Using an applied approach to sociological inquiries of and towards the city and urban contexts, you will develop your study skills, and focus in particular critical reading and thinking skills and both written and spoken communication skills.
The aim of this module is to provide students with an accessible historical account of the growth and changes to psychology over the last two hundred years and how this connects to older philosophical trends. Students will also be introduced to the main body of interdisciplinary psychological perspectives and their application.
Focus on sociological theories engaged with the emergence and development of capitalism and modernity.
What is 'Culture'? There are many answers to this question, which might refer to forms of behaviour, to the cultural heritage of a group of people, to belief systems, or to art and literature. This module focusses on how psychologists investigate culture, and on how it shapes (and is shaped by) mind, self and consciousness. We will also draw on approaches from related disciplines - sociology, philosophy, comparative theology, and anthropology. Themes explored on the module include; myths and legends, ritual and tradition, collective memory, sacred spaces, 'virtual worlds', and language, signs and symbols. You will also be introduced to a number of techniques used to investigate culture and its meanings, including participant observation, interpretation, reflexivity and 'auto-ethnography'.
Consider how individuals develop and change throughout their lives. This involves not only the exploration of theories concerning psychological development, but also considering the social and cultural context in which this development takes place. You will explore the entire lifespan from birth, through infancy, childhood, adolescence and adulthood, into old age.
You will gain an understanding of both epistemological and methodological aspects of research process. The first part of the module introduces you to fundamental epistemological questions for the social and socio-psychological sciences. In the second part of the module you will focus on discussing key methods and techniques used in social scientific research, such as ethnographic method, semiotic and discourse analyses, and causal analysis.