A Look at the Mumbai University TYBA Syllabus

(The present syllabus of the TYBA level of Mumbai University can be found here.)

The TYBA  Psychology curriculum of the University of Mumbai is divided into two semesters: semester V and semester VI. This division is from the examination point-of-view, since the same subjects are covered in both semesters, only the  coverage is divided into equal halves so that students are not burdened with having to learn the entire syllabus at a go, unlike a few years ago. This is in contrast with the MA level semester division, where the subjects to be learnt change by the semester.

The Subjects

There are six subjects covered in the TYBA, which can be roughly divided from a student point-of-view into dry and interesting subjects. The dry subjects are Psychological Testing and Statistics and Cognitive Psychology. The interesting subjects are Abnormal Psychology, Industrial Psychology and Counseling. Practical Psychology stands somewhere in between - it is dry because it is derived from Cognition. but interesting because it gives room for some activity in the classroom.

From a teacher point-of-view, the subjects perceived as not interesting by students are definitely the ones that require more effort to teach. For the difficulty between subjects is well-balanced, it is the student's perception that makes a subject apparently more difficult than another. Let us look at the subjects in depth:

Psychological Testing & Statistics

The main things to be noted about this subject are:

• It is a combination of theory and application. Since the University of Mumbai does not include Research Methods as a subject at the undergraduate level, Statistics has been combined with Testing, obviously with the aim that students should develop a foundation for the subject Practicals in Psychology.

• This is certainly the most 'scoring' subject, since the theory is very precise, and Statistics cannot go wrong once you adopt the correct methods.

• Semester V in this subject introduces students to the basic concepts of Testing including bicrucial concepts like reliability and validity, which are necessary for success in Psychology. In Statistics, basic descriptive statistics are covered, which are more like a revision of what the student has learnt in school.

• Semester VI in this subject shows students how testing is applied by teaching students the basic principles of developing a test, and showing how testing is applied in the chief areas of intelligence and personality. Statistics moves to advanced descriptive statistics, thereby moving to skills that are more relevant to Psychology.

• From an exam point-of-view, Semester VI requires more effort than Semester V, since the Testing chapters become even more vast than before, and Statistics brings in higher-level concepts like standard deviation and regression.

• Practically speaking, though Testing and Statistics is not offered as a major at post-graduation, its influence is pervasive, since most of the concepts are repeated with detail at the MA level. I have covered the practical importance of Statistics previously, the same reasons hold true for taking Testing seriously. Also, most students have maximum difficulty in Statistics at the MA level, with several failing the course. The reason is a lack of firm foundation here.

• The key skills to perform well in this subject are patience with testing, and practice of Statistics. The more the student keeps in mind the reason this subject is important, and that it can offer him/her practical benefits of taking his/her final percentage to a high level, the better (s)he will intake this dry subject. Also, a little use of imagination is beneficial.

• From my experience, a critical tip I can give here is that the student must most definitely learn the chapters of Reliability and Validity in Semester V, and not skip either one of them. Most teachers give a tip contrary to this, which proves to be very detrimental to the student at the MA level. Both the chapters are in fact, very easy and can be fairly interesting if taken in the right spirit.

• The recommended textbook for this course is excellent for understanding but the student is required to actively condense material for the examination. As for Statistics, colleges provided their own notes, and the quality varies drastically between colleges. The student needs to exercise caution for the notes can be very poor, causing a loss of easy marks.

Abnormal Psychology

The main aspects to be noted about this subject are:

• It is purely theoretical as introduced here, and requires significant memory skills for mastery. 

• This is found to be the least 'scoring' subject since it relies on memory, and students find it difficult to distinguish between symptoms and types of different disorders since they generally have very subtle differences.

• Semester V in this subject introduces to what abnormal psychology is, it major approaches and then to the specific disorders related to anxiety and dissociation. The student thus, understands the scope and potential of the field, while simultaneously taking the first step to the actual demands of the subject.

• Semester VI in this subject shifts completely to specific disorders, those that require understanding from individual, societal and legal perspectives.

• From an exam point-of-view, Semester VI requires more effort than Semester V, since there is no option for the student but to prepare three units, all of which include significant rote learning. The student is expected to have warmed up to this by now.

• Practically speaking, Abnormal Psychology (or Clinical Psychology) is the most preferred specialization across Universities at the MA level, and this preference makes the field demand a high cut-off from students. Since the student is likely to wish to pursue this field, it is obvious that (s)he should do his/her best to establish a firm foundation in the course. For a career, mastering this field provides excellent opportunities in hospitals, NGOs, teaching, and for independent practice, etc.

• The key skills to perform well in this subject are grasping the essence of different disorders, and having a repertoire of memory skills suited to learning different topics, since even excellent understanding cannot be solely relied upon here. Since students show quite a good amount of interest in this subject, they should instrumentalize this interest to spending more time on the subject.

• From my experience, a critical tip I can give here is that the student spend a lot of time practicing, actually testing his knowledge of the material rather than just reading and re-reading, which is a typical mistake for this subject.

• The recommended textbook for this course is excellent for understanding, especially if the student independently studies the vignettes provided after every section. The format and classification is also orderly. The student just needs to skim material for the examination.

 
Industrial-Organizational Psychology

The main aspects to be noted about this subject are:

• It is purely theoretical as introduced here, and requires the student to connect theory with several research studies as presented in the text. This is also the part students find most perplexing - deciding which studies to give more weightage to than others, since there are several  studies presented on a single topic.

• Semester V in this subject directly jumps into crucial topics like job analysis and performance appraisal. It is due to the time restriction of the syllabus that a much needed introduction is skipped out, and the student must put effort to familiarize him/herself to the syllabus, or pay the price in form of a lack of motivation.

• Semester VI in this subject continues the trend of the previous semester and brings in important topics like motivation and leadership.

• From an exam point-of-view, both semesters are well balanced, though this is one subject where some topics in each topic are clearly more significant than others for long-term planning.

• Practically speaking, I-O Psychology is the second-most preferred specialization across Universities at the MA level, and this preference makes the field demand a high cut-off from students. Since the student is likely to wish to pursue this field, it is obvious that (s)he should do his/her best to establish a firm foundation in the course. For a career, mastering this field provides excellent opportunities in assessment, human resources, organizational counseling, etc.

• This is a fairly easy subject for comprehension, and key skill to perform well in this subject is to independently prepare the subject in a question-answer format unlike the way it is presented in most textbooks - very informally, like a narrative to be read.

• From my experience, a critical tip I can give here is that the student should actually have question-answers written down from where (s)he can prepare for the examination, rather than preparing directly from the textbook. Organization of answers is also to be done by the student here.

• The recommended textbook for this course is not the best (IMO), as it contains a rough mix of old and new studies, and is poorly organized. The textbook recommended in previous years was no better either. To overcome this difficulty, the student needs to take to active learning in this subject, more than in any other.

Cognitive Psychology

The main aspects to be noted about this subject are:

• Though taken to be dry like Testing, students more readily see the significance of learning this subject, perhaps because of its use of advanced technology. This subject is a combination of theory and practical at this level, the practical part is to be found in the subject of Practical Psychology. 

• Semester V in this subject directly jumps into crucial topics of attention, perception and memory, leaving the student to pursue an orientation independently. Though the instructor is advised to perform an orientation in the classroom, reality is far from this.

• Semester VI in this subject continues the trend of the previous semester and brings in important topics like thinking, reasoning and problem solving.

• From an exam point-of-view, Semester V, though uninteresting for most, lends itself easily to formal answer-writing in the examination. Semester VI, though interesting, is difficult to present in the examination. The student should thus, adopt different strategies for the two different semesters.

• Practically speaking, Cognitive Psychology is not a majors subject, but is the foundation to all other subjects, since it covers the most basic topics of human make-up. A good foundation in this subject is very useful for MA where this subject is repeated at quite an advanced level. For a career, a student can pursue this subject abroad in detail. Otherwise it is largely useful in forensics and teaching; though a professional of every field will find it useful in dealing with clients.

• This not an easy subject for comprehension, for even if taken as interesting, it requires a certain amount of abstract thinking. The key skill to perform well in this subject is to thoroughly understand every topic before moving to the next. Besides, knowing how to present research in the paper is essential.

• From my experience, a critical tip I can give here is that for Semester VI at least, the student should put effort into preparing answers to questions in a written format, available for learning. This is critical to topics like reasoning and thinking. and problem solving.

• The change in the recommended textbook for this course is more than welcome, and the textbook is one of the best in the area. It is well-organized and includes the best classical studies from every topic. The student needs to keep a strict eye on the syllabus though to check how much coverage is demanded by the actual course.

Counseling Psychology

The main aspects to be noted about this subject are:

• This subject is purely theoretical as introduced here, but covers significantly more skills (though only in theory) required for actual practice than the other two specialization subjects.

• Semester V in this subject introduces the student to the field in detail, though  a significant part of what is introduced is not practically found in our country. The student need not be negligent due to this, since what is presented is essential for good practice. The syllabus then moves into skills required at the beginning stages of counseling.

• Semester VI in this subject covers theory, intermixed with the skills provided by each theory, and then moves to a specific type of counseling-group counseling.

• From an exam point-of-view, the initial topics of Semester V, though found to be boring, are easiest for answer writing. The remaining topics of both semesters are difficult to master, since they are seemingly similar, and contain significant repetition.

• Practically speaking, Counseling Psychology is a specialization at the MA level. It is also useful to be mastered by students interested in Clinical Psychology, since counseling plays a significant part in therapy. For a career, counseling provides a wide variety of options in schools, NGOs, criminal cells, hospitals, teaching and independent practice, etc.

• This subject is taken as too easy by student, who take it as some form of general knowledge, and that is the main folly here. The key skill to perform well in this subject is to structure the topics in one's own  comprehension, for it can be difficult to remember which skill belongs where. Understanding topics while firmly keeping the context in mind is critical, as is the preparation of written structure for answers.

• From my experience, a critical tip I can give here is that the coverage of the textbook must be reworded by the student in a formal and precise way for the examination.

• The recommended textbook for this course is quite incomprehensible, and does not lend itself to easy study. It is verbose, and does not stick to any particular format or limitation of words. There are not many student-friendly vignettes either. The student needs significant guidance here.

Practicals in Cognitive Processes and Testing Psychology

The main aspects to be noted about this subject are:

• Rightly named, this course is far from Experimental Psychology, which is more focused on the general principals of experimentation. This subject is tailored for the student's knowledge at this level.

• Though divided to two semesters, this subject has a continuation of the same skills required in both, and hence I discuss both semesters as though they were one.

• Initially, this subject provides a brief background into experimentation. It is this section that must be taken most seriously by students for long-term success. Unfortunately, they are too distracted by the practical demands of the conduct of actual experiments, which forms the  first major pillar of this subject. The second pillar is report writing, which requires knowledge of statistics, and the APA format of writing. There are also some comprehension exercises to be answered, which are useful for preparing for viva in the examination.

• Practically speaking, Practicals in Psychology are to be encountered in every semester or year of the MA course. The student should familiarize him/herself very well with this easy 'scoring' subject. It is very useful for students seeking a career in research or a career demanding research as a part of it. Research-reading skills are also vital to every professional in Psychology.

•  The key skill to perform well in this subject is that the student should not lose focus, and should take care not to turn averse to this subject simply because of the chaos that surrounds it while performing experiments in the classroom. Students are taken away by the mismanagement of practicals, the fear of being observed, and the pressurizing attitude (since performance of students in practicals in a war of prides between psychology departments across colleges) of the professor in the conduct sessions. Rather the student should let go off these factors, and concentrate time on honing report-writing skills, memorizing instructions, and practicing viva answers.

• From my experience, a critical tip I can give here is that the student should let go off any memorization besides that of instructions, and the key points of debriefing. The student must develop the structure of report writing and understand principles of research and statistics in a way that (s)he can write a report and answer the viva of even unknown experiments. Students from international boards, use higher order thinking in every subject. For the students of MU, this is a rare opportunity to develop such indispensable skills, and they should make the most of it.

• There is a common workbook across colleges for this course, since it is such a customized subject. Though it serves its purpose well, students can definitely benefit from explanations which they can find in their own Cognitive Psychology and Testing textbooks, to thoroughly understand concepts.

A Look at the Exam Paper Pattern

The paper pattern is the same across both semesters and can be easily understood from pages 14-17 the syllabus. The key points to note are:

• Students are required to practically prepare three out of four units in every subject, and an additional unit in the case of Statistics in Testing and Statistics. (This is not applicable to Practicals in Psychology). The choice here is not very subjective, since for the most, there are clearly some topics that are preferable to others in terms of their importance in the long-run. Good practice always demands that every topic must be studied, even if not prepared for the examination.

• There is an overlap between topics asked for short and long length answers. The same question can be asked, demanding a brief or long explanation. The student should keep this in mind, and know what kind of coverage is to be given to what length of an answer.

•  If the student chooses to prepare only three units, there will be certain questions where (s)he will be left with no option since (s)he will be completely unfamiliar with one question. Thus, the three units to be studied must be all studied equally well.

• The question paper is designed in a way that the student has is easily able to complete it within the allotted time. If the student is unable to do so, it is a reflection of poor answer-writing skill or lack of preparedness. This is true even for Practicals in Psychology.

• Neglecting theory in Statistics can lead to a dear loss, for it contains sufficient weightage to impact the student's overall percentage. It makes for easy marks that shouldn't be compromised upon. Read carefully in the syllabus, which topics are for theory-only.

• Every mark carried in Statistics is carefully outlined in the paper pattern, and must be read thoroughly to assure full marks in sums.

• For Practicals in Psychology, every mark of an answer is carefully broken down and must be covered accordingly by the student.

• Finally, for the internals, though there are a variety of options provided, the multiple-choice is most preferred by professors since they aim for ease in correction. This, coupled with the five marks for attendance make for the easiest marks to be earned.