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Course Syllabus

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PSY_101_01_Fall_2021_Syllabus_Hess, Kathleen.docx

Course Description:

This course introduces the student to the scientific study of the mind and behavior and to applications of psychological theory and research to everyday life. Topics covered include abnormal psychology, biological psychology, cognition, development, learning, personality, and social psychology. Students explore the nature of evidence in psychology, assess the value of theory in understanding contemporary social issues, and engage in systematic investigations of human behavior and mental processes. Three lecture hours per week. 

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate familiarity with the major concepts, theoretical perspectives, research methods, core empirical findings, and historic trends in psychology.
  • Explain (including advantages and disadvantages) and compare major theoretical perspectives of psychology (e.g., behavioral, biological, cognitive, evolutionary, humanistic, psychodynamic and socio-cultural);
  • Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the following nine general domains: (1) biological bases of behavior and mental processes, (2) sensation and perception, (3) learning and memory (4) cognition, consciousness, (5) individual differences, psychometrics/measurement, personality, (6) social processes (including those related to socio-cultural and international dimensions), (7) developmental changes in behavior and mental processes that occur across the lifespan, (8) psychological disorders, and (9) emotion and motivation;
  • Describe and demonstrate an understanding of applied areas of psychology (e.g., clinical, counseling, forensic, community, organizational, school, health);
  • Draw the distinction between scientific and non-scientific methods of understanding and analysis.
  • Recognize and understand the impact of diversity on psychological research, theory and application, including (but not limited to): age, race, ethnicity, culture, gender, socio-economic status, disability, and sexual orientation.
  • Understand and apply psychological principles to personal experience and social and organizational settings.
  • Demonstrate critical thinking skills and information competence as applied to psychological topics.

Course Content:

  • Exploration of major theories, concepts, methods, and research findings in psychology.
  • Research methods, including the scientific approach, research design, the use of statistics, and ethics.
  • Major sub-disciplines in psychology including but not limited to: the biological bases of brain-behavior relationships, perception, cognition, learning, memory, emotion, motivation, development, personality, social psychology, psychological disorders, and therapeutic approaches, and applied psychology.

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Psychology 2e from OpenStax (Links to an external site.), ISBN 978-1-975076-45-0

You have several options to obtain this book:

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- it is free and the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

Important Notes: