What you will study
Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list. Those listed here may also be a mixture of core and optional modules.
Year 1
In your first year you will acquire a broad foundation of knowledge around key theories and ideas of psychological science. You will begin to critically analyse historic perspectives, contemporary issues and ways of thinking about identity. You will be introduced to key strategies which are used in psychological research.
Core modules
Psychology Research Methods 1
30 credits
This module is a core requirement for students taking psychology in level 4. The module will introduce you to key strategies which are used in psychological research, including designing an experiment, hypothesis testing, and statistical analysis. The main features of the module will involve the acquisition of practical skills in psychological research, learning how to apply and carry out statistical tests using SPSS, and how to report research findings.
Throughout the module you will learn how to design a research project, analyse data and report a psychological experiment.
Foundations of Psychology
30 credits
This module introduces students to theories and ideas of psychological science in core areas of research. This module allows students to acquire a broad foundation of knowledge of these core areas, as well as many specialist sub-areas of psychology (e.g., biological psychology, learning, sensory and perceptual processes, memory, thought and knowledge, language, social, developmental, neuropsychology, individual differences, clinical).
Historical and Philosophical Concepts in Psychology
30 credits
This module will set modern psychology in its historical and philosophical context. Key scientific ideas and perspectives will be introduced and then applied specifically to psychology. No previous experience of history or philosophy will be assumed.
The content of the module will include historical perspectives of prominent individuals on science and psychology (eg., Donders, Wundt, Ebbinghaus, James, Freud, and Jung) and also broader philosophical movements (eg., rationalism, empiricism). Having established such historical issues, contemporary issues in philosophy of psychology will be developed (eg., reductionism and biological explanation, realism/anti-realism, modularity, free will and determinism, consciousness and the mind-body problem). Workshops will serve to consolidate the lecture material, providing opportunities for students to apply principles and ideas learned in the lectures to worked examples in psychological theory and practice. A central aim of the module is to allow students to develop their critical analysis skills.
Social Selves
30 credits
This module introduces students to some of the most influential ways of thinking about self and identity, drawing on both sociology and psychology. It deals with key dimensions of identity in contemporary life such as gender; work; sexuality; race; ethnicity; understandings of mental health; connections with places such as nations, cities and the globalised world; spirituality and religion. It explores the inseparable interweaving of society and the psyche; the psychological and the socio-political; collective forces and universal human drives. It places the ongoing process of constructing the self in the foreground in attempts to understand people's behaviour and development more generally. The very notion of the ‘self' is treated as an interactive, social phenomenon. The first part of the module considers the questions such as ‘what is the self?' and ‘how does the self arise?' The second part goes on to focus on a number of social dimensions which pattern selfhood. Students' employability is enhanced through the development of presentation skills as well as the ongoing development of analytical and critical skills through discussion and written work.
Year 2
In the second year you will examine the relationship between brain function and our understanding of cognition and behaviour. You will explore current theory and practice that focuses on the person in psychology. Whilst developing experimental research designs and delve further into inferential statistics
Core modules
Psychology Research Methods 2
30 credits
This module builds on the introduction to research methods and inferential statistics offered in PS4001 Research Methods 1. It will cover more advanced research designs — involving multiple independent variables — and more advanced inferential statistics such as analysis of variance, regression analysis and factor analysis. It will also introduce students to qualitative research methods and data analysis. Students will learn to develop and implement multifactorial experimental designs through practical research exercises and a project. Students' scientific writing skills will be further developed on the basis of a series of lab reports.
Brain, Behaviour and Cognition
30 credits
This module will cover major topics within the field of cognitive psychology, and will examine the relationship between brain function and our understanding of cognition and behaviour. The module will introduce key theoretical explanations proposed to account for human cognition and introduce students to some real-life applications of cognitive psychology. The module will also introduce students to the structure and function of the nervous system before examining the contribution of specialised brain structures to cognitive functions such as perception, attention, language, memory and decision making, and behaviours such as motivation, eating, emotion and sleep. Finally the module will examine the effect of hormones, drugs and neurological dysfunction on cognition and behaviour.
Social, Individual and Developmental Psychology
30 credits
The module will cover a broad range of key theories and empirical research in social, individual and developmental psychology. This module will allow students to explore current theory and practice in psychology across range of topics that focuses on the person in psychology. In consideration of the social, individual (human abilities and personality attributes) and developmental areas of enquiry, the scientific approach and the notion of measurement is fundamental.
Optional modules
Applied Psychology: Theory and Practice
30 credits
Applied Psychology: Theory and Practice is a level 5 option module that provides students with the opportunity to develop an understanding of what is involved in becoming a professional psychologist within the UK. This will include the practice and methods of the main areas of psychology such as forensic, counselling, health, educational, clinical, sports and occupational psychology. The module will give students the experience of taking either a careers in psychology pathway including a small research project, or a work based learning in psychology pathway, including a work placement.
Mental Health and Brain Function
30 credits
This module will examine the nature and treatment of abnormal behaviour, thought and feeling. Psychological disorders such as phobias, personality disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia, obsessions and compulsions, social anxiety, panic disorders and mood disorders will be evaluated. The module will introduce the main characteristics of these disorders, current approaches to understanding and the main treatment options. The module will also explore how cognitive functions can be localised within the brain. Cognitive impairments that can arise in some psychological disorders illnesses will be examined. Finally, examples of how neurobiological data can help inform an understanding of psychological disorder will be evaluated.
Optional year
Study abroad optional year
You have the option to take an additional year to study abroad or to undertake a year-long work placement overseas (or even a mix of both).
Sandwich year
This course has a sandwich year option which takes place between Year 2 and your Final Year. During this sandwich year you will take a placement within a relevant setting, ensuring you gain essential experience to add to your CV and help you secure a graduate job.
Final year
In your final year you will be able to choose from selection of optional modules, which cover a range of topics, this will enable you to tailor your studies to your own interests and aspirations. You will also research a chosen topic for your dissertation.
Core modules
Psychology Research Project
30 credits
This module will provide the opportunity to study and employ different methodologies in psychology by evaluating the strengths and limitations of different research designs. Students will execute an empirical research project on a topic agreed in consultation with a Psychology staff supervisor. Supervisory sessions with an academic supervisor will guide students to conduct a literature review, formulate a research question, design a research study, and consider research ethics relating to their study, culminating in data collection and writing up of a research report which satisfies APA guidelines.
Optional modules - choose 2 from this group:
Advanced Developmental Psychology
30 credits
This is an optional module for Level 6 students who wish to expand their knowledge about child development. The module will cover a broad range of issues in developmental psychology including both examples of typical and atypical development, such as reading development and dyslexia, children's relationships and bullying, language in typical and atypical populations, sensory impairment, children's understanding of number and dyscalculia, children with Williams Syndrome, among other themes. The module will involve a combination of keynote lectures, interactive lectures and guided independent study during which current theories, methodologies and research will be discussed and critically evaluated. In addition, transferable skills will be fostered through student led interactive discussions and tasks.
Critical Social Psychology: Memory, Narrative and Representation
30 credits
This module explores the nature and origins of social knowledge and critically evaluates the basis for claims to ‘absolute reality'. The module will be of interest to students who wish to examine contemporary beliefs and assumptions about the world on a range of political, philosophical, psychological and moral issues. In the second semester, earlier theoretical knowledge is applied to the study of collective memory (the memory of people across generations) – a foundational form of social knowledge involved in the construction of identity. The study of social/collective memory raises some political issues. For example, in the aftermath of conflict, competing versions of the past are often a barrier to reconciliation. Understanding the nature and content of collective memory therefore becomes important. Students should have an interest in the history and politics of conflict including human rights although detailed historical knowledge is not a pre-requisite. Course material comprises film and television documentary, which will broaden and deepen existing knowledge of 20th century events.
Neuropsychology and Neuro-rehabilitation
30 credits
There are two main streams in this module: Part I - Neuropsychology. The module will place a particular emphasis on understanding the effects of brain activity on cognitive and social aspects of human behaviour (and vice-versa). In addition, the module will address the effects of brain injury and neurological impairments with a view to understand models of normal cognitive and social functioning. Video material will be used to illustrate clinical cases when available. Part II – Neuro-rehabilitation. The module will introduce students to modern techniques for the diagnosis of neurological disorders and their neuropsychiatric implications. Interventions for the treatment and management of neurological disorders will be evaluated. Students' effort and engagement will be essential for a successful and rewarding experience. This will include active participation in lectures and the reading of the indicated material.
Advanced Issues in the Psychology of Thinking
30 credits
This module will explore the psychology of higher cognitive processes, such as thinking, reasoning, judgement and decision-making. The module will encourage students to evaluate critically whether human thinking is rational, and the normative models with which that rationality is measured. It will also introduce students to quantitative models of these processes. Finally the module will introduce students to applications of cognitive psychology research, especially in terms of judgement and decision making in areas such as politics, sports, economics and health.
Optional modules - choose 1 from this group:
Introduction to Forensic Psychology
30 credits
This module will give a broad overview of the intersection between psychology and the criminal justice system. Forensic psychology is concerned with the psychological aspects of the legal process including police investigation and court procedures. Students will learn to apply psychological theory to criminal investigation, understand the psychological problems and developmental processes associated with criminal behaviour and victimisation. There will be an introduction to the assessment and treatment of those who have committed offences. The module will also give an insight into the training and career pathways for forensic psychologists.
Psychology of Art and Film
30 credits
"Creating new circuits in art means creating them in the brain too".
Gilles Deleuze
The aesthetic experience relates not only to natural beauty but also to works of art which can be seen as cultural manifestations of the human mind. For centuries artists have used a varied number of media—from pigments to pixels—to evoke a multitude of perceptions and sensory effects able to trigger powerful rational and emotional responses. Psychology of Art and Film is a young field of study and encompasses a multitude of branches of Psychology. The module will broadly focus on the question: If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, what is it about the human experience that enables us to appreciate it? The focus will be on art in the form of paintings, films, photography and ‘installations'.
The module will be divided in three core areas: I. The ‘self‘: cognitive aspects modulating the aesthetic experience; II. The ‘environment': social and cultural aspects modulating the aesthetic experience; and III. Workshops: include talks by invited artists/lecturers and independent visits to Museums, Galleries and Cinemas.
Psychotherapeutic Psychology and Mental Health: from Theory to Practice
30 credits
This module examines how psychology is applied in psychotherapeutic work in mental health contexts. It is relevant to students who are interested in Counselling Psychology, Clinical Psychology, psychotherapy, counselling and/or in mental health service provision more generally.The module begins with a consideration of how common forms of psychological distress and disorder are conceptualised within mainstream classification systems. After psychotherapeutic approaches are placed in historical context, the module considers the theory and practice of various psychotherapeutic approaches. Attention is given to how specific mental health issues can be addressed in therapy, how therapy can respond creatively and ethically to diversity issues, and how therapeutic impact or effectiveness might best be evaluated. By completing this module, students will develop a critical understanding of the nature of psychotherapeutic practice and of some key aspects of its complexity and challenges. The module will consider the principles and challenges of psychotherapeutic practice but students will not engage in any form of psychotherapeutic practice during the module, nor will it qualify them to do so afterwards. However it will help inform students' decision-making about careers in the psychotherapeutic and mental health fields.
The Psychology of Health and Well Being
30 credits
The module will engage students with the main themes of contemporary health psychology and positive psychology with a particular focus on theory, research, intervention, and application. The students will gain an understanding of the importance of psychological processes in the experience of health and illness, and explore the role of behaviour and emotion in current trends of mortality and morbidity. In addition, students will gain an understanding of the role of positive emotions, optimism, spirituality, flourishing relationships, and community engagement in promoting health, well-being, and happiness. They will also become aware of the crucial roles health psychology and positive psychology have to play in the development and evaluation of physical and psychological health promotion interventions.
Advanced Issues in the Psychology of Thinking
30 credits
This module will explore the psychology of higher cognitive processes, such as thinking, reasoning, judgement and decision-making. The module will encourage students to evaluate critically whether human thinking is rational, and the normative models with which that rationality is measured. It will also introduce students to quantitative models of these processes. Finally the module will introduce students to applications of cognitive psychology research, especially in terms of judgement and decision making in areas such as politics, sports, economics and health.
