Course Syllabus

Summer 2025 | PSY-1020-VO01 - Child Abuse & Neglect

Online Class

Online courses take place 100% online via Canvas, without required in-person or Zoom meetings.

Faculty

Stacy Shortle
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Kate Hughes

General Education Requirements

VSCS Social Sciences

Note

Many degree programs have specific general education recommendations. In order to avoid taking unnecessary classes, please consult with additional resources like your program evaluation, your academic program catalog year page, and your academic advisor.

Courses may only be used to meet one General Education Requirement.

Course Description

This course introduces students to the history, cultural context, and issues of child abuse and neglect. Topics include identification, treatment, and prevention of child abuse and neglect. Students will analyze the roles of state agencies and departments, Vermont laws and procedures, and requirements for reporting child abuse and neglect.

Essential Objectives

1. Identify and define the types of childhood abuse and neglect including physical, emotional and sexual abuse; psychological maltreatment; and abandonment and neglect.
2. Describe the indicators of abuse and neglect.
3. Describe the historical and cultural context of child abuse and neglect, and address the scope of the problem as a social phenomenon in Vermont and nationally.
4. Discuss the theoretical explanations for the causes of abuse and neglect, identifying influences which can contribute to the risk of child abuse and neglect including generational, psychological, cultural, social, economic, and political.
5. Describe both the long term and short term effects of childhood abuse and neglect on the victims.
6. Explain the role of state agencies and departments, the community, and the family in dealing with issues of child abuse and neglect.
7. Summarize Vermont law regarding child abuse and neglect and outline the procedures for reporting suspected or known incidents.
8. Identify current treatment options for both victims and offenders.
9. Describe and assess strategies for preventing child abuse.

Required Technology

More information on general computer and internet recommendations is available on the CCV computer recommendations Support page.

Please see CCV's Digital Equity Statement (pg. 45) to learn more about CCV's commitment to supporting all students access the technology they need to successfully finish their courses.

Required Textbooks and Resources

This course uses one or more textbooks/books/simulations, along with free Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials.

Summer 2025 textbook/book details will be available on 2024-12-06. On that date a link will be available below that will take you to eCampus, CCV's bookstore. The information provided there will be specific to this class. Please see this page for more information regarding the purchase of textbooks/books.

PSY-1020-VO01 Link to Textbooks for this course in eCampus.

For Open Educational Resources (OER) and/or library materials details, see the Canvas Site for this class.

The last day to use a Financial Aid Advance to purchase textbooks/books is the 3rd Tuesday of the semester. See your financial aid counselor at your academic center if you have any questions.

Artificial Intelligence(AI) Policy Statement

CCV recognizes that artificial intelligence (AI) and generative AI tools are widely available and becoming embedded in many online writing and creative applications.

Allowed: This course's generative AI policy acknowledges technology, including generative AI, plays a supportive role in learning and feedback. During our class, we may use AI writing tools such as ChatGPT in certain specific cases. You will be informed as to when, where, and how these tools are permitted to be used, along with guidance for attribution. Any use outside of these specific cases constitutes a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

You may use AI as a research tool, however, copying and pasting an AI generated response is prohibited and violates CCV's Academic Integrity Policy. If a response to a post appears to be AI generated, the instructor reserves the right to investigate the response through teacher tools such plagarism checks. At the discretion of the instructor, the student may be required to resubmit a response within a certain time period. If that response is not submitted, a score of 0 will be logged.

The student will be contacted in a timely manner to resubmit the response. If there is a second violation, the student and advisor will be notified that an Academic Integrity Violation form will be filed with CCV.

Methods

Methods:

Diverse course activities are organized into weekly units. These activities are designed specifically to address course objectives and to ensure that you acquire key factual, conceptual, analytical and decision-making knowledge and skills in the area of Child Abuse and Neglect. Activities include:

Readings

Required Texts:

Burke-Harris, N. (2018). The Deepest Well: Healing the Long-Term Effects of Child Adversity. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Crosson-Towers, C. (2021). Understanding Child Abuse and Neglect. Pearson: New York.

Texts and readings from the professional literature (journal articles) are included to build your understanding of professional and ethical considerations within the field. In most weeks, you will be assigned readings from the textbooks and/or journal articles as noted in the Course Schedule.

Recommended Text

Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Penguin: Boston.

Chapter Summaries

ChapterSummarieswill be presented for you to read on line. Summaries are meant to approximate classroom or workshop presentations by an instructor. They explain course material for the week, but should not be used in place of reading the assigned chapter for that week.

Quizzes

Weekly quizzes cover the hard-copy readings and in some cases, the online lectures. Quizzes will contain multiple choice and true and false questions.There will be two attempts allowed for the quiz. The highest grade will be recorded.

Discussion Posts

In an effort to make this course experience as professionally and personally relevant as possible, I will provide you with a number ofDiscussion Post opportunities. Each week, I will post different discussion topics based on the text readings or other relevant materials. Students will be expected to answer each post and then respond to at least one fellow students’ posts. I will provide specific instructions and downloadable materials inCanvasto guide your responses to these exercises.

In addition to these required postings, you are encouraged to interact less formally, by posting original comments of your own, for example, a new finding or perspective on a topic.

All of the "threads" posted by your instructor and classmates are available for you to review when you log on to theForumin Canvas. This allows for "asynchronous" discussion. That simply means that you do not have to log on at the same time as your classmates (as you would in a chat room), but can post your comments any time, at your convenience.

Book Analysis

Students will read The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke Harris and write a book review/research paper on the character of Diego using the following essential objectives of the course:

1. Identify and define the types of ACES that Diego experienced.

2. Describe the indicators/symptoms of ACES that you see Diego experience. What brought him in to see Dr. Nadine and what sorts of symptoms/behaviors did you see throughout the novel that indicated developmental trauma?
3.Discuss two theoretical explanations for the causes of developmental trauma that Diego experience, identifying influences which can contribute to the risk of child abuse and neglect including generational, psychological, cultural, social, economic, and political.

4. From our work on ACES, describe both the short and long term effects of those ACES on Diego as a child and on Diego as an adult.

5. Are there mandated reporters in the book? If so, what are the steps they took/should have taken according to Vermont law regarding child abuse and neglect and outline the procedures for reporting suspected or known incidents.

6. Identify and explain two current treatment options for Diego and include evidence to support their effectiveness.
7. Lastly, reflecting on Diego’s story and on Dr. Nadine’s work in Bayview, describe and assess strategies/steps that could have been taken in order to prevent the abuse/neglect from happening.

This is a book review, so please formulate it in paragraph form-not simply answering the above questions in list format! Papers should be AT LEAST 6 pages in order to fully cover the essential objectives above. Follow APA format double spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font, etc.).

Grading Criteria

CCV Letter Grades as outlined in the Evaluation System Policy are assigned according to the following chart:

	High	Low
A+	100	98
A	Less than 98	93
A-	Less than 93	90
B+	Less than 90	88
B	Less than 88	83
B-	Less than 83	80
C+	Less than 80	78
C	Less than 78	73
C-	Less than 73	70
D+	Less than 70	68
D	Less than 68	63
D-	Less than 63	60
F	Less than 60
P	100	60
NP	Less than 60	0

Weekly Schedule

Attendance Policy

Regular attendance and participation in classes are essential for success in and are completion requirements for courses at CCV. A student's failure to meet attendance requirements as specified in course descriptions will normally result in a non-satisfactory grade.

• In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences, lateness or early departures may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.
• Attending an on-ground or synchronous course means a student appeared in the live classroom for at least a meaningful portion of a given class meeting. Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.
• Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Participation Expectations

Participation Expectations

Participation-Each week, you will be expected to post a response to topics presented by the Instructor for attendance purposes and to simulate as best as possible, a classroom setting. You will also be expected to respond to at least one classmate's post (see Discussion Post Rubric). Additionally, you will be expected to complete a writing assignment (See Writing Assignment Rubric) and chapter quizzes. If you log on to Canvas, but do not complete any of the discussion posts, quiz or writing assignment, your attendance will be 0 for that week.

Work completion including responding to discussion posts quizzes, and book analysis are to be completed by the due dates listed on Canvas. There are NO exceptions unless extenuating circumstances prevent you from completing the work that week and the student reaches out to the instructor prior to the assignment deadline with an explanation. You may also be expected to provide documentation (i.e., doctor's note, etc). If work is not received by the due date, a 0 will be recorded-no late submissions. Please review the due dates in the weekly modules on Canvas to plan and organize your time week by week for success in this course.

Maintain a Professional Code of Conduct

The classroom is a professional environment where academic discussions and learning take place. Your instructor will make every effort to make this environment safe for you to share your opinions, ideas, and beliefs. In return, you are expected to respect the opinions, ideas, and beliefs of others.

The nature of this course can differ greatly from that of an onsite course due to the online format. I am not an adherent of having a lot of “rules,” however in the online Discussion Forum RESPECT is essential. We learn by challenging or reinforcing premises put forth by others. In the spirit of academic growth, students are welcome to diverge in opinion from one another, myself, or ideas/information from our textbooks. Academic debate is perfectly acceptable, even encouraged, when and if it is presented as open-minded dialogue and does not become a personal attack. Again, RESPECT is the key.

Additionally, I realize that the course material may bring up some sensitive issues for students. Some students may choose to participate from a purely academic stance, while others may choose to share personal info. Given the potentially sensitive and personal nature of some of the material, personal boundaries (or lack thereof) and confidentiality could become problematic. My suggestion: When in doubt, keep whatever it is you were going to share in a post to yourself until you take the time to process it further. Ask yourself what your motivation for sharing is and if the sharing of the info could potentially help or hurt you or other students in the course. Personal boundaries reference the course not being used as “group therapy” by those whose lives have been impacted by adverse experiences; if I believe an individual student is sharing too much personal info in the context of the Discussion Forum, I will respectfully and privately contact the student. I do not want to depersonalize the course; rather I want each of you to feel a sense of safety in our online classroom, while at the same time maintaining the academic integrity of the course. Be aware that there is no guarantee that what you share will remain confidential. Also, please do not hesitate to e-mail me with questions/concerns or for guidance.

Remember, written communication is not always an effective or efficient way of communicating so recognize when you need to talk to your instructor and make arrangements with them to do so. It is important to remember that online, your instructor cannot see the confused, frustrated, or unhappy expressions on your face if you encounter problems. If you have an issue, remember that you’re responsible for proactively communicating directly with me so that I might provide support and guidance.

Students have the right and privilege to learn in a class free from harassment and disruption. Students found to be in violation of this policy are subject to appropriate disciplinary action.

Important Guidelines to Remember

Emoticons and Emoji

Use of emoticons and emoji is considered a friendly and informal style of communicating feelings in emails and texts. Be cautious when using in an academic discussion and do not to rely on them in your course communications though as they may not be easily understood by others or may distract from your intended message.

Writing Requirements

This is an academic environment so your writing should conform to the rules of Standard English. All assignments and posts should exemplify college-level writing. Here are some guidelines for all messages posted to the course's discussion forums or sent via email:

• Avoid slang (e.g., "Hey", "Yo," and so forth)
• Refrain from using profanity
• Use spell check. Mistakes in spelling and grammar reflect poorly on you and are not acceptable college-level writing.
• DON'T WRITE THE ENTIRE POSTING WITH YOUR CAPS LOCK ON. Submitting posts in capital letters if often understood to convey anger or dismay.
• Use standard spelling
  • you (not u)
  • are (not r)
  • to or too (not 2)

Missing & Late Work Policy

This course relies on an online environment of interactive academic dialogue. Throughout the semester you will have the opportunity to:

• Interact with others in the class in a dynamic online environment
• Develop and share ideas; expand upon your initial premises
• Pose questions; reflect upon the questions posed by others
• Develop and receive feedback in the context of evolving course discussions

To foster effective, interesting, and useful academic communication, it is important that you contribute by sharing information, reading information shared by your peers, and responding with respectful and constructive input. As the Instructor, I will facilitate the online discussion. Importantly however, my teaching philosophy is centered upon students being active participants in the learning process, essentially learning from one another as well as from the instructor as the collective weekly discussion evolves. My intention is to provide a dynamic learning environment where students are active and engaged participants.

In general, missing more than 20% of a course due to absences may jeopardize a student's ability to earn a satisfactory final grade.

Attending an online course means a student posted a discussion forum response, completed a quiz or attempted some other academically required activity. Simply viewing a course item or module does not count as attendance.

Meeting the minimum attendance requirement for a course does not mean a student has satisfied the academic requirements for participation, which require students to go above and beyond simply attending a portion of the class. Faculty members will individually determine what constitutes participation in each course they teach and explain in their course descriptions how participation factors into a student's final grade.

Work completion including responding to discussion posts, completing quizzes and completing the book analysis are to be completed by the due dates listed on Canvas. There are NO exceptions unless extenuating circumstances prevent you from completing the work that week and the student reaches out to the instructor with an explanation. Time extensions may be granted at the discretion of the instructor. You may also be expected to provide documentation (i.e., doctor's note, etc). If work is not received by the due date, a 0 will be recorded-no late submissions. Please review the due dates in the weekly modules on Canvas to plan and organize your time week by week for success in this course.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/discover-resources/students-with-disabilities/
2. Request an appointment to meet with accessibility coordinator to discuss your request and create an accommodation plan.
3. Once created, students will share the accommodation plan with faculty. Please note, faculty cannot make disability accommodations outside of this process.

Academic Integrity

Apply Now for this semester.