect
2 Jan 14

Chapter 1, Continued

  Jan 16 Chapter 2, The Family
3 Jan 21 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, No Classes, Offices Closed
  Jan 23 Chapter 3, The Developing Child
4 Jan 28 The Impact of Meth on Families and Children
  Jan 30 Chapter 4, Neglect
5 Feb 4 Chapter 5, Physical Abuse
  Feb 6 Chapter 5, Continued
6 Feb 11 Risk and Protective Factors, Resiliency
  Feb 13 Exam #1
7 Feb 18

Presidents Day, No Classes, Offices Open

  Feb 20 Chapter 6, Sexual Abuse
8
Feb 25 Chapter 7, Incest
  Feb 27 Chapter 8, Extra Familial Maltreatment
9
Mar 3 Chapter 9, Psychological/Emotional Maltreatment
  Mar 5 Chapter 10, Reporting and Investigation
  Mar 10-14 Spring Break Week. No Classes, Most Offices Open
10
Mar 17 Chapter 11, Intervention: Case Management
  Mar 19 Chapter 12, The Legal Response
11
Mar 24

Exam #2

  Mar 26 Chapter 13, Treatment, Physical
12
Mar 31 Chapter 14, Treatment Sexual
  Apr 2 Chapter 15, Foster Care
13
Apr 7 CASA
  Apr 9 Chapter 16, The Social Worker/System
14
Apr 14 Chapter 17, Adults Abused as Children
  Apr 16 Chapter 18, Prevention
15
Apr 21 Chapter 19, Toward a Better Tomorrow
  Apr 23 Course Wrap-up

16

April 28 - May 2 Final Exam Week. Date and Time TBA.
  May 10 Campus Commencement Ceremony (tentative), 1:00 p.m.

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Useful Links:

You may find some useful information at web sites listed on the department resources page.