Unit information: Social Psychology in 2021/22

Unit name	Social Psychology
Unit code	EDUCM0080
Credit points	20
Level of study	M/7
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Palaiologou
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	EDUCM5504 and EDUCM5000
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Education
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

Drawing on a combination of classic and new studies in social psychology, this unit provides an opportunity for students to critically evaluate social-psychological theory and methods to understand how social interactions influence an individual's attitudes and behaviour in a given social situation across the lifespan and different contexts (including educational settings).

Each week the unit covers a different topic in the area of social psychology, moving from individual to group level processes. The taught sessions encourage students to critically evaluate the theory, methods and ethics of classic and new social psychological studies. Students are also involved in designing innovative studies to explore timely social psychological phenomena and given the opportunity to participate and reflect on the research design of an in-class experimental study.

Throughout the unit, students are encouraged to consider the implications of social psychological knowledge for real-world problems, including implications for policy and practice in educational and social contexts (including classroom practice).

Topics may include: Social perception and social cognition; person perception; attitudes; attribution; intergroup processes; small group processes; social and relationship issues; the social worlds of school; adolescence; sex roles and sex stereotyping.

Aims:

• To develop an understanding and critical appreciation of individual, interpersonal and social processes and how they apply to education

• To explore the ways in which individual, interpersonal and social processes relate to and complement each other

• To examine the ethical implications of social psychological research

• To review and be able to explain a range of classic and new studies in social psychology

• To develop a critical awareness of research methods and their application to research problems

• To explore implications of social psychological research and theory for educational policy and innovation

Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the unit, students will demonstrate that they are able to:

1. Consider the importance of individual, interpersonal and social processes in explaining human behaviour, particularly in educational contexts;
2. Identify the way in which individual, interpersonal and intergroup processes relate to and complement each other;
3. Judge the ethical issues and practices of the field;
4. Summarise key materials and present in both oral and written form;
5. Compare different research methods used in psychology and how they offer understanding of social psychological phenomena.
6. Critically evaluate the relevance of social psychological research for educational policy and innovation.

Teaching Information

This unit will consist of weekly classes presenting a combination of lectures, class discussion, debates and group presentations. In addition to delivering and discussing core content, classes will also focus on research design and using research to explore concepts. Students will be expected to critically engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis.

Assessment Information

To assess the learning outcomes of this unit, students will be asked to complete a lab report based on secondary (quantitative) data that aims to address a social psychological issue relevant to education. This will involve two tasks as follows:

ILOs 3, 4, 5, 6: A group presentation (25%): 5 minutes

Students will create an oral presentation detailing the research questions, data source, and analysis strategy to be used in their lab reports. This will be submitted as a pre-recorded PowerPoint presentation and will form the basis of the final lab report.

ILOs 1-6: A written lab report (75%): 3000 words

Integrating the feedback given on their group presentation, students will propose complete a quantitative lab report using secondary data.

in addition to these summative tasks, students will be expected to engage in a number of formative tasks within class which will include: the critique and discussion of journal articles, research design and intervention evaluation.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. EDUCM0080).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.