Foundations of Psychology

Explore how the mind works and why people behave the way they do. In this interactive course, we'll look at the connection between our thoughts, feelings, and actions, and see how psychology helps us understand everyday life. First, students will explore psychological concepts that explain how kids and teens grow and change, then move into what shapes the behavior of adults. After that, we’ll talk about mental health and learn what psychologists mean when they talk about different psychological disorders.

Throughout the course, we’ll learn about topics like how people learn, how our personalities develop, how language works in the mind, and what happens when things go wrong in the brain. We’ll also take a look at different areas of psychology—like therapy, how people behave at work, and even how companies use psychology in advertising. Whether you’re thinking about a future career in psychology or you’re just curious about why people do what they do, this course is a fun and exciting place to begin!

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Explain basic ideas and concepts in psychology.
• Describe how people develop and behave from childhood through adulthood.
• Understand what psychological disorders are and why mental health is important.
• Use psychology to help make sense of real-life situations.
• Build thinking and reasoning skills that psychologists use in their research.

Note: Information is subject to change as instructors finalize course content and syllabi.