Download PDF

Course Outline

SCS101 Foundations of Human Behaviour

Course Coordinator:Cindy Davis (cdavis@usc.edu.au) School:School of Law and Society

2026Trimester 1

UniSC Sunshine Coast

UniSC Moreton Bay

 Blended learning Most of your course is on campus but you may be able to do some components of this course online.

Online

 Online You can do this course without coming onto campus, unless your program has specified a mandatory onsite requirement.

Please go to unisc.edu.au for up to date information on the
teaching sessions and campuses where this course is usually offered.

What is this course about?

Description

This course provides you with foundational knowledge of human behaviour and of major topics in contemporary psychology. You will learn how we perceive the world then process and store this information, how behaviour changes with age, how people differ from each other, how we interact and form groups, and about types of behavioural disorders. You will also learn to apply this knowledge about human behaviour to real-world issues in other discipline areas including criminology, social work, and counselling. The course is specifically designed for students not enrolled in psychology programs.

How will this course be delivered?

Activity Hours Beginning Week Frequency
Blended learning
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Weekly course content 2hrs Week 1 10 times
Learning materials – Online learning materials 1hr Week 1 11 times
Seminar – Assessment preparation 1hr Week 8 2 times
Online
Tutorial/Workshop 1 – Weekly course content 2hrs Week 1 10 times
Learning materials – Online learning materials 1hr Week 1 11 times
Seminar – Assessment Preparation 1hr Week 8 2 times

Course Topics

  • Introduction to psychology
  • Biological understanding of behaviour
  • Cognitive understanding of behaviour
  • Social understanding of behaviour
  • Human development
  • Stress, health and coping
  • Cross-cultural understanding of behaviour
  • Personality
  • Psychological disorders and treatments
  • (All topics contain adult themes)

 

Mature Content

Adult themes

What level is this course?

100 Level (Introductory)

Engaging with discipline knowledge and skills at foundational level, broad application of knowledge and skills in familiar contexts and with support. Limited or no prerequisites. Normally, associated with the first full-time study year of an undergraduate program.

What is the unit value of this course?

12 units

How does this course contribute to my learning?

Course Learning Outcomes On successful completion of this course, you should be able to... Graduate Qualities Mapping Completing these tasks successfully will contribute to you becoming... Professional Standard Mapping * Australian Association of Social Workers
1 Identify concepts, theories and research relating to the study of human behaviour and its application to your discipline area. Knowledgeable 
5
2 Communicate constructs about human behaviour and apply to your discipline Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker 
6, 7
3 Apply analysis and critical thinking to evaluate a current behaviour issue in your discipline. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker 
5, 6
4 Recognise the complexity of personal, social, and cultural identity as well as the understanding of differences experiences and how this relates to behaviour. Knowledgeable
Ethical 
4
5 Demonstrate substantive knowledge in the biological, psychological and social dimensions of human behavior across the life span. Knowledgeable
Creative and critical thinker 
4, 5

* Competencies by Professional Body

CODE COMPETENCY
Australian Association of Social Workers
4 Practice Standard 4: Culture, identity and intersectionality
5 Practice Standard 5: Critical thinking in practice
6 Practice Standard 6: Exercising professional judgement
7 Practice Standard 7: Professional identity

Am I eligible to enrol in this course?

Refer to the UniSC Glossary of terms for definitions of “pre-requisites, co-requisites and anti-requisites”.

Pre-requisites

Must not be enrolled in an accredited Psychology Program i.e. AR374, AR405, AB314, AB315, AR302 or AR364

Co-requisites

Not applicable

Anti-requisites

PSY100

Specific assumed prior knowledge and skills (where applicable)

Not applicable

Microcredential Information

Not applicable

How am I going to be assessed?

Grading Scale

Standard Grading (GRD)

High Distinction (HD), Distinction (DN), Credit (CR), Pass (PS), Fail (FL).

Details of early feedback on progress

Early feedback on your performance in this course will be available via the discussion board task, the formative quiz in week 3, and also via weekly Kahoot quizzes in the tutorials.

Assessment tasks

Delivery mode Task No. Assessment Product Individual or Group Weighting % What is the duration / length? When should I submit? Where should I submit it?
All 1 Written Piece Individual 10% 
200 words
 Week 2 Online Discussion Board
All 2 Quiz/zes Individual 40% 
60 minutes
 Throughout teaching period (refer to Format) Online Submission
All 3 Oral and Written Piece Individual 50% 
4-6 minutes and 1 page written
 Week 12 Online Submission
All - Assessment Task 1:Discussion Post
Goal: 
Demonstrate an understanding and application of key course concepts
Product: Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Discussion board post
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Demonstration of critical thinking and a clear understanding of key concepts.
 1 2 5
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Information literacy
All - Assessment Task 2:Online quizzes
Goal: 
The purpose of this task is for you to identify and describe foundational concepts and theories underpinning human behaviour. These quizzes will assist in providing feedback on your learning throughout the course.
Product: Quiz/zes
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
Submit: Weeks 6 & 12. 

This task requires you to complete two online quizzes in Canvas. Each quiz will focus on the content covered in the related weeks of the course.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Comprehend, apply and communicate using the language of human behaviour
 2
2 
Identify and comprehend related course content
 1 2
3 
Recognise, evaluate and apply human behaviour theories within various contexts
 1
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving
All - Assessment Task 3:Behaviour Analysis Case Study
Goal: 
The goal of this task is for you to apply your cumulative understanding of the multidimensional nature of human behaviour to analyse the behaviour of a known identity in contemporary society
Product: Oral and Written Piece
Authorship Statement:
Format: 
In this secure assessment, you will create and submit a recorded video presentation that shows how you can apply the knowledge and theories learned in this course.

You will choose a well-known person (famous or infamous) from current popular culture or history and analyse their behaviour using psychological theory and research.

Your video should include the following:

Who: Introduce your chosen person and provide key background information.

What: Describe the behaviour(s) they’ve demonstrated and discuss the implications.

Why: Explore possible internal and external influences on their behaviour. Explain these using at least one theory from this course and one additional theory or psychological concept from reliable sources.

Conclusion: Summarise your main ideas and justify your analysis.

References: Upload a one-page reference list in APA format, using credible academic and professional sources.

This is a secure, individual assessment—your video and analysis must be your own original work.
Criteria:
No. Learning Outcome assessed
1 
Identify and articulate relevant behavioural attributes of chosen identity
 2
2 
Research, interpret and synthesise human behaviour theories and constructs
 1 5
3 
Analyse and critically evaluate behaviour to reach a conclusion, drawn from appropriate literature and theory
 3 4
4 
Apply ICT skills to organise, present and communicate information in a digital poster format
 2
5 
Reference evidence in accurate and appropriate style and document through correct use of citations, quotations and bibliography
 2
Generic Skills: 
Communication, Problem solving, Applying technologies, Information literacy

Assessment to competency mapping

Programme Delivery Mode Assessment Type Title Competency Teaching Methods
Australian Social Work Education and Accreditation Standards (ASWEAS)
All delivery modes Oral and Written Piece Behaviour Analysis Case Study 5 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
6 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
Quiz/zes Online quizzes 1 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
2 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
4 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
5 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
6 Taught, Practiced, Assessed
Written Piece Discussion Post 5 Taught, Practiced, Assessed

Directed study hours

A 12-unit course will have total of 150 learning hours which will include directed study hours (including online if required), self-directed learning and completion of assessable tasks. Student workload is calculated at 12.5 learning hours per one unit.

What resources do I need to undertake this course?

Please note: Course information, including specific information of recommended readings, learning activities, resources, weekly readings, etc. are available on the course Canvas site– Please log in as soon as possible.

Prescribed text(s) or course reader

You need regular access to the resource(s) below. Many texts are available as ebooks through the Library at no additional cost.

Required? Author Year Title Edition Publisher
Required Scott O. Lilienfeld / Steven Jay Lynn / Laura L. Namy / Graham Jamieson / Anthony Marks / Virginia Slaughter 2018 Psychology: From Inquiry to Understanding 3rd Pearson Education Australia

Specific requirements

Nil

How are risks managed in this course?

Health and safety risks for this course have been assessed as low. It is your responsibility to review course material, search online, discuss with lecturers and peers and understand the health and safety risks associated with your specific course of study and to familiarise yourself with the University’s general health and safety principles by reviewing the online induction training for students, and following the instructions of the University staff.

What administrative information is relevant to this course?

Assessment: Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is the ethical standard of university participation. It ensures that students graduate as a result of proving they are competent in their discipline. This is integral in maintaining the value of academic qualifications. Each industry has expectations and standards of the skills and knowledge within that discipline and these are reflected in assessment.

Academic integrity means that you do not engage in any activity that is considered to be academic fraud; including plagiarism, collusion or outsourcing any part of any assessment item to any other person. You are expected to be honest and ethical by completing all work yourself and indicating in your work which ideas and information were developed by you and which were taken from others. You cannot provide your assessment work to others. You are also expected to provide evidence of wide and critical reading, usually by using appropriate academic references.

In order to minimise incidents of academic fraud, this course may require that some of its assessment tasks, when submitted to Canvas, are electronically checked through Turnitin. This software allows for text comparisons to be made between your submitted assessment item and all other work to which Turnitin has access.

Assessment: Additional Requirements

Eligibility for Supplementary Assessment

Your eligibility for supplementary assessment in a course is dependent of the following conditions applying:
(a) The final mark is in the percentage range 47% to 49.4%; and
(b) The course is graded using the Standard Grading scale

Assessment: Submission penalties

Late submissions may be penalised up to and including the following maximum percentage of the assessment task’s identified value, with weekdays and weekends included in the calculation of days late:
(a) One day: deduct 5%;
(b) Two days: deduct 10%;
(c) Three days: deduct 20%;
(d) Four days: deduct 40%;
(e) Five days: deduct 60%;
(f) Six days: deduct 80%;
(g) Seven days: A result of zero is awarded for the assessment task.

The following penalties will apply for a late submission for an online examination:
Less than 15 minutes: No penalty
From 15 minutes to 30 minutes: 20% penalty
More than 30 minutes: 100% penalty

Links to relevant University policy and procedures

For more information on Academic Learning & Teaching categories including:

  • Assessment: Courses and Coursework Programs
  • Review of Assessment and Final Grades
  • Supplementary Assessment
  • Central Examinations
  • Deferred Examinations
  • Student Conduct
  • Students with a Disability

For more information, visit https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/policies-and-procedures#academic-learning-and-teaching

Student Charter

UniSC is committed to excellence in teaching, research and engagement in an environment that is inclusive, inspiring, safe and respectful. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect from the University, and what in turn is expected of students, to achieve these outcomes.

General Enquiries

For course-specific questions, contact your teaching staff or Course Coordinator.  

For other enquiries or to access support, please contact Student Central: 

Download PDF