Postgraduate Course: Critical Social Psychology (PSYL11064)
Course Outline
| School | School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 20 |
| Home subject area | Psychology |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | The course is divided into four sections.
The first, concerned with Crises in Social Psychology, will introduce three main 'crises' within Social Psychology which we will trace in their early and more recent forms. These are the paradigm crisis (relating to methods), the conceptual crisis (individualism and the concept of self), and the moral/political crisis (relating to power and psychology's effects).
In Part Two, some critical tools are introduced (studies of science, the turn to language, poststructuralist thought). These arguments will be put to use in mounting a more thorough critique of social psychology in Part Three where social psychology will be deconstructed (taken apart, to see how it works). This will include an examination of the history and politics of the emergence of modern psychology; how psychology contributed to the government of individuals' lives; and the dependence of knowledge on discourse and writing techniques. Finally, the assumptions about the self that underpin psychological theory and research will be examined and questioned.
Part Four addresses issues such as the possibility of a postmodern (discursive or political) social psychology, and the limitations of discourse analysis. Alternative concepts of self, and the possibility or desirability of a non-cognitive social psychology will also be discussed. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2012/13 Block 1 (Sem 1), Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | S1, 7 George Square | 1-5 | 14:00 - 15:50 | | | | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| No Exam Information |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
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
- Discuss social psychology's paradigm, conceptual and moral / political crises
- Apply arguments from science studies, Foucault's work, and 'the turn to language' to evaluate psychology's methods
- Describe psychology's contribution to the 'government of individuals'
- Assess efforts to reconstruct social psychology's practice and / or subject |
Assessment Information
| One 3000 word assignment |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sue Widdicombe
Tel: (0131 6)50 3411
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Toni Noble
Tel: (0131 6)51 3188
Email: |
|
© Copyright 2012 The University of Edinburgh - 6 March 2012 6:33 am
|
University Homepage