Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations of Psychology

Course Overview

This Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations of Psychology short course introduces you to the concepts that form the basis of the discipline of psychology, including contributions from key thinkers. It also provides an overview of the way in which current thinking within the discipline has developed over time and examines the scientific status of psychology.

We plan to cover the following:

• Psychology as a science
• Ethics and methods in psychology
• Darwinian evolution and genetics
• Learning and behaviourism (Watson and Skinner)
• Psychoanalysis (Freud)
• Humanistic psychology (Rogers and Maslow)
• Developmental psychology (Piaget and Vygotsky)
• Cognitive revolution and information processing
• Culture and psychology
• Social constructionism and language

This 11-week Theoretical and Conceptual Foundations of Psychology course will be of interest to anyone interested in human interaction and thought processes who wants to gain a deeper understanding of the perspectives and approaches that underlie contemporary psychology. It is also ideal if you have a non-psychology degree but need a Level 4 psychology qualification or a greater understanding of psychology in order to progress to postgraduate study.

Assessment is via a 1500-word essay (60%) and one-hour online multiple-choice test (40%). If you do not want to gain credit, you can still take the course without completing assessments.

There may be multiple instances of the class starting on the same date and at the same time. This allows us to offer additional places and you can enrol on any that have availability.

As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students whilst you learn.

This can be taken as a standalone short course or as part of:

• Applied Psychology (Certificate of Higher Education)
• Psychology (Certificate of Higher Education)

Credits: 15 credits at level 4