History of Psychology

Course Coordinator: Summer Siu, BSSc (LU), MPhil (LU)

Course Developer: Dr. FU Wai

PSYC A318 History of Psychology is a ten-credit higher-level course in the Social Sciences programme. It is presented in English.

Advisory prerequisite(s)
You are strongly advised to have studied PSYC A212 / PSYC A212C.

Aims
This course aims to familiarize students with the development of the discipline of psychology and the key theoretical systems that exist in the field.

Contents
The course covers the following topics:

• History of psychology and its implications
• Before the dawn: philosophical foundations of psychology
• The formal founding of psychology I: the German scene
• The formal founding of psychology II: the American scene
• Rival paradigms in experimental psychology: behaviourism vs. gestalt psychology
• Experimental psychology After WWII
• Applied psychology I: psychology of testing and adaptation
• Applied psychology II: the rise of psychology as a clinical subject
• Applied psychology III: the humanistic movement
• Psychology as a post-modern globalized subject

Learning support
There will be nine one-hour lectures and nine two-hour tutorials.

Assessment
There will be four assignments and a final examination. Students are required to submit assignments via the Online Learning Environment (OLE).

Set book(s)
A custom textbook will be provided.