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Overview

This unit provides students with a broad and eclectic view of the history and philosophy of psychology. It surveys a selection of interesting and influential events, people, and ideas and uses these as a focus to critically examine issues that directly and indirectly shape the discipline as it is practiced today.

Requisites

Prerequisites
PSY20006 Cognition and Human Performance
PSY20007 Developmental Psychology
PSY20016 Social Psychology

Rules

Pre-requisite

Pre-requisite
PSY20016 Social Psychology
AND
PSY20007 Developmental Psychology
OR
PSY20006 Cognition and Human Performance
AND
PSY20007 Developmental Psychology
OR
PSY20006 Cognition and Human Performance
AND
PSY20016 Social Psychology

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
03-August-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
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
Teaching Period 2
Location
Online
Start and end dates
05-July-2027
03-October-2027
Last self-enrolment date
18-July-2027
Census date
03-August-2027
Last withdraw without fail date
24-August-2027
Results released date
26-October-2027
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
02-August-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

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Describe significant figures, events, and ideas in the history of psychology
  • Explain the importance of key people, events, and ideas in the history of psychology with respect to their context
  • Evaluate the impact of key historical figures, events, and ideas on the evolution of psychology as a discipline
  • Critically evaluate the philosophical, social, and scientific basis for psychological concepts and methods
  • Synthesise arguments concerning psychological opinion, theory, and practice

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week Venue Type and Activity Detail
Live Online Class 24 12 weeks 2 Seminar
Specified Activities Various 72 12 weeks 6 Assigned readings, Discussion boards, Preparing for tutorials, Structured study tasks assigned by teaching staff
On-campus Class 9 6 weeks 1.5 tutorial every fortnight
Unspecified Activities Various 45 12 weeks 3.75 Assignment preparation, Independent study
Total Hours: 150 Total Hours (per week): 13.25  

All Applicable Locations

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week Venue Type and Activity Detail
Live Online Class 4 4 weeks 1 eLA support – Collaborate
Online Directed Online Learning and Independent Learning 146 12 weeks 12.17 Reading and other media, Discussion board, Workbook/journal, Peer assessment/feedback, Assignment preparation, Independent study
Total Hours: 150 Total Hours (per week): 13.17  

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Presentation Individual  20-40%  1,2,3,4,5
Report Individual  2040%  13,4,5
Test Individual  20-40%  1,2,3,4

Content

  • The nature and limits of psychology as a discipline
  • Philosophical and physiological precursors to psychology
  • The emergence of modern scientific psychology
  • Philosophical, scientific, social aspects of selected issues in psychology
  • Evolution of theory and method through selected major perspectives in psychology, e.g., psychodynamic, structuralist, Gestalt, behaviorist, humanistic, cognitive, cognitive neuroscience
  • Graduate Attribute 1 (Communication 1 – Verbal Communication)
  • 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.