Description

Humans are fascinating. Why do we think and behave the way we do? What makes us similar in some ways and different in others? And, above all, how do these factors affect how we interact with the world around us?

In Psychology Basics, we will explore all of these questions and much more. Throughout the course, you will get to know some of the brilliant psychologists and their contributions to the field – like S. Freud, A. Bandura, E. Loftus, and I. P. Pavlov. It has been said that “psychology has a long past, but only a short history,” so we will trace the ideas that have shaped psychology as a discipline from the early beginnings to the current state of things. You will discover how humans develop from a psychological perspective across the lifespan, how language and memory work, and, at the end of the year, you will also obtain foundational knowledge of psychological disorders. You may expect a wide range of activities, real-life scenarios and tips for your everyday life: for example, how to recognise cognitive obstacles, cope with stress or learn new information effectively.

The course is divided into 5 topical modules, each lasting 6-8 weeks. The content is presented on the learning platform Buzz, whereby students engage with short texts, videos or interactive activities at their own pace, following a recommended timeline of 1-2 assignments per week. Assignments typically take the form of multiple-choice questions (MCQs), mini-essays and presentations. Moreover, each module contains a discussion-based assessment and a short MCQ-based test to assess students’ knowledge. Lastly, students are also invited to complete a collaborative project, having the option to choose between a theoretical and a practical task.

Course Structure

Major Topics and Concepts

The course is divided into 5 topical modules, each lasting 6-8 weeks. The content is presented on the learning platform Buzz, whereby students engage with short texts, videos or interactive activities at their own pace, following a recommended timeline of 1-2 assignments per week. Assignments typically take the form of multiple-choice questions (MCQs), mini-essays and presentations. Moreover, each module contains a discussion-based assessment and a short MCQ-based test to assess students’ knowledge. Lastly, students are also invited to complete a collaborative project, having the option to choose between a theoretical and a practical task.

Module 01 - Theories and Perspectives

• Roots of Psychology
• Principles of Psychological Research
• Psychodynamic Perspectives
• Humanistic Perspectives
• Trait and Social-Cognitive Perspectives

Module 02 -The Human Lifespan

• Studying Development
• Prenatal Development and the Newborn
• Early Childhood Development
• Development in Childhood
• Adolescence
• Aging

Module 03 - Learning and Memory

• Classical Conditioning
• Operant Conditioning
• Observational and Cognitive Learning
• Information Processing
• Storage
• Retrieval

Module 04 - Thinking and Language

• Language Acquisition
• Language and Thought
• Problem Solving and Decision Making
• Obstacles
• Stress
• Coping

Module 05 - Psychological Disorders and Treatment

• History of Psychological Disorders
• Using the DSM
• Schizophrenic and Dissociative Disorders
• Bipolar, Depressive, and Anxiety Disorders
• Personality Disorders, OCD, and PTSD
• Treatment of Psychological Disorders

Course syllabus

Materials required

No additional materials are required.

No additional materials required.

Price

course fee: 513,- EUR / 13 500,- Kč

Student’s Experience

Kurz se mi líbí, je zajímavý a je to úplně něco jiného než ve škole. Upřímně se těším na každý úkol nebo zadání. Jsemráda, že jsem objevila tento kurz. Do budoucna chci studovat nejspíše psychologii a určitě chci studovat v zahraničí. Díky tomuto kurzu se cítím sebevědoměji v angličtině a zároveň v již zmíněné psychologii. 

Ema K., 2024

The reason I decided to begin this course was to deepen my knowledge of psychology. Even though it was a Psychology BASICS course, one has to always start from scratch to then improve further. :) I’m very glad to say that this course met my expectations and completed my aims in studying psychology, showed me that there are more subfields than I was aware of, and finally, taught me lots of new stuff in the field I want to continue with in the future. What I really liked about our course instructor was her personal and individual approach toward us students.

Student, 2024

I wish my lessons at school were as interesting as the course. I enjoyed every module and learned a lot of new things that I can now use in school and generally in life or as fun facts.

Elisa R., 2023

What students say about the course:

Student feedback on the course in terms of the…

…course content

• “I enjoyed the content itself because I vaguely knew about some of the topics, but this course helped build a foundation, especially since all the information is connected and relevant to each other.” (2024/25)
• “I really enjoyed the psychology course—much more than I expected. I’m glad I learned the basic concepts of psychology and how they apply to everyday life.” (2024/25)
• “I actually enjoyed everything in this course. I really liked all the assignments, all exams and especially our discussions. Even the presentations with the material were very nicely made, not boring at all. I have learned actually so much that I can't be specific right now, because I would have to include every single fact, theory and person I learned about. I loved it.” (2023/2024)

…own learning

• “I learned how to have video discussions, how to work with others, and also how to manage my time better.” (2024/25)
• “I have enjoyed this course so much even though I told myself that it is best to choose a different expertise. But that does not mean I did not learn anything useful for everyday life. It was my goal to get better education in this field, and I can imagine using this information in my hobbies.” (2024/2025)
• “I struggled with discipline in the past and this year was a kind of “free trial” of how it was going to be next year if I want to excel academically. I took up this course partially to have something that is purely my responsibility, and I believe I handled it pretty well.” (2024/2025)
• “I really liked the fact that we could all work at our own tempo. It proved helpful as I can struggle with deadlines so the fact that we had an entire week to complete one assignment was really useful.” (2023/2024)

…instructor

• “It was obvious that psychology is close to Aneta’s heart. The reports she wrote were encouraging while still being fair.” (2024/2025)
• She was always very understanding, and the feedback she gave was always helpful. Another amazing thing was that during the debates, whenever she explained the concepts further, they became much easier to understand. She was there for us throughout the whole process always kind, supportive, and always fair to everyone. (2024/2025)

• “I think that Ms. Zavadilova is an excellent instructor. Whenever I had time management problems or didn’t understand something, I knew I could turn to her for help with the given subject and the encouragement and praise after getting a good grade was always nice to see.” (2023/2024)
• “Maybe it will sound unoriginal, but I was extremely satisfied with the lecturer's approach. She complied when needed, she was very nice, and you could see that she wanted to pass on some knowledge to us.” (2023/2024)

…workload

Based on feedback from the 2023/24 and 2024/25 cohorts, most students spend 2 to 4 hours per week on the course, with a few spending slightly less or more.