Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Course Description

Introduces the following major topics in psychology: history, research methods, biopsychology, sensation and perception, learning, memory, human development, consciousness, and associated topics in cognition. Provides an overview of current trends, and emphasizes the sociocultural approach to understand cognition, emotions, and behavior. This is the first course of a two-course sequence. Prerequisites: WR 115, RD 115 and MTH 20 or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available.

Course Prerequisites

Prerequisite: WR 115: Introduction to Expository Writing (4 Credits);  RD 115: College Reading (4 Credits); and MTH 20: Basic Math (Arithmetic) (4 Credits). Or equivalent placement test scores. Audit available. This course fulfills the following GE requirements: Cultural Literacy, Social Sciences/AAOT, Social Sciences/AS, Social Sciences/AAS, Social Sciences/AGS, Social Sciences/ASOT-B. 

Intended Outcomes for the Course

Upon completion of the course students should be able to:

1.        Describe the key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology, including basic knowledge of psychology’s content domains and applications to everyday life within the course topics: history, research methods, biopsychology, sensation and perception, learning, memory, human development, consciousness, and associated topics in cognition.

2.       Compare and contrast research methodologies appropriate to the discipline of psychology, and discuss the conclusions or interpretations that can be drawn from them.

3.       Apply information literacy and critical thinking guidelines in evaluating claims about human behavior specific to the course topics. 

4.       Describe sociocultural factors and ethical standards in evaluating psychological science and practice.  

For more information on the Course Content and Outcome Guides please click on this link: https://www.pcc.edu/ccog/psy/201a/

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