Take a Seat in Abnormal Psychology
On Feb. 7, the Abnormal Psychology dual enrollment program was added to Peninsula’s after-school curriculum. Enrolled students participate in an in-person class on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4-5:30 p.m., which is taught by professor Arianna Yates. The program is taught in a clinical context and is intended to help students think creatively and critically about abnormal psychology, the study of people’s thoughts, feelings and behavior that would be scientifically classified as atypical. Yates previously earned a double bachelor’s degree in psychology and journalism from Biola University and a master’s degree in counseling from Pepperdine University. Now an adjunct professor at Los Angeles Harbor College, she has been teaching a broad spectrum of psychology courses such as Introduction to Psychology, Lifespan Psychology and Critical Thinking Psychology. She began educating in the field of psychology because she was passionate about watching people become better versions of themselves and expanding their knowledge of human behavior. She utilizes various methods, such as discussions, to facilitate a space where students will use their reasoning skills to back up their claims and beliefs. In an Abnormal Psychology class, students first listen to lectures delivered by Yates and then work on a group activity. Yates is pleased with the students’ enjoyment of the class thus far and their enthusiasm for participating in respectful discourse.
“[Knowing I am teaching at Peninsula], it was not shocking to see how incredibly enthusiastic my students were,” Yates said. “It has been very fun and interactive; the students make my passion for teaching psychology very easy and fulfilling. I hope they will learn more as we dive deeper into topics of abnormal psychology.”
This dual enrollment program was encouraged by the associate principal, Dr. Jennifer Panagos, and the Palos Verdes Peninsula Unified School District (PVPUSD) school board. With an influx of students joining the Advanced Placement Psychology course on campus this year, the dual enrollment program serves as a college class experience for the many students who are interested in the topic. To implement the course, the PVPUSD and Los Angeles Harbor College boards went through many rounds of executive meetings. With over 35 students participating in the Abnormal Psychology course, the boards feel that students are truly interested in the opportunity to take dual enrollment classes. Consequently, Peninsula will be offering new dual enrollment classes with Los Angeles Harbor College in data science, culinary and business pathways for students next year. The students will be able to take up to six such dual enrollment classes and have the opportunity to earn college credits from them. Panagos was pleasantly surprised with the Abnormal Psychology course’s popularity.
“My role was to advertise this course out there to the students,” Panagos said. “My main [priority] was to get the students who currently take Psychology to consider this class. I was shocked by the amount of people who signed up [because] I did not think the advertisements would work.”
One topic students have learned in Abnormal Psychology is the introduction and methods of formal research, which includes naturalistic or laboratory research conducted by psychologists. In order to promote a more discussion based lesson, Yates poses questions that try to engage her students in answering what it means to display abnormal behavior and outlining the history of mental illness. Furthermore, the students often watch films and other forms of media to learn about topics like the causes of mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. Junior Tara Reddy is a student in the Abnormal Psychology class and has expressed her excitement for what the rest of the course has in store.
“I have learned so much from this class already,” Reddy says. “[Yates] has touched on subjects surrounding psychology what I did not know existed like contemporary perspectives on psychology and therapeutic orientations, and it has only intrigued me more. I hope I will learn more throughout the semester as I take her class.”
