Undergraduate Course: Psychology (LLLI07030)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course provides an overview of the psychological study of human thought and behaviour. It will cover the history of the field and its major discoveries, and contemporary research on topics such as memory, language, decision-making, personality, emotion, and consciousness. Students will learn how these aspects of the mind develop and change throughout life, and how they may break down in psychopathological conditions.
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| Course description |
This course is intended to provide an entry point to the credit study of psychology at COL. The 20 credit model will allow proper time for students to develop understanding and key academic skills and to benefit from formative assessment and feedback.
The course aims to provide students with an understanding of core aspects of psychology. Over the duration of the course, students will build discipline-specific vocabulary and develop a foundation in the key concepts and theories within psychological research. They will have the opportunity to practice a repertoire of study skills, including critical thinking, academic writing, referencing, and revision. As the course progresses, students will learn to be insightful and reflective about their own and others¿ behaviour, emotions, and mental processes.
The course will cover four core areas of psychology and will be broken down into four thematic lecture blocks, each comprising five lectures. The following topics will be discussed:
1. Mind & brain
In the first thematic lecture block, the limits of human intuition and common sense will be highlighted alongside the need for scientific investigation of human behaviour. Next, students will be introduced to the basic structures and functions of the human brain and the concepts of consciousness and sleep.
2. Self & society
In the second half of the first semester, students will explore the issues surrounding human diversity and interaction. Topics under discussion will include: the nature vs. nurture debate in the context of heritability, human development, and behaviour. This will be followed by an exploration of individual differences in personality and the many ways in which people influence the thoughts, feelings, and behaviour of others.
3. Cognition
In this block students will explore the most fundamental aspects of human cognition, including thinking, decision-making, problem solving, memory, and language.
4. Psychopathology
The final block will focus on a variety of psychological disorders, treatments and interventions. The impact of stress on mental wellbeing and recent advances in psychological therapy will be discussed.
Classes will involve a mixture of lecture-based teaching, tutorial discussions, videos, and demonstrations of experimental methods. Students will be encouraged to complete weekly pre-lecture activities and home-based learning activities, which will be corrected and discussed in class. Feedback will be provided on all formative and summative assessments. Additional learning resources (e.g., research papers, scientific podcasts, video recordings of talks given by experts in the field) will be provided on a weekly basis.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Outline key concepts and theories, research areas, methods and empirical findings relating to the core areas of the study of psychology
- Compare and evaluate key theoretical frameworks when considering classic and contemporary research
- Identify key research methodologies and understand their advantages and limitations
- Demonstrate an awareness of the relevance of psychological concepts in real-life settings
- Convey ideas in a well-structured and coherent form
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Reading List
Required:
Holt, N., Bremner, A., Sutherland, E., and Vliek, M. 2015. Psychology: The Science of Mind and Behaviour. 3rd ed. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill Education.
Eysenck, M. W., and Keane, M. T. 2015. Cognitive Psychology: A Student¿s Handbook. 7th ed. Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press.
Recommended:
Baddeley, A., Eysenck, M. W., and Anderson, M.C. 2014. Memory. 2nd ed. Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press.
Branscombe, N. R., and Baron, R. A. 2016. Social Psychology. 14th ed. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education Limited.
Casey, B. J., Jones, R. M., and Hare, T. A. 2008. The Adolescent Brain. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1124, pp. 111-126.
Corballis, M. C. 2014. Left Brain, Right Brain: Facts and Fantasies. PLOS Biology, 12(1), e1001767.
Eysenck, M. W., and Brysbaert, M. 2018. Fundamentals of Cognition. 3rd ed. Hove, East Sussex: Psychology Press.
Siegel, J. M. 2003. Why We Sleep. Scientific American, 289(5), pp. 92-97.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students will strengthen a range of skills that are essential to study successfully at undergraduate level. These include: critical and independent thinking; dissemination and articulation of complex ideas; participation in group discussion; and essay planning and academic writing. |
| Keywords | psychology,cognition,emotion,personality,perception,language,memory,neuropsychology |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr David Raluca
Tel:
Email: Raluca.David@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr John Ethcuit
Tel: (0131 6)50 3409
Email: jethcuit@exseed.ed.ac.uk |
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