- Oxford Academia at:
- 2026 Sessions:
July 3–16, 2027
July 31–August 13, 2027
- Eligibility:
- Typical Seminar Size:
The principles of psychology permeate our lives every day, often in ways we don’t realize. How do we decide what to do? How much of who you are is determined by your family, your gender identity, or your friends? Understanding human cognition, emotions, and behavior allows psychologists to better predict how we may behave in specific situations, why we think the way we do, and how emotions impact our interactions with our world. Begin by learning the basic goals of psychology, then examine theories that attempt to explain the many aspects of personality and behavior. Observe and describe human behavior, attempt to explain why specific behaviors occur, predict what may happen in the future, explore ways to control future behaviors, and work to turn negative behaviors into positive actions. While psychology is not an absolute science, there are ways to research, experiment, and categorize behaviors in order to better understand the signs and symptoms of psychological disorders, and the impacts individuals have on society. Explore concepts through the lens of behavioral, trait, and multicultural theories and relate them to your own experiences. Learn how biology and psychology intersect to create unique individuals. Through readings, discussions, films, experiments, and activities, explore the basic foundation of psychology and evaluate your own decisions from a new perspective.
FEATURED FACULTY
University of Vienna, M.Sc., Cognitive Science
University of Novi Sad, M.Sc., Economics
Luka is a psychologist, cognitive scientist, and economist whose academic career spans some of the world’s leading institutions. His doctoral research at Oxford investigated the social psychology of guilt, exploring how people seek forgiveness and engage in self-punishment following transgressions. His earlier work at the University of Vienna examined Terror Management Theory and the psychology of fear, specifically whether reminders of death motivate greater risk-taking. He has since presented his work at some of the most prestigious international conferences in the field across the USA and Europe, addressing topics ranging from guilt and social emotion to personality psychology and behavioural economics. Beyond research, Luka has built an exceptional teaching record, tutoring at Oxford and Stanford University and leading programmes in psychology, cognitive science, genetics, and economics across four continents. He is currently preparing his first book for publication and is developing a new theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between shame and guilt, with publications in this area forthcoming. This is Luka’s fifth summer teaching with Oxford Academia.