Fundamentals of Psychology
Hawthorn On-campus: 36 hours face-to-face Hawthorn Online/OUA: 13 hours ºìõ¹åÉçÇø Online: 12 hours
One Semester or equivalent
Hawthorn, Online
Available to incoming Study Abroad and Exchange students
Overview
This unit of study provides students with a broad introduction to foundational concepts and methods in psychological science as they apply to our experiences, perceptions and behaviour as social beings, and includes coverage of developmental psychology, cognitive psychology, and social psychology. This unit also provides students with introductory training in psychological research methods.
Requisites
Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
06-July-2026
04-October-2026
04-October-2026
Last self-enrolment date
19-July-2026
Census date
04-August-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
25-August-2026
Results released date
27-October-2026
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-August-2026
01-November-2026
01-November-2026
Last self-enrolment date
16-August-2026
Census date
01-September-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
22-September-2026
Results released date
08-December-2026
Teaching Period 3
Location
Online
Start and end dates
02-November-2026
07-February-2027
07-February-2027
Last self-enrolment date
15-November-2026
Census date
01-December-2026
Last withdraw without fail date
22-December-2026
Results released date
02-March-2027
Semester 1
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
01-March-2027
30-May-2027
30-May-2027
Last self-enrolment date
14-March-2027
Census date
30-March-2027
Last withdraw without fail date
20-April-2027
Results released date
06-July-2027
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-August-2027
31-October-2027
31-October-2027
Last self-enrolment date
15-August-2027
Census date
31-August-2027
Last withdraw without fail date
21-September-2027
Results released date
07-December-2027
Unit learning outcomes
Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:
- Explain the general methods of investigation employed in psychological research, and show an appreciation of the main issues in research ethics
- Explain key concepts from major content areas in psychology. These include: learning, memory, and cognition; developmental psychology; social psychology; intelligence, and other individual differences
- Locate, organise and integrate information from various sources concerning topics and problems relating to psychology
- Communicate in a logical and clear manner the results of investigating a topic or problems relating to psychology
- Apply psychological theories, methods, and data to explain aspects of people’s everyday experiences and behaviours.
Teaching methods
Hawthorn
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Lecture | 2.00Ìý | 12 weeks | 24 |
| On-campus Class | 1.00Ìý | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Specified Activities Various | 2.00Ìý | 12 weeks | 24 |
| Unspecified Activities Various | 7.50Ìý | 12 weeks | 90 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
ºìõ¹åÉçÇø Online
| Type | Hours per week | Number of weeks | Total (number of hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Online Class | 1.00Ìý | 12 weeks | 12 |
| Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning | 11.50Ìý | 12 weeks | 138 |
| TOTAL | 150 |
Assessment
| Type | Task | Weighting | ULO's |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | ±õ²Ô»å¾±±¹¾±»å³Ü²¹±ôÌý | 35%Ìý | 1,4Ìý |
| Assignment 2 | ±õ²Ô»å¾±±¹¾±»å³Ü²¹±ôÌý | 45%Ìý | 1,2,3,4,5Ìý |
| Online Quiz | ±õ²Ô»å¾±±¹¾±»å³Ü²¹±ôÌý | 20%Ìý | 1,2,5Ìý |
Content
- Cognitive psychology
- Individual differences
- Developmental psychology
- Social and cross-cultural psychology
- Graduate Attribute 2 (Communication 2 - Communicating using different media)
- Graduate Attribute 5 (Digital Literacies 1 - Information literacy)
Study resources
Reading materials
A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.