Course Title: Principles of Psychology

Part A: Course Overview

Course Title: Principles of Psychology

Credit Points: 12.00

Terms

Course Code	Campus	Career	School	Learning Mode	Teaching Period(s)
BESC1121	Bundoora Campus	Postgraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2006, Sem 1 2007, Sem 1 2008, Sem 1 2009, Sem 1 2010, Sem 1 2011, Sem 1 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014
BESC1122	Bundoora Campus	Undergraduate	150H Health Sciences	Distance / Correspondence or Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2010
BESC1122	Bundoora Campus	Undergraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 1 2006, Sem 1 2007, Sem 1 2008, Sem 1 2009, Sem 1 2011, Sem 1 2012, Sem 1 2013, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014, Sem 2 2015, Sem 2 2016
BESC1122	Bundoora Campus	Undergraduate	173H School of Health and Biomed	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2018, Sem 2 2019, Sem 2 2020, Sem 2 2021, Sem 2 2022, Sem 2 2024
BESC1123	City Campus	Undergraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2006, Sem 2 2007, Sem 2 2008, Sem 2 2009, Sem 2 2010, Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014, Sem 2 2015, Sem 2 2016
BESC1123	City Campus	Undergraduate	173H School of Health and Biomed	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2018, Sem 2 2019, Sem 2 2020, Sem 2 2021, Sem 2 2022, Sem 2 2023, Sem 2 2024
BESC1380	City Campus	Postgraduate	150H Health Sciences	Face-to-Face	Sem 2 2006, Sem 2 2007, Sem 2 2008, Sem 2 2009, Sem 2 2010, Sem 2 2011, Sem 2 2012, Sem 2 2013, Sem 2 2014
BESC1525	RMIT University Vietnam	Undergraduate	173H School of Health and Biomed	Face-to-Face	Viet2 2022, Viet2 2023, Viet1 2024
BESC1554	RMIT Vietnam Hanoi Campus	Undergraduate	173H School of Health and Biomed	Face-to-Face	Viet2 2023

Course Coordinator: Dr Mark Lee

Course Coordinator Phone: +61 3 9925 2906

Course Coordinator Email: mark.lee@rmit.edu.au

Course Coordinator Location: 12.07.016B-1

Pre-requisite Courses and Assumed Knowledge and Capabilities

None

Course Description

This course is one of two offered at first year level in a program of study accredited by Australian Psychological Accreditation Council (APAC) and will introduce you to four areas of psychology. These areas include individual differences, psychopathology, social psychology and cross-cultural psychology. Specific topics covered in this course will provide an introduction to psychology and its scientific nature; the theories of personality; the theories of psychological abnormality and classification of disorders; social psychological areas of social influence and pro-social behaviour; and the consideration of cultural differences as it applies to psychological theory and practice.  Within this course, you will also be introduced to the basic elements of research methods.

 

Objectives/Learning Outcomes/Capability Development

This course contributes to the development of the following Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs):

PLO1: Apply breadth and depth of psychology theories, concepts and evidence in various real-world settings using a scientific approach.

PLO2: Apply evidence-based knowledge to conceptualise safe and effective practice in a variety of contexts, independently and collaboratively, with emerging technological advancements.

PLO3: Demonstrate the ability to generate and evaluate solutions to all aspects of disciplinary practice while complying with ethical, legal and regulatory standards.

PLO6: Collaborate and contribute as an effective team member in diverse settings with commitment to First nations and/or globally-inclusive perspectives.

On successful completion of this course you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate your understanding of psychology as the scientific study of human behaviour.
2. Describe and compare the major theories of personality.
3. Explain and contrast the major theories of abnormality.
4. Elaborate and distinguish the major theories of social psychology.
5. Demonstrate your understanding of some of the cross-cultural differences in aspects of personality, social and abnormal psychology.
6. Recognise basic concepts of descriptive and inferential statistics and differentiate experimental from non-experimental research designs.
7. Apply critical appraisal skills to evidence and demonstrate skills in APA style referencing.

 

Overview of Learning Activities

You will be actively engaged in a range of learning activities such as lectorials, tutorials, practicals, laboratories, seminars, project work, class discussion, individual and group activities. Delivery may be face to face, online or a mix of both.

You are encouraged to be proactive and self-directed in your learning, asking questions of your lecturer and/or peers and seeking out information as required, especially from the numerous sources available through the RMIT library, and through links and material specific to this course that is available through myRMIT Studies Course.

Overview of Learning Resources

RMIT will provide you with resources and tools for learning in this course through myRMIT Studies Course.

There are services available to support your learning through the University Library. The Library provides guides on academic referencing and subject specialist help as well as a range of study support services. For further information, please visit the Library page on the RMIT University website and the myRMIT student portal.

Overview of Assessment

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task 1: Practical Knowledge Application Assessments
Weighting 40%
This assessment supports CLOs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 & 6

Assessment Task 2: Minor Written Assessment
Weighting 20%
This assessment supports CLOs 1, 2, 4, 6 & 7

Assessment Task 3: Major Written Assessment
Weighting 40%
This assessment task supports CLOs 1, 2, 4, 6 & 7

If you have a long-term medical condition and/or disability it may be possible to negotiate to vary aspects of the learning or assessment methods. You can contact the program coordinator or Equitable Learning Services if you would like to find out more.