BA118IU VNU – International University

Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

Vietnam National University – HCMC

International University
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

COURSE SYLLABUSi

BA118IU
Introduction to Psychology

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BA118IU VNU – International University
Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

1. COURSE STAFF

Lecturer: Ms. Nguyen Vo Hien Chau

Room: 01.306
Telephone: TBA
E-mail: nvhchau@hcmiu.edu.vn

Teaching Assistant: TBA

Room: TBA
Telephone: TBA
E-mail: TBA
Consultation Hours: TBA

Should the students wish to meet the staff outside the consultation hours, they are advised
to make appointment in advance.

2. COURSE INFORMATION

2.1 Nam of course: Introduction to psychology

2.2 Course code: BA118IU

2.3 Units of Credit

This course is worth 3 credits.

2.4 Course type:

Specialization
Core
Requirement
Elective

2.5 Parallel teaching in the course

There is no parallel teaching involved in this course.

2.6 Relationship of this course to others

Relationship of this course to others

Introduction to Psychology focuses on the application of scientific psychology to human

life. Emphasis is on "normal" behavior and its antecedents. Includes the study of broad
categories of human behavior through various psychological models, Psychology is an

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BA118IU VNU – International University
Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

introductory course that studies the foundations of human behaviors, thoughts, and
emotions. The course will approach various topics from a scientific perspective, using
systematic investigation and critical thinking methods rather than personal impressions
and “common sense”. The knowledge of Psychology is very useful for students who need
to learn people as producers and consumers.

2.7 Approach to learning and teaching

Employing the interactive learning and problem-based teaching approach, this course
emphasizes the interaction between lecturer and students. The lecture materials will be
introduced to help the students to preview the materials and to concentrate on listening
and critical thinking during the lecture. This will help students to interact with the
lecturer during the classroom. The session for presentations and discussions comprise
case studies as well as answering some theoretical and conceptual questions, which help
the students to see how the concepts are applied in the real international business context.
Students will present the case to the class and discuss with the peers.

3. COURSE AIMS AND OUTCOMES

3.1 Course Aims

The chief aims of this course are for students to learn:

o The subject of human behavior,

o The methods of social sciences,
o The resources for continuous learning after the course,
o The applications in both professional and personal realms, and
o The enjoyment of learning.

3.2 Course Learning Outcomes

Toward this Aim, the objectives are that each student will:

o CLO1: Regarding Subjects: Learn how people behave—what they see, what they
feel, how they work, how they love, what make them happy, and so on. This
applies to you, to your career, and to your personal relationships such as with
friends, parents, future children, bosses, peers, and opponents.

The course combines a set of materials covering a wide range of sub-topics,

ranging from development and learning to motivation/emotion, personality, health
spychology, psychological disorders and social processes. In addition, the course
provides plenty of materials for students to choose their own additional learning.

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Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

Students learn more than just the business world, studying most intimate and
important aspects of our life, such as whether we are happy, how we grow up,
how we grow old, how the society affects us, and how our body affects us. Since
it is a vast field, we will only sample some parts of psychology—those that have
to do with important parts of life, and of the business world.

o CLO2: Regarding Resources: Learn how to use a vast array of information, from
websites to scholarly articles to books, so that students can continue to learn, to
grow in the understanding of human behavior for the rest of their lives.

o CLO3: Regarding Methods: Learn how to detect wrong information—what some

of them are, how they come about, how they are advocated, why they are wrong,
what the is contrary evidence, and how to take the next step.

o CLO4: Regarding Applications: Learn how to apply them to your life. Through
applications, you learn more deeply, retain more, and benefit more. Knowledge
can become power for you.

Through the way we conduct this class, students will also learn:

o How to work in team

o Public presentation skills

o Setting your own goal and collaborate with lecturer and classmates to achieve it.

3.3 Teaching Strategies

The learning system in this course consists of lectures and scheduled

presentations/discussions. Lectures elaborate the appropriate theoretical content in the
textbook and readings. Classes provide a more detailed and refined analysis of both
concepts and applied materials. Classes are strongly oriented towards interactive
discussion of the text and cases. In order to gain the most from the lectures and class
activities, the assigned text/reading should be read before the lecture to participate in the
discussions.

From the second week, the students will need to form small discussion groups (3-4
students/group) which will take turns in presenting the assigned cases each week.
However, all students are required to take active part in the discussions in class. Look at
articles and clippings from business sections of relevant electronic and print media which
are relevant to the presentation topic. The students should explain how the material
relates to the theory discussed in the text. Discuss with group members as to the common
strategy for sourcing, documenting, analysing and presenting cases each week - for which
a basic minimum interaction will be necessary. For the audience, it is important that they
contribute to the case by getting additional information carefully beforehand so that they
are fully familiar with the materials, and are prepared to participate in the discussions.

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BA118IU VNU – International University
Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

4. STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES AND CONDUCT

4.1 Workload

It is expected that the students will spend at least six hours per week studying this course.
This time should be made up of reading, research, working on exercises and problems,
and attending classes. In periods where they need to complete assignments or prepare for
examinations, the workload may be greater.

Over-commitment has been a cause of failure for many students. They should take the
required workload into account when planning how to balance study with part-time jobs
and other activities.

4.2 Attendance

Regular and punctual attendance at lectures and seminars is expected in this course.
University regulations indicate that if students attend less than eighty per cent of
scheduled classes they may be refused final assessment. Exemptions may only be made
on medical grounds.

4.3 General Conduct and Behaviour

The students are expected to conduct themselves with consideration and respect for the
needs of the fellow students and teaching staff. Conduct which unduly disrupts or
interferes with a class, such as ringing or talking on mobile phones, is not acceptable and
students will be asked to leave the class. More information on student conduct is
available at the university webpage.

4.4 Keeping informed

The students should take note of all announcements made in lectures or on the course’s
Blackboard. From time to time, the university will send important announcements to their
university e-mail addresses without providing a paper copy. The students will be deemed
to have received this information.

5. LEARNING ASSESSMENT

5.1 Formal Requirements

In order to pass this course, the students must:
 Achieve a composite mark of at least 50; and
 Make a satisfactory attempt at all assessment tasks (see below).

5.2 Assessment Details

-In-process assessment: 30% (Quizzes+ Group Presentation)

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BA118IU VNU – International University
Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

-Midterm exam: 30%

-Final exam: 40%
Total 100%
In-process assessment
5.2.1 In Class activities
5.2.1.1. Individual in-Class activities: 10%
We do not check attendance in this class, instead you have a 5-minute quiz on weekly
basic.

5.2.1.3. Group presentation (20%)

At first week of the course, each group must register ONE topic in the schedule the group
would like to present. Every week, one or two groups will present one topic.

HOW TO PRESENT?
Please do not repeat the theory I already explained in class. You can choose one of the
following methods to present:
1. A video report
For example: If your topic is Love, advantages and disadvantages of student love
in university. You can make a video report, asking other students for their opinion
and experience, and record the video.

Step 1: Preparation: Before recording, you should make a list of questions you
want to ask your audiences.
- The questions should relate to the presentation topic.
- You should not ask the participant directly about the theory, but rather
interpret the theory or discussed topic into specific and practical questions.
- The questions should be short, simple, and easy to understand
- 3-5 questions are the best.
Ex: Do you have any boyfriend/girlfriend? Which challenges do you have to
balance between study and love? Do you support love in university?....

Step 2: Prior to the interview: you must explain the purpose of the interview
and the record to each participant and ask the participants for their permission to
use the record for studying purpose.

Step 3: During the interview: You should use a record app on your mobile
phone to record the voice of your participants. The sound in direct video may
have poor quality because of background noise.
- You can use Vietnamese in your interview, but please provide English
subtitle when you edit the video.
-
Step 4: Editing the video: You can use popular video editor such as Canva, or
Video editor in Windows

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Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

Step 5: Add your analysis and conclusion: After sharing the interview, you
must sum up, and share your group opinion (etc. How the theory works (or don’t
work) on those real experience, what do your group think…)

Tình yêu thời sinh viên? || Phỏng vấn nhanh - YouTube (Just for your reference,
you don’t need to do exactly the same)
2. A debate (Tranh luận)
In a debate, arguments are put forward for often opposing viewpoints.
- If two groups choose the same topic, you can discuss with other group and set
up a debate, argue about different point of view of a topic.
- Or within one group, you can divide your group into two, and debate, argue,
questioning each other argument. You can even involve with other students in
class to make your debate livelier.
Duration: 10 minutes presentation and 5 minutes for Q&A

5.3 Marking criteria

Marking Criteria Marks Learning outcomes/attributes

Quality of arguments:
relevance, logic and cohesion
Use of case evidence to
support analysis
Originality and usefulness of
the analysis
Organisation, clarity of
expression, editing etc
30 Ability to give compelling arguments
relevant to the discussed topic and
reasoning to support analysis.
20 Ability to conduct applied research to gather
data/information pertaining to the case.
30 Ability to engage in creative problem
solving skills
20 Clarity of vision

5.5 Class participation and Presentation

A minimum attendance of 80 percent is compulsory.

5.6 Special Consideration

Request for special consideration (for final examination only) must be made to the Office
of Academic Affairs within one week after the examination. General policy and
information on special consideration can be found at the Office of Academic Affairs.

6. ACADEMIC HONESTY AND PLAGIARISM

Plagiarism is the presentation of the thoughts or work of another as one’s own (definition
proposed by the University of Newcastle). Students are also reminded that careful time
management is an important part of study and one of the identified causes of plagiarism

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BA118IU VNU – International University
Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

is poor time management. Students should allow sufficient time for research, drafting,
and the proper referencing of sources in preparing all assessment items. The university
regards plagiarism as a form of academic misconduct, and has very strict rules regarding
plagiarism.1

7. STUDENT RESOURCES

7.1 Course Resources

Please note that it is very important to gain familiarity with the subject matter in the
readings prior to attendance in classes.

Textbook required:

[1]Rod Plotnik and Haig Kouyoumdjian, Introduction to Psychology, ninth edition

Further reading:

[2] Helen Fisher, Anatomy of Love – A natural history of Mating Marriage and Why we
Stray, 2016.
[3] Robert B. Cialdini, Influence – the Psychology of Persuasion, 2007
[4] David H. Barlow, Clinical Handbook of Psychological Disorders, 2008

7.2 Other Resources, Support and Information

Additional learning assistance is available for students in this course and will be made
available in Blackboard. Academic journal articles are available through connections via
the VNU - Central Library. Recommended articles will be duly informed to the stude

8. COURSE SCHEDULE
Course Schedule
Date Topic Textbook Class Activities
Class 1 Introduction to the Modules 1 Class Discussion
Class Topic 1: What is your favorite
Discovering psychology topic?
Psychology? Group register
Class 2 Sensation and Modules 6 Class Discussion
Perception Topic 2A: Choose your
favorite case about sensation
and perception (E.g. Why most
Fast-Food restaurant choose

1
This is adapted with kind permission from the University of New South Wales.
i
* The syllabus is prepared following the format provided by the School of Organisation and Management,
University of New South Wales, with kind permission.

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BA118IU VNU – International University
Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

Red as their main logo color?)

You can choose another
related topic, but please
consult with me in advance.
Topic 2B: Different
perception about
love/beauty/money/happiness
Class 3 Learning Module 10 Group presentation and
Class Discussion
Topic 3: Should we use
punishment or reinforcement
to improve people
performance (You can choose
to work either in Education,
Human Resource
Management, or social life
field)
Class 4 Memory Modules 11, 12 Group presentation and
Remembering and Class Discussion
Forgetting Topic 4: Explain how 3 main
types of memory work in a
marketing funnel? (For this
topic, you should choose a
specific brand to analyze)
Class 5 Intelligence Modules 13 Group presentation and
Emotional Modules 15 Class Discussion
Intelligence Topic 5A: The importance of
applying multiple intelligence
theory in career orientation.
Topic 5B: The importance of
Emotional Intelligence in
study and work.(you should
compare and contrast people
with high and low EQ)

Class 6 Motivation Module 16 Group presentation and

Class Discussion
Topic 6: What motivate us to
work? Is money the most
wanted reward in an

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BA118IU VNU – International University
Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

organization? (Think about

when you graduate, which
factors may affect your career
selection)

Class 7 Personality Module 19,20 Group presentation and

Class Discussion
Topic 7: How much do you
understand yourself? (Pros and
Cons of each element in Big 5
traits) How your personality fit
with your dream job?
Midterm Review.
Make up presentation
9-10 Midterm exam week Cover class
1,2,3,4,5,6,7
Class 8 Adolescence and Module 18 Group presentation and
adulthood Module 21 Class Discussion
Topic 9: The effects of
Generation gap between
parents and children -
Common problems and how to
overcome
Class 9 Health, Stress and Modules 21 Group presentation and
Coping Class Discussion
Topic 10: How stress affects
student life and how to deal
with it? (You should define the
stressors before discussing
about the solution)
Class 10 Anxiety disorder, Module 22,23,24 Group presentation and
Mood Disorder and Class Discussion
Therapies Topic 11: People awareness of
Major Depressive Disorder,
when and how to seek for
help.
Class 11 Social Psychology Module 25 Group presentation and
Class Discussion
Topic 12: How social proof
influence people purchasing

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BA118IU VNU – International University
Introduction to Psychology School of Business Administration

decision.
Class12 Cialdini's 6 Principles Lecturer’s material Group presentation and
of Persuasion Class Discussion
Topic 14: Apply principles of
Persuasion to analyze how a
livestream affect customer
purchasing decision
shorturl.at/couQ1
(You can choose a specific
Livestream and analyze it)

Class13 Love Lecturer’s material - Group presentation and

Helen Fisher Class Discussion
Topic 13: Sex before
marriage, should or should
not? Pros and Cons of each
decision.

Class 14 Final review

Make up presentation
Jan 2017 Final exam Covers class
9,10,11,12,13,14,15

Last updated: 18th July 2022

Contact: nvhchau@hcmiu.edu.vn

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