Exploring Psychology



Overview

This course is an exploration into the fascinating subject of Psychology. Students will cover a broad range of subjects, presented in an engaging and interactive format. Psychology is a diverse discipline in its own right but draws on ideas from Biology, Economics, Statistics, Philosophy and others. In our 10 weeks we will consider the different paradigms used to study human behaviour, from Freud through to Positive Psychology.

Psychology: the science of the mind and behaviour - how do we remember things? Why do we forget? Are there things we see differently from others? Some answers to these questions, from a cognitive and personality perspective, will be addressed. We will consider how these have effects on real-world behaviour.

We will look at memory and its multiplicity of processes -and how this affects what we remember. Other themes include aspects of child development: language, mimicry and modelling; social psychology and group behaviour; personality theories, and how and why our personalities have direct effects on behaviour.

We will consider cognition from several perspectives: early language development, remembering as an active process, information processing, and intelligence. We will consider how each of these themes relate to behaviour and consider some real world effects such as ageing.

We will also explore the new topic of Positive Psychology: its origins in learning theory and its incredible positive impact on modern psychological practice.

This course is intended for the curious, and explores the different perspectives that Psychology offers as insight into our own thoughts and behaviours. Students should expect to engage, and be challenged!

Programme details

Course starts: 2 Oct 2024

Week 1: Introduction; the brain as the seat of thought and behaviour

Week 2: Perspectives In Psychology: Freud and the unconscious mind

Week 3: Psychology as a Science: exploring Attention and Perception

Week 4: Cognition: Memory and forgetting

Week 5: Cognition: Brains, Information processing and Intelligence

Week 6: Social Psychology

Week 7: Childhood development: language and cognition, mimicry and modelling

Week 8: Personality: how am I different from you?

Week 9: Learning and Positive Psychology

Week 10: Conclusions

Digital Certification

To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £355.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Jane Pollock

Independent Consultant and Researcher

Jane is a Chartered Psychologist, an Independent Consultant in Organisational Psychology, and a tutor and lecturer in Psychology and Statistics. She has a history of highly successful courses in both Psychology and Business streams, and takes a practical approach to a subject crucial to the success of people in organisations.

Course aims

To explore the diverse subject of Psychology and be introduced to some of its insights into human behaviour.

Course objectives:

  • To consider several ways in which we process information, absorb, learn, develop and express ourselves.
  • To consider how our personalities mean that we are all unique, and how we can express our commonalities.
  • To consider different perspectives in the study of Psychology using historical and practical approaches.

Teaching methods

The methods used in these sessions will include a seminar format where students are encouraged to participate.  There will also be other interactive elements which will form the basis of group or small group discussions. This face-to-face course will maximise the benefits of in-the-room experience, using curiosity and fun to engage with this diverse subject.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will be expected to:

  • have an understanding of some of the perspectives that Psychology as a discipline uses, to frame human behaviour;
  • have an appreciation of how we process information, remember things, and learn in a multitude of ways;
  • have raised self awareness through the study of personality, memory and Positive Psychology.

Assessment methods

This course will be assessed using one summary paragraph, as formative assessment for a final essay.

Essay topics will be chosen from a range of options

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work the required standard.

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Level and demands

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support