Psychology

Course summary

You will develop your skills of analysis and evaluation. We will teach you to deal with conflicting theories, consider evidence and draw conclusions. You will strengthen your communication skills, both written and oral, and learn how to form a structured and considered argument. You will learn about people: what they do and why they do it. This will be useful in any future life situation which involves dealing with other people. Psychology enables you to develop key, transferable skills which employers are looking for. It can lead to a wide range of employment opportunities in areas such as healthcare, management, social work, research, teaching, marketing, advertising and human resources. What will I learn on this course? In Year 12 you will study Psychology by investigating the different approaches that are used to explain human behaviour, including psychodynamic and cognitive Psychology. In each approach, you will learn about one classic study and therapy. You will also refine your debating skills through class discussion of contemporary ideas such as the ethics of neuroscience, mothers as primary caregivers and the use of mindfulness in education and the workplace. In addition to this, you will learn more about how psychologists design and conduct research. In Year 13, you will deepen your understanding of Psychology by looking at a range of interesting human behaviours such as addiction, schizophrenia, and stress. You will then apply your psychological knowledge to several controversies by exploring sexism, cultural bias and the use of non-human animals in research.