PSYC207 Course outline 2009-1
1
University of Macau
Faculty of …
Department of …
XXXX112 TITLE OF COURSE
COURSE OUTLINE … (semester & year)
Compiled by …
In this course, you will … (course description)
FACILITATOR DETAILS
Name
Office
Tel no.
E-mail
Meeting/Class
time(s)
Other meetings
(consultation)
We can also arrange another suitable time – please always make
an appointment via e-mail to ensure that I am in the office
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING/TEACHING METHOD & CODE OF CONDUCT
In this course we will follow a collaborative learning approach. This implies active
participation by you, the student as well as me, the facilitator in the content and
process of the conversational practice and knowledge construction. We take joint
responsibility for learning. Your responsibility as student involves:
 Preparing for lectures by doing the reading indicated for each lecture
 Participating in discussions during the meeting time
 Active involvement in asking questions and finding answers
 Being courageous and speaking your mind
My responsibility as facilitator is to:
 Guide the collaborative learning process
 Facilitate conversational practices
 Provide inputs where necessary
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
The outcomes for this course are achievements that draw on specific knowledge and
skills, displayed in a particular context, and which can be demonstrated and
evaluated as a clearly observable end product of learning. It points to what you
should know and be able to do after completing the reading for this course and
participating in discussions during our meetings. In this course we aim to achieve:
PSYC207 Course outline 2009-1
2
1. Understanding of the structure and functioning (dynamics) of personality as
manifested in everyday behaviour, thought and feelings
2. Knowledge of major assumptions, concepts, units of analysis, underlying
mechanisms and interpretations of different theories of personality
3. Skills for reading and interpreting resources relevant to the study of
personality
4. Skills for communicating in both verbally and written mode about our
understanding and interpretation of different theories of personality
5. Strategies for deepening your understanding and exploration of personality
6. A questioning mind and psychological mindfulness regarding individual
differences and similarities that constitutes “personality”
You will accomplish these achievements (outcomes) in a collaborative and
interactive way by acquainting yourself with the basic elements necessary to
construct knowledge and develop skills. Some valuable hints:
 Learning is an active process and you will achieve the best results once you
embark on employing the supportive elements of the SQ3R method:
 Surveying and prepare for specific activities, and get an overview of the
material.
 Questioning all information and your personal observations to help you
organise and recall it at later stage when you perform a task or interact with a
problem or assignment, broader environment, and your peer group.
 Reading material attentively and write down answers to your questions as
you come across them in your reading, brining together different segments of
your understanding to map new knowledge.
 Reciting, perform and practice using the information in an integrating manner.
 Reviewing and monitoring your own progress by evaluating, checking,
verifying, rectifying, auditing and commissioning the outcomes with a view to
submit assignments for assessment.
 Writing is a valuable tool for learning. Always bring paper and pen to class so that
you can take notes and write responses to class exercises.
 Writing is also necessary for articulation of your comprehension of the course
content, and designed to help you learn and apply the material and clearly
communicate what you have learned. Therefore, this course will contain various
writing components to help you through the learning process.
 You are also encouraged to read as much as possible (preferably in English) and
to carefully observe and question aspects related to personality in everyday life.
PRESCRIBED READING
PROJECTS OF LEARNING
Projects of learning refer to the different forms of assessment that is part of the
learning process. Different assessment strategies will be used to assess your
PSYC207 Course outline 2009-1
3
achievements on the specific outcomes. These strategies are aimed at evaluating
what you have learnt (knowledge component), the learning process (skill
component), and whether you can transfer the knowledge and skill to real-life
situations (attitude component). Due dates for the projects of learning are given in
the course outline.
PROGRESS MARK
= 60%
The coursework grade for PSYC207 comprises three projects set out below. You
can achieve good results by excelling in the individual assignment and participating
in discussions, as well as studying proactively for the quizzes and exam.
Attendance & participation
= 20%
This is a collaborative teaching and discussion-based course. Your attendance and
active participation in class is therefore of prime importance to your learning
experience and to that of your fellow classmates. Come to class on time and be
prepared! Your grade will be based on your class attendance and participation in
class discussions. Arriving late – that is, 10 minutes after the class has started – will
imply losing the grades for that class period.
Be prepared by reading the prescribed chapters beforehand (indicated in the course
outline for the next class). I posted Personality Psychology Study Notes on
UMMoodle to assist you on the journey through the landscape of personality
theories. You should also read these Study Notes for the upcoming class.
Quizzes
= 50%
There will be 3 in-class quizzes for this course replacing the mid-term exam. The
quizzes will take place at the beginning of a lecture lasting approximately 40-50
minutes. Each quiz will consist of multiple choice questions (MCQ) and/or short
essay-type questions and will assess command of the assigned reading.
 Note: If you are absent or late on a quiz day, you will receive a zero for that quiz.
Missed quizzes cannot be made up! The average for all quizzes will serve as
grade for the one you have missed.
Written assignment
= 30%
You have to submit a written paper of maximum four (4) pages. The assignment
entails a review of two scientific journal articles that relates to the personality
theories/approaches covered in this course. I will post relevant journal articles on the
UMMoodle website. You can choose any TWO of these articles for your review and
evaluate how the theory (personality theory) is applied to define and explain key
concepts in the reported research.
NOTE on written assignment
 The review should not exceed 4 pages including the references and title page.
 The paper should be stapled in the top left corner, paginated, and 1.5 line
PSYC207 Course outline 2009-1
4
spacing, with 10 or 12-point font Arial and 2.5 cm margins.
 Papers will be graded on their clarity of thought, quality of expression, and
command of the course material (see the attached title page and criteria).
Papers not turned in at the beginning of class on the due date (see course outline),
must be e-mailed to me as a WORD attachment, and 5 points will be deducted for
each day that the paper is late. Papers may be submitted early but late assignments
will be subject to substantial markdown.
FINAL EXAM
= 40%
You will write a comprehensive final exam in January 2010. The final exam paper
comprises ALL the chapters studied for this course as well as the relevant sections
in the Personality Psychology Study Notes, and will include multiple choice questions
as well as short essay questions.
Grades for both the progress mark and the final exam are rounded to the nearest
whole number. For example, 89.4 rounds down to 89, while 89.6 rounds up to 90.
FINAL COMMENT
I do hope you will enjoy this course and will learn much by participating and
interacting with classmates and significant others. Please feel free to contact me at
any stage if you have a query or are uncertain about how to proceed or even when
you have difficulties with your coursework.
Try to schedule at least one meeting with me during the semester and come
individually or as a small group – your learning can only benefit from engaging in
conversational practice on the topics for this course.
Enjoy the journey of discovery and learning about personality!
PSYC207 Course outline 2009-1
5
COURSE OUTLINE for XXXX112
The table below provides an overview of the course content as well as the reading
required for every week of this semester. Quizzes and exams will cover both lecture
material and readings (textbook and Personality Psychology Study Notes).
Week
Date
Topic
Reading
1
10/09
Introduction and overview
 Course overview
 Invitation to the journey
Introduction
(Chapter 1, pp.3-41)
Study Notes 1
2
17/09
Reflective inquiry
 Studying personality psychology
 Analysing scholarly journal articles
 Introducing “Psychodynamic City”
Freud (Chapter 2,
pp.43-91
Study Notes 2
3
24/09
“Psychodynamic City” – the
psychoanalytic approaches
 Unconscious processes as source of
human striving & motivating behaviour
 Instincts, archetypes
Jung (Chapter 3,
pp.95-122)
Study Notes 3
4
01/10
PRC day holiday
5
08/10
“Psychodynamic City” – the
psychosocial approach
 Psychosocial processes motivating
behaviour
Erikson (Chapter 8,
pp.219-248)
Study Notes 3
6
15/10
Application of three theories
 Quiz 1: Psychoanalytic & psychosocial
approaches (50 min)
Collaborative practice
 Sharing what you have learnt
Reading for quiz 1:
Chapters 1, 2, 3 & 8
Study Notes 3
7
22/10
“Trait City” – trait approaches
 Introduction to Trait City
 Hereditary factors & traits as motivation
 Five-factor model
Collaborative practice
 Sharing what you learnt in Trait City
 Application & case analysis
Eysenck (Chapter
10, pp.288-289)
McCrae & Costa
(Chapter 10, pp.292298)
Study Notes 4
8
29/10
FSH Reading week
Continue with written assignment – theme paper
9
05/11
“Humanistic City” – actualisation as key
motivation
Maslow (Chapter 11,
pp.305-330)
PSYC207 Course outline 2009-1
Week
Date
Topic



Introduction to Humanistic City
Actualisation of human potential
Need for positive regard
6
Reading
Rogers (Chapter 12,
pp.332-351)
Study Notes 5
10
12/11
“Humanistic City” – personal constructs
 Experience & subjective knowing
 The self and self-concept
 Personal construct system
Kelly (Chapter 13,
pp.355-376)
Submit written
assignment
11
19/11
Application & collaborative practice
Quiz 2: Trait theories & humanistic theories
(50 min)
Collaborative practice
 Presentation (psychodrama) of humanist
theories
Reading for Quiz 2:
Chapters 10, 11, 12
& 13
Study Notes 4 & 5
12
26/11
“Social-Cognitive City” – social learning
 Introduction to Social-Cognitive City
 Learning processes of motivation
 Observational learning
Bandura (Chapter
15, pp.403-432)
Study Notes 6
13
03/12
“Social-Cognitive City” – social learning
 Personal variables
 Processes of
Collaborative practice
 Case study analysis
Walter Mischel
(article)
Study Notes 6
14
10/12
Application & collaborative practice
Quiz 3: Learning theories & social-cognitive
approach (50 min)
Contemporary approaches to personality
 Social Constructionism and the Dialogical
Self Theory
Reading for quiz 3:
Chapter 15 & 16
Study Notes 6
15
17/12
Bringing it all together
 Comparison and summary of major
principles
 What is personality?
 Why study personality?
Study Notes 7 & 8
Reading for exam January 2010
All prescribed chapters in the textbook
Study Notes 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 8