BHS83001 - Psychology Seminars (2015)

Acquaints students with key historical, philosophical, social and cultural aspects of psychology in relation to the current state of the discipline. Skills related to critical thinking and the dissemination of complex scientific subject matter to a broad audience will also be extended.  This unit relies heavily on peer-to peer learning and students engaging in reflective practice

• The nature of science and the research process
• Disseminating research findings and other scholarly material
• The historical and philosophical context of the science and practise of psychology. Topics covered will include a selection of the following: philosophical influences, early approaches to the study of human behaviour and the emerging discipline of psychology, Evolution and Individual differences, Structuralism versus Functionalism, Behaviourism and Neobehaviourism, Gestalt psychology, approaches to understanding and treating mental illness, Psychoanalysis, Humanistic psychology, Psychobiology, Applied psychology and Cognitive psychology
• The theoretical basis underpinning widely used cognitive and personality assessments
• The cultural context of the science and practise of psychology
• The social context of the science and practise of psychology
• Advanced content in various areas of contemporary psychological research, theory and practice

Learning outcomes

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.

Prescribed texts