PSY422 Trauma Psychology
Syllabus | International University of Sarajevo - Last Update on Sep 09, 2025
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Psychology
Selvira Draganović
Course Lecturer
Course Objectives
The course aims to discuss the range of trauma and post traumatic reactions. Hence, the objective of this course is to teach students traumatic reactions caused by different traumatic events such interpersonal trauma, including child abuse, rape, domestic violence, homicide, witnessed violence, transgenerational trauma, genocide and combat as well as most effective treatment approaches.
Learning Outcomes
After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to:
Course Materials
Required Textbook
1.Trauma and recovery, The Aftermaths of Violence- From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, Herman J. L. (2015). 2. Abnormal child psychology, Mash and Wolfe, (2012). 3. Toxic Love, Indira Haracic Novic and Dean Quirke (2021). 4. Transgenerational Trauma and Therapy, (Bako and Zana, 2020). 5. The Body keeps the score, Bessel Van der Kolk (2014) 6. Torture, humiliate, kill (Karcic H, 2023).
Additional Literature
1. APA, Handbook of Trauma, Volume 1- Foundations in Knowledge (2017). 2. APA, Handbook of Trauma, Volume 2, Practice (2017).Teaching Methods
Class discussions with examples
Active tutorial sessions involving workshops on course related, in class covered topics for engaged learning and continuous feedback on progress
Individual and team assignments and projects
Weekly Topics
| Week | Topic | Readings / References |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Course introduction | |
| 2 | History of Trauma/Defining Trauma and traumatic events, ACE's | Herman,Trauma and recovery, 1-73. |
| 3 | Intro to Developmental and Complex Trauma, PTSD and C-PTSD | Trauma and Recovery, pp. 115-129. The Body Keeps the Score, pp. 1-87. |
| 4 | Developmental and Complex Trauma (continued): The Body Remembers | Trauma and Recovery, pp. 96-114. The Body Keeps the Score, pp. 105-149 |
| 5 | The Dissociative Disorders: Trauma Not Yet Remembered Quiz I | Body Keeps the Score, pp.171-202 |
| 6 | Child maltreatment and abuse, prevalence, causes | Chapter 14/Abnormal child psychology, Mash and Wolfe, (2012) |
| 7 | Intimate partnership abuse and violence/ guest lecture???? | Toxic Love, Haracic Novic and Quirke |
| 8 | MIDTERM EXAM | |
| 9 | War trauma (Military Trauma and Moral injury ) | 1. APA 1, chapter 7, 117-133, Lecture handouts |
| 10 | Genocide and Ethnic Conflict FIELD TRIP ????? | Torture, humiliate, kill (Karcic) |
| 11 | The Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma and Resilience in Survivor Families | Transgenerational Trauma and Therapy |
| 12 | Treatment /The Stages of Recovery and the Phases of Treatment | Trauma and recovery |
| 13 | The Therapeutic Relationship: The Heart of Change/Selected Treatment Approaches | Trauma and recovery |
| 14 | EMDR demo, IFS, DBT | |
| 15 | Wrap up |
Course Schedule (All Sections)
| Section | Type | Day 1 | Venue 1 | Day 2 | Venue 2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSY422.1 | Course | Tuesday 12:00 - 14:50 | A F1.26 | - | - |
Office Hours & Room
| Day | Time | Office | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 09:00 - 12:00 | B F2.3B | |
| Tuesday | 09:00 - 12:00 | B F2.3B | |
| Wednesday | 09:00 - 11:00 | B F2.3B | |
| Friday | 10:00 - 12:00 | B F2.3B |
Assessment Methods and Criteria
Assessment Components
Final Exam
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : L O 2 3 4 5
Project
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : L O 2 3
In-term exam
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : L O 2 3 4
Project II-campaign no to Violence
AI: Not AllowedAlignment with Learning Outcomes : L O 2 3 4
IUS Grading System
| Grading Scale | IUS Grading System | IUS Coeff. | Letter (B&H) | Numerical (B&H) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 - 44 | F | 0 | F | 5 |
| 45 - 54 | E | 1 | ||
| 55 - 64 | C | 2 | E | 6 |
| 65 - 69 | C+ | 2.3 | D | 7 |
| 70 -74 | B- | 2.7 | ||
| 75 - 79 | B | 3 | C | 8 |
| 80 - 84 | B+ | 3.3 | ||
| 85 - 94 | A- | 3.7 | B | 9 |
| 95 - 100 | A | 4 | A | 10 |
Late Work Policy
Information about late submission policies will be shared during class and posted in this section. Please check back for official guidelines.
ECTS Credit Calculation
📚 Student Workload
This 6 ECTS credit course corresponds to 150 hours of total student workload, distributed as follows:
Lecture Hours
45 hours ⏳ (15 week × 3 h)
Assignments
10 hours ⏳ (2 week × 5 h)
Tutorials
15 hours ⏳ (15 week × 1 h)
Home Study
14 hours ⏳ (14 week × 1 h)
In-term Exam Study
10 hours ⏳ (1 week × 10 h)
Final Exam Study
40 hours ⏳ (2 week × 20 h)
Term Project/Presentation
16 hours ⏳ (2 week × 8 h)
150 Total Workload Hours
6 ECTS Credits
Course Policies
Academic Integrity
All work submitted must be your own. Plagiarism, cheating, or any form of academic dishonesty will result in disciplinary action according to university policies. When in doubt about citation practices, consult the instructor.
Attendance Policy
Students are expected to adhere to the attendance requirements as outlined in the International University of Sarajevo Study Rules and Regulations. Excessive absences, whether excused or unexcused, may impact academic performance and eligibility for assessment. Mandatory sessions (e.g., labs, workshops) require attendance unless formally exempted. For detailed policies on absences, documentation, and penalties, please refer to the official university regulations.
Technology & AI Policy
Laptops/tablets may be used for note-taking only during lectures. Phones should be silenced and put away during all class sessions. Audio/video recording requires prior permission from the instructor.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Usage: The use of AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Copilot, Gemini) varies by assessment component. Please refer to the AI usage indicator next to each assessment item in the Assessment Methods and Criteria section above. Submitting AI-generated content as your own work, where AI is not explicitly allowed, constitutes an academic integrity violation.
Communication Policy
All course-related communication should occur through official university channels (institutional email or SIS). Emails should include [PSY422] in the subject line.
Academic Quality Assurance Policy
Course Academic Quality Assurance is achieved through Semester Student Survey. At the end of each academic year, the institution of higher education is obliged to evaluate work of the academic staff, or the success of realization of the curricula.
Learning Tips
Be prepared to contribute thoughtfully during class discussions, labs, or collaborative work. Active participation deepens understanding and encourages critical thinking.
Complete assigned readings or prep materials before class. Take notes, highlight key ideas, and jot down questions. Aim to grasp core concepts and their applications—not just facts.
Use course frameworks or methodologies to analyze problems, case studies, or projects. Begin early to allow time for reflection and refinement. Seek feedback to improve your work.
Don’t hesitate to reach out when something is unclear. Use office hours, discussion boards, or peer networks to clarify concepts and stay on track.
Syllabus Last Updated on Sep 09, 2025 | International University of Sarajevo
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Referencing Curricula Print this page
| Course Code | Course Title | Weekly Hours* | ECTS | Weekly Class Schedule | ||||||
| T | P | |||||||||
| PSY422 | Trauma Psychology | 2 | 1 | 6 | Tuesday 12: 00 - 14: 50 | |||||
| Prerequisite | PSY103 | It is a prerequisite to | - | |||||||
| Lecturer | Selvira Draganović | Office Hours / Room / Phone | Monday: 9:00-12:00 Tuesday: 9:00-12:00 Wednesday: 9:00-11:00 Friday: 10:00-12:00 |
|||||||
| sdraganovic@ius.edu.ba | ||||||||||
| Assistant | Assistant E-mail | |||||||||
| Course Objectives | The course aims to discuss the range of trauma and post traumatic reactions. Hence, the objective of this course is to teach students traumatic reactions caused by different traumatic events such interpersonal trauma, including child abuse, rape, domestic violence, homicide, witnessed violence, transgenerational trauma, genocide and combat as well as most effective treatment approaches. | |||||||||
| Textbook | 1.Trauma and recovery, The Aftermaths of Violence- From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror, Herman J. L. (2015). 2. Abnormal child psychology, Mash and Wolfe, (2012). 3. Toxic Love, Indira Haracic Novic and Dean Quirke (2021). 4. Transgenerational Trauma and Therapy, (Bako and Zana, 2020). 5. The Body keeps the score, Bessel Van der Kolk (2014) 6. Torture, humiliate, kill (Karcic H, 2023). | |||||||||
| Additional Literature |
|
|||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | After successful completion of the course, the student will be able to: | |||||||||
|
||||||||||
| Teaching Methods | Class discussions with examples. Active tutorial sessions involving workshops on course related, in class covered topics for engaged learning and continuous feedback on progress. Individual and team assignments and projects. | |||||||||
| Teaching Method Delivery | Face-to-face | Teaching Method Delivery Notes | ||||||||
| WEEK | TOPIC | REFERENCE | ||||||||
| Week 1 | Course introduction | |||||||||
| Week 2 | History of Trauma/Defining Trauma and traumatic events, ACE's | Herman,Trauma and recovery, 1-73. | ||||||||
| Week 3 | Intro to Developmental and Complex Trauma, PTSD and C-PTSD | Trauma and Recovery, pp. 115-129. The Body Keeps the Score, pp. 1-87. | ||||||||
| Week 4 | Developmental and Complex Trauma (continued): The Body Remembers | Trauma and Recovery, pp. 96-114. The Body Keeps the Score, pp. 105-149 | ||||||||
| Week 5 | The Dissociative Disorders: Trauma Not Yet Remembered Quiz I | Body Keeps the Score, pp.171-202 | ||||||||
| Week 6 | Child maltreatment and abuse, prevalence, causes | Chapter 14/Abnormal child psychology, Mash and Wolfe, (2012) | ||||||||
| Week 7 | Intimate partnership abuse and violence/ guest lecture???? | Toxic Love, Haracic Novic and Quirke | ||||||||
| Week 8 | MIDTERM EXAM | |||||||||
| Week 9 | War trauma (Military Trauma and Moral injury ) | 1. APA 1, chapter 7, 117-133, Lecture handouts | ||||||||
| Week 10 | Genocide and Ethnic Conflict FIELD TRIP ????? | Torture, humiliate, kill (Karcic) | ||||||||
| Week 11 | The Intergenerational Transmission of Trauma and Resilience in Survivor Families | Transgenerational Trauma and Therapy | ||||||||
| Week 12 | Treatment /The Stages of Recovery and the Phases of Treatment | Trauma and recovery | ||||||||
| Week 13 | The Therapeutic Relationship: The Heart of Change/Selected Treatment Approaches | Trauma and recovery | ||||||||
| Week 14 | EMDR demo, IFS, DBT | |||||||||
| Week 15 | Wrap up | |||||||||
| Assessment Methods and Criteria | Evaluation Tool | Quantity | Weight | Alignment with LOs | AI Usage |
| Final Exam | 1 | 30 | L O 2, 3, 4, 5 | Not Allowed | |
| Semester Evaluation Components | |||||
| Project | 1 | 20 | L O 2, 3, | Not Allowed | |
| In-term exam | 1 | 30 | L O 2, 3, 4 | Not Allowed | |
| Project II-campaign no to Violence | 1 | 20 | L O 2, 3, 4, | Not Allowed | |
| *** ECTS Credit Calculation *** | |||||
| Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | Activity | Hours | Weeks | Student Workload Hours | |||
| Lecture Hours | 3 | 15 | 45 | Assignments | 5 | 2 | 10 | |||
| Tutorials | 1 | 15 | 15 | Home Study | 1 | 14 | 14 | |||
| In-term Exam Study | 10 | 1 | 10 | Final Exam Study | 20 | 2 | 40 | |||
| Term Project/Presentation | 8 | 2 | 16 | |||||||
| Total Workload Hours = | 150 | |||||||||
| *T= Teaching, P= Practice | ECTS Credit = | 6 | ||||||||
| Course Academic Quality Assurance: Semester Student Survey | Last Update Date: 25/09/2025 | |||||||||