UnitLevel 1Undergraduate

PSY1011 Foundations in psychology

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

PSY1011 Foundations in psychology is a level 1, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, offered in 2027 in Summer A and Semester 1 at Clayton and Malaysia. It has no prerequisites and unlocks 7 units.

Credit points
6
Offered in 2027
Summer A, Semester 1
Clayton, Malaysia
Assessment
No exam
3 tasks

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Requisites

Overview

This unit provides you with an introduction to the broad foundations of psychology as a scientific discipline.
It begins with an exploration of psychology's historical origins. The unit introduces theories related to cognitive and biological psychology, and you will be familiarised with key aspects of cross-cultural psychology.
Concepts related to mental health (psychological disorders, stress, motivation, emotion, etc.) will also be introduced.
Finally, you will learn academic writing and presentation skills to formulate evidence-based reasoning from multiple scholarly sources.

Offerings in 2027

Teaching periodCampusMode
Summer semester AClaytonOnline
First semesterClaytonFlexible
First semesterMalaysiaOn campus

Assessment

  • Argumentative teamwork presentation (10 minutes) Group presentation in week 6 or 7Presentation
    35%
  • Argumentative essay (1,800 words)Written
    35%
  • Test series (3 tests)Quiz / Test
    30%

Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.

Learning outcomes

When you finish this unit, you should be able to:

  1. 1

    Describe the key stages in the historical development of psychology and approaches to modern psychology, like cross-cultural psychology.

  2. 2

    Explain key psychological concepts and theories across major areas such as biological, cognitive, social, organisational and Indigenous psychology.

  3. 3

    Outline a range of psychological disorders and discuss how they impact on the mental health and wellbeing of people in everyday settings.           

  4. 4

    Develop critical thinking skills in basic research methods and psychological concepts and apply them to real world situations.

  5. 5

    Effectively communicate psychological ideas with diverse audiences, across various modes.

Workload and teaching

  • Seminars24 hours
  • Tutorials21 hours

Two hours of seminars per week.
Two hours of tutorials 10 times per semester.
Induction tutorial: One hour in Week 1 of semester.
Eight hours background reading/preparation for seminars, tutorials and assessment tasks per week.

 

Learning resources

Required resources

See Moodle for details about required resources.

Where it fits

PSY1011 is part of 2 areas of study in the 2027 handbook.

Contacts

Unit Coordinators
Katherine Dixon
Dr Yap Wai Meng
Chief Examiners
Dr Swati Mujumdar

Common questions

What are the prerequisites for PSY1011?

PSY1011 has no prerequisites.

What can I take after PSY1011?

PSY1011 is a prerequisite or corequisite for 7 units, including PSY2041, PSY2042, PSY3032, PSY3190, PSY3214 and PSY3251.

When is PSY1011 offered?

In 2027, PSY1011 runs in Summer A and Semester 1 at Clayton and Malaysia, with an online option.

Does PSY1011 have an exam?

No. PSY1011 has 3 assessment tasks and no exam.

Which majors and minors include PSY1011?

PSY1011 is part of Behavioural commerce.

More details

Credit points
6
Level
1
Study level
Undergraduate
Faculty
Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational unit
Psychology
Type
Coursework
EFTSL
0.125
Student contribution
SCA Band 4
Study abroad
Available