PSYCHOLOGY IN THE REAL WORLD - 2020/1
Module code: PSY0001
Module Overview
At the University of Surrey we have psychologists from a range of different psychological fields and expertise. This module provides opportunities for students to develop an understanding of how psychology influences every-day life in the real world. The module will encourage critical thinking of how we live our lives and the psychology behind the decisions we take and the behaviour we perform. The students will be introduced to a wide range of different fields of psychology at Surrey and have the opportunity to see the importance of psychology.
Module provider
Psychology
Module Leader
HACK Sarah (Psychology)
Number of Credits: 30
ECTS Credits: 15
Framework: FHEQ Level 3
Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 267
Lecture Hours: 11
Seminar Hours: 22
Module Availability
Semester 1
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
N/A
Module content
The content of this module takes advantage of the expertise within the School of Psychology. The School employs many staff who research in a range of different fields of psychology. The module will introduce the students to the different areas and show how psychology is important for everyday life.
Indicative content will be (for example):
The psychology behind how we make decisions
Using nature to manage stress
Gender and education
Atypical development
Neurology in the classroom
Pollution and the problem of ocean plastics
Why some of us eat too much
The acceptance of moving to renewable energy
Work stress
Sports psychology
Decision making
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Coursework | Annotated Bibliography | 50 |
| Examination | 1 hour exam | 50 |
Alternative Assessment
N/A
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate a broad understanding of the relevance of psychology to every-day life.
The summative assessment for this module consists of:
- An annotated bibliography which is linked to the second assessment (Exam) and which will also feed in to the Research Project module in Semester 2) (50%)
- Exam (50%). The exam may consist of a number of short questions or take the form of a traditional essay-based exam which will allow students to develop their exam technique. The student will choose questions from a selection that require them to answer questions about one or more of the lecture topics. The student will be required to take a critical stance on how psychology may be applied to the real world.
Formative assessment
Opportunities for formative assessments will be integrated throughout this module and will focus on the academic skills acquired throughout the programme.
Feedback
Continuous feedback strategies are built into the module to capture the students experiences and development of their:
- Peer and tutor facilitated
- Ability to articulate reflective practice through their writing
- Reflect and discuss learning
- Develop their interpersonal skills
- Encourage engagement and communication skills
Module aims
- • introduce students to a range of psychological topics offered at Surrey
- • develop an understanding of how psychology plays a role in these areas of life
- • develop key and transferable skills that will help in the assimilation of knowledge and develop autonomy in learning
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 001 | Relate principles and concepts of different fields of psychology to underlying theoretical approaches and everyday life | C |
| 002 | Understand the investigative strategies and approaches used by different fields of psychology | C |
| 003 | Understand how different fields of psychology can solve standard problems | C |
| 004 | Have a broad understanding of the different fields of psychology at Surrey | K |
| 005 | Demonstrate an awareness of the different fields of psychology at Surrey and current areas of debate in the field | K |
| 006 | Demonstrate attitudes and behaviours that support lifelong learning | T |
| 007 | Demonstrate skills in communication, interpersonal skills and reflection | T |
| 008 | Demonstrate confidence and self-awareness in becoming an independent learner | T |
| 009 | Demonstrate an ability to assess own capabilities against given criteria | T |
| 010 | Undertake a given task and clearly defined role | P |
| 011 | Undertake given complex performance tasks | P |
| 012 | Adapt behaviour to work with others in joint tasks | P |
| 013 | Demonstrate an awareness of methodological and/or ethical issues in different fields of psychology | P |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
Please note that this module has been formulated by default using the traditional Fac-to-Face model of teaching but a hybrid model of teaching and delivering the content will be explored given the current context.
The learning and teaching strategy is designed to:
- Enhance the students learning experience
- Encourage active student engagement
- Adopt innovative approaches to learning and teaching
- Offer high quality educational delivery
- Create the ability to study independently with support
During the course a number of learning and teaching methods will be used, including:
- Lectures and interactive seminars
- Flipped learning
- Discussion groups and problem solving classes
- Revision and feedback tutorials
- Independent study and self-directed learning
- Guided group/team work
- Laboratory practical sessions (including virtual reality and online tasks)
- Experiential learning
- Blended learning
- Reflective learning
- ePortfolio building
- Peer evaluation
2 - 3 hours of contact time will be delivered per week during teaching weeks 1-11 for the semester (33 total)
An indicative week might involve 1 hours of lectures and 2 hours of tutorials
18 hours per week of independent study across weeks 1-15 for the semester (267 total)
Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.
Reading list
https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PSY0001
Other information
None.
Programmes this module appears in
| Programme | Semester | Classification | Qualifying conditions |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychology with Foundation Year BSc (Hons) | 1 | Compulsory | A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module |
Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2020/1 academic year.