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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2017/2018

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences : Psychology

Undergraduate Course: Critical Social Psychology (PSYL10018)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences CollegeCollege of Humanities and Social Science
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryShould social psychology be a science and what does it mean to claim that it is? Should social psychologists do experiments? Why do we think scientific knowledge is 'better' than other kinds of knowledge? Is social psychology really social? Why does current social psychological theory focus on cognitive processes to explain social phenomena? What are the implications for our understanding of self? Drawing on ideas from philosophy, history, sociology and linguistics, we examine the nature of social psychological knowledge and how it affects individuals' lives; our assumptions about the nature of self and mind; the often hidden values in and politics of research; and the role of language in all this. Are there other ways of doing social psychology? Do we need a (new) theory of self? Could there be a non-cognitive social psychology? This course aims to discuss, and answer, all these questions. This course includes lectures, in-class and online discussions, and debates about key issues.
Course description Not entered
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Research Methods and Statistics 2 (PSYL10126) AND Research Methods & Statistics 3 (PSYL10127)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesDegree major in Psychology and passes in Psychology courses at least to the equivalent of Junior Honours level in Edinburgh. Prior agreement with the 4th Year Honours Course Organiser
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  50
Course Start Block 1 (Sem 1)
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 10, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 86 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 80 %, Coursework 20 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 300 word essay plan (10%) and/or 300 word article summary (10%) and/or presentation (10%); Exam (80%)

Visiting Student Variant Assessment (100%)
TBC
Feedback Not entered
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May)Critical Social Psychology1:30
Academic year 2017/18, Part-year visiting students only (VV1) Quota:  10
Course Start Block 1 (Sem 1)
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Lecture Hours 10, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 88 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 300 word essay plan (10%) and/or 300 word article summary (10%) and/or presentation (10%); Exam (80%)

Visiting Student Variant Assessment (100%)
TBC
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. You should be able to do at least three of the following: - Describe and assess social psychology's claim to be a science, and evaluate its use of experiments.
  2. Discuss social psychology's paradigm, conceptual and moral/political crises.
  3. Apply arguments from science studies, Foucault's work, and 'the turn to language' to evaluate psychology's methods.
  4. Describe psychology's contribution to the 'government of individuals'.
  5. Assess efforts to reconstruct social psychology's practice and/or subject.
Reading List
None
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Sue Widdicombe
Tel: (0131 6)50 3411
Email: S.Widdicombe@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Catherine Renton
Tel: (0131 6)50 3602
Email: crenton2@ed.ac.uk
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