Course Outline for Psychology C1000
Introduction to Psychology

Effective: Fall 2025
SLO Rev:

Catalog Description:

PSYC C1000 - Introduction to Psychology

3.00 Units

This course is an introduction to psychology, which is the study of the mind and behavior. Students focus on theories and concepts of biological, cognitive, developmental, environmental, social, and cultural influences; their applications; and their research foundations. Includes major psychological concepts and theories in the areas of consciousness, learning, memory, motivation, perception, personality, stress, and social behavior. Formerly PSY1.
Strongly Recommended: ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 1)
CB03: TOP Code 2001.00 - Psychology, General
CIP Code 42.0101 - Psychology, General.
Course Grading: Letter Grade Only
Type Units Inside of Class Hours Outside of Class Hours Total Student Learning Hours
Lecture 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00
Total 3.00 54.00 108.00 162.00

Measurable Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Demonstrate fundamental knowledge and comprehension of major concepts, theoretical
    perspectives, historical and cultural contexts, and empirical findings within the broad discipline
    of psychology.
  2. Use a scientific approach (including critical and creative thinking) to understand individuals’
    mind and behavior within psychological, biological, sociocultural, and ethnocultural contexts
    while recognizing that biases filter experiences.
  3. Apply psychological theories, concepts, and values to individual, interpersonal, group, and
    societal issues to demonstrate awareness of self and others.
  4. Draw logical and objective conclusions about the mind and behavior from evidence to show
    how psychology evaluates, modifies, and supports its claims and counters unsubstantiated
    statements, opinions or beliefs.

Course Content:

  1. Cover at least two topics within each of the following major areas, addressing both theory and application:
    • BIOLOGICAL (e.g., Neuroscience, Sensation, Consciousness);
    • COGNITIVE (e.g., Cognition, Memory, Perception, Intelligence); 
    • DEVELOPMENT (e.g., Learning, Lifespan Development, Language);
    • SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY (e.g., Motivation, Emotion, Social, Personality, Sex/Gender/Sexuality);
    • MENTAL AND PHYSICAL HEALTH (e.g., Psychopathology, Health, Therapies)
  2. Incorporate psychology’s seven integrative themes throughout the course:
    • How psychological science relies on evidence and critical thinking, adapting as new data develop; 
    • How psychology explains general principles that govern behavior while recognizing individual differences;
    • How psychological, biological, social, and cultural factors influence behavior and mental processes;
    • How psychology values diversity, promotes equity, and fosters inclusion in pursuit of a more just society;
    • How our perceptions and biases filter our experiences of the world through an imperfect personal lens;
    • How applying psychological principles can change our lives, organizations, and communities in positive ways;
    • How ethical principles guide psychology research and practice.
  3. Emphasize and illustrate how scientific inquiry, research methodology, and evidence serve as the foundation for all content areas:
    • while recognizing limitations and problematic outcomes, biases, systemic injustice, and opportunities for on-going research; and
    • to counter unsubstantiated statements, opinions, or beliefs.
  4. Emphasize how sociocultural factors and diversity, not limited to historically dominant Western perspectives, influence content areas covered.

 

Expanded Course Content

Specifically, the following major areas are covered (per #1 above):  

  1. Historical and Current Perspectives in Psychology:
    • Contemporary perspectives used by psychologists to understand behavior and mental processes
    • Major subfields in psychology
    • Careers in the field of psychology
    • Underlying themes that unify the study of psychology
  2. Research in Psychology:
    • Research strategies used by psychologists to explore behavior and mental processes 
    • Scientific approach to understanding behavior
    • Ethical Issues in research with human and nonhuman animals
  3. Biological Bases of Behavior
    • Structure and function of the neuron
    • Organization of the nervous system
    • Structure and function of the brain
    • Interplay of heredity and environment on behavior
    • The role of evolution in brain and behavior
  4. Sensation and Perception
    • Capabilities and limitations of sensory processes
    • Top-down and bottom-up processing 
    • Nature of attention
  5. Variations in Consciousness
    • Levels of awareness
    • Biological rhythms and sleep
    • Theories of dreaming
    • Hypnosis and meditation
    • Psychoactive drugs
  6. Learning
    • Classical conditioning
    • Operant conditioning
    • Cognitive process in conditioning
    • Observational learning
  7. The Construction of Memory
    • Encoding, storage, and retrieval processes
    • Types of memory
    • Physiology of memory
    • Methods for improving memory
  8. Language and Thought
    • Structure of language
    • Approaches to problem solving
    • Decision-making process
  9. Intelligence and Psychological Testing
    • Types of psychological testing
    • Meaning of IQ scores
    • Interaction of heredity and environment on intelligence
    • Nature of creativity
  10. Motivation and Emotion
    • Theories of motivation
    • Biological and cultural factors influencing motivation
    • Elements of emotion
    • Theories of emotion
  11. Lifespan Development
    • Development as a lifelong process
    • Theories of development
    • Issues surrounding the developmental process (nature/nurture, continuity/discontinuity, stability/instability, critical periods) 
  12. Personality Theory and Assessment
    • Personality constructs
    • Theories of personality
    • Assessment of personality
  13. Stress, Coping, and Health
    • Sources of stress
    • Physiological and psychological responses to stress
    • Cognitive and behavioral strategies for dealing with stress and promoting health
  14. Psychological Disorders
    • Characteristics and origins of abnormal behavior
    • Diagnosing psychological disorders
    • Major categories of psychological disorders 
    • Impact of psychological disorders 
  15. Treatment of Psychological Disorders
    • Prominent methods used to treat individuals with disorders 
    • Types of practitioners who implement treatment
    • Legal and ethical challenges involved in treatment 
  16. Social Thought and Behavior
    • Social judgment and attitudes
    • Social and cultural categories
    • Group behaviors of attraction, helping, conformity, obedience and aggression
  17. Psychological Diversity
    • Gender and sexuality
    • Socio-cultural differences in psychology 
  18. Applying Psychology
    • Self-understanding
    • Understanding the behavior and motivations of others
    • Areas of application such as school psychology, industrial/organizational psychology, forensic psychology, and health psychology

Methods of Instruction:

  1. Application of concepts to personal experiences
  2. Demonstrations and simulations
  3. Discussion and problem solving of significant or controversial issues
  4. Lecture/Discussion
  5. Distance Education
  6. Lectures on major themes and concepts
  7. Readings from texts, supplementary materials, primary source materials
  8. Student-led presentations
  9. Utilization of video and/or CD-ROM excerpts
  10. Written assignments

Assignments and Methods of Evaluating Student Progress:

1. Typical Assignments
  1. Reading and Discussion: 1) Read the assigned chapter on Theories of Psychology. Be prepared to identify, compare and contrast key theoretical perspectives, including Biological, Cognitive and Sociocultural. 2) Read the assigned chapter on Research Methods. Be prepared to discuss the advantages of the scientific approach to the study of behavior. 3) Read the chapter on Lifespan Development. Be prepared to compare and contrast the different theories of development explaining changes in cognition and personality throughout the stages of life.
  2. Writing: 1) Research and write a paper pertaining to one of the primary topic areas discussed in this course. Use the library resources to find supporting peer-reviewed research articles. Cite references in APA format. 2) After viewing a selected video, such as Away From Her, be prepared to write a short paper on the portrayal of an individual with progressive Alzheimer’s dementia. In your paper reference relevant facts about brain structures and functions, neural communication, key neurotransmitters, and associated behavioral changes experienced. 3) Based on the readings about memory organization, write an advice “Letter about Memory,” addressed to a high school senior who will be starting college. In your letter include advice about Elaborative Rehearsal, Self-Reference Effect and Distributed Study that enhance memory capacity and recall.
  3. Collaborative Learning 1) As a small group, evaluate the key perspectives in psychology including Biological, Cognitive, and Sociocultural perspectives, match each perspective with an example of human behavior or mental process, and explain the complex interaction between the perspectives. 2) As a small group, present a case study of an individual with a psychological disorder, including clinical symptoms, DSM-IV-TR criteria, and treatment options for the disorder. You will prepare a PowerPoint presentation to the class. 3) As a small group, evaluate a series of presented moral scenarios and dilemmas and apply Kohlberg’s theoretical levels of moral reasoning.
2. Methods of Evaluating Student Progress
  1. Participation in multiple class discussions or small group projects
  2. Several essay or opinion papers
  3. Chapter quizzes and/or midterm examinations
  4. Presentation or project
  5. Final Examination
3. Student Learning Outcomes
Upon the completion of this course, the student should be able to:
  1. Demonstrate an understanding of how the scientific method serves as a foundation for understanding the study of behavior and mental processes.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the biological basis of behavior and mental processes.
  3. Identify, compare, and contrast the key theoretical perspectives in psychology including sociocultural, biological, and cognitive-behavioral perspectives.

Textbooks (Typical):

  1. Levy, J. (2024). Psychology: The Science of Human Potential (4/e). creative commons attribution 4.0 international https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/thescienceofhumanpotential/.
  2. Spielman, R.M., Jenkins, W.J., & Lovett, M.D. (2024). Psychology 2e (2e/e). openstax https://openstax.org/details/books/psychology-2e.
  1. Hockenbury, Sandra E. and Susan A. Nolan (2022). Discovering Psychology (9th). Macmillan Learning.
  2. Myers, D. G., & DeWall, C. N (2023). Psychology in Everyday Life (6th). Macmillan Learning.
  3. Myers, D.G., DeWall, C.N., & (2024). Psychology (14th). MacMillan.
Additional Materials:
  • Computer access

Abbreviated Class Schedule Description:

This course is an introduction to psychology, which is the study of the mind and behavior. Students focus on theories and concepts of biological, cognitive, developmental, environmental, social, and cultural influences; their applications; and their research foundations. Formerly PSY1.
Strongly Recommended: ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 1)

Discipline:
Psychology*