PSYC13017 - Foundations of Psychopathology

General Information

Unit Synopsis

The human brain is a marvelous and complex organ that allows us to perceive the environment, plan courses of action, and engage in adaptive behaviours. Most of the time, these processes are carried out smoothly and efficiently allowing us to function optimally. However, there are times and circumstances where the brain does not operate as it should. In this unit you will examine mental health disorders which frequently have significant adverse impacts. Mental illness will be explored in the context of major diagnostic systems and treatment models. Using a bio-psycho-social approach, you will explore the aetiology and course of psychopathology and consider evidence-based treatments used to facilitate recovery.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 3
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

96 credit points in CC43, CF59, CL51, CL55, CM62, CC13, CG85, CB66, CG93 or CA10, OR admission to CC10 and completion of PSYC11010.

 

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 2 - 2025

Term 3 - 2025 Profile
Online

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Quiz(zes) 30%
2. Written Assessment 40%
3. Presentation 30%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2025 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 88.89% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 30.51% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Student feedback
Feedback
Some of the quiz questions / response options could be clearer.
Recommendation
Review and revise quiz items that are unclear and engage in peer review of quiz questions to ensure clarity and relevance to content in the unit.
Action Taken
Quiz items were reviewed and some items were removed or modified.
Source: Student email
Feedback
Positive comments regarding compassion and empathy extended towards people with psychopathology in an informal manner during group discussions.
Recommendation
Formally include discussion of empathy and compassion for people with psychopathology into early lectures.
Action Taken
Students were encouraged to take a nonjudgmental stance towards people with psychopathology and take a positive, hopeful approach towards people making a recovery.
Source: Student email
Feedback
Some student identified that a couple of questions in the quiz were unclear.
Recommendation
Continue to revise any quiz items that need clarification
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student email. SUTE comments
Feedback
Some students had challenges in uploading the recorded video assessment.
Recommendation
Revise the uploading procedure for recorded video assessments. Emphasise to students that Echo360 - Moodle is the only acceptable method for submitting video assessments. Encourage students to upload the assessment early and contact TaSAC with any problems.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: SUTE comments
Feedback
Some students requested more video resources to be placed in the weekly Moodle tiles.
Recommendation
Source additional video resources and include current links in Moodle.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Explain and apply mental health diagnostic criteria used in the International Classification of Diseases and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual.
  2. Apply acquired knowledge of the aetiology and course of mental health disorders to the development of a bio-psycho-social formulation.
  3. Evaluate evidence-based treatment options that facilitate recovery from mental health disorders.

This unit addresses Foundational Competencies as specified by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) and specifically aligns to:

1.1 Comprehend and apply a broad and coherent body of knowledge of psychology, with depth of understanding of underlying principles, theories and concepts in the discipline, using a scientific approach, including the following topics:

(i) the history and philosophy underpinning the science of psychology and the social, cultural, historical and professional influences on the practice of psychology

(ii) individual differences in capacity, behaviour and personality

(iii) psychological health and well-being

(iv) psychological disorders and evidence-based interventions

(v) learning and memory

(vi) cognition, language and perception

(viii) neuroscience and the biological bases of behaviour

(xi) culturally appropriate psychological assessment and measurement

1.2 Apply knowledge and skills of psychology in a manner that is reflexive, culturally appropriate and sensitive to the diversity of individuals

1.3 Analyse and critique theory and research in the discipline of psychology and communicate these in written and oral formats.

1.6 Demonstrate self-directed pursuit of scholarly inquiry in psychology.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Online Quiz(zes) • • •
2 - Written Assessment • • •
3 - Presentation • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3
1 - Communication •
2 - Problem Solving • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • •
4 - Information Literacy • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence •
8 - Ethical practice • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10