Psychology 4222F-001
Behavioural Pharmacology
If there is a discrepancy between the outline posted below and the outline posted on the OWL course website, the latter shall prevail.
1.0 CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
This course examines drugs, brain and behaviour using principles of neurophysiology, neuroanatomy, synaptic transmission and research methods in psychopharmacology. Topics include: major neurotransmitter systems and their relations to psychoactive drug effects, drug addiction and major substances abuse and the biochemical bases of psychopathology and drugs used to treat affective disorders.
Antirequisite: The former Psychology 428F if taken in 2006 or 2007
Antirequisites are courses that overlap sufficiently in content that only one can be taken for credit. So if you take a course that is an antirequisite to a course previously taken, you will lose credit for the earlier course, regardless of the grade achieved in the most recent course.
Prerequisites: Psychology 2210A/B, 2220A/B or Neuroscience 2000, plus registration in third or fourth year Honours Specialization in Psychology, Honours Specialization in Physiology & Psychology, Honours Specialization in Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience or Honours Specialization in Animal Behaviour
Other Psychology students and Special Students who receive 70% in the prerequisite course may enrol in this course.
3 seminar hours, 0.5 course
Unless you have either the requisites for this course or written special permission from your Dean to enroll in it, you may be removed from this course and it will be deleted from your record. This decision may not be appealed. You will receive no adjustment to your fees in the event that you are dropped from a course for failing to have the necessary prerequisites.
2.0 COURSE INFORMATION
Instructor: Dr. Martin Kavaliers
Office and Phone Number: 9246SSc; 519-661-2111 x 86084
Office Hours: Wednesday 1:300 – 4:30 or by appointment
Email: kavalier@uwo.ca
Teaching Assistant:
Office:
Office Hours:
Email:
Time and Location of Lectures: Thursday 2:30 – 5:30 TH 3154
If you or someone you know is experiencing distress, there are several resources here at Western to assist you. Please visit: http://www.uwo.ca/uwocom/mentalhealth/ for more information on these resources and on mental health.
Please contact the course instructor if you require material in an alternate format or if you require any other arrangements to make this course more accessible to you. You may also wish to contact Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at 519-661-2111 ext 82147 for any specific question regarding an accommodation.
3.0 TEXTBOOK
Meyer, J. S., and Quenzer, L. F. (2013) Psychopharmacology, Drugs, The Brain and Behavior, Second Edition, Sinauer, Associates, Mass
4.0 COURSE OBJECTIVES
The course will involve combined behavioural and pharmacological analysis of basic emotion and motivational systems (e.g. social behaviors, sexual behaviour, aggression, feeding, learning and memory). Basic pharmacological principles (e.g. categories of drugs, animal models) will be addressed. In addition, animal model systems of human psychopathology, including that of drug abuse, will be considered.
5.0 EVALUATION
Although the Psychology Department does not require instructors to adjust their course grades to conform to specific targets, the expectation is that course marks will be distributed around the following averages:
70% 1000-level and 2000-level courses
72% 2190-2990 level courses
75% 3000-level courses
80% 4000-level courses
The Psychology Department follows the University of Western Ontario grading guidelines, which are as follows (see http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/handbook/general/grades_undergrad.pdf):
A+ 90-100 One could scarcely expect better from a student at this level
A 80-89 Superior work that is clearly above average
B 70-79 Good work, meeting all requirements, and eminently satisfactory
C 60-69 Competent work, meeting requirements
D 50-59 Fair work, minimally acceptable
F below 50 Fail
The grade in the course will be based on term assignments, a mid-term exam, and a final exam.
Term Assignments 30% (two assignments each 15% ; essays 1,500 – 2000 words each)
Mid-Term examination 35% (essay and shorter answer based on lecture and class material)
Final Examination 35% (essay and shorter answer based on lecture and class material)
(final exam is non-cumulative)
6.0 TEST AND EXAMINATION SCHEDULE
Assignment 1 Due October 8
Assignment 2 Due November 26
Mid-Term October 16
Final Exam : TBA
7.0 CLASS SCHEDULE
September 10: Introduction and course organization (Chapters 1, 4)
Principles of Pharmacology and Behavior
September 17: Structure and Function of Nervous System
Chemical Signalling (Chapters 2, 3, 4)
September 24: Neurotransmitter Systems (Chapters 5, 6)
Catecholamines, Serotonin
October 1: Neurotransmitter Systems (Chapters 7, 8)
Acetylcholine, Glutamate and GABA
October 8: Opioids, Drug of Abuse and Addiction (Chapters 9, 11)
Glutamate and GABA (contd) (assignment 1 due)
October 15 : Opioids, Drugs of Abuse and Addiction (Chapters 9, 11)
October 2: Mid-term Exam
October 29: No Class (Break)
November 5: Psychomotor Stimulants, Cocaine and Amphetamines (Chapters, 12)
November 12 : Marijuana, Cannabinoids and Hallucinogens (Chapters 14, 15)
November 19: Alcohol, Nicotine and Caffeine, Inhalants (Chapters 10, 13, 16, 17)
Environmental Neurotoxicants and Environmental
Disrupters
November 26: Affective and Anxiety Disorders (Chapters 18-21)
(assignment 2 due)
December 3: Affective and Anxiety Disorders (Chapters 18-21)
8.0 STATEMENT ON ACADEMIC OFFENCES
Students are responsible for understanding the nature and avoiding the occurrence of plagiarism and other scholastic offenses. Plagiarism and cheating are considered very serious offenses because they undermine the integrity of research and education. Actions constituting a scholastic offense are described at the following link: http://www.uwo.ca/univsec/pdf/academic_policies/appeals/scholastic_discipline_undergrad.pdf
As of Sept. 1, 2009, the Department of Psychology will take the following steps to detect scholastic offenses. All multiple-choice tests and exams will be checked for similarities in the pattern of responses using reliable software, and records will be made of student seating locations in all tests and exams. All written assignments will be submitted to TurnItIn, a service designed to detect and deter plagiarism by comparing written material to over 5 billion pages of content located on the Internet or in TurnItIn’s databases. All papers submitted for such checking will be included as source documents in the reference database for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of papers subsequently submitted to the system. Use of the service is subject to the licensing agreement, currently between Western and Turnitin.com http://www.turnitin.com
Possible penalties for a scholastic offense include failure of the assignment, failure of the course, suspension from the University, and expulsion from the University.
9.0 POLICY ON ACCOMMODATION FOR MEDICAL ILLNESS
The University of Western Ontario’s policy on Accommodation for Medical Illness can be found at:
http://www.westerncalendar.uwo.ca/2015/pg117.html
Students must see the Academic Counsellor and submit all required documentation in order to be approved for certain accommodation:
http://counselling.ssc.uwo.ca/procedures/medical_accommodation.html
10.0 OTHER INFORMATION
Office of the Registrar web site: http://registrar.uwo.ca
Student Development Services web site: http://www.sdc.uwo.ca
Please see the Psychology Undergraduate web site for information on the following:
http://psychology.uwo.ca/undergraduate/student_responsibilities/index.html
- Policy on Cheating and Academic Misconduct
- Procedures for Appealing Academic Evaluations
- Policy on Attendance
- Policy Regarding Makeup Exams and Extensions of Deadlines
- Policy for Assignments
- Short Absences
- Extended Absences
- Documentation
- Academic Concerns
- 2015 Calendar References
No electronic devices, including cell phones, will be allowed during exams.
