Course Topics
- Introduction to General Psychology; - sensation and perception; - attention, consciousness and awareness; - learning and memory; - communication and language; - emotions and motivation; - decision making, problem solving.

Teaching format
Interactive lecture & laboratory with experiential activities

Educational objectives
Knowledge and understanding Students will demonstrate familiarity with the most important concepts, theoretical perspectives, scientific findings and recent trends in general psychology. They are expected to improve their understanding of behaviour, its biological, emotional and cognitive components and effects. In the Laboratory, students will be introduced to the 10 life skills as indicated and supported by the WHO. Applied knowledge and understanding Students will develop insight into their own and others' behaviours and mental processes, and will be able to apply effective strategies for self-management and development. They are expected to apply psychological theories, concepts and methods to contemporary problems, using this knowledge in their own lives and work to solve practical situations and problems. In the Lab: The 10 life skills are applied skills, so the entire lab will cover this indicator. Autonomy of judgement Students will be strongly encouraged to consider and use critical and creative thinking, to be curious but scientifically skeptical and, when possible, to recognise valid versus invalid approaches and findings. In the Lab: The life skills "Self-Awareness" and "Critical Thinking" cover this descriptor. Communication skills Students will be able to communicate adequately on psychological content and topics, without being carried away by flights of fancy. Furthermore, they are expected to improve their communication strategies, particularly with regard to non-verbal communication. In the Lab: The life skills "Interpersonal Relationship Skills" and "Effective Communication" cover this descriptor. Ability to learn Once they understand how the cognitive system works (and that it rarely works as it is described through common sense), students will be able to choose and use the best learning method and thus improve their study skills. Not only that, but such solid information will make them differentiate themselves from other professionals with whom they collaborate, enabling them to be more effective and acknowledged. Since the lab focuses on skill acquisition, the "learning-by-doing" paradigm means that the ability to learn will depend on the skills improved during the lab activities.

Assessment
Students can choose whether to take the examination in written form (2.1) or oral form (2.2). 2.1- The written examination consists of five questions to be answered in a maximum of 6-7 lines. For each question, the number indicated in brackets represents the range of points available (N): for a sufficient answer = 0 points; for very good, rich and complete answers = N points; no answer or totally wrong answer = -N points. Starting from 18, the mark will be calculated by adding (or subtracting) all the points awarded for the answers. 2.2- The oral examination consists of a 30-40 minute interview: a general question will introduce a topic, and subsequent questions/comments will continue to explore pragmatic competence (based on theoretical knowledge) to solve plausible problem situations, also referring to situations described in the Lab.

Evaluation criteria
I will assess students' performance, their "ability to respond to situations/events". It means, in practice, that they will not need to learn lists or names by heart (you can always find them in any textbook). Instead, they will have to demonstrate that they can find an optimal perspective on how to 1. follow a correct course of action in order to get an adequate response to the aims (60%), 2. motivate and elaborate their decision, consistent with their personal style and their scientific knowledge, including the practical ones obtained in the Lab (40%). For such an examination, these are useful skills: ability to argue, to make broad connections between contents; ability to critically analyse and reflect on theories and models, their application and to be able to criticize them; ability to create timely answers about a topic (without forewords, digressions or deviations).