Applied Social And Political Psychology - Msc

at Keele University

COURSE STRUCTURE

Understanding the psychological aspects of national and international political developments is increasingly important in a world where there is frequent political upheaval and tension, not to mention big issues within societies like gender inequality, racism, climate change, alienation and structural inequalities that need to be addressed head on.
 

Studying psychological theory as it relates to social and political issues, you will develop the advanced research skills needed to investigate social behaviour and its influences, considering the effect of bias, prejudice, cultural identity, morals, values and attitudes on human decision-making, emotions and interactions.
 

Better still, you will gain substantial first hand experience conducting multiple psychological research projects and experiencing a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research methods. In doing so, you will develop new ways of thinking about yourself and those around you, as well as society at large. For example, one student looked at how research could be used to bridge the gap between ordinary people and people in power, by interviewing prospective voters in Brazil during an election year to discover what they looked for in a 'role model' politician.
 

The MSc Applied Social and Political Psychology can be studied as either a one-year full-time or two-year part-time course, with a September start date. It also possible to study more flexibly part-time on a modular basis, accumulating degree credits by taking individual modules over a period of maximum of five years.
 

You will complete 180 credits to obtain the master’s qualification, comprising eight modules. For full-time students, six core and two optional modules are spread over two semesters (120 credits in total), while the Dissertation is worked on throughout the duration of the course (60 credits). You will agree the topic for your Dissertation with your supervisor during Semester 1. You can choose optional modules from within Psychology or other relevant Schools across the University. For example, the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences offers modules relating to human rights, global security and international relations. Part-time students take 90 credits per year for two years with the dissertation taken in the second year.
 

There are two interim awards available, depending on how many modules have been successfully completed: a Postgraduate Certificate for any two modules (60 credits); and a Postgraduate Diploma for all four taught modules (120 credits).
 

Semester one core modules

PSY-40099 Rethinking Research: Knowledge, Power and Diversity (15 credits, Semester 1)

Developing inclusive research practices, and being able to represent the voices of marginalised groups, is critical to changing society and politics. This module aims to develop a critical awareness of how research knowledge is generated, and how structural inequalities are created and reinforced by research norms and practices. At an advanced level, you will learn key skills in how to design, analyse, and evaluate applied social and political psychological research that is both inclusive and captures human diversity.
 

PSY-40085 Critical Approaches to Health, Social and Political psychology (15 credits, Semester 1)

Challenging your understanding of what psychology is, you will consider the role of the environment and social context in shaping individual psyche, and how we can break down barriers that may exclude individuals and groups from full participation in society. You will be encouraged to reflect on your own assumptions and moral values, and those of organisations and social influencers, through perspectives offered by, for example, discourse analysis, social representation theory, social dominance theory, social ecology, and moral philosophy, around topics such as gender inequalities, climate change, social hierarchies, LGBTQ+, loneliness, and parenting.
 

PSY-40095 Advanced Research Skills, Design, and Analysis (15 credits, Semester 1)

Through taught and interactive sessions, we prepare you to plan, conduct and analyse your own psychological research. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, you will learn to generate research questions, translate these into the design of your research, appropriately analyse data, and report your findings by writing a structured psychology lab report, using standard (APA) formatting. You can tailor your studies by focusing on the methods, design and analysis most useful to you.
 

Semester two core modules

PSY-40105 Global Issues: How to Organise for Social Change (15 credits, Semester 2)

You will consider how social and political psychological theory, as well as a host of theories from other fields (e.g., moral philosophy, social ecology), and research can be applied to both understand and tackle contemporary global issues. Exploring topics such as social injustice, environmental injustice, protests and activism, policing, radicalisation and de-radicalisation, stigma and inequalities, you will engage with 'big questions'. This touches on some of the biggest challenges facing individuals and communities, and the ways in which social change can contribute to positive solutions.
 

PSY-40087 Action Research: Co-Creating Research to make a Difference (15 credits, Semester 2)

This module develops your understanding of how research can be carried out to bring about social change within diverse communities and community organisations. After learning about the core principles of what defines action research, you will gain 'hands-on' experience. You will co-create a group action research project taking it from initial design stage through to data collection, analysis, and dissemination. You will then write a 2,000-word advocacy policy brief targeted at decision and policy makers.
 

PSY-40038 Research Apprenticeship in Psychology (15 credits, Semester 2)

You will work with staff as part of their research teams, gaining valuable experience of working on an active research project alongside an experienced research mentor. Apprenticeships are offered across a range of subjects, fields, and activities and represent the diverse expertise of our academic staff. These will support and extend your research skills. Projects could involve designing and preparing full or partial research reports, systematic literature reviews, grant proposals and ethics applications, with the real possibility that research findings may eventually be published.

ACADEMIC ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

This course is open to graduates with a first or upper second-class degree in psychology, political science, international relations, peace studies, philosophy, gender studies, history, sociology, anthropology or overseas equivalent. 
 

ENGLISH LANGUAGE ENTRY REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

• IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 in each component.

International - Full time £17,900
 

The advanced Social and Political Psychology research training and active experience you will gain on this MSc will open up careers across the public, private and third sector in areas such as criminal justice, policy development, political consultancy, political commentary, public relations, market research, conflict management and much more.
 

You will possess a wide range of transferable research skills, as well as an understanding of social behaviour and the causes of large-scale social problems, useful to inform social and media analysis, human resources recruitment and retention, and educational development. You could provide research and guidance for local or national governments, non-profit organisations, or community and mental health organisations.
 

There is always the option of starting up your own social enterprise company or pursuing consultancy and policy development for the public, private and third sector. Should you wish to continue your studies, you will also be well placed to pursue PhD study in psychology.