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PS1012: INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY: CONCEPTS AND THEORY (DISTANCE) (2014-2015)

Last modified: 28 Jun 2018 10:27


Course Overview

PS1012 is a Distance Learning course and is not intended to be taken by students studying Psychology on campus.  The aim of this course is to introduce you to major concepts and theories in psychology, providing you with a strong understanding of human mind and behaviour.  It is delivered entirely online.  You will get access to lectures on cognitive, social, and biological psychology and participate in workshops where you will work as part of a team and debate topics related to the material covered in your lectures such as “should teenagers be held responsible for crimes they commit?” 

Course Details

Study Type Undergraduate Level 1
Term First Term Credit Points 15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus None. Sustained Study No
Co-ordinators
  • Dr Emily Nordmann
  • Dr Elspeth Edelstein
  • Dr Will Barras

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

None.

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

No

Course Description

Course Aims: The aim of the course is to introduce some of the major concepts and theories in psychology. There will be lectures on three key areas of psychology: cognitive psychology, social psychology and biological psychology The aim of the small groupwork within the course is to introduce students to controversies within psychology and to enhance students discursive skills. Main Learning Outcomes: To be able to recognise and understand key concepts in psychological theory and knowledge in cognitive psychology, social psychology, and biological psychology. Content: The Lecture course will cover 3 core areas of psychology out-lined below. * Cognitive Psychology will cover 2 main areas - Consciousness (Lectures 1 - 6) and Learning and Memory (Lectures 7 - 12). * Social Psychology is the scientific study of how the behaviour, cognition and emotions of individual humans are influenced by other humans. The course will provide a beginners guide to understanding how we think about ourselves and other people, how other people influence us and how we can influence them. This will be achieved by exploring classic experiments and leading theoretical interpretations within the historical context that has influenced them. * Biological Psychology will introduce you to the relationship between your brain and your behaviour - from the workings of neurochemicals in single cells to the complex psychological disturbances which can result from brain injury. The small group teaching will be focused on topics from the core areas outlined above.

Further Information & Notes

At the moment this course is purely for students who are external to the University (not currently registered on a degree programme). It is specifically aimed at secondary school pupils who will be recruited through the College of Life Science and Medicine distance learning programme.

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers


Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

1st Attempt: Multiple-choice examination (75%). Continuous assessment in workshops (25%). For the workshops the students will be organised into online discussion groups for each debate and will work as part of a team to research the topic and create the wiki that they can they use for their written work. There are three debates within the course. The first debate will be replaced by an essay where the student will have to argue either for and against the topic. The second debate will be replaced by an article written in the style of a major British newspaper, The Daily Mail, The Guardian, or The Sun presenting the debate topic as a news story. The third debate will be a face-to-face debate and the students will come to the university to take part in this. Resit: Multiple-choice examination (75%). Continuous assessments (mark carried forward) (25%).

Formative Assessment

Feedback will be given on online discussions and wikis.

Feedback

Feedback on wiki discussions and detailed feedback on continuous assessment.

Course Learning Outcomes

None.

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