Instructor: Lausanne Renfro-Fernandez
Contact info: 621-3290, crenfro@nmsu.edu
Office Hours: M 11:30-12:30 T 10:30-11:30 or by appointment
Office: Science Hall, Room 321

This course examines how biological, psychological, and social factors interact with and affect the different areas within health psychology. Topics to be discussed include the promotion of good health and prevention of illness, the recovery, rehabilitation, and psychosocial adjustment that correspond with health problems, and the role of stress and coping in illness. Students will gain an understanding of the important role that psychology plays within the health care system.

Required Text: Taylor, S.E. (1999). Health Psychology (4th ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

Course Web Page: http://web.nmsu.edu/~crenfro/ This web page has (or will have) links to the course syllabus and course assignments.

Course Requirements:

Exams: Three examinations will be given (each worth 10% of your final grade). All material discussed in lectures as well as all material in assigned readings (whether covered in lecture or not) is fair game for each exam. The exams will be a combination of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and short answer questions.
Note 1: Makeup exams are strongly discouraged and will be granted only under exceptional circumstances, such as serious illness or a death in the immediate family. To be eligible for a makeup, you MUST adhere to the following two conditions: (1) Notify me PRIOR to the exam that you cannot make it (i.e., talk to me personally, call and leave a detailed message on my voice mail, or email a detailed message) and (2) Provide official documentation of your emergency (e.g., a written medical excuse signed by a physician). All makeup exams will be cumulative and will be given on Friday, August 9th (the last day of classes). There are no exceptions to these policies.

Group Activities:
Experts for the Day (10% each): On two occasions throughout the semester, your group will be in charge of providing information and facilitating a class discussion concerning an assigned topic. Each presentation and discussion will last roughly 20 minutes (5 minutes for the introduction to the topic and 15 minutes for discussion). For the first "experts" day, July 17, you will be asked to cover a topic from Chapter 5 (Health-compromising behaviors). For the second "experts" day, August 7, you will cover one of the topics from chapters 13 or 14 (Hypertension, Stroke, Diabetes, AIDS, Cancer, and Arthritis).

Poster Sessions (15% each): On two occasions, as a group, you will present an assigned topic to the other members of the class as part of a mini poster session. The first poster presentation will be held on July 23 and will cover topics from Chapter 4 (Health-enhancing behaviors). The second poster session will be held on the last day of class, Aug. 9th, and will cover topics on alternative medicines. For the second poster session, as a group, you will decide on a poster topic that will need to be approved by the instructor.

Homework: 15% of your grade will be based on short homework assignments and exercises given throughout the semester. These assignments will not be accepted late under any circumstances.

Class Participation (5%): Because you will be doing group work, it is very important that you attend class. You will perform much better on the exams and learn much more about health psychology when you attend class. Your participation will be based on attendance as well as your group members' evaluations of you.

Grading: The final course grade will be based on the cumulative percent score earned by each student:

100-90 = A 89-80 = B 79-70 = C 69-60 = D 59 or below = F

Academic Misconduct: If you are caught cheating, plagiarizing, or committing any other form of academic misconduct, you will fail the course, and further action may be taken following the Student Code of Conduct in the NMSU Student Handbook.

Disenrollment Policy: The instructor reserves the right to disenroll students who disrupt class, fail to respect others' confidentiality and privacy, or create an unsafe learning and working environment for others.

Withdrawals: The instructor and TAs will not disenroll you for lack of attendance. It is your responsibility to withdraw from the class. The last day to withdraw with a "W" on your transcript is Tuesday, July 23, 2002. Before that date, you should meet with your instructor to determine your current grade in the class and decide whether or not to drop the class. Remember, having "W" on your transcript is better than having "F."

Incompletes: University policy dictates that a student may be given an incomplete ONLY if he or she has passed the first half of the course, and is precluded from successful completion of the course by a documented illness or family crisis. Keep in mind that the instructor decides what constitutes "precluded from successful completion." If something arises in your life that interferes with your ability to do your best in this class, let me know about it as soon as possible. DO NOT WAIT until the end of the semester or after finals week. There is little that can be done at that point.

Extra-Credit: Extra-credit will not be available in this course. Often students who are not performing well in a class look to extra-credit to "save" their grades and spend a great deal of time performing extra-credit activities. This time is better spent preparing for exams. The additional points students may achieve on an exam will increase their grade much more than hours of extra-credit.

Students with Disabilities: If you have or believe you have a disability and would benefit from any accommodations, you may wish to self-identify by contacting the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) in Garcia Annex, room 102 (phone: 646-6840). If you have already registered, please make sure that your instructor receives a copy of the accommodation memorandum from SSD within the first two weeks of classes. It is your responsibility to inform either your instructor or SSD representative in a timely manner if services/accommodations provided are not meeting your needs.

If you have a condition that may affect your ability to exit safely from the premises in an emergency or that may cause an emergency during class, you are encouraged to discuss this in confidence with the instructor and/or the coordinator of SSD. General questions about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) can be addressed to the ADA Coordinator at 646-3333.