PY4CCP-Communicating Current Psychology
Module Provider: Psychology
Number of credits: 20 [10 ECTS credits]
Level:7
Terms in which taught: Autumn term module
Pre-requisites: PY2RMP Research methods in Psychology
Non-modular pre-requisites:
Co-requisites:
Modules excluded:
Current from: 2022/3
Module Convenor: Dr Amanda Branson
Email: A.Branson@reading.ac.uk
Module Co-convenor: Dr Marat Zagidullin
Email: m.zagidullin@reading.edu.my
Type of module:
Summary module description:
Communicating critical approaches to contemporary and historical issues in psychology.
Aims:
As a balance to the specialisation that is required by the optional modules, this module brings the whole year group together to consider issues of current theoretical, ethical and practical importance to psychology and to disseminate information about these issues to a wider non-specialist audience.
As part of this module, students will carry out an investigation of the literature and wider context relating to a topic of current interest, and communicate information on this topic in a presentation that might be used to engage the public with the field of psychology.
Students will be provided with additional training in critical thinking, the synthesis of information, the construction of arguments, and how to present information in an accessible, clear and engaging style of written and/or oral communication.
Assessable learning outcomes:
By the end of the module, students will be able to:
- Critically consider current debates in the discipline of psychology, and consider their implications to the discipline and beyond
- Synthesise and critically reflect upon contemporary ideas about various real-world topics
- Translate and apply information about contemporary issues in psychology into a presentation suitable for dissemination to a chosen audience
- Critically reflect the self, on the knowledge, skills, attitudes and experiences gained, and applied on the module.
- Critically evaluate an argument of contemporary interest, synthesising relevant information from across the whole psychology programme
Additional outcomes:
Students will be prompted to review what they have been taught in other modules from different perspectives. Students will be required to work independently to collate information from a range of sources and to marshal this appropriately in order to draw conclusions in relation to controversial topics.
Students will disseminate information about contemporary issues in psychology to a target audience chosen from a range of options, for example, sixth form students, a clinical population or a charity. Students will be able to select the target audience that best relates to their chosen career path.
Students will develop written/oral communication, critical analysis, self-awareness, reflection and self-management skills.
Outline content:
Via interactive lectures and seminars, students will be introduced to critical approaches to a variety of topics of contemporary interest, such as philosophical and ethical debates, advanced research design, and controversies in the media surrounding psychological issues. Students are encouraged to draw on their broad knowledge of topics in the field of psychology, and to integrate and contrast different perspectives in tackling the questions posed. A number of academic skills will be revisit ed, including critical thinking skills, argumentation and scientific writing. This module will enhance and develop these skills further, enabling students to critically assess contemporary issues from across psychology, to synthesise information and to communicate this information to a chosen audience.
Students will prepare and deliver a presentation on a contemporary topic of particular interest. The presentations produced for this module are expected to be of disseminable quality, i.e., suitable for presentation to the chosen target audience.
Global context:
Exposure to a wide-variety of diverse and complex issues from across the discipline of psychology.
Brief description of teaching and learning methods:
The module is taught via a series of 1-2-hour lectures and seminars (depending on the content being taught), and supported by independent literature searching and reading. Teaching methods include: (a) Interactive lectures (b) Seminars and/or tutorials (b) Recommended reading from texts (c) Independent literature review and reading (d) Opportunities for formative feedback
Students will be allocated to seminar groups. The seminars will help students to understand the purpose and requirements of the assignment and will support them in the preparation of their work. Students will be provided with additional supporting materials in the form of, for example, online demonstrations and/or tutorials, recommended sources, examples of the required outcomes, etc. Students will complete the assignment independently. Seminar leaders will be available to discuss progress with the student's presentation and to provide feedback on a sample of their work.
Contact Hours:
NB The contact hours in the table below are indicative of the contact hours for students studying this module in the UK, and may vary for students taking this module at branch campuses.
| Autumn | Spring | Summer | |
| Lectures | 18 | ||
| Seminars | 12 | ||
| Tutorials | 3 | ||
| Guided independent study: | |||
| Wider reading (independent) | 40 | 13 | |
| Other | 20 | ||
| Preparation for presentations | 28 | 2 | |
| Preparation for seminars | 24 | ||
| Reflection | 30 | 10 | |
| Total hours by term | 175 | 25 | 0 |
| Total hours for module | 200 |
| Method | Percentage |
| Written assignment including essay | 60 |
| Oral assessment and presentation | 40 |
Summative assessment- Examinations:
Summative assessment- Coursework and in-class tests:
Students will prepare and deliver a presentation that could be used to disseminate information about a current psychological topic to a chosen target audience (40%).
Students will also submit a reflective journal (60%) in which they will critically reflect on their knowledge, skills, attitudes, and experiences across the module.
Formative assessment methods:
Students will be provided with verbal and/or written feedback on formative work to prepare them for their final submission.
Penalties for late submission:
The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:
- where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of five working days;
- where the piece of work is submitted more than five working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.
You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.
Assessment requirements for a pass:
A mark of 50% overall.
Reassessment arrangements:
Reassessment is via submission of a written and/or oral assessment during the august resit period.
Additional Costs (specified where applicable):
1) Required text books:
2) Specialist equipment or materials:
3) Specialist clothing, footwear or headgear:
4) Printing and binding:
5) Computers and devices with a particular specification:
6) Travel, accommodation and subsistence:
Last updated: 22 September 2022
THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS MODULE DESCRIPTION DOES NOT FORM ANY PART OF A STUDENT'S CONTRACT.