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Syllabus
Ryan Harmon
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology, Libert University
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Syllabus
Course Information
Course number: PSYC 101/2023
Couse Title: Technology and Mental Health Outcomes
Class Information
Days: The class will be held once every week. The class will be held every Tuesday.
Time: The class will start at 1200 hours. Each class will have three hours. The first two hours
will involve active teaching by the teacher while the last hour will be spent in active
engagements among the learners in the classroom.
Location of class meetings: The classes will be held at venues that will be communicated
every Monday by 2 P.M through class WhatsApp group.
Instructor Information
The instructor a Professor of Psychology. The professor has taught Psychology for
more than fifteen years and supervised 12 PhD candidates over the period. Throughout his
research, the professor has done significant research on emerging Psychological phenomena,
especially on technology. The professor has studied the relationship between psychology and
technology extensively with the aim of determining the best ways through which technology
can be used in a manner that does not cause mental health issues to humans and make it
positively impactful on society.
Name and Contact Information
Name: Ryan Harmon
Office location: Building 5020, 2221 Adams Ave, Fort Lee VA 23801, RM 20077
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Contact information: rmharmon1@liberty.edu
Office hours
The professor will be available to engage with students every Tuesday between 1600
hours and 1700 hours. If there is any pressing matter, the professor will be reachable through
email.
Course Description
Technology is one of the most important phenomena that have had immense impacts on
society in recent decades. As the adage goes, technology has created a global village where
an individual in one corner of the world can interact freely with another individual in another
part of the globe. It is difficult to imagine what the world would look like in the absence of
these technologies. However, while appreciating the positive contributions that technology
has had on society, it is equally important to note that it has also caused significant harm to
society. While there are many areas that people can point at with regard to the challenges
arising from the use of technology, the main focus of this course is the association between
technology and mental health challenges. This course seeks to help learners appreciate the
mental health issues associated with modern technologies and at the same time help them
understand the most appropriate ways to reduce their impacts that these technologies have on
populations.
Course Objectives/Learning Goals
To help the leaners to understand the relationship between technology and mental
health challenges.
To help learners understand the various technology use practices that present mental
health risks to users.
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To understand the most suitable mechanisms that technology users may apply to
prevent them from developing mental health issues associated with the use of
technology.
To assess the future of technology and how technology manufacturers may involve
mental health aspects in their product/technology development.
Required Materials
Course book
Aboujaoude, E., & Starcevic, V. (Eds.). (2015). Mental health in the digital age: Grave
dangers, great promise. Oxford University Press.
Other books and materials
Bucci, S., Schwannauer, M., & Berry, N. (2019). The digital revolution and its impact on
mental health care. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and
Practice, 92(2), 277-297.
Haidt, J., & Allen, N. (2020). Scrutinizing the effects of digital technology on mental health.
Nature Journal. Retrieved from https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00296-
x
Hollis, C., Livingstone, S., & Sonuga‐Barke, E. (2020). The role of digital technology in
children and young people's mental health–a triple‐edged sword?. Journal of Child
Psychology and Psychiatry, 61(8), 837-841. Retrieved from
https://acamh.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jcpp.13302
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Course Schedule
Week 1
Introduce the course. Discuss mental trends of technology use in the United States of
America and the trend of mental health challenges in the United States. Refer to data from
government agencies.
Week 2
Conceptualization: Examine the etiological factors of mental health with a focus on the
role of technologies. Material: Chapter 1 of the course text.
Week 3
The concept of social media addiction. Discuss social media addition and its place in
mental health. Material: chapter 1 of the course book.
Week 4
The challenge of video game use among young adults. Material: chapter 2 of the course book.
Week 5
The course of the development of mental health issues arising from technology use.
Examine the process that occurs in the development of mental health challenges from the use
of technologies. Material: Haidt & Allen (2020).
Week 6
In-class assessment. The learners will be assessed on their understanding of the concepts
presented in class so far.
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Assessment 1 Questions (30)
Answer each of the two questions below. Each question carries equal marks.
1. Describe the concept ‘social media addiction’ and illustrate how it is manifested in
people (15 marks).
2. Explain the challenges associated with video games among adolescents (15 marks).
Week 7
Diagnosis of mental health issues arising from technology use. Discuss the tools that are
available for the successful diagnosis of mental health challenges arising from technology
usage. Material: Chapter 3 of the course text book.
Week 8
Neurobiology of problematic technology use. Discuss the neurobiological changes
associated with problematic technology use. Material: Chapter 4 of the course textbook.
Week 9
Impacts of problematic technology use on individual behavior patterns. Discuss how
the use of technology may impact individual behavior patterns. Material: Chapter 5 of the
course textbook.
Week 10
The impacts of technology on certain psychiatric conditions. Material: Chapters 5,6 and
7 of the course material.
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Week 11
The students will sit another in-class test.
Assessment 2: 20 marks
Answer the following questions. Each question carries equal marks.
1. Describe the diagnosis of social media addiction (10 marks)
2. How may excessive use of social media be reflected in the behavior of
adolescents?
Week 12
Cyber bullying and aggressive behavior. Examine how people exposed to cyber
bullying may develop some aggressive behavior. Material: Hollis, Livingstone, & Sonuga‐
Barke (2020).
Week 13
Treatment and management of mental health challenge arising from technology use.
Material: Chapter 9 of the course text book.
Week 14
Implication of digital revolution on the mental health of future generations. Material:
Chapter 10 of the course textbook.
Week 15:
Possible interventions to prevent the adverse mental issues associated with technology
use. Material: Chapter 12 of the course textbook.
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Week 16:
Final examination.
Final examination questions: 50 marks
Instructions.
This examination has seven (7) questions. Select any five (5) questions and answer. You have one
and a half hours to complete the examination.
1. Explains how the use of technology, especially social media, has impacted American
youth? (10 marks)
2. Describe the course of the development of mental health issues arising from technology use
(10 marks)
3. Explain the role of social media in mental health challenges among adolescents in the
United States. Provide arguments supported by examples on the use of social media
platforms (10 marks)
4. With examples, discuss the impacts of problematic technology use on individual behavior
patterns (10 marks).
5. Using one psychiatric condition, explain how technology impacts mental health (10 marks)
6. Explain the treatment approaches for technology-induced mental health challenges (10
marks)
7. Describe possible policy interventions that may be adopted to reduce the health impacts of
excessive use of social media by adolescents (10 marks)
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Grading Scale
The students will sit three exams. The first two exams will weight 30 points. Each of them
weighing 15 marks. The final exam will weigh 70 marks.
The grading scale will be as follows:
80-100……. A
60-79………B
50-59………C
40-49………D
0-39………. FAIL
Classroom Policies
Attendance
All learners are expected to be in class on time for all the classes. However, the leaners are
expected to physically attend at least 70% of all classes. The students are expected to inform
the lecturer in writing if they will miss a class and provide compelling reasons.
Late work
Late work will be penalized. Two marks will be lost for each day of lateness with any work.
Classroom behavior/expectations
Students are expected to act with dignity at all times when inside the classroom. No food
items should be brought into the classroom. Mobile phones should be off or silent. Foul
language is not allowed.
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Academic honesty
Academic honesty is paramount. Cheating will lead to the cancellation of the whole course
and perhaps even discontinuation depending on the gravity.
Accommodation Policy
Students with physical disability will have an extended time to complete their assignments.
Those with recognizable disabilities will request for more time to complete their assignments.
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Grading Rubric
Criteria
Excellent
30/30
Proficient
20/30
Satisfactory
15/30
Unsatisfactory
10/30
Assessment 1
30% of total
grade
Answers all the
two questions
correctly and
accurately.
Answers all the
questions
correctly but
fails short of
explaining some
details.
Attempts to
answers all the
questions but
does not
provide
accurate
answers.
Fails to answer
all the questions
and/or provides
incomplete
answers.
Criteria
Excellent
20/20
Proficient
15/20
Satisfactory
10/20
Unsatisfactory
5/20
Assessment 1
20% of total
grade
Answers all the
two questions
correctly and
accurately.
Answers all the
questions
correctly but
fails short of
explaining some
details.
Attempts to
answers all the
questions but
does not
provide
accurate
answers.
Fails to answer
all the questions
and/or provides
incomplete
answers.
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Criteria
Excellent
50/50
Proficient
40/50
Satisfactory
30/50
Unsatisfactory
15/50
Final
Assessment
50% of total
grade
Answers all the
five questions
correctly and
accurately.
Answers all the
questions
correctly but
fails short of
explaining some
details.
Attempts to
answers all the
questions but
does not
provide
accurate
answers.
Fails to answer
all the questions
and/or provides
incomplete
answers.
