PSYC3657: Environmental Psychology and Sustainability

• 60 credits from Level 2 Psychology

• None

• None

• In this module you will learn about environmental psychology and sustainability. Specifically, you will learn about psychological theories and approaches that have been used to understand pro-environmental behaviour and sustainability. You will have the opportunity to develop your research skills and apply the theoretical concepts to address contemporary challenges.

• This module examines the psychological theories and approaches that have been used to understand pro-environmental behaviour and sustainability, and considers how they can be applied to encourage change in these areas
• Topics may vary from year to year but indicative topics are: environmental identity, individual and collective pro-environmental behaviour, sustainability, cross-cultural considerations and privilege, applications to the design of behavioural science interventions
• The module will also cover related conceptual and historical issues in psychology

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Detailed knowledge of environmental psychology and sustainability including current theory and evidence

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to review critically and consolidate understanding of a coherent body of psychological knowledge
• Ability to apply the knowledge and design interventions to address current challenges

Key Skills:

• Good written and oral communication skills
• Good IT skills in word processing
• Ability to work independently in scholarship and research within broad guidelines

• Students' acquisition of detailed knowledge will be facilitated by lectures which will include (break-out) small group work, audio-visual materials, discussions and reading lists
• The weekly lectures will be hands-on and will include elements of small group work and student-led discussions, which will enable students to learn independently, share experiences, and apply the knowledge acquired from the lecture content to contemporary challenges
• These modes of teaching provide students with detailed knowledge of the key theories and the skills needed to evaluate different theoretical positions in light of current evidence
• The summative assessment will assess students' detailed subject knowledge
• An assessment of the range, recency and appropriateness of sources will be included in the overall assessment of the summative assessment
• The use of group discussions / small group work will ensure that students are exposed to a range of different theoretical positions, and encouraged to understand their inter-relations
• Lectures and small group work will also give students the opportunity to interpret and evaluate the significance of empirical work
• The summative essay assesses students' acquired knowledge of theoretical principles and empirical studies and their ability to organise and synthesise them coherently and critically in written form in response to a set question

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