Psychology

The field of psychology aims to examine the scientific basis of human behavior, including sensation and perception, learning and thinking, motivation, and emotion. Psychology encompasses a broad range of topics that can be applied to diverse fields, with the ultimate goal of better understanding what determines and drives human behavior such that we may contribute to better the lives of individuals across age, gender, and culture. This course provides a general survey of topics in psychology and discusses fascinating research findings that impact our everyday behavior and functioning. 

This course examines psychological assessment, personality, and psychopathology. The assessment portion of the course will include key concepts related to personality and intelligence testing. The psychopathology portion of the course is an introduction to the study of maladaptive behaviour and mental disorders. The course will provide an overview of common mental disorders, including anxiety, mood, eating, childhood, and psychotic disorders. Emphasis will be placed on diagnostic criteria, contemporary theories of psychopathology, and empirically supported approaches to treating mental disorders.

Social psychology is an important branch of psychology. It uses scientific methods to solve the core problems in our human social life. It is the best guiding course for people to understand themselves, understand society, and understand the relationship between themselves and society. The course covers a wide range of content, including all aspects of social life, from "who am I" to "how do I know the world", from anti-social to pro-social behavior, from love to prejudice. But there is a core idea that we will learn to analyze the social phenomena around us from the perspective of social psychology, and use the knowledge of social psychology to get along with people better. Course topics include: introduction to social psychology;  self in society; social cognition; impressions; attribution; attitude; socialization; conformity and crowd psychology; persuasion; influence of public; interpersonal conflict; aggressive behavior; prosocial behavior and interpersonal attraction.

Textbook: “Social Psychology 9th Edition” by Aronson et al. Pearson Education. 

Grading Policy: Participation 10%, Psychology Experiment 10%, Group Report and Presentation 30%, Final Exam 50% 

Upon completion of this course, students should be able to:

•   Have a solid understanding of basic concepts, methods, and results in the study

  of Psychology

•   Apply these theories to their own personal and professional experiences

•   Think critically, focusing on research methods

•   Be able to appreciate and critically evaluate the basic meaning, if not every

  detail, of novel findings in psychology and neuroscience.