Social Psychology
Module title | Social Psychology |
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Module code | PSYM223 |
Academic year | 2024/5 |
Credits | 15 |
Module staff | Dr Ioanna Kapantai (Lecturer) |
Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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Duration: Weeks | 0 | 11 | 0 |
Number students taking module (anticipated) | 80 |
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Module description
Social psychology seeks to understand how people think, feel and act in relation to others and the world around them. As such, the topics of interest to social psychologist cover much of what humans do, from personal choices to helping others and interactions in groups. Because social psychology is applicable to so many domains, it is also directly relevant to everyday life – by learning about social psychology, inevitably you also learn something about yourself.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module is structured in two core activities, lectures and practicals/tutorials. The lectures will provide you with a good oversight of key topics in social psychology. Specific areas will be introduced in each lecture; we will identify why it is important,and discuss both classic studies in social psychology as well as new directions in this evolving and exciting field. Practicals/tutorials will be focused on giving you an understanding of research methodologies used in social psychology and their limitations as well as teaching you how to run basic social psychological analyses on a set of data. You will also learn to write about social psychological research. Learning will also be based on Question & Answer sessions.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Understand key theories in the field of social psychology and ways in which they can be applied to explain social problems
- 2. Identify the variety of methods used in social psychology, both in classic studies and new research directions
- 3. Understand how to use quantitative methods to test hypotheses and gain experience of writing a research report
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Acquire basic and essential factual and conceptual knowledge of the subject, and demonstrate understanding of this knowledge
- 5. Review and evaluate published work and identify some of the strengths and weaknesses of this work
- 6. Address well-defined problems systematically, think critically and creatively, and appreciate the complexities of the issues
- 7. Explain and apply essential principles in designing research, evaluate and analyse empirical evidence, and assess the reliability of empirical evidence using defined techniques
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 8. Manage information, to collect appropriate information from a range of sources and undertake essential study tasks under guidance
- 9. Take responsibility for your own learning with appropriate support
- 10. Apply methods accurately and carefully to a well-defined problem and begin to appreciate the complexity of the issues
Syllabus plan
Lecture topics contain classic topics in social psychology (e.g., Social Influence, Prosocial Behaviour, The Bystander Effect, Intergroup Relations & Prejudice) as well as new directions of research and theory (e.g., Effective Altruism, Social Identity Theory & Leadership, Gender & Sexism, Human-Animal Relations).
Practicals/tutorials include, for example, Introduction to Research Methods in Psychology, Validity, Reliability & Replicability, Operationalisation, and Research Methods in Action.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
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31 | 119 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
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Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 22 | Lectures (11 x 2 hour) |
Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 9 | Tutorials and Practicals |
Guided Independent Study | 15 | Collating lecture notes |
Guided Independent Study | 30 | Set and supplementary reading |
Guided Independent Study | 30 | Research and preparation of practical report |
Guided Independent Study | 44 | Revision and exam preparation |
Formative assessment
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Practical exercises and discussions | 3 x 3 hours | All | Oral |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
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50 | 50 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Practical report | 50 | 2000 words | All | Written |
Examination | 50 | 2 hours | All | Feedback on request |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
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Practical report | Practical report | All | August Ref/Def |
Examination | Examination | All | August Ref/Def |
Re-assessment notes
Two assessments are required for this module. Where you have been referred/deferred in the examination you will have the opportunity to take a second examination in the August re-assessment period. Where you have been referred/deferred in the practical report you will be required to resubmit the report. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%; deferred marks are not capped.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
All reading for this module, both essential and recommended, will be provided. Introductory reading could be: Baron, R. A., Branscombe, N. R., and Byrne, D. (2009). Social Psychology (12th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Credit value | 15 |
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Module ECTS | 7.5 |
Module pre-requisites | None |
Module co-requisites | None |
NQF level (module) | 7 |
Available as distance learning? | No |
Origin date | 05/03/2020 |
Last revision date | 22/02/2024 |