Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences · Psychology · Undergraduate
Course Objective
This course is a general introduction to psychology and aims to provide competence in the philosophical foundations of psychology, its development as a science, its basic concepts, subfields, and interdisciplinary relationships, as well as providing participants with knowledge and skills about human behavior, consciousness, perception, motivation, emotions, and development.
Course Content
This course introduces the fundamental subject matter and goals of psychology as a scientific discipline concerned with the study of human behavior and mental processes, while also covering the historical development of psychology, major theoretical perspectives, and scientific research methods. The course examines the biological foundations of behavior and mental processes, including the nervous system, brain, endocrine system, and genetic influences on behavior; sensation and perception involved in receiving and interpreting information from the environment; consciousness and altered states of consciousness; learning processes through which behavior is acquired and modified by experience; memory processes involving the encoding, storage, and retrieval of information; and fundamental cognitive processes such as thinking, problem solving, decision making, intelligence, and language. Through these topics, the course aims to provide students with an integrated understanding of human behavior and mental processes from biological, cognitive, and behavioral levels of explanation.
Required Resources
Gerrig, R. J., Zimbardo, P. G., Zimbardo, P. G., Psychologue, E. U., & Zimbardo, P. G. (2010). Psychology and life (Vol. 20). Boston: Pearson.
Recommended Resources
Morris, C. G. (1979). Psychology: an introduction. Prentice Hall PTR.
Clifford, T. (1971). Morgan, Introduction to Psychology. New York/Toronto/London: McGraw-Hill, 21961, 9.
Atkinson, R. L., Atkinson, R. C., Smith, E. E., & Bem, D. J. (1990). Introduction to psychology. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Plotnik, R., & Kouyoumdjian, H. (2013). Introduction to psychology. Cengage Learning.
Explanations
Midterm 40 %, Final 60 %.
Exams are multiple choice, short answered open end questions, fill in the blank formed.
Topics are included in exams till exam date declared in syllabus.
Course slides, textbook, uploaded materials to system are included in exams.
Rules
Attandance to lessons is essential.
Min. attandance is 70 % required.
It is recommended to participate class activities.
Lectrures continoues also via uploaded materrials to system - if exists.
Reading couse texbook, following lesson slides are under students' responsibility.
Course Learning Outcomes
- Students can explain the fundamental connections between philosophy and psychology and the contributions of philosophy to psychological questions.
- Students can identify the major research methods in psychology and select the most appropriate design based on the application context.
- Students can explain the structure and functions of the nervous system and brain regions and discuss their relationship to behavior and cognition.
- Students can compare and contrast major theories related to sensation, perception, memory, consciousness, emotion, and motivation, and evaluate the findings derived from these theories.
- Students understand the history of stress and trauma, recognize the symptoms of psychological trauma, and explain the biology of trauma.
- Students are familiar with health and developmental issues and can discuss developmental processes comparatively within the framework of different theories.
Core Area Distribution
Teaching Methods
Assessment & Evaluation
ECTS / Workload
| Activity | Quantity | Duration (h) | Total Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Duration (Including Exam Week) | 15 | 3 | 45 |
| Out of Class Study Period | 15 | 6 | 90 |
| Midterm | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Quiz | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Assignment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Practice | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Course Schedule
| Week | Subject | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to psychology: the science of psychology and its historical development | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 1, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 1 |
| 2 | Research methods and scientific thinking in psychology | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 2, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 1 |
| 3 | Biological perspective I: The nervous system and the brain | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 3, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 2 |
| 4 | Biological perspective II: The endocrine system, genetics, and behavior | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 3, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 2 |
| 5 | Sensation | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 4, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 3 |
| 6 | Perception | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 4, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 3 |
| 7 | October 28—Eve of Republic Day | October 28—Eve of Republic Day |
| 8 | Midterm | Midterm |
| 9 | Consciousness and altered states of consciousness | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 5, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 4 |
| 10 | Learning | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 6, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 5 |
| 11 | Memory I | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 7, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 6 |
| 12 | Memory II | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 7, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 6 |
| 13 | Cognition I: Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 8, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 7 |
| 14 | Cognition II: Intelligence and Language | Gerrig & Zimbardo (2013): Section 8 and 9, Ciccarelli & White (2016): Section 7 |
| 15 | Final exam | Final exam |
| 16 | Final Exam | Final Exam |