PSY1010 Foundation Psychology A

Contents

• Staffing
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Reference materials
• Student workload
• Assessment details
• Important assessment information
• Assessment notes
• Production date
• PDF version

STAFFING

RATIONALE

Psychology is concerned with understanding why people act and think as they do and how people differ. This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the major concepts, techniques, and theoretical perspectives in psychology. Students will gain an appreciation of the main fields within the discipline and learn about the standard format for referencing in psychology.

SYNOPSIS

This course is designed to provide students with an overall perspective of the scope, nature, and methods of psychology. The major concepts of developmental psychology, personality, cross-cultural psychology, psychological disorders, therapy, health, and social psychology are introduced. Students will learn the correct procedures for citing references and putting together a reference list in the format recommended by the American Psychological Association (APA).

OBJECTIVES

On completion of this course students will be able to:

1. demonstrate an understanding of the scope of psychology and the relationship between its fields (Exam);
2. demonstrate an understanding of the major contemporary perspectives in psychology (Exam);
3. demonstrate a knowledge of the basic concepts and techniques of psychology (Essay & Exam);
4. apply the style and format requirements outlined in the latest edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (Online APA Style Exercises & Essay);
5. demonstrate an understanding of the role of research in psychology (Research Activity Log).

TOPICS

TEXT and MATERIALS required to be PURCHASED or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials are available for purchase from USQ BOOKSHOP (unless otherwise stated). Orders may be placed via secure internet, free fax 1800642453, phone 07 46312742 (within Australia), or mail. Overseas students should fax +61 7 46311743, or phone +61 7 46312742. For costs, further details, and internet ordering, use the 'Textbook Search' facility at http://bookshop.usq.edu.au click 'Semester', then enter your 'Course Code' (no spaces).

Burton, LJ 2007, An interactive approach to writing essays and research reports in psychology, 2nd edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, QLD.

Burton, LJ, & Younger, A 2006, Study guide to accompany psychology: Australian and New Zealand edition, John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane, Australia.

Westen, D, Burton, LJ & Kowalski, R 2006, Psychology: Australian and New Zealand edition, John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane, Australia.

REFERENCE MATERIALS

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.

American Psychological Association 2001, Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, 5th edn, APA, Washington, DC.

Bernstein, DA, Clarke-Stewart, A, Roy, EJ & Wickens, CD 2006, Psychology, 7th edn, Houghton Mifflin, Boston.

Bourne, LE (Jr) & Russo, NR 1998, Psychology: behavior in context, WW Norton, New York.

Coon, D 2007, Introduction to psychology: exploration and application, 11th edn, Wadsworth/Thomson Learning, New York.

Myers, DG 2006, Psychology, 8th edn, Worth Publishers, New York.

Wade, C & Tavris, C 2006, Psychology, 8th edn, Pearson/Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, NJ.

Weiten, W 2007, Psychology: themes and variations, 7th edn, Thomson/Wadsworth, Belmonth, CA.

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS

ASSESSMENT DETAILS

NOTES

1.

Examination dates will be available during the semester. Please refer to the examination timetable when published.

IMPORTANT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION

1. Attendance requirements:
   It is the student's responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. To maximise their chances of satisfying the objectives of the course, students should actively participate in the course discussion group.
2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
   Students do not have to satisfactorily complete each of the assessment items to be awarded a passing grade in the course. Refer to Statement 4 below for the requirements to receive a passing grade in this course.
3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
   If students submit assignments after the due date without approval of the examiner then a penalty of 5% of the total marks gained by the student for the assignment may apply for each working day late up to ten working days at which time a mark of zero may be recorded. No assignments will be accepted after model answers have been posted.
4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
   To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
   Final grades for students will be determined by the addition of the marks obtained in each assessment item, weighted as in the Assessment details and by considering the students' level of achievement of the objectives of the course.
6. Examination information:
   In a Restricted Examination, candidates are allowed access to specific materials during the examination. The only materials that candidates may use in the restricted examination for this course are: writing materials (non-electronic and free from material which could give the student an unfair advantage in the examination); calculators which cannot hold textual information (students must indicate on their examination paper the make and model of any calculator(s) they use during the examination; English translation dictionaries (but not technical dictionaries); Formula sheets; Translation dictionary. With the Examiner's approval, candidates may, take an appropriate non-electronic translation dictionary into the examination. This will be subject to perusal and, if it is found to contain annotations or markings that could give the candidate an unfair advantage, it may be removed from the candidate's possession until the appropriate disciplinary action is completed.
7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
   Students who, for medical family/personal, or employment-related reasons, are unable to sit for an examination at the scheduled time may apply to defer an assessment in a course. Such a request must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation. Students will be granted a deferred examination only if they perform satisfactorily in all other assessment items. Any deferred examinations for this course will be held during the examination period at the end of the semester of the next offering of this course.
8. University Regulations:
   Students should read USQ Regulations 5.1 Definitions, 5.6. Assessment, and 5.10 Academic Misconduct for further information and to avoid actions which might contravene University Regulations. These regulations can be found at the URL http://www.usq.edu.au/corporateservices/calendar/part5.htm or in the current USQ Handbook.

ASSESSMENT NOTES

This version produced 25 Sep 2008.