COURSE OUTLINE

SSC-104 FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR

Instructor: Dr Shahzad Shafqat
Semester: Fall 2015
Office hours: After class/By Appointment
Email: sshafqat@iba.edu.pk
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course provides a basic understanding of principles and theories related to human
behavior. The field of psychology is very broad and this course will serve to acquaint
students with the different areas within psychology and to provide information on the
major theories and concepts in each area. This course will also teach students to
scientifically and critically evaluate why people think, feel and behave the way they do.
INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS:
This class will focus on a multidimensional approach that allows students to learn by doing
in addition to traditional didactic training. Multiple pedagogical approaches will be used to
meet this end.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Students will be expected to develop the following skills and knowledge
Understand major influences and contributors towards the field of psychology and
gain knowledge of the history of Psychology
Understand psychological research methods, the nature and ethics of
experimentation in Psychology
Understand the reciprocal nature of interaction between biology and psychology
and sociocultural factors
Understand and identify various psychological disorders
Understand human behavior in social, political and religious contexts
Integrate and apply the above concepts to practical life and real-world experiences
Understanding the use of psychology in business and organizations.

Dr Shahzad Shafqat

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CLASS EXPECTATIONS:
Attendance will be the first thing in class. It is your responsibility to be in class and
respond clearly when your name is called.
You are reminded that only 4 absences are permitted out of 28 classes. Keep them
for any unforeseen emergencies.
There is no single book for the course, and nor are you expected to memorize
anything.
This is applied and critical learning and you would be expected to read around
topics.
REQUIRED READINGS:
As instructed in class for each topic; there is no singular textbook.
GRADING AND EXAM MILESTONES:
Date
11-Sep
02-Oct (week)
30-Oct
20-Nov (week)
11-Dec
25-Dec (week)

Exam
Assessment 1
1st term exam
Assessment 2
2nd term exam
Assessment 3
Final exam

Marks
5
25
10
25
10
25

TOTAL

100

Lectures
10
20
28

There will be 6 assessments in total, all amounting to a score of 100. They are evenly
spaced through the course, and after requisite number of lectures, the students will be
assessed on a range of testing tools that shall be shared prior to the exam in question.
CLASS SCHEDULE:
Lecture 1 Introduction to the course
Understanding the premise of the course and the subject of psychology. Familiarization
with the semester academic plan for the course.
Lecture 2 History & areas of psychology
Historical development of psychology as a discipline and major schools of thought in
psychology.
Lectures 3 & 4 Psychology classics
A study of the flagship studies of psychology that have made it a science of human behavior.

Dr Shahzad Shafqat

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Lecture 5 Life-span development

Development of the human being from conception to death. The changes in persona and
the underlying biology that affects human behavior.
Lecture 6 Cognition & neuropsychology
Understanding the brain; the physical hard drive that runs all the psychological software
for humans.
Lectures 7 & 8 Intelligence
Learning about the individual differences in intellectual ability. How the capacity of the
mind restricts or enhances our social functions.
Lectures 9 & 10 Personality
The traits that make us who we are as study of the attributes of human behavior that
evolve with time and form our consistent habits and behaviors.
Lectures 11 Emotions
Understanding basic as well as integrated emotions, along with their management in
everyday life.
Lecture 12 Motivation
Appreciating human needs and wants, and how they can be best understood to maximize
human efficiency.
Lectures 13 & 14 Abnormal and clinical psychology
Familiarization with atypical behaviors that are medically classified as abnormalities,
paired with a brief study of different treatment methods.
Lectures 15 & 16 Social psychology
Study of inter personal and inter group relations, with an appreciation of notions like bias,
prejudice, and discrimination.
Lecture 17 Political psychology
Why do people need political structures and what are the underlying psychological
dynamics within these systems.
Lecture 18 Psychology of religion
Understanding the relationship people tend to have with their belief systems and exploring
the psychological attraction for religions.
Lecture 19 Criminal psychology
Study of atypical behavior that is deemed illegal by law within cultures and societies.
Understanding the psychological compulsion for criminality.
Lecture 20 Psychology of extremism
A study of why some people and groups resort to extreme actions, beliefs, and ideologies.
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Lecture 21 Media psychology

Exploring the evolution of media overtime and its influence on human behavior.
Lecture 22 Cyber psychology
Understanding the new challenges in analyzing human behavior in the virtual world, with
an emphasis on social networking.
Lectures 23 & 24 Business/organizational psychology
Studying fundamentals of the baseline psychology that is needed to understand businesses
and organizations.
Lectures 25 & 26 Psychology of finance and economics
How and why does money influence human behavior, and how does financial planning
emanate from human needs.
Lectures 27 & 28 Psychology of leadership & management
Exploring the difference between leaders and managers, and understanding how successful
leaders make good use of psychology to further their ambitions.
POINTS OF REFERENCE:
Course materials can be accessed via the webpage: tiny.cc/human
You can contact the instructor in office no. 136 in the Aman building or via email at
sshafqat@iba.edu.pk.

Dr Shahzad Shafqat

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