Designed for students enrolled in an Abnormal Psychology course at Howard Community College (Maryland), this booklet explains the requirements for the course's writing assignments, which are designed to teach the skills of comparison and contrast, analysis, critical thinking, and synthesis. Following an overview of class assignments and activities, requirements for written assignments, and the role of the instructor, the booklet lists and provides instructions for completing the course's 13 writing assignments. The assignments ask students to: (1) summarize the therapy used in "Dibs: In Search of Self," a case study and assigned reading; (2) analyze and document who Dibs hated most; (3) summarize the essay "On Being Sane in Insane Places"; (4) integrate information from three abnormal psychology textbooks to draw conclusions and answer the question, "How do we decide if a certain pattern of behavior is abnormal?"; (5) conduct research in the library on the possible causes of mental illness; (6) respond to a series of analytical questions about "I Never Promised You a Rose Garden"; (7) answer questions about "Is There No Place on Earth for Me?"; (8) list the pros and cons of electroconvulsive shock therapy; (9) write an essay discussing whether McMurphy in "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest" was insane; (10) use library resources to summarize three research findings on mental illness; (11) prepare an essay discussing some aspect of mental hospitals; (12) write a 10- to 14-page paper integrating material from at least three of the case studies read in the course; and (13) describe the eight most important things learned from the course. Assignments include hints, specific requirements, and examples. (EJV)