Undergraduate Courses

The Bachelor of Arts/Science programme is designed to equip students with the relevant knowledge in the field of psychological practice and research. The programme content has constantly been modified in response to changes in the field of psychology around the world, and to address societal and national needs. The programme opens up numerous career opportunities in business, human resources, law, community relations, social services, public services, security services, prison services, child care, health care, and education. It is also a fine foundation for further training as a professional psychologist at the post-graduate level.

 

Course Code Title
PSYC 458 Sports Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

This course focuses on the psychological and mental factors that relate to participation and performance in sport, exercise and physical activity and how these may improve personal development and well-being throughout the life span. Topics to be covered include an introduction to sports psychology, motivation and self-confidence in sports, aggression and violence in sports, leadership, cohesion and audience effects, relationships in sports, life skill training, and transitions in sport. 

PSYC 456 Organizational Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

This course deals with the application of psychological concepts, theories, methods, and ideas to the problems of organisations. The course is made up of organisational theory and organisational behaviour. Topics include: the nature of organisations, organisational structure, design of effective organisations, organisational development, organisational climate and culture, organisational change, organisational decline, organisational learning, group processes in organisations, employee motivation, job satisfaction, and organisational commitment. 

PSYC 454 Applied Social Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

This course will examine how the theories and principles of social psychology can be applied to major issues affecting contemporary societies. Topics to be covered include intergroup conflicts and their management, the role of social psychology in the clinic and in politics and in the courtroom, and determinants of helping behaviour. Topical issues such as attitudes regarding sanitation and health will also be discussed. The course will be an interactive one, providing a forum to share ideas and discuss the strategies that students will develop based on the theories of social psychology. 

PSYC 444 Psychology and National Development

Credit Hours - 3

This course is designed to help students understand how psychology can be applied in various areas of national endeavours. Topics include: Economic Psychology, Psychology and Health, Psychology and Entrepreneurship, Attitude and Attitude change, Sports Psychology, Psychology and Politics, Psychology and Law, Psychology and Crime Prevention, Psychology and Poverty alleviation.

PSYC 452 Environmental Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

This course aims to explore the relationship between psychology and the environment with particular emphasis on how the environment influences human behaviour. The course takes a critical look at the natural, the built, and the psychological climate, and how they influence behaviour. It is aimed at creating awareness among students on the effects (with particular attention on the adverse ones) the environment has on the quality of life, and how to reduce and/or manage them. At the end of the course, it is expected that students should be able to identify environmental hazards, critically assess their effects, and learn how to control or manage them. 

PSYC 448 Community Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

This course is designed to help students develop a conceptual and pragmatic understanding of various issues and topics in community psychology. It introduces students specifically to the principles/philosophies of community psychology, community research and program evaluation, types and models of prevention, stress, coping and social support, psychological sense of community and reasons and strategies for social change. At the end of the course, students should be empowered to apply the principles/models of community psychology to social/community problems and to provide appropriate interventions. 

PSYC 463 Health Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

Health psychology focuses on the role played by psychological factors in the cause, development and consequences of health and illnesses. The objectives of this course are to expose students to some of the significant theoretical and intervention issues in health/illness behaviours. The course will be based on a national health perspective, with the main emphasis on behavioural risk factors, which are the primary health concerns in Ghana. Topics to be covered include stress and coping, HIV/AIDS, lifestyle diseases in Ghana and disease prevention and health promotion. 

PSYC 459 Military Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

This course deals with selected topical issues in the military. These include leadership and group dynamics (unit identity, unit cohesion, morale and heroism), stress and combat performance, combat stress behaviours, combat misconduct stress behaviours, battle fatigue and post-traumatic stress disorders. 

PSYC 457 Industrial Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

This course covers mainly topics in Personnel Psychology. It deals with how psychological principles, theories, concepts and methods are applied to shape individuals for effective job performance. It also deals with how to design work and improve work environments. Topics include: Job Analysis, Personnel Selection, Training and Development of human resources, Performance Appraisal, Safety and Accidents at the workplace. 

PSYC 455 Introduction to Neuropsychology

Credit Hours - 3

This is a course that will introduce students to a general overview of the anatomy of the brain (both cortical and subcortical). The course is also designed to help students understand the functions of the brain's structures with respect to human behaviour and brain-related diseases. The course will be in two parts. The first part is an overview of selected brain functions (e.g. perception, language, memory, attention, sensory/motor control, executive functions) in both normal functioning and brain damage syndromes. The second part of the course will review clinical assessment and rehabilitation issues. 

PSYC 453 Psychology of Religion

Credit Hours - 3

Psychology of religion deals with the application of psychological principles, theories and methods of research in studying religious behaviour, religious cognition, religious motivation, and the role of religion in human life. The course draws on the contributions of other fields of psychology, and focuses on the attitudes, values and experiences of people and their relationship with the supernatural. Topics to be covered include the emergence of psychology of religion, approaches to the study of psychology of religion, religious experience, religion and morality, coping and adjustment and functions of religion in adult life. 

PSYC 451 Guidance and Counselling

Credit Hours - 3

This course is designed to provide an insight into guidance and counselling. Specific topics to be covered include: the historical development of guidance and counselling, the counselling process, techniques of counselling, the therapeutic relationship, theory and practice of counselling, special problems in counselling, and ethical issues in counselling. 

PSYC 447 Educational Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

This course is designed to provide insight into the problems of teaching and learning and to develop the necessary professional skills and competencies for prospective educationists and teachers. This is intended to enable them to effectively understand, predict and control the behaviour of learners in the educational process. 

PSYC 445 Clinical Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

The course focuses on an introductory survey of the field. The topics explore the history of clinical psychology, including the development of the field in Ghana, its scope, functions and future perspective. The course also covers the latest developments in clinical research and techniques in health psychology, behavioural medicine, psychopathology and mental health.

PSYC 449 Practicals in Cognition II

Credit Hours - 1

This course is a compulsory practical component of PSYC 401. Students are expected to participate in experiments based on the theories learned in PSYC 401, and then submit a research report based on the approved experiment. 

PSYC 443 Social Psychology

Credit Hours - 3

This course focuses on the study of the social dimensions of human behaviour. Unlike other domains of psychology that focus mainly on the individual as the unit of analysis, social psychology examines behaviour in its social context. Students will be introduced to the main theories, research methods and significant research findings in social psychology. Emphasis will also be placed on key concepts such as attribution, cognition, attitudes, and social influence. At the end of this course, students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the basic principles of social influences on behaviour. 

PSYC 441 Cognitive Psychology II

Credit Hours - 3

The course builds on Cognitive Psychology I. The aims are to acquaint students with essential theoretical principles and findings in cognitive psychology, along with the methods by which such knowledge is acquired. Topics include sensation and perception, attention, visual imagery, thinking and reasoning, decision-making, problem solving, language and comprehension, and individual and gender differences in cognition. I'd like to point out that cognitive psychology is applied to real-world settings and implications. 

PSYC 495 Research Seminar

Credit Hours - 3

This course is for students who are offering PSYC 490 (Research Project). They are expected to orally present their research proposals at the Departmental Seminar before going to the field for data gathering. 

PSYC 490 Research Project

Credit Hours - 3

This course is research-based and runs from the first semester to the second semester. Under the supervision of faculty members, students are expected to select a researchable topic in psychology, conduct an empirical study on it, write a research report and submit it to the Department for examination.