SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY. PSYCHOL 3027 Psychology, Science & Society COURSE INFORMATION. Ver 2

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1 SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY PSYCHOL 3027 Psychology, Science & Society 2016 COURSE INFORMATION 1 Ver 2

2 PSYCHOL 3027: Psychology, Science & Society Course Coordinator: A/Prof Amanda LeCouteur Room 510 Hughes Building; phone ; Aims This course looks at Psychology as a complex human enterprise that is concerned with the production, dissemination, and application of psychological knowledge. It also extends and builds upon the second year course on social psychology. The broad aim of the course is to show how our understanding of Psychology can be aided by recent developments in related disciplines such as philosophy, history, and sociology. In particular, the course focuses on Psychology s relationship to science, and theories that provide critical perspectives on Social Psychology s main topics such as attitudes, social categorisation, attributions and social identity. Objectives On successful completion of this topic students should be able to meet the following objectives: Display an understanding of the implications of recent work in the philosophy of science for the foundational concerns of the science of Psychology. Demonstrate familiarity with a range of epistemologies and methodologies as practised in various subsections of the discipline of Psychology. Display an appreciation of the complexity, multiplicity and contextdependence of the processes of psychological explanation and practice. Understand competing theoretical approaches about how individuals and groups attend to, process, interpret, and mentally represent complex social information. Understand alternative critical approaches to standard social psychological topics such as attributions, categorisation, stereotyping, and social identity. General references Recommended readings for Assoc Professor Amanda LeCouteur s course will be made available via MyUni throughout the course. The main text for the Social Psychology course taught by Prof Martha Augoustinos will be: Augoustinos, M., Walker, I. & Donaghue, N. (2006). Social Cognition: An Integrated Introduction. (2nd ed.) Sage: London. Additional reading and references will be made available on MyUni. TUTORIALS The course will include 4 tutorials (2 from each section of the course). The focus of these will be applications of core theories and principles. SELF-DIRECTED LEARNING EXERCISES (SDLs) 2

3 Several self-directed learning exercises will also be provided to students during weeks that do not contain tutorials. Most of these will be background reading relating to coursework. ASSESSMENT Examination (150 min): 50% Major Practical Report: 40% Tutorial attendance: 10% IMPORTANT DATES Major Practical Report Due date 4.00pm Thursday 5 May LECTURE & TUTORIAL TIMETABLE Week Beginning Week No. Lecture 1 Wednesday 1.10pm Rennie L/T Lecture 2 Thursday 11.10am Horace Lamb L/T Tutorials Feb 29 1 Martha Augoustinos Martha Augoustinos March 7 2 Martha Augoustinos Martha Augoustinos March 14 Adel Cup March 21 Good Friday March 28 Easter Monday 3 Martha Augoustinos Martha Augoustinos Tute 4 Martha Augoustinos Martha Augoustinos 5 Martha Augoustinos Martha Augoustinos Tute April 4 6 Martha Augoustinos Martha Augoustinos April 11 April 18 April 25 ANZAC Day Mid Semester Break 7 Amanda LeCouteur Amanda LeCouteur May 2 8 Amanda LeCouteur Amanda LeCouteur May 9 9 Amanda LeCouteur Amanda LeCouteur Tute May Amanda LeCouteur Amanda LeCouteur May Amanda LeCouteur Amanda LeCouteur May Amanda LeCouteur Amanda LeCouteur Tute GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 3

4 The main objective of the undergraduate program is to provide students with a thorough education in the scientific discipline of psychology, while also introducing students to the application of the discipline. Psychology in third year is intended to build on the material that you learned about in earlier years, and to provide you with a more advanced treatment of these topics. At this level, you are given an opportunity to choose your courses from among a number of electives. This will enable you to begin to develop your knowledge and understanding of psychology in those areas that hold particular fascination for you. However, the practice of psychology typically requires an ability to interpret behaviour from several different perspectives, so students planning to major in this discipline are strongly recommended to opt for a broad cross-section of courses from those on offer. There will be ample opportunity for further specialisation in later years. The Australian Psychology Accreditation Council (APAC) guidelines suggest that, across Levels I to III, students wishing to be psychologists should study the following: abnormal psychology; biological bases of behaviour; cognition, information processing and language; individual differences in capacity and behaviour, testing and assessment, personality; learning; lifespan developmental psychology; motivation and emotion; perception; social psychology; history and philosophy of psychology; and intercultural diversity and indigenous psychology. Since psychology is an evidence-based discipline, all students should also be familiar with the range of methodologies employed to collect and analyse data relevant to the above topics. In addition, students should be sensitive to cultural and ethical issues that may impact on the way that the knowledge acquired should be interpreted and used. The emphasis in the courses taught in third year continues to be on the fundamental principles and methods of psychological science. Nevertheless, consideration is also given to the application of psychology to practical problems and important social questions. More detailed attention will be given to the roles played by psychologists in tackling these applied issues during fourth year, and even more so in our Masters programs. At that postgraduate level especially, you will be equipped with the specific skills required to relate the core concepts and techniques in psychology to real human needs wherever they may be found. Writing and communicating effectively are important graduate attributes: in Level III you will further develop your skills in writing for psychology. This third year of study in psychology is intended, therefore, to be the culmination of your introduction to this important discipline. For those who do not wish to become professional psychologists, the knowledge and skills you will acquire this year will serve you well in whatever career path you choose to pursue in the future. For others, however, this is the year that may open the door for you to undertake further professional training as a psychologist at the honours and postgraduate level. Irrespective of which category you belong to, we wish you well in the courses that you elect to take with us. 4

5 PRACTICALS Practical work is a required part of each Level III Psychology course. Any student who has a demonstrable ethical concern with respect to participation in particular practical work, is asked to raise the matter initially with the course Coordinator of the course involved. The possibility of suitable alternative practical work will then be discussed. The work which is submitted for assessment must be the work of the individual student alone, except for material which is acknowledged as being derived from another, or material allowed to be submitted as a group project. Study together and discuss your assignment with others, but ensure that, for individual reports, the work submitted is your own: do your writing quite independently. If you miss any activity in connection with practical work (e.g. through illness), contact the relevant Course Coordinator as soon as possible. By their nature, some flexibility is possible with some practicals, but you can be helped only if you ask. TUTORIALS Tutorial classes are associated with Level III courses. Tutorials form part of the course content and the material in them may be examinable. Please check the timetable associated with each course. PRIZE IN PSYCHOLOGY III An Academic Prize is awarded to the candidate who has achieved the highest marks in their Level III prerequisites for entry into the Honours Psychology course. The prize is called the Roby Fletcher Munn Prize, and its value is $200. PSYCHOLOGY AFTER level III Honours Psychology Entry for 2017 Students will graduate their Honours year with a Bachelor of Psychological Science (Honours) irrespective of what they completed for their 3-year degree. This will apply to all students except for the students enrolled in the 4-year degree, Bachelor of Psychology (Honours). For entry to the Honours Degree in Psychology, it is necessary to have qualified for an Ordinary Degree. Level III students in Psychology at the University of Adelaide need to have completed the major sequence in Psychology. The major sequence in Psychology at Level III requires completion of the Research Methodology course and a selection of Level III courses in Psychology to provide a total value of 12 units or more. 5

6 Entry into Honours is based strictly on the academic performance of the psychology courses taken at Level II and DRIP:A and the three highest marks for psychology courses taken at Level III. The formula is as follows: Weighted Average = (Level II psych x 40% weighting) + (Level III psych x 60% weighting) Offers are made in rank order according to the calculated weighted averages and first round offers are made in mid-december with second round being offered in early January. Completion of the Honours degree opens up a number of alternative career pathways. (1) At present graduates with four years of university study in Psychology can seek an additional two years of approved supervised practical experience as provisionally registered Psychologists. On completion of the two years supervised practice, they would be eligible to seek full registration from AHPRA to practise as Psychologists in Australia. This is a relatively uncommon pathway in South Australia, due to the small number of available supervision places. (2) Application may be made for entry into postgraduate courses leading to registration by AHPRA as a Psychologist. A range of such courses are offered by various universities within Australia. Typically, as within this School, they are of two years full-time duration, combine coursework with a research project and supervised practice, and lead to a Master of Psychology degree. Once again there is strong competition for the limited number of places available in such programs. Some Master of Psychology degree programs require up-front fees for most students. (3) Honours graduates may also seek to enrol for a higher degree (PhD or Master of Philosophy) by research. These typically require two years of fulltime study for a Master degree and three to four years for a PhD. A range of scholarships is available for pursuing this option, of which the most familiar is the Australian Postgraduate Award. A high First Class Honours degree is required to obtain an APA although additional scholarships offered by the Faculty of Health Sciences will generally be available to any student who achieves a first class award. Opportunities may also exist for the most elite students to complete a PhD/Master of Psychology degree, which leads to eligibility for registration as a Psychologist. In recent years the employment prospects for Psychologists have been good in comparison to many other university graduates and projections of future employment prospects continue to be comparatively optimistic. 6