Manchester Metropolitan University

Department Psychology and Speech Pathology

BSc Psychology; BSc Psychology and Speech Pathology;

BSc Combined Studies 2000-2001

COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY

TEACHING ARRANGEMENTS

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

 

 

 

ASSESSMENT

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:

Analyse and evaluate a specified community psychology change project with reference to relevant literature (your proposed project must be agreed in advance with tutors)

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.

 

Key Assessment Dates:

6.12.02 Group Presentation 1 : Description of project in relation to the literature on community psychology (nature of community, context, stakeholders, systems) (10%)

13.12.02 Portfolio Stage I Hand-in. To what extent is community psychology useful for understanding a specified community issue? (2,500 words, worth 30%)

28.3.03 Group Presentation 2 (with community partners as appropriate): Analysis and evaluation of actual or proposed change (10%)

24.3.03 Portfolio Stage II Hand-in. Describe and critically assess the skills and strategies employed to achieve change within a specified community issue. (4,000 words, integrated with the literature, worth 50%)

 

Syllabus

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.

Teaching Schedule - (TERM 1)

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

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

November 1st Stakeholder analyses and neighbourhood work (KK)

November 8th Assignment week (no classes)

November 22nd Paradigms of change (PD)

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

December 13th Portfolio I hand-in date

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

 

 

Teaching Schedule - (TERM 2)

January 17th Power and participation (PD)

January 31st Creative techniques for the implementation of change (CK)

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

February 21st Assignment Week (no classes)

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

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

March 24th Portfolio II hand in date

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

In addition to the scheduled sessions, there may be Departmental seminars which you are encouraged to attend. Tutors will let you know of these, but also watch out for signs around the building.

 

READING

Key Texts:

See Also:

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:

Key Texts:

See Also:

· Parker, I and Spears, R (eds) 1996 Psychology and Society London, Pluto Press

· Thomas, D and Veno, A (eds) 1996 Community Psychology Wellington, Dunmore Press

 

 

COURSE EVALUATION

We will be seeking feedback about the course at intervals during the course. As a result of the feedback, adjustments to the course can be made. If it is not possible to make changes immediately, your views will help us in planning for next year. We do take feedback seriously, so please do take part!

We hope that you enjoy the course and find it both useful and challenging. Let us know what you think.

ASSIGNMENT

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:

Analyse and evaluate a specified community psychology change project with reference to relevant literature

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.

Portfolio

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%)

Section Two: Describe and critically assess the skills and strategies employed or proposed to achieve change within a specified community issue. You should include, with reference to relevant literature: actual or proposed skills used in your project; description and analysis of the change introduced or planned; strengths and weaknesses; allies and resistance; plans for sustainability; stakeholders’ views; evaluation or evaluation issues (4,000 words, integrated with the literature, worth 50%)

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

24.11.00 Presentation 1 : Description of project in relation to the literature on community psychology (nature of community, context, stakeholders, systems) (10%) (this presentation may be a group presentation - we will confirm this at the start of the course)

16.3.01 Presentation 2 (with community partners as appropriate): Analysis and evaluation of actual or proposed change (10%)

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

13.12.02 Portfolio Stage I Hand-in.

24.3.03 Portfolio Stage II Hand-in.

 

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.

Outcome Criteria

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

Working in the Field

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.

You will need to have secured a project on which to work by the end of October.

Projects we may be able to link you with include:

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

Community Psychology

Module Evaluation 2002-2003

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.