Year one core modules

• Fundamentals of Cognitive Psychology

  Our experience of the world is an interpretation based on many cognitive processes being carried out by the brain. This module aims to give you a broad understanding of cognition and how we process information about the world by introducing the major issues underpinning cognitive psychology. You will be given the opportunity to carry out classic experiments supporting major theories in cognitive psychology. Students will be taught how to write up research using APA (American Psychological Association) format, and their ability to do this will form part of the assessment for the module. In addition to this element of assessment, a multiple choice examination will be used to assess students' general understanding of the module material.

• Issues in Child Development and Social Psychology

  This module provides an extension to the introductory module on social psychology and developmental psychology. It introduces students to more specific domains of child development and social psychology. In particular the course covers: Applied Social Cognition, Social Psychology in Court, Aggression and the Media, Social Development, Language Development, Attachment and Emotional Development and Typical and Atypical Development. The assessment for this module is a single exam. Students will gain skills in analysing theories, relating theories to evidence, and synthesising material from diverse sources.

• Key Skills for Psychology

  Psychology is a broad discipline however, all psychologists share basic skills in understanding, conducting and communicating research and this module aims to give students a grounding in these skills. The module will give students the basic skills to produce a research report from beginning to end including experimental design, statistical data analysis, the use of resources and software, writing and presentation skills, ethical issues and general study and research skills. Assessment will involve three components: 1) a portfolio of practical work including practice in writing each section of a research report and other relevant skills-based exercises. 2) The writing of a research report. 3) A multiple-choice and short answer examination.

• Social and Developmental Psychology

  This module will provide an introduction to key topics, theories and issues in social and developmental Psychology. It will enable students to understand how certain behaviours and experiences can be shaped by different social contexts (the family, peers, and society) and the impact of these on social and emotional development. The module will be assessed through an essay and oral presentation. Students will learn transferable skills such as how to manage information and to collect data from appropriate sources, as well as oral communication skills.

• The Psychology of Everyday Life

  This module aims to introduce modern psychology to a wide audience by showing how research and theory in psychology can be applied to a variety of everyday situations. During the module, we look at a number of topical issues in order to demonstrate how psychology can provide insight into people's behaviour, and how we benefit from a scientific psychological approach. The kinds of questions which we might address include: Does criminal profiling work? Can we measure intelligence? Do dreams have meaning? Why do we forget things? What is love? Students will be assessed by producing a portfolio of short essays.

• Theoretical Foundations in Psychology

  This module will give students an overview of the theoretical, philosophical and historical foundations of psychology. Often defined as the "science of the mind", students will be made aware that there has been much debate as to how to define both "science" and "mind". To illustrate these debates the module focuses on different approaches to psychology, for example: introspectionism, behaviourism, psychoanalysis, cognitive psychology, and artificial intelligence. Debates about the subject matter and the methodology of psychology are also put into perspective by outlining different approaches to the philosophy of science and the philosophy of mind. Students are encouraged to think critically about the subject and develop their own arguments relating to the different approaches.

• Introduction to Abnormal and Health Psychology

Year two core modules

• Biopsychology

  Biopsychology introduces students to the physiological mechanisms - neural and chemical - that underlie all behaviour and cognition. Biological Psychology is one of the major paradigms in modern psychology and a good working knowledge of the area is essential to understand many areas of contemporary psychology, for example drug therapy in abnormal or clinical psychology, understanding the relationship between stress and illness in health psychology and even why the sensation of falling in love is quite so powerful. Practical sessions within the seminars include measuring brain wave activity (EEG), assessing the physiological reaction to stress and studying brain structure. The module is assessed via an examination and a critical review of a current or classic biological psychology book.

• Contemporary Social Psychology

  The discipline of social psychology is currently characterised by diversity and competing paradigms. This module explores contemporary social psychology by examining a range of theoretical perspectives. The concept of "levels of analysis" is used to structure comparisons between theories and approaches. The module explores modern European forms of social psychology that arose as a critique to traditional social cognitive approaches, and place more emphasis on social and collective processes (for example, social constructionism). Students will critically analyse and evaluate ways in which these various forms of social psychology have contributed to an understanding of human behaviour and experience within a social context. Throughout the module, students are presented with examples of how theoretical ideas have been applied to tackle various "real-world" issues. The module will develop transferable skills such as management of information, challenging received opinion, and taking responsibility for own learning with minimal guidance.

• Learning, Memory and Perception

  Underlying all psychological functioning is the ability to perceive, remember, and alter our behaviour in response to information in the world. These basic psychological processes of perception, memory and learning were the first areas of study for empirical psychology and this module examines both the historical development of these areas as well as the current state of knowledge in each area. Assessment is via examination at the end of the semester.

• Personality, Intelligence and Psychometrics

  In this module we examine the assumptions behind theoretical approaches to personality and intelligence; the nature of personality and intelligence; the theory of psychometrics; the strengths, implications and limitations of different approaches; and the applications of theory. The module links theoretical approaches with assessment and includes the development of basic skills in understanding and using psychological tests. The module develops students' skills in problem solving, evaluation and autonomy. It is assessed via an examination and the module develops students' skills in problem solving, evaluation and autonomy.

• Psychopathology

  This module provides an introduction to psychopathology and clinical psychology. The module introduces students to the various psychological disorders, as well as their aetiology and treatment. The module will also look at models of psychopathology, as well as its classification and diagnosis. Broad theories of the development of the various psychological disorders will be touched on, drawing from psychodynamic, cognitive, and neuroscience perspectives, as well as social factors. Students will learn about the various psychological disorders through a series of lectures. Seminars will provide more focused discussions on particular disorders. Case studies and/or media examples will be used to aid understanding of various psychological disorders.

• Research Techniques for Psychology

  In this module students will develop a critical understanding of the principles of data collection and analysis for psychology, and consider the theoretical bases of various qualitative and quantitative methods. The emphasis is on ensuring that students understand the logic behind the techniques covered, so that they know when it is appropriate to use a particular technique, and how to interpret its output. A key part of the module will be a group project, where students will be given the opportunity to design and carry out an independent piece of research in an area of their own choosing. The course will equip students with a wide range of highly useful transferable skills such as; numerical skills, use of SPSS, IT skills, experimental design, report writing, group work, research and oral presentations. Assessments will be through a combination of examination and written portfolio.

Year three core modules

• Language and Thought

  The main objective of this module is to provide you with an in-depth understanding of cognitive processes involved in normal and impaired language processing such as reading and spelling as well as the thought processes involved in everyday decision making and problem solving. The module will present the past and present challenges in our quest of understanding language. The module will provide you with an opportunity to carry out a psycholinguistic experiment investigating several major models in visual word recognition. You will be equipped with a range of key transferable skills useful in the workplace, such as report writing, data analysis, and analytical thinking. Assessment is equally split between coursework and exam.

• Lifespan Development

  This module aims to give students an overview of human development across the lifespan. It complements and goes beyond Level 1 modules on psychological development, which focused on childhood. By contrast, the emphasis in this module is on development across the lifespan, including how childhood experiences affect later development. Different approaches to human development will be discussed and compared, and students will be encouraged to apply theories of development to particular case studies. Some of the different approaches to human development to be studied include: attachment theory, behavioural genetics, psycho-dynamic theories, and biopsychosocial approaches. Different domains of human development will be covered, e.g. cognitive, social, emotional, and moral development across the lifespan. One strand of the module examines the development of meta-representation (i.e. how people view their own cognitions, desires and emotions) and how this relates to personal development and self-explanation. This applies to various domains including: development of a theory of mind; development of representations of relationships (e.g. in attachment theory); and problems in self-representation in clinical settings. Students will explore some of these issues in work using case studies. The module delivery consists of 14 lectures and 4 seminars. The assessment is a 3,000 word case study in which students will be required to apply two theories of psychological development to a particular case of their choice. In order to help prepare for this case report, the seminars will include student group presentations of case studies in which students will reflect on how well they think they have explained their case. The tutor and the rest of the class will also provide feedback on this. As a result, students who successfully complete this module will gain intellectual skills of evaluating and applying theories to data, and also transferable skills of group working, self-evaluation, autonomy and communication.

• Psychology Project

  The psychology project provides students with an opportunity to develop, conduct and analyse their own research project, and as such requires a high degree of autonomy from the student. The module provides students with the opportunity to select an area of psychology, ethically evaluate their research, carry out an in-depth literature review of that area, formulate hypotheses based on that review and design a study to test these. Having collected the data, students will then be required to analyse, evaluate and discuss their findings.

Year three optional modules

• Clinical Psychology

  This module will enable students to have a critical awareness of the issues and debates involved in understanding deviant behaviour. It examines the psychological, social, cultural and biological influences and predispositions upon general definitions of abnormality and specific disorders. Particular categories of disorder will be studied in order to illuminate controversies concerning the value of models, methods of classification and diagnosis. Specific syndromes addressed in detail in this module are: major depression and mania, schizophrenia, substance-related disorders, disorders of ageing/cognition, and suicide. For each of these specific disorders, the diagnostic criteria, course, epidemiological factors, biological predisposition and treatment strategies (such as cognitive behaviour therapy, psycho-pharmacological treatments, and suicide prevention) are reviewed and critically evaluated. Students will learn that multiple factors can contribute to the development of mental illness and that often different psychiatric syndromes can co-occur in one patient. The role of social factors such as gender and culture in the classification and treatment of mental ill-health is discussed. This module will prepare students particularly for working in clinical settings (i.e. with psychiatric patients).

• Neuropsychology

  This module introduces students to major neuropsychological syndromes following brain damage. The most frequent syndromes in clinical practice such as aphasia, amnesia, agnosia, dementia, epilepsy and Parkinson's disease are discussed. Students will be introduced to a variety of different tests and assessment procedures applied in clinical neuropsychology and for each of the clinical syndromes, relevant neuropsychological and psychiatric symptoms will be outlined. Problems in the assessment of brain-damaged patients as well as treatment procedures available will be discussed. Students will obtain insight into the relation between brain structure, cognitive processing and observable behaviour by looking at case studies of neuropsychological patients. Concepts, theories and experimental methods of cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychology will be evaluated as well as therapeutic approaches in the neurorehabilitation of brain damaged individuals. Finally, the potential mechanisms underlying cortical reorganisation after brain injury and underlying learning of new information on healthy individuals will be discussed. Since the module familiarises students with common neuropsychological syndromes, standard assessment procedures in clinical neuropsychology and therapeutic approaches for brain damaged individuals, students who want to pursue a career in clinical psychology or cognitive neuroscience will benefit from the module.

• Consumer Psychology

  The consumer psychology module introduces students to a selection of issues in the area of consumer psychology. It will explore how theories within social, cognitive and developmental psychology can help explain consumption behaviours. The module will address issues related to positive and negative influences of a consumer society upon individual's psychological process and functioning. It will also look at how aspects of consumption can influence development at an early age as well as affect behavioural outcomes in later life. This module will be delivered via lectures and seminars and assessed through a portfolio.

• Critical Issues in Health Psychology

  This module enables students to develop a critical awareness of issues and debates surrounding health, illness and disability. Standard clinical and medical models of illness and disability are seen as only one of several competing ways of making sense of health, illness and disability in contemporary society. This module presents a range of broadly social, critical perspectives on our understanding of health, illness and disability. These include how illnesses and disabilities are commonly represented in contemporary society, and how this may influence individuals' experience of illness and disability; the social model of disability which views disability as a relationship between an individual and the constructed environment; the social determinants of physical and mental health. Critical consideration is given to how poverty, class, culture, gender and sexuality are factors to consider in health psychology. The module, while primarily a critical health psychology module, draws on material from a broad range of disciplines including clinical psychology, psychiatry, social psychology, sociology, and public health. This module is delivered via lectures and seminars and assessment is via a portfolio based on the preparation and facilitation of student-led seminars and short critical essay based on a chosen topic. The module will also be of interest for students considering further study or a career in health, counselling or clinical psychology.

• Atypical Development

  The course will introduce a variety of developmental disorders including Downs' Syndrome, Williams' Syndrome, dyslexia and autism. The module will include an analysis of the biological, cognitive and social profiles of each. Students will gain an insight in to the main symptoms of each clinical condition and the prognosis for people with these disorders. This will be done by discussing published literature and studying symptoms of children and adults with these disorders in video demonstrations. The course also covers the effects of early brain injury. Problems in the assessment and diagnosis of developmental disorders will be addressed as well as the range of psychological theories that have attempted to explain the different clinical conditions. Ethical issues and working with clinical populations will also be considered. Students will learn to critically evaluate contemporary issues in neurodevelopmental psychology supported by a range of academic literature. This module will be particularly useful for those considering a career related to development, educational or clinical psychology or a career working with typically developing children or children with special needs.

• Emotion

  Emotions are arguably of central importance to all aspects of human life. Behaviours such as caring for young, pursuing goals, avoiding danger, defending resources, and maintaining relationships are unimaginable (in humans at least) without the mediating and motivating effects of emotions. Even rationality and reasoning may depend on emotion according to some researchers. The study of emotion has advanced considerably since early theoretical investigations in the beginning of the 20th century until developments in the last decade in many psychology areas. The module will reflect these exciting developments in theory and practice and aims to: a) explore different psychological theories of emotion (e.g. physiological, behavioural, cognitive, phenomenological and social perspectives), b) discuss the nature of first-person emotional experience in the light of research into consciousness, c) examine the relationship between emotion and motivation, and (d) examine emotion regulation and its relevance to clinical issues. By the end of the module the answer to the question 'what are feelings?' may perhaps be uncovered.

• Forensic Psychology

  This module provides a broad overview of forensic psychology with specific focus on prison psychology. Prison forensic psychology concentrates on the detailed application of psychological theory and research methodology to the prison environment. For example, prisons contain many vulnerable individuals and the module addresses ways in which psychological theory can be applied to evaluating and then reducing the risks that these individuals face. 'Life' prisoners, as an example, face particular psychological challenges and the module addresses how theory can be applied to assist individuals adjust to long periods of incarceration. The module is delivered via traditional lectures but has a particular focus on student centred seminars including role-playing. The module is assessed via an examination and an essay which focuses on applying theory to real life problems.

• Psychological Therapies

  This module provides an introduction to some of the main methods of psychological interventions used by clinical, counselling and health psychologists in therapeutically helping people. These interventions are used to assist people in strengthening their capacity to manage and cope with their lives, and help work through some emotional difficulties. The module will cover some of the core theoretical principles and techniques used in various psychological interventions, when working with individuals (both children and adults) as well as with families and groups. The module will also show that the therapeutic relationship is central to a variety of psychological interventions. The different interventions used also aim to assist clients and patients to make meaning of their distress.

• Groups in Conflict: Social Psychological Issues

  This module introduces students to a range of social psychological approaches to the study of inter-group conflict, hatred and oppression. It covers both individual and social factors which promote and sustain hostile relations, negative attitudes, and/or violence between ethnic, national, religious or cultural groups. The module draws on research using a range of methods, including experimental work, case studies, and discourse analysis. Topics covered include stereotypes, racism, intractable violent conflict (e.g. the Middle East conflict), terrorism, propaganda and genocide. Particular attention is paid to the Holocaust. The module will be assessed through coursework and an exam. Students will learn practical transferable skills such as how to manage information, communicate effectively in written format, and apply social psychological ideas to political situations.