Example courses

• Foundations in Psychology 1

  PSYC 121 introduces core concepts in psychology with a focus on research methods, social psychology, social development, and mental health. Students will consider how psychology can be used in applied contexts and the importance of bicultural and cross-cultural perspectives in our understanding of human behaviour. In lectures, students will learn about Māori models of mental health and in lectures and labs they will have the opportunity to reflect upon the principles that underpin Kaupapa Māori research. Students will develop skills that form the foundation for subsequent psychology courses, such as analysing data, learning how to read journal articles and developing an understanding of how psychological researchers convey research findings through writing laboratory reports.

• Human Development and Learning

  This course takes a lifespan approach to examining how people develop and learn from birth to death. It explores key milestones and changes in physical, cognitive, emotional and social development; and critically examines a range of factors and contexts that shape development and learning.

• Learning and Motivation

  This course examines psychological principles of learning and motivation in educational contexts. Key theories and evidence on learning and motivation are evaluated. This course helps students acquire evidence-based strategies for long-term retention of important information and develop their ability to use newly learned knowledge within educational settings and beyond. In addition, the course builds students' understanding of motivation processes that play important roles in learning and equips students with a toolkit of effective strategies to manage their motivation in learning settings.

• Survey and Naturalistic Research Methods

  Psychology researchers need to be able to collect and analyse data about people’s behaviours and beliefs in everyday life. In this course, students will learn how to design surveys and apply observational and qualitative methods to collect data. Students will learn how to develop research questions, design a questionnaire, conduct appropriate statistical analyses, and communicate findings in a scientific research report.

• Youth and Life Challenges

  This course takes a developmental and psychological approach to examining the factors and contexts that impact on the development, risk, resilience and wellbeing of young people during adolescence and emerging adulthood. It also focuses on young people’s experiences of life challenges and the role of education in prevention, intervention and supporting youth.