INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY (PAD 117/ODFeL/PUB/1st)

Course Introduction and Description

The course, Introduction to social Psychology is designed as an introduction to the field of Psychology for beginners in all fields and specifically for those that will major in Public Administration. In the course of the lessons contained in this courseware, you will be put through the background and foundations of the field of psychology and its applications. The course Psychology summarily deals with human behaviour and actions as a product of both human instincts and results of the effects of environments through learning. Applied to Public administration, the knowledge of psychology will broaden and enhance your understanding of the nature of human behaviours, how and why humans behave or act the way they do especially in both public and private spaces.

Public spaces/government/governance is the domain where people act-out (behave). A good public administrator needs to understand human behaviour as studied by psychology. Psychology is a broad field of knowledge and has wider applications in both the natural sciences (chemistry, physics, biology), in professional courses or fields such as engineering and technology and in the social sciences (sociology, economics, political sciences, public administration etc.). The courseware structure contains eight (8) modules to be covered in the 13 weeks of your studies. These modules cover Introduction to the course, Motives for Human Behaviour, Cognitive Development and Self-Concept, Personality and Personality Development, Socialisation and Its Agents, Human Development, Learning, Attitude, Emotion, Motivation and Health and Ill-Health.

Course Prerequisites

You are required to have the following to be qualified for this course.

1. 5 credits in “O” level certificate

2. Pass JAMB and be admitted into the course by the institution (Kaduna Polytechnic) through the Centre ODFeL.

3. Satisfactory level of English proficiency

4. Basic Computer Operations proficiency

6. Online interaction proficiency

7. Web 2.0 and social media interactive skills

Course Textbook (S)

a) Lally, M. And Valentine-French, S. (2018). Introduction to Psychology. (Adapted)  Original Text Materials For Introduction To Psychology by Stangor 2011 (non-HCC version) at: http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Introduction%20to%20Psychology.pdf

b) The Open University of Hong-Kong (2012). Research Methods in Psychology. Original source: Saylor Academy https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_research-methods-in-psychology/

c) Douglas L. Medin (u.d.). ed. The Psychology of Learning and Motivation Advances in Research and Theory. Volume 40. Academic Press.

d) Johnson, Alexa; Ricardo, Antoinette, Rymond, D. And Paris, J. (2019).Child Growth and Development. College of The Canyons. Available at: CCA.

Spielman, R.M; Jenkins, W.J and Lovett, M. D. (2020).Psychology 2e. Rice University. OpenStax.

e) Pan, L. (2013). Introduction to Health Behaviour Theories. Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research Training Course in Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Geneva 2013. Available at: whatishealth.com.

Course Objectives and Outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

1. Define psychology and relate with its applications in understanding various forms of human behavior and actions.

2. Become conversant with the basic concepts used in psychology, for example: cognition, self-concept, learning, human development and socialisations and their consequences.

3. Demonstrate the scientific nature of psychology.

4. Examine the consequences of health and ill-health among people in societies.

5. Explain the significance of psychological factors such as attitude, emotion, and anxiety to social order.

Activities to Meet Course Objectives

The Course Material is written in a simple, clear and concise manner that will assist and enable you to understand this course very well. Psychology is an interesting discipline as you will find out in the course of this study. However, it requires you to concentrate and to develop interest in the content of this courseware. To help with your efforts as required, relevant sites and standard references have been provided for you. There is going to be a lot of chatting and online interaction in this class through WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram. There will be individual assignments and group assignments.

All assignments are due at the times slated. No late submission will be entertained or accepted from you and hence, be very serious with your study. Completion and timely submission of assignments will also serve as part of your assessment. You are expected to read this course material thoroughly and comprehend very well. You are also expected to have software applications on your mobile phones like WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram, a working email address and a phone number so that you can chat, interact and share ideas with one other. Please do not hesitate to contact me through my email addresses, phone numbers and social media platforms. My aim is for you to succeed in this class and also in your future endeavors. Thank you and God bless

Time (To Complete Syllabus/Course)

Duration of tutoring is 13 Weeks and you will be expected to put in a minimum of two hour study time weekly.