Approved sequence for Social and Applied Psychology Proposed new major title: Psychology in Society

Transcription

1 Approved sequence for Social and Applied Psychology Proposed new major title: Psychology in Society Major sequence: ID: 427 TRIM Code Title Type Take core units at Level 1: F31467 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain Core 1 F31520 PSYC1102 Core 1 Take complementary units at Level 1: F31614 ANTH1001 Being Human: Culture, Identity and Complementary 1 Society TRIM: F29773 ANTH1101 Being Human: Culture, Identity and Society F31628 ANTH1002 Global Change, Local Responses Complementary 1 ANTH1102 Global Change, Local Responses Take core units at Level 2: F31692 PSYC2203 Core 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 ; OR 12 points of mathematics and/or statistics Take 1 option at Level 2 from this group (A): F31696 PSYC2209 Industrial and Option (A) 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 F31886 PSYC2212 Psychology and Social Option (A) 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 F31697 PSYC2213 Psychology: Lifespan Option (A) 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 F31649 PSYC2214 Adult Psychopathology Option (A) 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 Take core units at Level 3: F31702 PSYC3302 Psychological Measurement and its Core Application F31633 PSYC3303 Psychological Science in the Modern Core World: Challenges and Controversies Take 2 options at Level 3 from this group (B): F34293 PSYC3309 Industrial and Option (B) PSYC3309 Industrial and PSYC3312 Psychology and Social PSYC3313 Psychology: Lifespan PSYC3314 Adult Psychopathology PSYC2204 Psychological Science: Theory, Research and Practice Nil PSYC2209 Industrial and Current as at Monday, 28 May 2012 Attachment N1 Page 1 of 2

2 TRIM Code Title Type F34290 PSYC3312 Psychology and Social Option (B) F34291 PSYC3313 Psychology: Lifespan Option (B) F34292 PSYC3314 Adult Psychopathology Option (B) PSYC2212 Psychology and Social PSYC2213 Psychology: Lifespan PSYC2214 Adult Psychopathology Current as at Monday, 28 May 2012 Attachment N2 Page 2 of 2

3 Proposed new sequence for Social and Applied Psychology Proposed new major title: Psychology in Society Major sequence: ID: 427 TRIM Code Title Type Take core units at Level 1: F31467 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain Core 1 F31520 PSYC1102 Core 1 Take core units at Level 2: F31692 PSYC2203 Core 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 ; OR 12 points of mathematics and/or statistics Take 1 option at Level 2 from this group (A): F31696 PSYC2209 Industrial and Option (A) 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 F31886 PSYC2212 Psychology and Social Option (A) 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 F31697 PSYC2213 Psychology: Lifespan Option (A) 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 F31649 PSYC2214 Adult Psychopathology Option (A) 2 PSYC1101 Psychology: Mind and Brain OR PSYC1102 Take core units at Level 3: F31702 PSYC3302 Psychological Measurement and its Core Application F31633 PSYC3303 Psychological Science in the Modern Core World: Challenges and Controversies Take 2 options at Level 3 from this group (B): F34293 PSYC3309 Industrial and Option (B) F34290 PSYC3312 Psychology and Social Option (B) F34291 PSYC3313 Psychology: Lifespan Option (B) TRIM: PSYC3309 Industrial and F29773 PSYC3312 Psychology and Social PSYC3313 Psychology: Lifespan PSYC3314 Adult Psychopathology PSYC2204 Psychological Science: Theory, Research and Practice Nil PSYC2209 Industrial and PSYC2212 Psychology and Social PSYC2213 Psychology: Lifespan Current as at Monday, 28 May 2012 Attachment N3 Page 1 of 2

4 TRIM Code Title Type F34292 PSYC3314 Adult Psychopathology Option (B) PSYC2214 Adult Psychopathology Current as at Monday, 28 May 2012 Attachment N4 Page 2 of 2

5 Proposal for Change to Major Sequences Offered in the School of Psychology The School of Psychology currently offers the following majors: Context Social and Applied Psychology (Bachelor of Arts) Neuropsychology and Cognitive Science (Bachelor of Science) Prior to New Courses 2012, students generally had a free choice of units that they could take alongside their first year units in Psychology. The exception to this was the Psychology program in the Bachelor of Science, which had a choice of units from a restricted list. The introduction of New Courses 2012, and complementary and broadening units, has restricted choices for students at firstyear level. Currently 12 points of complementary units are attached to each of the majors in Psychology. For the Social and Applied Psychology major in the BA, the complementary units are two first year Anthropology units (ANTH1001 and ANH1002) and for the Neuropsychology and Cognitive Science major in the BSc, the complementary units are two first year Anatomy and Human Biology units (ANHB1101 and ANHB1102). While the School of Psychology did agree to the complementary units when our two majors were negotiated in preparation for New Courses 2012, the School does not see the complementary units as providing essential grounding for either of our majors. The UWA undergraduate Psychology program accredited by the Australian Psychology Accreditation Council does not include the complementary units, and no other Psychology major in the country requires completion of Anthropology or Anatomy and Human Biology units. While the combination of Psychology with either Anthropology or Anatomy and Human Biology may be desirable for some students, alternative combinations of disciplines will be favoured by other students. The potential for students to benefit from being able to combine Psychology with a broad range of other disciplines can be illustrated with the following inter disciplinary journal titles: Journal of Psycholinguistic Research, Psychology of Music, Psychophysiology, Psychology of Sport and Exercise, Journal of Forensic Psychology, Educational Psychology, Journal of Psychopharmacology, Law and Psychology Review, and the Journal of Mathematical Psychology. Rationale for Change to Major Sequences in the Disciplines of Psychology Under New Courses 2012, students take a degree specific major and have the option of choosing a second major from any undergraduate course. Students who are unsure of what major(s) to choose are appropriately advised it is a good idea to select Level 1 units that lead to more than one major in a range of areas that interest you. You are also encouraged to take one or two broadening units in your first year. (p. 30, Undergraduate Handbook). A first year enrolment that leaves open as many degree specific majors as possible, consistent with the student s interests, is clearly desirable. However, during the enrolment period, a number of students complained at how restrictive the complementary units were in limiting options for majors if they did not want to pursue a major in Anthropology or Anatomy and Human Biology. Majors in other disciplines that have traditionally been paired with a Psychology major often also have first year complementary units. With students encouraged to take one or more broadening units in first year, students contemplating taking a Attachment N5

6 2 degree specific major in Psychology can find it very difficult to make space in their first year enrolment for even a second desired degree specific major. Indeed, the core units and complementary units for some pairs of majors exceed eight first year units. Two examples involving 10 first year core and complementary units are: Social and Applied Psychology paired with Music Studies. Neuropsychology and Cognitive Science paired with Computer Science. Many other desirable combinations of majors have at least seven core and complementary first year units, which also limit options for students who wish to take broadening units in first year. While there are many examples of this kind, two traditionally popular combinations are: Social and Applied Psychology paired with Linguistics. Neuropsychology and Cognitive Science paired with Sports Science. Under the previous course structure, and also under the course structures at most competing universities, first year enrolments could be configured to allow for alternative majors in at least three disciplines. With the complementary units in place for Psychology, there are few options for students to construct a first year enrolment that will allow for three degree specific majors including a Psychology major. With complementary units imposing restrictions, first year students are required to make early decisions on majors. Locking students into choices on majors prior to them experiencing study in any discipline is not ideal. Given that the complementary units for the Psychology majors are not considered necessary either by the School of Psychology or by the national accrediting council, and that the complementary units substantially limit choices for students, the School of Psychology requests that the complementary units for the majors in Social and Applied Psychology and Neuropsychology and Cognitive Science be removed. Removing the complementary units would provide students with the flexibility to be able to combine Psychology with a wider range of other disciplines. Psychology is broad in its application and therefore it is highly desirable for students to be able to undertake study in disciplines that both complement Psychology and satisfy their interests. Permitting more flexibility in combinations of majors would recognise that Psychology graduates can pursue a broad range of careers. So students wishing to graduate and work in the education system may want the opportunity to undertaken useful study in Linguistics, English, the Languages and Anthropology, while graduates wishing to work in the business sector may want the opportunity to take units in Marketing, Organizational and Statistics. Opening up the opportunities will also let students take more advantage of some higher level units which have prerequisites. For example, LAWS2228: Psychology and the Law (topics include the role of psychologists in the family and criminal justice systems) is a second level unit that requires students complete LAWS1111: Legal Systems. Clearly the content of the second level unit would be useful to Psychology graduates looking to work in the justice system. Likewise the second level PHAR2220: Human Pharmacology unit (topics include the effects of drugs and drug dependence) requires PHAR2210: Foundations of Pharmacology (which has its own prerequisites). Completing this sequence of units alongside a Psychology major would be very useful when looking for employment in alcohol and drug Attachment N6

7 3 rehabilitation settings. The potential for students to develop interdisciplinary research will also be constrained if enrolling in the appropriate foundational undergraduate combinations is difficult. Students intending to pursue research in disciplines such as Psycholinguistics, Psychopharmacology, Sports Psychology and Forensic Psychology would be ideally prepared if they were able to take appropriate combinations of majors in their undergraduate studies. Currently UWA is at a disadvantage in competing with other universities for students committed to a career in Psychology. Unlike other universities, fulfilling the accredited Psychology program at UWA requires undertaking two majors listed in different degree courses, and with the degree specific major carrying complementary units. Our capacity to compete with high profile direct entry Psychology programs at other universities (e.g., Bachelor of Psychology, University of Sydney; ATAR cutoff of 97) will be enhanced if the complementary units are dropped for the two Psychology majors. Proposal We propose that the complementary units for the majors in Social and Applied Psychology and Neuropsychology and Cognitive Science be removed. This will allow students the flexibility to undertake a greater range of discipline combinations at first year level and ensure that students entering higher year units have a broader experience suited to potential career paths. Transition Arrangements No transitional arrangements will be required. Murray Maybery & Jenny Gamble Head & Business Operations Manager School of Psychology April 26, 2012 Attachment N7