Undergraduate Course: Organisational Psychology (PSYL10165)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will provide an introduction to a number of core topics within the
broad field of organisational psychology. We will begin by defining organisational
and work psychology, differentiating three levels of study - the individual, the
team and the organisation. The majority of the course will focus on the first two of
these levels, with the final weeks focussed at the broader organisational level. A
primary emphasis for this course is on how psychological theories and findings
translate to the practicalities and challenges of people in the workplace. |
| Course description |
The first five weeks of the course will focus on the individual and the organisation.
We will, approximately, follow the life-cycle of an employee, discussing topics
such as vocational interests, selection and assessment, performance and
workplace motivation, and organisational health (primarily stress). This material
will draw extensively from work in individual differences (personality and
cognitive ability) and quantitative methods (psychometrics - psychological
testing).
Next, we will consider the importance of teams in the workplace. We will consider
team formation, composition and performance. In thinking about teams, we will
consider leadership - with a focus on the interaction of leaders with there
employees (leader-member exchange). This content will draw on both individual
differences and social psychology.
In the final two weeks, we will discuss organisational level topics. Here we will
focus on how organisational climate and culture are determined, and how these
along with broader organisational policy feed in to turnover and turnover
intentions.
The course will be delivered via a mixture of traditional lecture and in class
discussion and debate. Mid-course assessment will be in the form of a
presentation, where students will discuss how psychological theory can inform
typical organisational challenges. The final assessment will be an exam in which
students will select two essays from four that will require the integration of topics
from across the course.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should be studying Psychology as their degree major, and have
completed at least 3 Psychology courses at grade B or above. We will only
consider University/College level courses. Applicants should note that, as with
other popular courses, meeting the minimum does NOT guarantee admission.
**Please note that upper level Psychology courses are high-demand, meaning that
they have a very high number of students wishing to enrol in a very limited
number of spaces.** These enrolments are managed strictly by the Visiting
Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department, and all
enquiries to enrol in these courses must be made through the CAHSS Visiting
Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department
directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Describe and evaluate how psychological theories inform organisational practice at the level of the individual.
- Describe and evaluate how psychological theories inform organisational practice at the level of the team.
- Describe and evaluate how psychological theories inform organisational practice at the level of the organisation.
- Understand the interplay between the individual, team and organisation in evaluating organisational phenomena.
- Evaluate study designs and statistical analyses aimed at investigating key questions in organisational psychology both within specifc levels, and across all levels of study.
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Reading List
Selected chapters from these two texts which are available in the library alongside
weekly readings from journals.
Rogelberg, S.G. (2017). The Sage Encyclopaedia of Industrial and Organizational
Psychology. Sage.
Rogelberg, S.G. (2004). Handbook of Research Methods in Industrial and
Organizational Psychology. Wiley. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Students on this course will develop their skills in applying academic knowledge to
"real world" scenarios, aligning to the outlook and engagement mindset. Mid-
course assessments will enhance students' communications skills. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Thomas Booth
Tel: (0131 6)50 8405
Email: Tom.Booth@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Chloe Anderson
Tel: (0131 6)50 9870
Email: chloe.anderson@ed.ac.uk |
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