units

PSY4151

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

18 September 2017 26 April 2024
Monash University

Postgraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

print version

6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

LevelPostgraduate
FacultyFaculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational UnitSchool of Psychological Sciences
OfferedMonash Online Teaching Period 5 2015 (Online)
Coordinator(s)Dr Mike Larson

Synopsis

This unit covers the key themes of social psychology and personality. The history and the philosophy of the different schools of social psychology and personality are examined to highlight changes in our understanding of social identity, meaning and relationships. In the first half of the unit, several different personality theories will be compared and contrasted including psychoanalytic, phenomenological, trait, and social learning approaches to personality. The second half of the unit will demonstrate how social psychology theories, such as behaviour in groups, aggression, attraction, dehumanisation and attitude change, are applied and critiqued in light of contemporary behaviour and new knowledge.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. Critically summarise, analyse and evaluate the major theoretical and research approaches within the filed of social psychology;
  2. Compare and contrast historical and current theory on social processes and relate these to both individual factors and interpersonal relationships;
  3. Apply social psychology theories to a range of contemporary social questions, including belonging, identity, attraction, aggression, conflict and negotiation;
  4. Critically evaluate, and explain the origins and underlying assumptions of the personality theories of Freud, Jung, Eysenck, Costa and McCrae, Bandura, Kelly and Rogers;
  5. Critically assess social psychology and personality theories and approaches in relation to gender, ethnicity and cultural diversity;
  6. Review and evaluate the practical applications, experimental procedures and research directions and goals associated with the above social psychology and personality theories.

Assessment

6 x Secure online quiz (20 mins each) (5% each) (30%)
Lab report assignment (1,500 words) (35%)
Critical essay (1,500 words) (35%)

Workload requirements

Students should expect to spend an average of 15-20 hours per week on this unit. This time will cover:

  1. video lecture materials (1 hour);
  2. synchronous & asynchronous discussion (1-2 hours);
  3. synchronous web-based 'class-time' for skills-based activities (2 hours);
  4. weekly readings (4-5 hours);
  5. weekly skills-based assessment tasks (4-6 hours); and
  6. content-based assessment (4-5 hours, including revision and formative assessment).

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Mike Larson

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Psychology

Prerequisites

PSY4051, PSY4111, PSY4122, PSY4131.