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Unit outline_

PSYC1001: Psychology 1001

Semester 1, 2022 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Psychology 1001 is a general introduction to the main topics and methods of psychology, and is the basis for advanced work as well as being of use to those not proceeding with the subject. Psychology 1001 covers the following areas: science and statistics in psychology; applied psychology; themes in the history of psychology; social psychology; personality theory; human development.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Psychology Academic Operations
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator Caleb Owens, caleb.owens@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Nikolaos Tiliopoulos, niko.tiliopoulos@sydney.edu.au
Caleb Owens, caleb.owens@sydney.edu.au
Micah Goldwater, micah.goldwater@sydney.edu.au
Helen Paterson, helen.paterson@sydney.edu.au
Rebecca Pinkus, rebecca.pinkus@sydney.edu.au
Frans Verstraten, frans.verstraten@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam (Record+) Type B final exam hurdle task Final Exam
Proctored canvas quiz assessing lecture content from final 4 lecture topics
45% Formal exam period 1.5 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Online task hurdle task Lecture Engagement
Requires live lecture engagement or weekly viewing of lectures
5% Ongoing Approx 3 hours weekly viewing materials
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO3 LO2
Placement Research Participation
Sign-up and be a participant in Psychology studies to learn how they work
5% Ongoing
Closing date: 03 Jun 2022
5 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO5
In-semester test (Record+) Type B in-semester exam hurdle task Mid Semester Exam
Proctored canvas quiz assessing lecture content from first 2 lecture topics
20% Week 07
Due date: 08 Apr 2022 at 16:00
50 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO3 LO2
Assignment Research Report
Written assignment reporting class research using APA format
25% Week 08
Due date: 13 Apr 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 18 May 2022
1150 words
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
Type B final exam = Type B final exam ?
Type B in-semester exam = Type B in-semester exam ?

Assessment summary

Lecture engagement: You will need to view all your lectures live or streamed later using echo on the canvas site. Each week of semester around 3 hours of lecture material will be available, and the following Monday, a record of how much you have watched will be taken and used to calculate this mark. This is a barrier task, such that lecture engagement of less than 50% by the end of semester will result in an absent fail.

Research participation: Research participation requires you to volunteer to be a participant in research studies run by psychology students and academics. It is not compulsory. If you do not complete any or all of your five hours of research participation, you simply will not receive the marks associated with it. An alternative to research participation (a written assignment) is also available on request (before the end of Week 4).

Research report: The research report assignment requires you to write a 1150 word APA formatted report about a study conducted during your first tutorial. Several tutorials and an online module are designed to provide assistance with this assessment. It is necessary that your report is relevant to the topic and APA formatted for marks to be awarded.

Mid-semester exam: There are six PSYC1001 lecture topics, and the first two topics will be assessed in this exam which will held during the mid-semester exam period (scheduled centrally). It will be a 50min proctored Canvas quiz (using proctorU). The initial version which most students will take will consist of 34 multiple choice, multiple answer, and matching type questions (17 for each topic). Replacement exams will consist of 4 multi-part short answer questions (2 for each topic). This is a barrier task which you need to attempt, or you will receive an absent fail, but no minimum mark is required.

Final exam: The remaining four PSYC1001 lecture topics will be assessed in this exam which will held during the final exam period (scheduled centrally). It will be a 90min proctored Canvas quiz (using proctorU). The initial version which most students will take will consist of 68 multiple choice, multiple answer, and matching type questions (17 for each topic). Replacement exams will consist of 8 multi-part short answer questions (2 for each topic). This is a barrier task which you need to attempt, or you will receive an absent fail, but no minimum mark is required.

More detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

 

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

At HD level, a student demonstrates a flair for the subject as well as a detailed and comprehensive understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates the ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to produce original solutions for novel or highly complex problems and/or comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts

Distinction

75 - 84

At DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘Distinction’ reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding of the subject to produce good solutions for challenging problems and/or a reasonably well-developed critical analysis of theoretical concepts.

Credit

65 - 74

At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the unit material. A ‘Credit’ reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the unit material and can solve routine problems and/or identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.

Pass

50 - 64

At PS level, a student demonstrates proficiency in the unit material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory achievement and is awarded to a student who has threshold knowledge.

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 MON. Introductory lecture. TUE and THU History of Psychology Lecture (3 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 02 MON TUE THU History of Psychology Lecture (3 hr) LO1 LO2
Introduction to tutorials and the research report study Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO5
Week 03 MON History of Psychology TUE THU Science and statistics Lecture (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
History of Psychology Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2
Week 04 MON TUE THU Science and Statistics Lecture (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO5
Integrity in Psychology Tutorial (1 hr) LO4 LO5
Week 05 MON Science and Statistics TUE THU Forensic Psychology Lecture (3 hr) LO1
The Research Report Topic Tutorial (1 hr) LO3 LO4
Week 06 MON TUE THU Forensic Psychology Lecture (3 hr) LO1
The structure of a research report Tutorial (1 hr) LO4
Week 07 MON Forensic Psychology TUES THU Developmental Psychology Lecture (3 hr) LO1 LO4
Research Design Tutorial (1 hr) LO3
Week 08 MON TUE THU Developmental Psychology Lecture (3 hr) LO1
Statistical Reasoning Tutorial (1 hr) LO3 LO5
Week 09 TUE Developmental Psychology THU Personality Lecture (3 hr) LO1
Forensic Psychology Tutorial (1 hr) LO1
Week 10 MON TUE THU Personality Lecture (3 hr) LO1
Developmental Psychology Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO5
Week 11 MON TUE Personality THU Social Psychology Lecture (3 hr) LO1
Personality Tutorial (1 hr) LO1
Week 12 MON TUE THU Social Psychology Lecture (3 hr) LO1
Social Psychology Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO5
Week 13 MON TUE THU Social Psychology Lecture (3 hr) LO1
Research report feedback, course feedback and exam preparation Tutorial (1 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5

Attendance and class requirements

Due to the exceptional circumstances caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, attendance requirements for this unit of study have been amended. Where online tutorials/workshops/virtual laboratories have been scheduled, students should make every effort to attend and participate at the scheduled time. Penalties will not be applied if technical issues, etc. prevent attendance at a specific online class. In that case, students should discuss the problem with the coordinator, and attend another session, if available.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

No textbook purchase is required for this unit. Lecturers choose textbook chapters from various books and all these chapters are made available to you via the library on Canvas. Refer to lecture and tutorial materials within Canvas to understand the relevance of the readings before you commence reading.

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. understand the diverse areas of psychology taught: history of psychology, applied psychology (forensic), developmental psychology, social psychology, and personality
  • LO2. understand what binds such diverse pursuits into the single discipline of ‘psychology’ in regard to language, research methods, attitude and approach, and an appreciation of the ethical issues associated with behavioral research
  • LO3. understand the core research design principles and statistical approaches used throughout of psychology, and the ability to apply them in a critical manner
  • LO4. understand the APA style used for the presentation of written material, particularly research reports
  • LO5. appreciate how what is taught in psychology has implications for your wider personal and professional approach and identity.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

As a result of 2021 feedback we have introduced an additional Research Report tutorial which will cover the structure of a research report.

Psychology student portal http://canvas.sydney.edu.au/courses/7929

General information about Psychology at the University of Sydney www.sydney.edu.au/science/psychology/

Note importantly that students enrolled in this unit will be sent frequent (computer generated) personalised emails on their progress in the unit. If you become distressed by information or advice regarding your progress in this unit, seek help and support urgently: https://sydney.edu.au/students/counselling-and-mental-health-support.html

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.