The course will be taught by Carolyn Kagan, Kath Knowles, Rebecca Lawthom and Paul Duckett. It will be taught FORTNIGHTLY on Fridays, 10.00-12.00. The sessions will be organised around discussion of staff and student projects, and will be a mixture of discussion and activities. Students (as well as staff) will be encouraged to bring resources to share within the class. You will see that you will have to spend a considerable amount of your time working independently, outside class sessions.

The course will be based on action learning principles, wherein you work on a real issue in the community, explore relevant literature and reflect upon your learning, and then go on to identify further action. You will be asked to discuss and present progress on your assignments throughout the course. What you will be able to achieve within your projects will be limited by the duration of the course and the nature of the project. However, you should aim to split your time as follows: Class attendance 24 hours; project work in the community 80 hours; reading and writing 96 hours.

Our aims are that by the end of the course you will:

1. Have a critical understanding of community psychological perspective on peoples’ behaviour-in-context and of value-based change in community systems;
2. be able to analyse critically community systems and organisations from a community psychological analysis of relevant literature;
3. have developed knowledge of problem analysis, skills and strategies for achieving ethical, value-based, collaborative change in community systems;
4. be able to communicate and reflect upon the context and constraints that surround working collaboratively as a psychologist in the community in both oral and written forms.

In addition, we hope that you will have

• increased your self-awareness and transferable skills
• developed an understanding of the control some marginalised people are able to exercise over their own lives and
• got to know some people who are excluded from many sectors of mainstream society

The assessment will be by presentations and portfolio. The assessment will consist of two presentations (worth 10% each) and a portfolio of 6,500 words (80%). Your portfolio will be based on the project you choose to work on. This project must be an actual or proposed change project in a neighbourhood or in collaboration with a community group. The title will be:

The portfolio must be handed in in two stages: Stage I (worth 30%) in December; Stage II (worth 50%) in March. You must check the assessed coursework noticeboard for confirmation of hand-in dates and times.

The first term covers basic principles and values of community psychology; theoretical frameworks for understanding and working with change in communities. The second term covers paradigms of change, skills and strategies for contributing to sustainable change and evaluation. Throughout, there will be discussion linked to projects on which the staff are working, and with your assignment projects. Some sessions may include visiting speakers. You will be expected to attend one of the Departmental seminars as part of your attendance on the course. Others will be optional but useful.

Term 1: Principles and values of community psychology. The nature of communities. Psychological Sense of Community. Systems perspectives on social life and stakeholder analyses.

Term 2: Paradigms of change; skills of neighbourhood work and strategies for change; sustainability and reflexivity. Understanding and working with resistance and reactance to change. Evaluation of change. Project closure. The role of different kinds of psychological research in social contexts. Value and possibilities of community psychology and the role of social action.

October 4^th Introduction to the course and projects. The nature of community psychology (CK, RL, KK, PD)

October 18^th Models of community psychology and Systems perspectives (RL)

November 1^st Stakeholder analyses and neighbourhood work (KK)

November 22^nd Paradigms of change (PD)

December 6^th Presentations: Description of project (CK,KK,RL, PD)

December 20^th Action research and project work in the community (CK)

January 17^th Power and participation (PD)

February 14^th Project consultation (CK, KK,RL,PD)

February 28^th Strategies for change, Resistance and Reactance (KK)

March 14^th Evaluation of change and project closure (RL)

March 28th Presentations: Change implementation and evaluation (CK, KK,RL,PD)

See Also:

• Atkinson, D. & Williams, F. (Ed.) (1990) Know me as I am: An anthology of prose, poetry and art by people with learning difficulties. Kent: Hodder & Stoughton in association with the OU and MENCAP.
• Croft, S and Beresford, P 1991 From Paternalism to Participation Brighton, Open Services Project
• Fox, D and Prilletensky, I (1997) Introduction to Critical Psychology London, Sage
• Hales, G. 1996 Beyond Disability: Towards an Enabling Society London, Sage
• Moore,M. et al 1998) Doing Disability Research Milton Keynes, Open University Press
• Morris, J. (Ed.) (1996) Encounters with Strangers: Feminism and Disability. London: The Women’s Press.
• Oliver, M. (1990) The Politics of Disablement. Basingstoke: Macmillan.
• Parker, I and Spears, R (eds) 1996 Psychology and Society London, Pluto Press
• Sarason,S (1974) A Psychological Sense of Community San Francisco, Jossey Bass
• Swain, J. et al 1993 Disabling Barriers - Enabling Environments London, Sage/Open University Press
• Thomas, D and Veno, A (eds) 1996 Community Psychology Wellington, Dunmore Press

The relevant journals that you should scan regularly are: Community Work and Family; Journal of Community Psychology; British Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology; Critical Social Policy; British Journal of Applied Social and Community Psychology; Race and Class; Disability and Society. Some of these journals will be held in libraries on other sites of the University (e.g. All Saints for Social Science; Aytoun for Organisational and Management; Didsbury for Social and Community work). Don't confine your browsing to these journals - look at any that sound as if they might be relevant.

A number of books have been placed in the Short Term Loan system in the library:

• Burton, M and Kagan, C (1995) Social Skills and People with Learning disabilities: A Social Capability Approach London, Chapman and Hall
• Hogett, P (ed) 1997 Contested Communities Bristol, Policy Press
• Orford, J (1992) Community Psychology London, Wiley
• Seedat, M Ed (2000) Community Psychology: Theory, method and practice in community psychology Oxford University Press

See Also:

• Whyte, WF (1991) Participatory Action Research London, Sage

The assignment is a set assignment, within which you can direct and focus your interests whilst working in the community. You may work alone, with a partner or in a small group.

Community Psychology is concerned with social change and with social disadvantage. Your task is to work on a change project. Whilst clearly the most important aspect for you is to undertake a project which will meet the course requirements, it is essential that within the spirit of community psychology, you work in partnership with a neighbourhood or community group on an issue of importance to them. Your work will extend from October to the end of February, so it is vital that you do not begin something that cannot be finished or that will not be sustainable. This means that some of you will be able to do preliminary work leadning to a proposed change project, whilst others will be able to see through some change issue. The assignment is:

You will need to prepare a portfolio and you are strongly advised to complete sections as you go - do not leave it to the last minute.

Section One: To what extent is community psychology useful for understanding a specified community issue? You should include, with reference to relevant literature: nature of community psychology; nature of community; cultural issues; context, stakeholders, and systems analysis of your project (2,500 words, worth 30%)

In addition you will be required to undertake two presentations of your work, which will be assessed for delivery and clarity.

In order to get feedback on your work and to pace yourself throughout the course, there will be two hand-in dates.

You may submit an individual 6500 word report or a combined report in which individual people have contributed 6500 words each. A combined report must contain a statement of who has contributed what, and how marks should be divided amongst members of the group, and signed by all members of the group.

Your work will be assessed according to the extent to which you have shown:

• Skilled oral and written communication of the nature of a particular community psychology change project which demonstrates a critical understanding of the nature of community psychological analyses and awareness of relevant literature;

• Ability to analyse and reflect upon the ethical issues and the values and principles of community psychology which underpin problem analysis, strategies and skills for change;

• Knowledge about the strengths and weakness of different collaborative change strategies and skills;

• Thoughtful reflection upon, and critical analysis of students' own contributions towards change in the community

As you will be working in an ‘uncontrolled environment’ all work must undergo a risk assessment in advance. You will be required to complete a risk assessment process and, if relevant an ethical clearance process. This will be undertaken in class time. You must agree your project with a tutor by the end of October.

Projects we may be able to link you with include:

• work with a community high school in a deprived inner city area (Trafford based)
• work with local residents (Trafford based)
• work with a residents’ group on an overspill housing estate (Knutsford based)
• work with people on a deprived estate (Bolton based)
• work with young people in a regeneration area (East Manchester based)
• work with learning disabled adults (Manchester or Northwich based)
• work on community safety issues (East Manchester based)
• work with a carers’ organistion (Bury based).

You may find the Community Exchange directory a useful source of ideas about other projects.

We would appreciate your comments on this module. They really do help us plan for any changes to the course in the future. Please write your comments below and leave the form in CK’s pigeon hole. Thanks.