Course

Critical Issues in Psychology

Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Department
Psychology
Course code
PSYC 3309
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Hybrid
Lecture
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
This course covers critical historical and philosophical issues in the modern day practice of psychology. The purpose of the course is to help the student understand current critical debates in modern psychology by exploring their origin and the empirical and philosophical foundations upon which they rest. By the end of the course, students will understand why controversy exists in modern psychology about the nature of mental disorders, intelligence, memory and other important psychological phenomena. Students will be encouraged to engage in these critical debates and begin to formulate their own positions.
Course content
  1. Basic philosophy of mind concepts such as materialism, determinism, mechanism, reductionism, monism, dualism and epiphenomenalism.
  2. Basic theory and concepts in philosophy of science such as rationalism, empiricism, operationism, positivism, realism, construct validation, Kuhn’s concept of scientific revolutions and Popper’s concept of falsifiability.
  3. Critical historical developments in psychology such as the immediate pre-history of psychology, psychophysics, voluntarism, structuralism, functionalism, behaviourism and cognitive psychology.
  4. Coverage of some modern controversies in psychology such as the nature of mental disorders and intelligence, validity of measurement and the role of hypothetical constructs in psychology.
Learning activities

The course will involve a number of instructional methods, such as the following:

  • Lecture
  • Videos
  • Group discussion
  • Online exercises
  • Online discussion
Means of assessment

Evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy.  Evaluations will be based on the course objectives. The specific evaluation criteria will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester.

An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:

2 quizzes – multiple choice and short answer                         30%

2 online discussion forums                                                     20%

1 final exam – short answer                                                  20%

1 APA term paper                                                                  30%

                                                                                            100%

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the course, the successful student will be able to:

  1. Describe the historical development of the major schools of thought in psychology.
  2. Distinguish between the major schools of thought in psychology.
  3. Identify the philosophical and methodological commitments inherent to each of the major schools of thought in psychology.
  4. Explain the philosophy of science principles inherent to modern psychology.
  5. Explain the use of mental analogies in psychology and exactly how these analogies have changed and stayed the same since the inception of the discipline.
  6. Discuss current debates about the nature of mental disorders, intelligence, etc., within the modern discipline of psychology.
  7. Be able to give an accurate characterization of operationism and construct validation, and how each philosophy of science is relevant to modern psychology.
Textbook materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:

Textbook(s) such as the following, the list to be updated periodically:

Schultz, D. P., & Schultz, S. E.  A history of modern psychology (Current ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth.

Stanovich, K. E.  How to think straight about psychology (Current ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.

Classics in the history of psychology website - selected papers.

Requisites

Prerequisites

PSYC 1100 and PSYC 1200

AND

Admission to the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology Program or the Bachelor of Arts in Applied Psychology Honours Program or Bachelor of Arts  in Applied Criminology or Bachelor of Arts in Applied Criminology-Honours or Psychology (Minor) Program or with permission of the instructor.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for PSYC 3309
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU PSYC 3XX (3)
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU PSYC 3307 (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG PSYC 2XXX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) SFU PSYC 2XX (3) & SFU PSYC 308 (0)
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU PSYC 3XXX (3)
Trinity Western University (TWU) TWU PSYC 408 (3)
University Canada West (UCW) UCW PSYC 3XX (3)
University of British Columbia - Okanagan (UBCO) UBCO PSYO_O 2nd (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) UNBC PSYC 3XX (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV PSYC 3XX (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC PSYC 210 (1.5)

Course Offerings

Fall 2025

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
23
Remaining seats:
12
On waitlist
0
Building
New Westminster - North Bldg.
Room
N3412
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20
Section notes

Registration in this course is restricted to students in the BA Applied Psychology Programs or the BA Applied Criminology programs (including BA Honours Programs). Students who are not enrolled in the BA Program can request permission from the instructor.