UNDERGRADUATE
PSY234 Personality & Social Psychology: Personality Lectures
The aim of this course is to introduce students to the diversity of approaches to understanding personality, and to note similarities and important differences between the various positions. Topics covered include psychodynamic approaches, behaviourist and learning approaches, social-cognitive theory, humanistic approaches, personal construct theory and evolutionary psychology approaches.
PSY305 Personality: Archetypes & the collective unconscious (2011)
Carl Jung is possibly best known for his theory of the collective unconscious, archetypes, and symbolism. His approach both integrates and provides insight into myth, religion, history and culture, as well as the power of the imagination and dreams. This seminar series will examine Jungian theory and the significance of exploring the personal and collective unconscious. Specific topics include Jung's approach to dreams, active imagination, and understanding the origins of his theory via the 'Red Book'.
PSY305 Personality: Unconscious processes & defence mechanisms: Theory & evidence (past seminar)
This seminar series will examine both theories of unconscious mental processes and defence mechanisms and the evidence for these phenomena. Specific topics include research examining subliminal psychodynamic activation, unconscious decision making, repressive coping styles, and evidence for defense mechanisms. Download PDF of topics and readings (2009).
PSY351 Research Methods in Psychology (2010)
The aim of this course is to help develop critical thinking skills and apply these to conducting rigorous scientific research. This involves addressing the process of doing research: from devising the question, selecting a research strategy, conducting the study, evaluating the data and reporting and interpreting the results, as well as practical experience in doing research. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are addressed.
FOURTH YEAR
PSY436/PSYC970 Advanced Issues in Personality (2011)
This course will examine contemporary themes in personality research, including the place of personality research within psychology as a whole, the relationship between culture and personality. The course will also examine the nature of self, identity, and 'personality pathology' (e.g., dissociative identity disorder). Contributions from evolutionary psychology will be discussed, and issues surrounding 'spirituality' considered. The aim here is to provide a critical approach to the material and examine the contributions from various schools of thought within personality (e.g., psychodynamic, humanistic and trait approaches).
PSY424/PSYC885 History & Theory in Psychology
The first half of this course will examine the history of psychology, including examining the major influences on the modern discipline and directions and trends that emerged in the 20th Century. The history of psychology within Australia will also be examined. The second half of this course builds upon the first and aims to foster critical thinking skills by examining common reasoning errors within psychology (circular explanation, reification) and conceptually analysing commonly used terms within psychology such as 'behaviour', 'cognition', 'motivation', 'emotion', and 'measurement'.
Prospective Masters or PhD students interested in any of the following areas of research should contact me via my contact page. Potential areas of supervision include: