Program Overview

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University Programs

The university offers a wide range of programs, including short and online courses, undergraduate, postgraduate, professional, and research programs.

Subject Areas

• Archaeology and anthropology
  • Archaeology
  • Certificate of Higher Education
  • English Literature
  • History
  • History of Art
  • Theological Studies
• Architectural history
• Business and management
• Data science, computing, maths
• Diplomatic studies and law
• Economics and politics
• Education and study skills
• Environment and sustainability
• History of art
• History, including local and social
• Languages and cultural studies
• Literature, creative writing and film studies
• Medical and health sciences
• Music
• Natural sciences
• Philosophy
• Psychology and counselling
• Religion and theology
• Technology and AI

Course Format

• Day and weekend events
• In-person learning
• Lecture series
• Online learning
• Professional
• Summer schools
• Weekly learning

Academic Credit

Many courses can be studied for academic credit, which means they can count towards a recognised qualification.

Undergraduate Programs

Certificates

• Archaeology
• Certificate of Higher Education
• English Literature
• History
• History of Art
• Theological Studies

Diplomas

• Archaeology
• Creative Writing
• English Social and Local History
• History of Art

Advanced Diplomas

• British Archaeology
• IT Systems Analysis and Design (Online)
• Local History (Online)

Pre-Master's

• Advanced Pre-sessional Course for Graduate Students (nine weeks, full-time)
• Foundations of Diplomacy Pre-Master's Course (six months, full-time)

Summer Schools

• Oxford University Summer School for Adults

Postgraduate Programs

Certificates

• Architectural History
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Ecological Survey Techniques
• Enhanced Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Health Research
• Historical Studies
• Nanotechnology
• Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
• Psychodynamic Counselling
• Qualitative Health Research Methods
• Teaching Evidence-Based Health Care

Diplomas

• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Severe Mental Health Problems
• Health Research
• International Wildlife Conservation Practice
• Psychodynamic Practice

Master of Studies (MSt)

• Creative Writing
• Diplomatic Studies
• Historical Studies
• History of Design
• Literature and Arts
• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy
• Practical Ethics
• Psychodynamic Practice

Research Degrees (DPhil)

• Archaeology
• Architectural History
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• English Local History
• Evidence-Based Health Care
• Literature and Arts
• Sustainable Urban Development

Master of Science (MSc)

• Applied Landscape Archaeology
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
• English Local History
• Evidence-Based Health Care
• Evidence-Based Health Care Medical Statistics
• Evidence-Based Health Care Systematic Reviews
• Evidence-Based Health Care Teaching and Education
• Experimental and Translational Therapeutics
• Nanotechnology for Medicine and Health Care
• Surgical Science and Practice
• Sustainable Urban Development
• Translational Health Sciences

Professional Programs

Continuing Professional Development

• Business and management
• Cultural heritage
• Data science, computing, maths
• Diplomatic studies
• Education
• Environment and sustainability
• Medical and health sciences
• Nanotechnology and nanomedicine
• Philosophy and ethics
• Psychology and counselling
• Research methods and skills
• Technology and AI
• Urban studies

Research

Research at Oxford Lifelong Learning extends across the disciplines and is supported by a research culture that encourages interdisciplinary initiatives.

Research Community

• Academic staff profiles
• Part-time DPhil programmes
• Research areas
• Research students

Graduate School

The Graduate School offers a supportive and stimulating environment for both internal and external postgraduate students and researchers.

Research Forums

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Steering Group
• Lifelong Learning Pedagogies forum
• Research Ethics Colloquium
• The Vice-Chancellors Colloquium

Course Details

Psychology: An Introduction

Overview

This course introduces the science of psychology, exploring the richness of human functions, uncovering the brains secrets, revealing its complexities. Studies from the biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioural and social approaches are presented.

Programme Details

The course is broken down into 10 units over 10 weeks, each requiring approximately 10 hours of study time. The following topics are covered:

1. Introduction

• The history of psychology as an academic discipline
• Psychology as a science
• Research methods
• Working with experimental results

2. This is your brain

• Brain neurophysiology at the cellular level
• The brain structures
• The separation of brain and mind?

3. The development of thought and language

• Learning to think
• The development of language
• Can animals learn language?

4. How memories are formed

• Memories are made of this
• The biological basis of memory
• Memory for future events
• Brain damage and forgetting

5. Behaving ourselves: Reward and punishment

• Learning to behave: Skinners theory
• Classical conditioning
• Applications to everyday life

6. The development and measurement of personality

• Early theories of personality the four humours
• The super three or the big five traits?
• Reliability and validity
• Biological approaches

7. Why do we conform and whom do we obey?

• Conformity
• Compliance
• Internalisation
• Identification
• Obedience

8. Eating, drinking, sleeping and sex: Theories of motivation

• Biological and psychological theories of motivation
• Hunger
• To sleep perchance to dream ...
• Sex
• Psychological theories of motivation

9. Why do fools fall in love? Theories of attraction and relationship formation

• The formation of relationships
• How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...
• Theories of romantic relationship formation
• Evolutionary theories of partner selection

10. When it all breaks down: Brain damage, tumours and strokes

• Brain damage
• The case of Phineas Gage
• Neuropsychological problems

Textbooks

To participate in the course, you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following text:

• Nolen-Hoeksema S., Fredrickson B., Loftus G.R., Wagenaar W., Atkinson & Hilgard's Introduction to Psychology.

Certification

• Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points
• Digital credentials

Fees

• Course Fee: ｣415.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees.

Tutors

• Dr Jo Molle
• Dr Anna Scarna

Course Aims

This course aims to introduce students to an understanding of five approaches in psychology: biological, psychodynamic, cognitive, behavioural and social psychology.

Teaching Methods

• Guided reading of texts
• Group discussions of particular issues
• Online participation in mock experiments
• Discussions of experimental and ethical issues

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, you will be able to understand:

• Aspects of psychology from multiple theoretical perspectives with reference to their history
• The major theories of psychology and what psychologists do
• How psychologists conduct experiments
• Why some psychologists (e.g. Skinner, Freud, Milgram) used certain methods
• The tools used for appropriate evaluation of the science behind the main topics in Psychology

Assessment Methods

You will be set two pieces of work for the course. The first of 500 words is due halfway through your course. This does not count towards your final outcome but preparing for it, and the feedback you are given, will help you prepare for your assessed piece of work of 1,500 words due at the end of the course.

Level and Demands

This course is open to all and no prior knowledge is required. The course is offered at FHEQ level 4 (i.e. first year undergraduate level) and you will be expected to engage in independent study in preparation for your assignments. Our 10-week Short Online Courses come with an expected total commitment of 100 study hours.

English Language Requirements

We do not insist that applicants hold an English language certification, but warn that they may be at a disadvantage if their language skills are not of a comparable level to those qualifications listed on our website.

IT Requirements

This course is delivered online; to participate you must be familiar with using a computer for purposes such as sending email and searching the Internet. You will also need regular access to the Internet and a computer meeting our recommended minimum computer specification.