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. Sedgewick |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | School of Education |
Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
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:
Upon successful completion of the unit, students will demonstrate that they are able to:
This unit will consist of 1 x two-hour weekly class. Classes will involve 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.
To assess the learning outcomes of this unit, students will be asked to propose a research study which aims to address a social psychological issue relevant to education. This will involve two summative tasks as follows:
ILOs 3, 4, 5, 6: An individual presentation (25%): 5 minutes
Students will create an oral presentation detailing the methods that will be used in the study outlined in their research proposal. This will be submitted as a pre-recorded powerpoint presentation and will form the basis of the final research proposal.
ILOs 1-6: A written research proposal (75%): 2000 words
Integrating the feedback given on their oral presentation, students will propose a research study (including the rationale, ethical considerations, methodology, and potential impact and dissemination of this study) for addressing an issue related to education with a social psychological framework.
As well as 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.
Bronfenbrenner, U. and Evans, G. (2000) Developmental science in the 21st century. Social Development 9 115-125
Burger, J. M. (2009). Replicating Milgram: Would people still obey today?. American Psychologist, 64(1), 1.
Hewstone, M., Rubin, M., and Willis, H (2002) Intergroup Bias, Annual Review of Psychology, 53, 575-604
Meadows, S. (2010) The child as social person. London: Routledge.
Nosek, B. A. et al. (2009). National differences in gender–science stereotypes predict national sex differences in science and math achievement. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(26), 10593-10597.
Pettigrew, T. F. (1998). Intergroup contact theory. Annual review of psychology, 49(1), 65-85.
Suggestions for weekly recommended and further reading will be made separately through the unit handbook and Blackboard