Abnormal Psychology: Critical Perspectives on Pathology and Care

This course explores the concept of "abnormality" in psychology through an interdisciplinary lens, blending foundational knowledge of psychopathology with critical perspectives on diagnosis, care, and cultural contexts. We will explore how psychiatric disorders are classified, how that classification has changed over time, the current DSM criteria for most disorders and the degree to which biological and social factors are known to contribute to the etiologies. Students will engage with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) and other clinical assessment measures as tools for understanding psychological disorders while critically questioning the legacies and limitations of the U.S. healthcare system. Topics will include the social construction of "normalcy," cultural and systemic biases in diagnosis, disability justice, criminalization, and community responses such as harm reduction, peer support, mutual aid and community care. Integrating theories from traditional and liberation psychology, transformative justice, and social policy, this course invites students to critically examine the intersections of mental health, healthcare, and systemic inequality.

Anticipated Credit Equivalencies:

4 - Abnormal Psychology