Course Syllabus

Fall 2026 | PSY-2155-VT01 - Trauma: Origins & Impacts

In Person Class

Standard courses meet in person at CCV centers, typically once each week for the duration of the semester.

Faculty

Erika Hashberger
View Faculty Credentials

Hiring Coordinator for this course: Philip Crossman

General Education Requirements

Social Science

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 a variety of viewpoints on human trauma from contemporary social science disciplines. Students will explore the nature and impact of trauma across the lifespan and will discuss current theories, research, and interventions. The course will examine societal impacts and responses to trauma from global, cultural, and historical perspectives. Recommended prior learning: Introduction to Psychology, Human Growth & Development, or Child Development.

Essential Objectives

1. Describe the causes and characteristics of various types of human trauma and traumatic stress.
2. Examine current scientific theories and research regarding the impacts of individual and societal trauma and recommended interventions.
3. Explore the biological, cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal impacts of trauma on individuals over the lifespan.
4. Examine the societal costs and impacts of trauma from global, cultural, economic, political, and historical perspectives.
5. Describe common behavioral manifestations of trauma in children, adolescents, adults and in traumatized communities.
6. Describe examples of trauma-informed practice and factors that promote resiliency in the helping professions (Criminal Justice, Human Services, Education, Healthcare, Substance Abuse work, etc.).

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 is a no cost textbook or resource class. ***

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

Fall 2026 textbook/book details will be available on 2026-05-18. 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-2155-VT01 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.

Prohibited: The use of generative AI is not allowed in this course, with the exception of spellcheck, grammar check and similar tools. This course rests in the value of students engaging in the learning process without relying on AI-generated content. Students will develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills independently, owning their learning journey from start to finish. If you use these tools, your actions would be considered academically dishonest and a violation of CCV's Academic Integrity Policy.

Methods

• Small and large group discussions
• Interactive projects and/or activities
• Multimedia presentations and resources
• Readings, writing, and inquiry-based research
• Professional work-based learning experiences

Evaluation Criteria

Coursework (60% of final grade)

Assignments (15% of final grade: 3 x 5% per assignment): Students will complete three extended, semi-structured assignments, demonstrating their ability to analyze and evaluate course materials, and use these skills in context with ethical and practical perspectives.

1:1 Reflection Journal (20% of final grade, 10 x 2% per reflection): Students will complete 10 reflections in a one-to-one discussion forum (in Canvas) between themselves and the professor. Prompts will be available, as well as example reflections, but students are generally welcome to write open-ended responses if they prefer. It is recognized that the content of this course, and its emphasis on analysis and close engagement with materials may lead to a more introspective response style; for this reason, these discussions are not visible to any classmates - only to the professor and the student individually. Self-disclosure is never required or expected, but students may choose to reference their own connections to course materials if they feel it is relevant.

The course calendar notes 13 dates recommended for reflection submissions. The ten (10) highest-graded reflections will contribute to a student’s grade in this category. It is not necessary to submit a reflection on every one of these dates, but students may choose to submit up to three additional reflections to earn extra credit.

Course Paper (25% of final grade): Over the course of the semester, students will complete five contributing pieces of work that progressively support the final draft of their course paper.

In total, the final-draft course paper and its contributing components are worth 20% of the final grade, broken down as follows:

• Components (15% of final grade)
  • Paper topic selection (3% of final grade)
  • Thesis statement and annotated bibliography (3% of final grade)
  • Two sources with annotations (3% of final grade)
  • Detailed paper outline (3% of final grade)
  • Rough draft (3% of final grade)
• Final draft course paper (10% of final grade)

Engagement and Participation (40%)

Students will demonstrate understanding, analysis, and application of concepts by engaging with course materials in the Canvas page, including recorded lectures, discussion forums, and self-evaluations.

The engagement and participation grade consists of:

• Self-Assessments (15% of final grade; 3 x 5% each): Students will complete three self-assessments, one each at the beginning of the semester, at midterm, and at the end of the semester.
  • Self-assessments are designed to provide a reflective space for students to review their habits of learning, set goals, identify challenges, and receive feedback. The primary purpose of these is reflective, and grades will be based on effort. In other words, students can receive a strong grade even if their self-evaluation focuses on a setback, frustration, or mistake.
• Attendance (15% of final grade): CCV attendance policy (page 7) states that missing more than 20% of a course may contribute to earning a less-satisfactory grade. As long as the general reason for absence - including tardy arrival or early departure - is communicated to the professor in a timely manner (ideally in advance, but within 72 hours/three days of the missed class is sufficient), students may miss three full class meetings before their attendance grade is impacted.

There is no class meeting on 11/24; this course will have fourteen (14) weekly meetings, each lasting 2 hours and 50 minutes. Students may arrive late, leave early, or miss full classes as needed to attend to external commitments and obligations. After the three excused no-cost missed classes, additional absence will impact the attendance grade as follows:

• Each unexcused absence OR additional time missed will lead to a 1% loss of credit per hour, up to six hours (two more full classes). Subsequently, each additional hour missed will lead to a 3% loss of credit, for the next three hours (one more full class)
• Mathematically, this means:
  • No grade impact: up to three excused full-class absences (9 hours) will not affect a student’s final grade
  • Loss of 1% per hour (6 hour or 2-class maximum):
    • Additional absences
    • Unexcused absences
  • Loss of 3% per hour (3 hour or 1-class maximum)
    • Additional absences
    • Unexcused absence beyond 6 hours/2 classes
• Please do not miss six classes. If you are having a hard time attending, please let me know. This policy does not exist to be punitive, and I am far more able to be supportive and helpful if I’m aware of what’s going on.
• In-Class Participation (10% of final grade): Students demonstrate participation and engagement through taking notes, asking questions, and engaging in discussion. It is understood that building comfort with speaking in class is a fundamental skill that students may be building during undergraduate study; students are not required to speak in class every week to earn participation credit, but should make effort to do so whenever possible, and to incorporate other habits of engagement such as taking notes, referencing in-class content in reflection journals, and (if strongly preferable) approaching the professor directly with questions during in-class breaks.

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

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

• In-Class Participation (10% of final grade): Students demonstrate participation and engagement through taking notes, asking questions, and engaging in discussion. It is understood that building comfort with speaking in class is a fundamental skill that students may be building during undergraduate study; students are not required to speak in class every week to earn participation credit, but should make effort to do so whenever possible, and to incorporate other habits of engagement such as taking notes, referencing in-class content in reflection journals, and (if strongly preferable) approaching the professor directly with questions during in-class breaks.

Missing & Late Work Policy

Students are encouraged to turn in coursework following the schedule as noted in the syllabus and Canvas. However, it is also understood that this is an introductory course, and students are actively developing new skillsets necessary to accommodate college-level academic workload and complexity. For this reason, coursework and expectations are designed to facilitate individual skill development as much as subject-specific learning. In order to encourage continued effort despite setbacks, students may submit and receive partial credit for late work within the following parameters:

Coursework:

Regular assignment completion is an important element of succeeding in - and ideally enjoying - this class. This is not an expectation of perfection, but recognition that it is harder (and more stressful!) to play catch-up.

• Late work will be deducted at 5% if it is submitted within 24 hours after the deadline.
• Late work submitted 24+ hours late will be deducted at 5% for the first day, and 10% each additional day.

“Ask for help early and often” policy:

• Life is complicated. Communicating about deadlines and unexpected challenges is an important skill, and one that it’s never a bad time to work on.
• I will waive deductions on late work for 72 hours if you contact me prior to the deadline, including the following:
  • A small amount of context about what’s causing the anticipated delay (broken charger, ER visit, etc)
  • An updated timeline for when you expect the work to be submitted
  • A clear statement of what you need from me, if anything. For example:
    • I’ve got this, I just need more time
    • I need some help, and would like to schedule an Office Hours meeting
    • I have a couple questions, listed below…
• This exception exists in recognition that it can be uncomfortable to ask for help, and as an attempt to encourage you to do it despite that discomfort. Communicating ahead of time about an anticipated challenge or setback is a valuable practice to have in any professional or academic context.

Accessibility Services for Students with Disabilities:

1. Provide disability documentation to the Accessibility Coordinator at your academic center. https://ccv.edu/student-support/accessibility-services/
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

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