Psychology

This module provides significant employer interaction and associated learning. You’ll immerse in work-integrated learning (WIL) projects co-created with external organisations.  

You’ll apply skills and learning such as: 

• Authentic professional activities 

• An intertwined strand of academic content  

• Relevant theory and research evidence  

• Forensic psychology 

• Applied developmental psychology 

• Mental health and wellbeing practice 

• Behaviour change 

This module is for undergraduate students to study abroad in their second year, Semester 2 (only for courses that offer this option). With this module, you can spend a semester at one of the University’s approved partner institutions worldwide – from Europe to the Americas, Asia Australia or Canada.  

Study Abroad plays an important role in the University's commitment to an engaging, challenging, and thriving learning culture. It offers opportunities to experience other academic cultures and foster intellectual maturity while enhancing co-curricular skills and students' long-term employability. 

Study abroad for credit is permitted on existing university-approved courses only. Students are awarded credits and grades at the partner institution, which are converted into Sheffield Hallam credits and grades on return and included in the Sheffield Hallam degree classification. 

Please check and refer to the webpage How study abroad works. You must submit a Learning Agreement outlining the modules you will be taking at the partner institution. The Learning Agreement will be signed off by your academic tutor to ensure that the Learning broadly covers the Learning Outcomes set out in your course curriculum during your study abroad.

This module provides an extended period of work placement to enhance your employability experience and skills – gaining direct psychological insight into the world of work. The module is delivered through a combination of lectures, workshops and drop-in sessions before, during and after the placement. 

You’ll apply your learning and skills to: 

• Commercial awareness 

• Reflective practice 

• Graduate employability 

• Personal development 

• Workplace experience 

This module introduces psychological theories of health, illness and healthcare – including how individual behaviour, health-related cognitions and wider practices in healthcare delivery may impact on health and wellbeing. We’ll also explore the link between psychological knowledge and its application to people’s health and wellbeing.  

You’ll study topics such as: 

• Psychological theories of health, illness and health care 

• Impact of individual behaviour, cognitions and practices  

• Psychological knowledge and people’s health and wellbeing 

This module examines issues related to human sexual behaviour and sexuality from a biopsychosocial perspective – with theories presented in large group sessions, and seminars to apply knowledge to practical scenarios. You’ll be challenged to examine your own personal attitudes and gain an understanding of how sexual behaviour and attitudes are shaped by culture and perspective. 

You’ll study topics such as:  

• Sexual desire and sexual responses 

• Sexuality and gender  

• Sexual coercion and violence  

• Sexuality and disability  

• Atypical sexual practices  

• Sexual issues and dysfunctions 

This module strengthens your knowledge of conditions associated with the neurodiversity construct, with particular focus on strengths and challenges, intervention and support. You’ll enhance your understanding of different causal theories and issues surrounding stigmatisation, inclusion and diversity. 

You’ll study topics such as: 

• Key theoretical perspectives  

• Biological, cognitive, social and neurodiverse explanations 

• Autism 

• ADHD 

• Dyslexia  

• Dyspraxia 

• Tourette’s syndrome 

• Risk factors and protective factors 

• Vulnerability and resilience 

This module explores the measurement, classification and implications of dysfunction (violent, undermining, antisocial) and functional (prosocial, agreeable) behaviour in clinical, forensic and occupational settings. 

You’ll study topics such as: 

• Theories and models of functional and dysfunctional personality:  

• Dark triad and Five Factor Model  

• Antisocial to prosocial traits 

• Assessment, classification and psychometrics 

• Methods of measurement and scale development 

• Application of measurement to different settings  

• Practical and statistical measurement skills 

• Ethical and professional issues in assessment and classification 

This module introduces the field of positive psychology and explores its applicability to real-world problems. You’ll develop and extend your knowledge and understanding of key theories, principles and the research methods typically utilised in the field of positive psychology.  

You’ll study topics such as:  

• Positive emotions 

• Character strengths 

• Optimism 

• Gratitude 

• Resilience 

• Mindfulness  

• The application of positive psychologyto a range of settings  

• Emerging interventions  

This module develops your critical understanding of the psychology of emotions and the importance of emotions in everyday life, introducing psychological research literature and emotions within a variety of sub-disciplines. You’ll have the opportunity to develop your critical evaluation skills through a variety of practical and theoretical activities in seminars – helping you understand how emotions play a role in all areas of psychology and life. 

 
You’ll study topics such as: 

• Emotion development 

• Emotion regulation 

• Emotional dysfunction 

• Positive and negative emotions 

• Emotion and cognition  

• Emotional intelligence 

• Emotion and health  

• Physiology of emotion 

• Emotion and behaviour 

Social and Affective Neuroscience (SAN) aims to integrate research from social and affective psychology and neuroscience to explain social and emotional behaviour at three levels; The social level, which includes descriptions of experience, behaviour, and context; the affective level, which specifies the interplay between affective and information processing system in applied everyday situations; and the neural level, which specifies neural systems that instantiate social and affective processes. 

INDICATIVE CONTENT

During the lectures key concepts of SAN will be introduced and various methodologies for research in the area will be discussed. Topics that will be discussed include how social behaviour is influenced outside our awareness, how we can control our thoughts, actions and feelings, the role of facial expressions on identifying emotions, the role of sleep in emotional processing, social emotions such as loneliness, empathy and social pain, as well as neural and affective theories of decision-making and reasoning, and positivity effects in emotional processing and social interactions. The module will cover a wide range of contemporary topics that are being discussed in the field of SAN, which is a fast growing integrative and interdisciplinary field in psychology and neuroscience and will refer to key researchers in the field. During the workshops students will be involved in hands-on activities to explore the research methodologies in SAN by participating in real experiments in lab-based settings, and/or designing and testing novel tasks to answer questions in the field of SAN. 

This module develops your knowledge of cognition and behaviour in animals. You’ll expand on your core psychology studies at level 5 by comparing the psychology of humans and animals.  
You’ll study topics such as:   

• Language, intelligence, and mating strategies in animals  

• Personality, social systems,social cognition and prosocial behaviour in animals Cultural symbolism 

• Use of animals in forensics 

• Welfare and ethics in animal research 

• Research methods in animal psychology 

• Consciousness in animals 

• Animal behaviour and cognition 

• Memory and problem-solving capacities in animals 

• Evolutionary approach to behaviour and cognition 

• Animal human interaction  

This module takes a multi-perspective and inter-disciplinary approach to the psychology of trauma. You’ll explore traumatic experiences from the perspective of the individual experiencing trauma, trauma survivors, family, community and professionals.  

You’ll study topics such as:  

• Traumatic death and bereavement 

• Forensic perspectives: adverse childhood experience 

• Chronic pain, management and professional trauma  

• Sexual abuse, exploitation, correction and violence 

• Social psychology perspectives of war 

• Counselling perspectives