As a subject of intellectual inquiry, psychology spans the histories of many cultures, but since antiquity, psychological interpretation has revolved around recurring themes. When philosophers, naturalists, and other scholars began to divide into separate academic departments in the 19th century, psychology, with much fanfare, sought recognition as a separate discipline. Its goals were, and are, the explanation of memory, emotion, perception, consciousness, learning, motivation, personality, development, and social influence. These fundamentals of the field are the topics of this course.

As a subject of intellectual inquiry, psychology spans the histories of many cultures, but since antiquity, psychological interpretation has revolved around recurring themes. When philosophers, naturalists, and other scholars began to divide into separate academic departments in the 19th century, psychology, with much fanfare, sought recognition as a separate discipline. Its goals were, and are, the explanation of memory, emotion, perception, consciousness, learning, motivation, personality, development, and social influence. These fundamentals of the field are the topics of this course.