This
course will cover some of the most important ideas, theories, and findings in
psychology in order to gain a better understanding of (1) how psychology came
to be the discipline as we know it today (by delving into the minds of early
thinkers), (2) what are the fundamental questions that this discipline seeks to
answer, and, through such understandings, (3) how to think and write more
meaningfully (which constitutes essential knowledge for a potential future
career in psychology). In this course, you will learn about the philosophical
and historical roots of the ideas of some of the greatest thinkers (e.g.,
Aristotle, Darwin, Skinner, Freud, Piaget, and the like), against the
background of the major frameworks of psychology, including the
behavioristic, the psychoanalytic, the neurocognitive, the social constructionist,
and the evolutionary.
The ultimate goal is to help you form a knowledge structure that allows you to
appreciate the significance and flaws of different schools of thought as well
as to guide your own research and writing.
- Teacher: darrenzhu, Zhu Nan