Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology (BSc PSY)

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Course Descriptions





Psychology

This module will cover all of the most common major mental disorders and its expression, social/environmental issues that impact mental health and forensic psychological assessment in Islamic Jurisprudence. This course will also touch upon the following: knowing one’s boundaries in offering counselling services and an explanation of the different occupational specialties that address mental health such that appropriate referrals can be made. Some critical analysis of how current diagnosis is formulated and conceptualized will be explored within the context of historical Muslim scholarly understandings of illness in general.
This course will introduce the basic concepts of the physiological and neurobiological mechanisms underlying the generation and control of behaviour. Topics covered include the structure and functions of the brain, neuronal communication, how genes, hormones and neurotransmitters in various physiological processes affect behaviour, cognition, emotions, motivation and development. In addition, the course will consider what psychologists may learn from the effects of brain damage, for example following a stroke or in neurological/mental health disorders. Core concepts in abnormal psychology will be considered as well as examples of specific psychological disorders.
This module provides students with an introduction to writing a research proposal and to the types of skills necessary for the planning, and development of the proposal.
This course will cover the main theories principles, and methods of child psychology. The Islamic perspective on the nature, characteristics, and development of children will be discussed within each module. Scientific theories and principles will also be integrated in various topics.
In this course students will learn about client-centered therapy. There are 30 modules in total. This topic is quite practical, so the initial sessions will focus on the theory behind the given approach to therapy and the later sessions will work through practical examples of how such approaches can be applied in the therapeutic setting. The first 11 sessions will focus more heavily on theory, followed by 9 modules on applications of the theory, both in terms of counselling and more widely in other institutions such as healthcare, teaching and even at home raising children. The next 9 modules are based on specific practical examples in the therapeutic context, followed by a final review session. During the latter, more practical modules, students will be walked through a working example in depth. In later sessions students will be expected to work more independently attempting to apply the client centered approach themselves to the given example using the provided worksheet.
In this course students will begin by learning about some of the common psychological conditions commonly treated with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Students will then be guided through the process of what is involved in engaging in and delivering CBT to patients with these conditions. Students will learn about the structure of a typical session and the various techniques involved in helping patients to overcome their ailments working towards self-guided support. Students will also learn the types of skills to be adopted by the therapist and how to deal with setbacks. Throughout the course, students will be made aware of real-life case examples to support their understanding of new concepts.
The course focuses on theory of cognitive psychology and the disorders of perception, attention, memory, and language. Quranic references to thinking and the exercise of intellect occur in conjunction with basically five major themes: belief in the Oneness and munificence of God (tawhid), reflection (tadabbur) on the Quran; man and the universe; historical precedent; and thinking itself.
The course provides students with a correct understanding of the etiquettes of seeking knowledge, as well as the importance of gaining true knowledge. This course covers the characteristics of the seeker of knowledge, etiquettes to be followed with his teacher, importance of the application of knowledge, and some precautions for the seeker.
This course will provide an in-depth study on how family is viewed through the lens of a therapist. Students will be given an overview of the latest theories and methods applied by therapists in addressing various family issues. Although taking this course will not qualify you to provide therapy, you will gain a strong understanding of how families are helped by professionals along with understanding the impact family has on the individual and how individuals impact families. The instructor will incorporate Islamic principles and concepts which help to strengthen families. The family is an integral part of Muslim society. When the family structure is weak then so too is the Muslim Ummah. Healthy families produce healthy communities, and healthy communities produce a healthy Ummah. This course will provide the foundation for providing family therapy in the future. This course is excellent for anyone who is planning on working with individuals, couples, and families in the future be it in a setting as a religious leader or as a clinician.
The focus of the course is on Health Psychology based upon the Qur'an and Sunnah. This course will serve as a comprehensive introduction to the field of health psychology and examines how the areas of health, illness and medicine can be studied from a psychological perspective. It combines with Islamic wisdom and knowledge and focuses on the examination on how psychological, social, and biological factors interact with and enable individuals to maintain their health, coping with afflictions, and recovering from serious illness. These relations are examined through association of health behaviours, illness behaviours, health promotion, stress management, coping strategies, patient-provider relations, pain management, and the coping with contemporary problems such as alcohol, drug misuse, HIV/AIDS and chronic illnesses.
Teaching the history and philosophy of Islamic psychology offers both challenges and opportunities. This course examines the development of classical and modern Islamic psychology from its founding to the present. Sources of knowledge will be based on the Qur’an, Sunnah, and the work of Islamic philosophers, physiologists, physicists and polymath, both classical and contemporary scholars who influenced the beginnings and development of Islamic psychology.
This module focuses on a breadth-first coverage of Computer Science and Information Technology disciplines, introducing computing environments, general application software, basic computing hardware, operating systems, desktop publishing, Internet, software applications and tools and computer usage concepts; introducing Computer Science, Software engineering, and Information technology within the broader domain of Computing, and social issues of computing.
This course combines classical Islamic literature with contemporary academic findings; it focuses on the Islamic perspective towards understanding humans, their psyche, and their nature. The Islamic approach is unique in this field due to its textual bases and its hierarchy of hermeneutical principles.
This course is an introduction to the mainstream western theories and principles of counselling psychology. Theoretical approaches to the counselling process will be presented with examples of its clinical application. These western paradigms will be evaluated for its congruence with Islamic beliefs and tradition. Islamic concepts and ideas will be presented in an attempt to integrate these theories into the process of counselling. These will include reference to the Islamic scholarly tradition of healing. This course is largely theoretical in nature and is not intended to provide counselling techniques for application. Further advanced study and training would be necessary for application purposes.
The need to develop culturally appropriate counselling intervention strategies in working with Muslim clients, and to understand and accept the legitimacy of alternative worldviews is beyond dispute. Given the rapidly growing population of Muslims in Western societies, it is imperative to develop a better understanding of their psychosocial and spiritual needs and concerns. The Muslim community is experiencing Islamophobia, microaggressions, prejudices, hate crimes, and social exclusion related to their cultural and religious identity. In addition, as a consequence of these interrelated factors, there are indicators of the corresponding rise of Muslims in need of psychological and counselling services. More counsellors are coming into contact with Muslim clients and is not unusual to find that counselling professionals find themselves at a loss to intervene effectively with Muslim clients. For the clients this situation is commonly experienced as an inability on the side of the counsellor to fully understand their religio-cultural needs. Muslim clients are being offered counselling, primarily with a Eurocentric worldview, which is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition and reflect the dominant values of the larger society.
This module aims to develop needed academic literacies and familiarity with English communication skills. Students will be taught relevant academic literacy strategies and English language principles. The module aims to develop strengthened competency in English writing.
This module serves as a basis of the study of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), his life and teachings. An analysis of his contribution to the rise of Islam in Mecca and Madinah (Saudi Arabia) will be conducted, with branching into the science of Prophetic Narration sciences and evaluation.
This module introduces the student to the systems of Islamic jurisprudence and explore the evolution and development of schools of thought. Principles and sources of Islamic jurisprudence will be evaluated, coupled with a study of selected examples of acts of Islamic worship.
In this course, students will learn about the different components of development (social, emotional, psychological, physical, cognitive and moral) at the various stages of the lifespan (infancy, early and middle childhood, adolescence, early, middle and late adulthood, and old age). Students will also learn about some of the key events that occur across the lifespan and how this can be impacted by the stage and area of development.
This module will begin by addressing general information on disabilities, before moving on to units on the Islamic approach to disabilities. The module will continue by working through the various models of disabilities, addressing strengths, weakness +and implications of each. The remaining units of the module will cover the wider applications of the models in terms of adjustment, assessment, rehabilitation and wider implications to society.
In this course, students will have an introductory presentation of the vast field of psychology. It will cover a basic exposure to ways of understanding human behaviour through theory and research. It will also contain a survey of research methods, and applications of psychology drawn from the natural science and social science bases of the discipline (displaying the field as both a science and an art). There will be an emphasis on critical thinking, ethical issues as they relate to the Quran and Sunnah, and the diversity of human experience in examining the science and practice of contemporary psychology.
This module introduces the students to the field of positive psychology. The basic elements of normal psychology are introduced, as well as techniques employed in positive psychological coaching. The course introduces the field of Positive Islamic Psychology (PIP), integrating Islamic sources into classical positive psychology concepts. The applications are discussed especially in the context of Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy, Pi-CBT. Group settings as well as individual settings are discussed.
This course will explore the theory and practice of psychological assessment, primarily in adults. The content will include cognitive, personality and standardized neuropsychological assessments. The primary diagnostic tool utilized in clinical psychology (namely the DSM-V (APA) will further be discussed. The course will also give students the opportunity to learn about clinical interviewing, behavioural assessments, and a special module on counselling and talk therapy. Whenever possible, verses from the Qur’an relating to emotions, seeking counsel and human behaviour will be incorporated into the theory and practice of psychological testing. Ethical considerations in assessment will also be discussed.
This course explores contemporary issues including problem drinking, the misuse of prescribed and illicit drugs, and the use of synthetic drug. The issue of medical cannabis is also examined. Finally, while the emphasis of the course is on pharmacological addiction to substances (alcohol, tobacco, drugs), the emerging class of non-pharmacological addictive behaviours (food compulsions, internet/gaming, sex addiction, cyber-sex, pornography and pathological gambling) is also dealt with. A range of evidence-based treatment approaches and forms of intervention for various addictive behaviours are presented. Addictive behaviours is also examined from an Islamic perspective.
Adolescence is a fascinating period of human development. This course will apply an Islamic psychological lens to the study of adolescence and emerging adulthood. A multidisciplinary approach will be taken to understand the psychological, cognitive, social, moral, and spiritual development of the adolescent through the analysis of the Qur’an, Sunnah, history, major theories and critical research being done in the field.
Emotions are a crucial part of psychology. The course will be divided into normal and abnormal emotions. The student will be presented with a theoretical perspective on emotions, their division and groups, as well as different methods of categorizing emotions. Emotional psychology will be presented enriched by neuropsychological findings and integrating it from an Islamic perspective. Clinical applications will be discussed, as well as methods for fostering emotional awareness in different settings.
This module will introduce students to human communication from psychological perspectives. The focus of this module will be on the psychological principles and processes that can affect human communication from the individual, interpersonal to social and group perspectives.
Personality can be defined as "a characteristic pattern of thinking, feeling, and acting.” Personality consists of traits or characteristics which exist on a continuum and influence our thoughts, motivations, and behaviours in various situations across time. This course, building upon what was learned in Islamic Psychology, is designed to introduce students to the study of Personality – how it is defined, what it consists of, how it develops, and how it influences our thoughts and behaviours. The focus of the course is on the Islamic perspective of personality, based upon the Qur'an and Sunnah. Several modern psychological theories and concepts will also be discussed and critiqued. A major portion of the course will cover the concept, process and means of purification of the soul, a fundamental component in the discourse on personality.
This course is designed to familiarise the students with basic concepts of Research Methodology and Statistics, i.e. from generating research ideas to data collection, analysis, and interpretation of results. This course has been designed to develop an understanding of the relationship between theory and its empirical investigation. This course will help the students to develop a conceptual understanding and practical understanding of different statistical techniques; by learning the rationale behind these techniques along with choosing appropriate statistical tests.
In this module, students will learn about the different components that contribute to social behaviour in light of classic studies in the field, such as obedience, conformity and aggression. Students will also be equipped with knowledge of the varying factors that contribute to individual and group differences in behaviour. Students will explore behaviour both in the individual and group context. Theories of social psychology will be examined in terms of how they can explain social behaviour.
This module examines stress from multiple angles. The basic physiology of stress is addressed as well as its relationship to physical health and illness. Stress is further addressed in terms of its relationship with psychological factors and the interaction between the physical and psychological consequences of stress. Beyond this, a spiritual point of view is incorporated in a way that complements and builds upon existing knowledge from more secular teachings. Practical information is presented from perspectives relating to the physiological and psychological understanding of stress as well from the Islamic perspective.


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