Library Course Assessment for
Psychology 368 Contemporary Issues in Psychology and Law
May 31, 2004
This is the Library’s assessment for PSYC 368 Contemporary Issues in Psychology and Law. This course will first be offered in 2006-1 and once a year thereafter with an expected enrollment of 76 students. It forms part of a sequence of Psychology courses on Law and Psychology. With the formation of this course and the related course numbering changes, there will now be a regular sequence of three courses 268, 368, 468 on this subject.
Although much of the content in the proposed course is covered in the existing Psyc 369, we anticipate that the overall demand for materials on this topic will increase with these fuller and more regular offerings in this area.
Monographs
The Library's monograph collection was assessed using Library of Congress Subject Headings. The related headings and SFU's holdings are listed below.
Child witnesses 11
Correctional psychology 14
Criminal psychology 179
Criminals - Rehabilitation 71
False memory syndrome 29
Forensic psychiatry 55
Forensic psychology 75
Mentally ill offenders 2
Insanity – Jurisprudence 37
Recovered memory 31
The Library is actively collecting in this area, but the books in these subject areas have very high circulation statistics, indicating that the current collection is already straining to meet student demand. In order to meet the increased demand in this subject area, the Library will need to increase its budget allocation for new acquisitions on this subject, at an estimated 25 additional books each year. Estimated cost: 25 x $65 average book price in this subject area
Ongoing cost: $1625 /year
Serials
The following journals held at the SFU Library will be useful for students in this course.
Applied cognitive psychology
Canadian psychology
Developmental review
Forensic psychology
International journal of forensic mental health
Journal of applied psychology
Journal of applied social psychology
Journal of experimental psychology: applied
Journal of psychiatry & law
Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry & the Law
Law & human behavior
Law and psychology review
Memory
Psychological science
Psychology, public policy, & law
Psychonomic bulletin & review
The Library has adequate serial holdings to support this course.
Bibliographic Tools
Students in this course are required to find case law relevant to their topics. Where searching the databases of cases on the web is not sufficient, the Library's license for Lexis Nexis provides adequate access to case law. PsycINFO, also provided by Library license, is the primary tool for finding psychology literature relevant to this course.
Students in the existing Psyc 369 have expressed the desire for a Library license for QuickLaw, which is available in the School of Criminology. Althou the Library has been unsuccessful in getting the vendor of this product to provide access to SFU students, we will approach them again on the strength of this new, clearly defined sequence of Law and Psychology courses. There is no cost associated with this.
Total one-time cost: none
Total ongoing cost: $1625 /year