Syllabus: Dip Psych

Programme details for the Diploma in Psychology

Courses Presented in This Programme

The Dip. Psych includes the following compulsory courses:

• Social Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology

Duration of the Programme

This programme has a minimum learning duration of eight months before the qualification certificate can be issued. The maximum learning duration is normally two years.

Prerequisites

Completion of the Cert Psych or having been granted the status of a Cert Psych qualification through the process of recognition of prior earning (RPL), as confirmed by the CU Senate.

Single courses may be enrolled for to complete other qualifications. In such cases the student must consider that the courses were planned and selected sequentially by CU to serve as foundational knowledge for the more advanced courses.

Social Psychology

Credits: 22

Synopsis. This Social Psychology course has motivated students to take social psychology out of the classroom and into their lives. It has now been combined with a free, online source of relevant and timely articles on social psychology.

With a research approach, it provides many opportunities for students to go beyond the course content and learn more about social psychology from articles in leading social science journals, popular magazines, and the New York Times.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• The Field of Social Psychology: How We Think About and Interact with Others
• Social Perception: Understanding Others
• Social Cognition: Thinking About the Social World
• Attitudes: Evaluating the Social World
• Aspects of Social Identity: Self and Gender
• Prejudice: Its Causes, Effects, and Cures
• Interpersonal Attraction: Initial Contact, Liking, Becoming Acquainted
• Close Relationships: Family, Friends, Lovers, and Spouses
• Social Influence: Changing Others' Behavior
• Prosocial Behavior: Helping Others
• Aggression: Its Nature, Causes, and Control
• Groups and Individuals: The Consequences of Belonging
• Social Psychology in Action: Applications to Law, Medicine, and Organizations

Abnormal Psychology

Credits: 25

Synopsis. This course offers students the most thorough explanation of psychopathology possible, and in doing so we create a learning experience that invokes thought, increases awareness, and takes students to levels of understanding that other courses do not offer. The course will examine current trends and research in the fields of mental health and psychopathology. By the end of the semester students should have an understanding of abnormal behavior in a historical context, the current system for the classification and assessment of mental disorders, the behaviors and syndromes necessary for the diagnosis of psychiatric disorders, the gender, cultural, psychological, biochemical, and environmental factors which predispose individuals toward mental disorders, the different approaches used in treating mental illness including psychotherapy, medical, and non-psychiatric methods, how psychologists use research and statistics to answer questions about mental illness and how legal issues influence the treatment of mental illness.

Outline. The following aspects are reflected in this course:

• Abnormal Psychology: An Overview.
• Historical and Contemporary Views of Abnormal Behavior.
• Causal Factors and Viewpoints in Abnormal Psychology.
• Clinical Assessment: Assessment of the Physical Organism. Psychosocial Assessment. The Integration of Assessment Data.
• Stress and Adjustment Disorders.
• Panic, Anxiety, and their Disorders.
• Mood Disorders and Suicide.
• Somatoform and Dissociative Disorders.
• Eating Disorders and Obesity.
• Health Problems and Behavior.
• Personality Disorders. Categories of Personality Disorders. Treatments and Outcomes. Antisocial Personality and Psychopathy.
• Substance-Related Disorders: Alcohol & Drug Abuse and Dependence.
• Sociocultural Influences on Sexual Practices and Standards. Sexual and Gender Variants. Sexual Dysfunctions.
• The Clinical Picture in Schizophrenia. Subtypes of Schizophrenia. What Causes Schizophrenia. Treatment and Clinical Outcome.
• Cognitive Disorders. Brain Impairment in Adults. Delirium. Dementia. Amnestic Syndrome. Disorders Involving Head Injury.
• Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence. Maladaptive Behavior in Different Life Periods. Disorders of Childhood. Learning Disorders and Mental Retardation.
• Therapies: An Overview of Treament. Measuring Success in Psychotherapy. What Therapeutic Approach Should Be Used? Psychological Approaches to Treatment.
• Contemporary and Legal Issues in Abnormal Psychology. Perspectives on Prevention. Controversial Legal Issues and the Mentally Disordered.

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