The role of psychology and its application to a number of social issues will be considered, and the relevance and usefulness of key psychological knowledge and research within these applications will be examined.
Illustrations of the main areas covered include an introduction to the psychology of drugs- legal and illegal, introduction to psychological perspectives on crime and violence in society, introduction to family conflict including divorce and domestic violence, introduction to the psychology of war, terrorism and tyranny, and psychological perspectives on educational achievement and underachievement.

Schneider, F.W, Gruman, J.A, & Coutts, L.M. (2005): Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. Sage.
Arriaga, Z & Oskamp, S (Eds) (1998): Addressing Community Problems: Psychological Research and Interventions. Sage.

Students must be registered on an award within the Psychology Scheme

Case Studies, Videos, Internet access

One essay (max 2,500 words), contributing 100% of the overall module mark, which will assess outcomes 1- 5.

There will be a series of lectures, discussions, debates, practical exercises and case study illustrations. In classes about half the time will be spent on lectures, and about half spent on other activities. Students will also be given a series of independent learning tasks, which will form the basis of some of the discussions and debates in class.

Formative learning will take place through class based activities and discussions and the completion of independent learning tasks . Peer and tutor feedback will be offered for independent learning activities, and tutor feedback on essay plans will be available.