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Unit of Study BHS40009 - History and Philosophy of Psychology (Part 1 of 2) (2014)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

    If you are not eligible to enrol in these units you will automatically be withdrawn. Students must have completed Part A and Part B plus eight unspecified electives within the BPsych according to the award rules as specified in SCU Policy or have otherwise qualified for admission to the BPsychSc(Hons) or the PGDipPsych.

Unit description

The aim of this unit is to provide an opportunity to study historical, conceptual, and philosophical issues in Psychology. Students will study issues in the philosophy of science, such as epistemology, human consciousness, intention, determinism, and the mind-body problem. Students will explore attempts to develop unifying theories in psychology. All classes and assessments for the unit will be in Session 1.

Unit content

Topic 1. An introduction to the history and philosophy of psychology (Chapters 1 and 8)
Topic 2. The nature of science (Chapters 1 and 4)
Topic 3. The early Greek philosophers and after Aristotle (Chapters 2 and 3)
Topic 4. Descartes, empiricism, sensationalism, positivism (Chapters 4 and 5)
Topic 5. Rationalism, romanticism, and existentialism (Chapters 6 and 7)
Topic 6. Physiology, voluntarism, structuralism, and Darwin's influence (Chapters 8, 9, and 10)
Topic 7. Mental testing and functionalism (Chapters 10 and 11)
Topic 8. Behaviorism, neobehaviorism, and Gestalt psychology (Chapters 12, 13, and 14)
Topic 9. Mental Illness, psychoanalysis, and alternatives to psychoanalysis (Chapters 15, 16, and 17)
Topic 10. Humanistic psychology, cognitive psychology, and contemporary psychology (Chapters 18, 20, and 21)
Topic 11. Review

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Coffs Harbour Session 1 Session 1

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: Intellectual rigour, GA2: Creativity, GA3: Ethical practice, GA4: Knowledge of a discipline, GA5: Lifelong learning, GA6: Communication and social skills, GA7: Cultural competence
Learning outcome count Learning outcome description GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 use reasoning and evidence to recognise, develop, defend, and criticise arguments and persuasive appeals
2 demonstrate an attitude of critical thinking that includes persistence, open-mindedness, and intellectual engagement
3 promote evidence-based approaches to understanding and changing human behaviour
4 explain the major themes and perspectives of psychology
5 demonstrate effective oral communication skills in various formats and for various purposes
6 write effectively in a variety of formats and for a variety of purposes.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. use reasoning and evidence to recognise, develop, defend, and criticise arguments and persuasive appeals
    • GA1:
  2. demonstrate an attitude of critical thinking that includes persistence, open-mindedness, and intellectual engagement
    • GA2:
  3. promote evidence-based approaches to understanding and changing human behaviour
    • GA3:
  4. explain the major themes and perspectives of psychology
    • GA4:
  5. demonstrate effective oral communication skills in various formats and for various purposes
    • GA6:
  6. write effectively in a variety of formats and for a variety of purposes.
    • GA6:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.