This course will focus on sex and gender from a variety of theoretical perspectives in psychology. It will discuss gender development across the lifespan. Focus will also be given to the impact of gender on several areas of human interaction including the application of the psychology of sex and gender to sexuality, mental health, sex crimes and the body.
This course provides students the opportunity to examine forms of behaviour that augment or impede the work processes in industry or organisations. Emphasis will be placed on the conceptual framework necessary to analyse organisational processes, small group skills and mechanisms for promoting individual and group (team) effectiveness. Issues in motivation, leadership attitudes, job satisfaction, workplace design and safety as they relate to work effort will also be examined. Exposure to and analysis of case studies in organisational behaviour will be carried out.
It will introduce students to different theoretical approaches to the study of social deviance. The various processes that create deviants such as social identity and intra-group processes, intra-group deviance, deviant groups and devalued groups will be discussed. An evaluation of the different approaches in accounting for various modern day social problems will be made.
This course will focus on the issues that will enable the student of psychology to understand the causes of psychological distress and factors that promote psychological well-being. A wide range of psychological difficulties will be covered including anxiety, depression, relationship problems, disabilities, family problems and mental illness. It will also involve a study of the methods and tools needed to undertake clinical assessments including tests interviews and direct observation of behaviour. Strategies for therapy and counselling will be studied
This course will introduce the student to the treatment and teaching of persons with special needs including the physically challenged, the mentally challenged, behaviourally disturbed and others. The various intervention programmes from inclusive education to institutional settings will be explored. Discussions will also centre on materials and equipment for educating the special individual.
This course provides an opportunity for students to examine adolescence, a special watershed in human life. The various theoretical perspectives regarding the nature, character, learning and training of adolescents will be covered. The course also examines the psychosocial problems associated with adolescence and the strategies for establishing cordial relations between adolescents and adult authority. Issues of adolescent sexual health, drug use behaviour, delinquency and nihilism will be emphasized.
This course focuses on the scope and breadth of human development during childhood. It will also examine the patterns of growth, change and stability that occur from birth to adolescence. It will cover the influences on the growth and change of the child’s characteristics including biological and environmental influences. Students will be encouraged to integrate the theoretical explanations and developmental influences with practical application on the African child.
This course will introduce the student to the psychological intricacies of handling the AIDS epidemic especially in Africa. Focus will be on the social influences and attitudes that promote AIDS, stigmatization and bias, the handling and counselling of persons who are H.I.V/AIDS positive. Researches and intervention programmes will also be discussed.
This course will give a special place to the increasing amount of researches on memory and its rising importance in psychological studies. The structure of the brain and physiology of memory will be studied. Also the processes by which the memory system operates including encoding, storage, decoding and retrieval will be examined alongside the influences and elements that go with it. Furthermore the issues of memory stimulation, decay, and memory loss will all be examined with a focus on ways of improving memory functioning.
After successfully completing this course, the student will understand most of the major theoretical approaches to counselling and their application to the counselling process. They will be familiar with key concepts, principles, goals, assessment techniques and the appropriate application of Psychoanalytic, Humanistic, Rational, Behavioural and Cognitive Behavioural therapies in the counselling process.
