Module PSYS2111: ABNORMAL AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Department: PSYCHOLOGY (APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY) [Queen's Campus, Stockton]

PSYS2111: ABNORMAL AND SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY

Prerequisites

• Level 1 core modules.

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To build on core material on social behaviour covered in the first year, compare perspectives from social psychology and other areas of the social sciences, and apply theoretical perspectives towards understanding the behaviours that we see in various social situations and environments.

Content

• Abnormal Psychology, including classification and diagnosis, a survey of some methods used in abnormal psychology and detailed coverage of major problems and disorders encountered in abnormal psychology.
• Social Psychology, including the relationship between social psychology and applied social psychology and detailed coverage of important areas in social psychology such as attribution, attitudes, communication and culture.

Learning Outcomes

• Students should understand and know the published literature covering key topics in depth in the analysis of social and abnormal behaviour, and be capable of applying the perspectives that they have learned to a variety of novel situations.

• Understanding the relationship between theory and data, including the ability to evaluate theories and concepts.
• Ability to reason scientifically.
• Ability to interpret research findings and integrate these with other key findings in the literature.

• Ability to retrieve, organize and utilize knowledge.
• Competence in written communication skills.
• Effective retrieval and organisation of material.
• Ability to adopt different theoretical positions and see relationships between them.
• Interpret theoretically and evaluate significance of empirical work.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Acquisition of knowledge and understanding in the areas of social and abnormal psychology is facilitated by the material covered in lectures and seminars, and the provision of detailed reading lists.
• This knowledge will be assessed in the formative and summative assessments, and the written examination. These assessments will primarily be essay-based, providing students with the opportunities to demonstrate their abilities to organise, review and evaluate evidence and theory, to provide critical appraisal, and to contrast theoretical positions. Feedback on progress in acquiring knowledge in the module is provided in the formative assessment.
• The skills of understanding of the relationship between theory and data, effective retrieval and organisation of material, abilities to locate, read, review and critically evaluate research evidence, and to interpret theoretically are fostered through lecture and workshop activities, and will be assessed in the formative and summative assessments, and the examination. Feedback on student progress in developing these skills is provided in the formative assessment.
• Scientific reasoning skills will be fostered in group discussions in the workshops, and through feedback on the formative assessment. The summative assessment and examination will assess students??? abilities in this area.
• The ability to organise and utilise knowledge is developed through workshop activities and preparation for essays and examinations. Feedback on the formative essay allows students to gauge their progress in this area. Assessment is via essays and the examination.
• Written communication skills are developed through feedback on the formative assessment, and are assessed in the summative essay and written examination. Feedback is provided on the adequacy of word processing skills as required on the formative essay.
• A key component in the preparation of essays is the acquisition of adequate word processing skills. Feedback is provided regarding the adequacy of these skills where necessary.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Two assignments

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University