Core modules
The first year follows the BSc Psychology core programme and an introduction to Education Studies through two Education Studies modules. Moving into the second year, we again bring two Education Studies modules into the Psychology offer. In your third year you can tailor the course to your interests through a range of optional modules across both departments.
Year One
Brain and Behaviour
In this module you'll learn about the structure and function of the nervous system, how we detect and respond to stimulation and how behaviour changes with experience. After exploring memory, language, emotion and goal-directed action, you'll study contemporary and historical approaches to psychological disorders. This will give you a critical appreciation of psychology as a science.
Psychology in Context
This module introduces you to the history of psychology and core topics in social, developmental and cognitive psychology. You'll be able to discuss some of the classic studies, critically appreciate the main concepts and take a historical perspective on psychology as a science.
Statistical Methods in Psychology
This module will introduce you to the skills and knowledge needed to conduct investigations and statistical analysis of research data, covering both the principles of the techniques taught and their practical application. By the end, you will be expected to have a sound understanding of the properties and application of qualitative and quantitative data, measures of tendency, variability, probability and correlation, the principles of parametric and non-parametric hypothesis testing, regression, and the use of chi-square tests. Aiming to stand you in good stead for second- and third-year projects, this course will also see you designing and implementing factorial experiments, and analysing and presenting your findings with due regard to ethical considerations.
Research Methods in Psychology
You will acquire the skills and knowledge needed to understand the nature of empirical work in psychology, and to design, implement, analyse and report on your own investigations. In addition to preparing for second- and third-year projects, you will gain a solid grounding in research methods, including the properties and application of quantitative and qualitative data, measures of tendency, variability, probability and correlation, the principles of parametric and non-parametric hypothesis testing, regression, and the use of chi-square tests. You will compare observational and questionnaire methods and associated ethical considerations, and also gain valuable practical experience in using SPSS software for computing descriptive and inferential statistics.
Academic Skills for Psychologists
You will gain the basic study skills needed to succeed on a psychology degree course, covering both theoretical considerations, such as the nature of evidence, and practical applications in terms of conducting field and desk research. With an emphasis on developing a coherent skill set based on critical, logical thinking and a deeper understanding of empirical psychological science, you will also gain an appreciation of the nature of assessment in higher education, and learn to organise your study time. We will also cover the efficient use of the university’s study resources, and soft skills such as communication and engagement that are essential to academic success.
Theories of Learning
This module introduces you to various psychological theories outlining how human beings learn. The module covers leading child development theorists' perspectives on learning in the early years (such as Jean Piaget and Lev Vygotsky) as well as exploring the work of theorists who explore learning from the perspective of older children, young people and adults. By the end of the module you'll have acquired the tools for evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of contrasting learning theories. This module also aims to give you an insight into the relationship between social values, culture and theories of learning.
Education Today
This module is your starting point to understand historical and contemporary issues in education. It is organised around the idea that policies and practices from the past still resonate in the organisation, funding, priorities and day-to-day life of educational institutions today. Students will get the chance to access the historical archive held at the Modern Records Centre on campus, which contains a wealth of material on late 19th-20th century British and international history, politics, economics and society. The themes covered by the module include compulsory schooling policies, colonialism and schooling, special needs education, and gender segregation.
Year Two
Please note you must take two Education options in Year Two.
Further methods in Psychology
You will cover both conceptual issues, such as knowing when and why to apply a particular research technique, and practical applications, such as conducting analysis using SPSS software. You will be encouraged to read academic articles with a critical eye as to the validity of their claims, and apply what you have learned in preparation for your second- and third-year projects. You will be expected to demonstrate that you can systematically test hypotheses using ANOVA, evaluate assumptions, pay due regard to ethical and methodological considerations, and present your results clearly and concisely in speech and in writing.
Second Year Project
You will develop your research skills further through the opportunity to work as part of a small team on a medium-scale project in an area of psychological enquiry of interest to you. You will apply and consolidate the research methods and analytical skills acquired in your first year to real data obtained by the study. You will demonstrate that you can plan and carry out research (including an appreciation of ethical considerations), analyse data, draw appropriate conclusions, and present a poster and formal report on your findings to a professional standard. You will also foster the essential soft skills of independent learning, communication, time management and collaboration with your peers.
Social Psychology
How do we attach meaning to the behaviour of others? When does a child gain a sense of themselves as an entity? Why does modesty differ between cultures? Does objectifying women lead to their mistreatment? Social psychology engages with these and other questions of human behaviour scientifically by examining how we are influenced by our social context. You'll become acquainted with central concepts, theories and research in social psychology and grow your understanding of the individual, the social context of behaviour and the relationship between the two. You'll gain a good grounding in research methods and look specifically at verbal/non-verbal communication, aggression, social judgement, attribution and inference, and behaviour within and between groups.
Language and Cognition
In this module, you'll investigate cognitive processes that underlie language, decision making and problem solving, in the context of investigating the evolution, biological mechanisms, and cognitive processes of language and communication. You'll master key findings and methods in psycholinguistics and cognitive science, and be able to critically evaluate theories of language and cognition.
You will defer one of these core modules to your third year:
Individual Differences
You'll examine contemporary research and theories in relation to personality, intelligence, and the methods used to study the intriguing and hotly contested area of individual differences. You'll gain insights into how this area of study has evolved, with conflicting and competing theories. By the end of the course, you'll have an appreciation of the psychodynamic, biological, cognitive, humanistic–existential–interpersonal, and social–constructionist theories of personality and individual difference, and be able to evaluate research in these areas. You'll also become familiar with the aims of techniques such as multiple regression, factorial experiments and Q-sort procedures, and able to articulate your view of the major controversies in this field, both in writing and through oral presentation.
Developmental Psychology
The module builds on the first-year developmental module of Psychology in Context by exploring current research in infancy, childhood and adolescence, linking to examples from atypical development and education and focusing primarily on cognitive and social development in childhood. You'll develop an understanding of how different influences interact in development, and be aware of links between cognitive and social growth, and the development of reasoning and language.
Psychobiology
You'll deepen the basic psychobiological knowledge you acquired in the first year to understand the complex functions and interactions of the nervous and endocrine systems. You'll learn to describe the functional architecture of the brain and macro- and microscopic levels, and understand the role of signal processing and the visual system in explaining complex behaviour. You'll also consider how psychobiology influences areas as complex as genetics, neurochemistry, sex differences, memory and homeostasis. We place emphasis on the complexities of contemporary psychobiological research, and its recent advances and limits, so you'll have plenty of opportunities to discuss challenging, up-to-date topics in psychobiology through group work, thereby developing your teamwork and communication skills.
Year Three
Your deferred second-year module
Individual Project
Optional modules
- Globalisation and Education
- Children’s Literature in Childhood
- Work Based Placement
- Education and Social Justice
- Masculinities, Fatherhood and Young Children
- Developmental Psychopathology
- Issues in Families and Development
- Psychology and the Law
- Nonverbal Behaviour
- Theory and Research on Emotion
