Essential Skills in Applied Psychology develops a range of academic, personal and interpersonal skills designed to enhance your potential both within and beyond university. The focus is on harnessing key undergraduate skills such as academic reading, writing and critique, group working, finding and presenting information, time management, self-awareness and reflection, and applying them in the context of the degree subject. The module takes a holistic approach to applications of theory.

Introduction to Cognitive and Biological Psychology considers the processes underlying behaviour (such as perception, sensation and memory) and how human beings are embedded in their world (e.g. by way of their shared biology and learned knowledge). In this way, the module aims to equip you with a broad understanding of basic theories and concepts and a range of interrelated approaches towards the psychological study of human behaviour.

Introduction to Criminological Theory introduces you to key theoretical perspectives relevant to the study of crime and social justice. The module will use contemporary case studies in crime, deviance and conflict to evaluate the main theoretical traditions and recent critiques within criminology, providing a foundation in critical analysis. In particular, the module will emphasise the political underpinnings to theoretical perspectives and will encourage you to recognise the need to locate theories of crime and deviance in their structural contexts.

Introduction to Personality, Social and Developmental Psychology will familiarise you with the approaches and concepts central to the study of behaviour. The module explores the historical and theoretical concepts of personality and individual differences, social cognition and social and cognitive development.

Introduction to the Criminal Justice Process introduces you to key aspects of the criminal justice system, primarily in England and Wales but with some reference to other UK and international jurisdictions. The module will critically analyse official responses to ‘crime’ and deviance through an examination of fundamental criminal justice agencies including the police, criminal courts and prisons as well as probation and youth justice services.

Investigating Methods in Psychology demonstrates the key approaches to research in psychology and develops your skills in experimental design, data analysis and data interpretation. You will learn about approaches to research in areas of cognitive, developmental, social and biological psychology and will be provided with the opportunity to learn and practice these techniques yourself.  The module will also enable you to gain the skills required in order to produce descriptive and inferential statistics.

Biological Psychology studies the human nervous system, including its structure and functioning. There will be a particular focus upon the brain. You will learn in detail the processes by which messages are passed through the system and the way the brain interacts with the hormones of the endocrine system in order to preserve life. The methods by which the brain is commonly researched will also be explored in order to provide a basis for understanding much current research and theorising in psychology.

Cognitive Psychology will examine both classic and contemporary research that has led to the development of theories regarding how attention, perception and memory all function. The module will also examine how each of these components interact during everyday tasks. You will consider how thinking, language and emotion enable us to reason about, and interact meaningfully with, the external world, gaining an understanding of the processes used to communicate, comprehend, and use information and knowledge.

Critical Criminological Theory provides a grounding in critical criminological theory and its application to contemporary debates and issues concerning harm and criminal justice. The module will familiarise you with the development of criminological theory in historical and political contexts. You will be encouraged to apply theoretical perspectives to issues incorporating harm and crime, as well as social and state responses, drawing on national and international examples. The module will challenge mainstream theories of crime and deviance by locating current examples of harm, criminalisation and criminal justice within determining contexts of class, gender, sexuality, neo-colonialism and age within political priorities of the neoliberal agenda.

Developmental Psychology addresses the processes involved in key aspects of human development and their relevant applications in real world settings. It will focus mainly (though not exclusively) on development in childhood including areas such as cognition, memory, language, emotional, and social development. Emphasis will be placed on the evaluation of key theories and psychological research that have informed our understanding of development in these areas.

Research Methods and Data Analysis provides you with the skills necessary to design, execute and report your own research. A particular emphasis is placed on data analysis: quantitative techniques (analysis of variance and regression) and qualitative techniques (grounded theory and phenomenological analysis). These data analysis skills will be essential for carrying out dissertations and are also highly valued by employers.

Social Psychology reveals the extent to which social influences and interactions are pervasive in affecting individual behaviour, while also considering how the actions of an individual in turn affect other individuals and groups. You will develop an awareness of the relationship between person and situation and examine how this dynamic relationship both influences, and is crucial to, the understanding of behaviour.

Dissertation requires you to carry out a piece of research for which, with tutorial support, you have responsibility for designing, gathering data, analysing data, and reporting the findings. You will work independently and demonstrate a high degree of autonomy and initiative in managing your work.

Personality and Individual Differences influence all aspects of human behaviour. Knowledge and understanding of the nature of individual differences and the processes by which they influence our behaviours and motivations in everyday life is at the very essence of human psychology. Such knowledge is relevant in key disciplines such as clinical and forensic psychology, as well as to individuals generally in their efforts to understand what makes people ‘tick’. This module will explore and evaluate theories and research that have advanced our knowledge and understanding of this key area of psychology. It will develop your capacity for critical thinking, for active and independent learning, and for effective communication and teamwork.

Reflections and Future Directions considers the historical and conceptual issues in psychology from an informed perspective, using knowledge and understanding acquired throughout the degree. You will learn to acknowledge your own individual role as a prospective psychology graduate within a wider context, recognising and maximising the skills acquired throughout the programme, in preparation for future employment or further study.

Crime and Place enables you to build your knowledge and understanding of the relationships between crime and place and examine developments in policy relating to place, criminality and safety. The module appraises the strengths and weaknesses of different theoretical, philosophical and practical approaches to crime and place. Geographies/landscapes of crime and criminalisation are examined utilising empirical and theoretical materials.

Crimes of the Powerful 1 traces and explores serious harms and crimes perpetrated by states and associated professional and commercial interests from the eighteenth to mid-twentieth century. Adopting a zemiological frame, the module locates such harms within a range of political forms, particularly during times of social and economic upheaval, and ethnic, national and imperial conflict. The module concludes with a detailed exploration of the origins, implementation, consequences of, and responses to, the extreme state violences of the first half of the twentieth century. The aim is to enable you to critically explore issues at the cutting edge of criminological thinking.

Crimes of the Powerful 2 considers the key forms and determinants of serious contemporary harms originating in the actions or omissions of corporations, states and associated powerful organisations after the Second World War. The module critically examines the origins of such harms, the ways in which they are framed within dominant and alternative discourses, and critiques the responses to them. The module takes an expansive view of harm, drawing upon examples from within and without the criminal justice system, at local, national and international levels.

Expanding the Criminological Imagination critically reflects upon and analyses the discipline of criminology. You will examine criminology’s political, practical and theoretical strengths and limitations and explore the production and commodification of criminological knowledge. The module will consider whether criminology has become a ‘parasitic’ discipline with the criminalisation of social problems, and the ever increasing techniques of crime control, forming the justification for the discipline’s existence, rather than providing a platform for resistance. You will explore the concept of the ‘criminological imagination’ as an alternative way of envisaging the discipline and its utility. You will also examine the way in which criminology has to connect with other disciplines in order to expand the range of issues it deals with. This is a necessity in order to help criminologists make sense of issues where the ‘normal’ boundaries of criminology would stifle or limit an analysis.

Justice, Rights and the State examines the development of the discourse about rights and justice. Taking a national and international approach, the module will consider the development of rights historically and the new discourses of rights. You will evaluate statutory policies and responses to the issue of rights and justice and consider how states respond to issues of justice and rights, including where states themselves uphold or violate citizen’s rights.

Learning to Thrive pulls together all the key aspects of multiple psychological approaches in pursuit of life opportunities. The module takes a 360 degree approach, including both blockers and enablers for personal development, from foundations in neuroplasticity to applications in positive psychology, with the aim of helping you to acquire the necessary self knowledge, psychological knowledge, and experiential learning required to thrive in the 21st century. Key topics include positive psychology, goal setting, understanding stress, 21st century skills, and self-actualisation. A further distinctive component of the module is the opportunity to undertake the first stage of the Zing Performance neurodevelopmental programme which will be provided free of charge. Students who complete further Zing Performance activities may be eligible for accreditation for personal neurodevelopment with Zing.

The Politics of Imprisonment provides you with a critical knowledge and understanding of the nature, functions and justifications for the use of punishment, specifically incarceration, in modern society. The module will consider the philosophical theories that are used to legitimise the state’s use of imprisonment and the sociological theories that explain historical developments in the purpose of state punishment. The various divisions and functions of the prison estate will be examined within their historical, structural, political, social and geographical contexts. Related methods of state punishment, such as the death penalty, will also be considered. You will adopt an international perspective and explore penal theory and practice in a range of countries. The relationships between power, legitimacy and justice will be central themes throughout the module.

The Politics of Policing equips you with a critical knowledge and understanding of the concept of policing, both in its philosophical sense and as a function of the modern liberal democratic state. The module will consider the role and function of the police service, and explore related issues including police powers, political accountability, protection of civil liberties and the concept of equality before the law. Contemporary strategies and approaches to policing will be located within their structural, political, social and geographical contexts. The module is underpinned by theories of authority, power and legitimacy.

PSY3147 Learning to Thrive (20 credits) added as an optional module in Year 3.

Please note, for the purposes of studying psychology, level 2 literacy and numeracy qualifications are not considered as equivalent to GCSE Grade C or Grade 4 in English Language and Mathematics.