CQUniversity Unit Profile
PSYC12014 Critical Social Psychology
Critical Social Psychology
All details in this unit profile for PSYC12014 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

In this unit you will explore the key social psychological concepts as they apply to mental illness, disability, sexuality and First Nations people. You will explore social psychological concepts from both mainstream and critical perspectives, including perspectives of First Nation Australians. In undertaking this unit, you will expand your understanding of yourself and others, enabling you to promote greater inclusiveness and ethical practice.

Details

Career Level: Undergraduate
Unit Level: Level 2
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 10
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

24 credit points and PSYC11010 or PSYC11009

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Offerings For Term 2 - 2023

Adelaide
Bundaberg
Cairns
Online
Rockhampton
Townsville

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Class and Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Class Timetable

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Critical Review
Weighting: 20%
2. Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books
Weighting: 30%
3. Written Assessment
Weighting: 50%

Assessment Grading

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.

Previous Student Feedback

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Feedback from SUTE

Feedback

Videos seen as out of date by some students

Recommendation

Continue to develop video materials, updating more of the unit materials for 2023 delivery.

Feedback from SUTE Staff feedback

Feedback

Some students indicated dissatisfaction with group/peer learning activities.

Recommendation

Provide more information on the benefits of peer-based learning, and the need for psychology students to gain group work experience through participating directly in group activities with their classmates.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Articulate social and critical psychology concepts from both mainstream and diverse perspectives
  2. Identify the sociocultural contexts that influence individual differences in beliefs, values, and behaviour
  3. Evaluate social psychological concepts, research and theories from a critical perspective
  4. Explain how privilege, power, and oppression affects prejudice, discrimination, and inequity.

These learning outcomes reflect the Graduate Attributes of the Australian Undergraduate Psychology Program.

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Critical Review - 20%
2 - Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books - 30%
3 - Written Assessment - 50%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication
2 - Problem Solving
3 - Critical Thinking
4 - Information Literacy
5 - Team Work
6 - Information Technology Competence
7 - Cross Cultural Competence
8 - Ethical practice
9 - Social Innovation
10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

Supplementary

Social Psychology: Australian and New Zealand edition

2nd Australian and New Zealand edition (2015)
Authors: Kassin, S., Fein, S., & Markus, H.R.
Cengage Learning Australia
Melbourne Melbourne , Victoria , Australia
ISBN: 9780170420563
Binding: Paperback

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Paul Duckett Unit Coordinator
p.duckett@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 10 Jul 2023

Module/Topic

Critical Cultural and Social Psychology.

Chapter

Chapter 1 of Prescribed Text.

Selected reading provided on Moodle.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 2 Begin Date: 17 Jul 2023

Module/Topic

Study support for Assessment 1.

Chapter

Read information on Assessment 1.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 3 Begin Date: 24 Jul 2023

Module/Topic

The social self.

Chapter

Chapter 2 of prescribed text.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 4 Begin Date: 31 Jul 2023

Module/Topic

Disabled people.

Chapter

Selected reading provided on Moodle.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 07 Aug 2023

Module/Topic

Mentally ill people.

Chapter

Selected reading provided on Moodle.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 1 Due



Critical Review of a Seminal Research Paper Due: Week 5 Friday (11 Aug 2023) 1:00 pm AEST
Vacation Week Begin Date: 14 Aug 2023

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 6 Begin Date: 21 Aug 2023

Module/Topic

Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination.

Chapter

Chapter 4 of Prescribed Text.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 7 Begin Date: 28 Aug 2023

Module/Topic

Social influence.

Chapter

Chapter 6 of prescribed text.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 8 Begin Date: 04 Sep 2023

Module/Topic

Gender and sexuality.

Chapter

Chapter 8 of the prescribed text.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 9 Begin Date: 11 Sep 2023

Module/Topic

Social relations

Chapter

Chapters 9 and 10 of prescribed text.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 10 Begin Date: 18 Sep 2023

Module/Topic

Relationships: Aboriginal perspectives and experiences

Chapter

Selected reading provided on Moodle.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 2 Due


Critical Reflexive Learning Diary Due: Week 10 Friday (22 Sept 2023) 1:00 pm AEST
Week 11 Begin Date: 25 Sep 2023

Module/Topic

Critical community psychology.

Chapter

Reading from Ch 12 of prescribed text with supplementary reading provided on Moodle.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 12 Begin Date: 02 Oct 2023

Module/Topic

Study support for Assessment 3.

Chapter

Continue working on assessment 3.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment 3 Due


Critical Essay Due: Week 12 Friday (6 Oct 2023) 1:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 09 Oct 2023

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Exam Week Begin Date: 16 Oct 2023

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Assessment Tasks

1 Critical Review

Assessment Title
Critical Review of a Seminal Research Paper

Task Description

In the 1970s, a seminal experiment in the United States of America by David Rosenhan shocked the professions of psychology and psychiatry. It was a paper that asked a penetrating question in relation to ideas around mental illness. It caused a strong reaction and lots of controversy. The paper helped to accelerate the reform of psychiatric institutions and the deinsitutionalisation of mental patients during the 1970s and 1980s. For this assessment, you will write a review of the Rosenhan paper and discuss the controversies that it has created, the challenges it has made to psychology’s notions of mental illness and to consider the implications of the experiment for modern day psychology. You will be asked to adopt a critical, cultural position in your review and thus write it as a critical commentary on contemporary psychological theory and practice.

Your review will contain two main sections. The first section will be a brief summary of the Rosenhan paper and a summary of published reactions to that paper. This will involve you undertaking your own search of the literature to find relevant academic texts that have responded to the Rosenhan paper. As a guideline, you should aim to include at least three papers in addition to the original Rosenhan paper. These do not have to be recent publications, but do need to be papers published in academic peer reviewed psychology journals. This first section should be no more than 400 words in length. The second section will be your own review of the Rosenhan paper that focuses on the challenges and implications of that paper for contemporary psychological theory and practice and draws on a specific concept that will be given to you on Moodle under the assessment page. The second section of the assignment does not require citations to the literature unless you are citing knowledge that is beyond your own experience or other than your own thinking. You should aim to keep the focus on your own thoughts in this section. This second section should be no more than 400 words in length.

  • The length of the assessment must not exceed 800 words.
  • Text should be word-processed and follow the APA style for layout.
  • Use Arial font and double spacing.
  • You must include a reference section at the end of the assessment. Referencing and citations should be in the APA format.


Assessment Due Date

Week 5 Friday (11 Aug 2023) 1:00 pm AEST

AEST


Return Date to Students

Marks and feedback will be returned approximately 2 weeks after submission.


Weighting
20%

Assessment Criteria

The full marking criteria will be in the form of a detailed marking rubric available on the Moodle site. The criteria reflected in that rubric will be on how well you articulate a specific concept (given to you on Moodle) from both a mainstream and a critical, cultural perspective and how well you critically reflect on your own views of the controversies around the concept of mental illness. You will also be marked based on criteria related to your communication skills, critical thinking skills and research skills. So, you will be assessed on your ability to effectively and critically present a coherent argument and critical analysis on the concept of mental illness and on how well you navigate and codify the complex research literature on mental illness. 25% of the mark will be on how well you present your summary of the Rosenhan paper, 25% on how you related the Rosenhan paper to the given concept and, 50% on how you elaborate on the challenges posed by the Rosenhan paper for psychology. 


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submissions must be in Microsoft Word format. Other file types will not be accepted. Submission must be to the assessment submission box on the unit's Moodle site. Only submit one document. You MUST name your file in the following way: <>.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Articulate social and critical psychology concepts from both mainstream and diverse perspectives
  • Evaluate social psychological concepts, research and theories from a critical perspective

2 Learning logs / diaries / Journal / log books

Assessment Title
Critical Reflexive Learning Diary

Task Description

Critical social psychology is an area of the discipline of psychology which offers us the opportunity to adopt a more subjective, reflexive relationship to theory and practice. In Critical Social Psychology the objective, neutral stance of the psychologist is rejected in favour of a subjective, partisan stance. Assessment Two offers you an opportunity to develop or re-engage with those reflexive skills through the practice of diary keeping. Reflexivity is different from reflectivity. Reflective means thinking about one’s own thoughts, feelings and actions. Reflexive means thinking about one’s own thoughts, feelings and actions through the eyes of another. For this assessment, you will engage with reflexivity through the eyes of the various writers whose work we will discuss during the unit.

For the first eight teaching weeks, you should keep a weekly diary of your learning. The diary will contain two sections. In the first section you should summarise what you have learnt from that particular week (e.g., week 1) in the form of a summary of the ideas contained in, for example, the teaching videos, content covered by any required or suggested reading and the topics discussed during the online tutorial for that week. This should be a concise summary and be no longer than 125 words.

The second section will be your critical reflexions on that material in relation to what you learned about the role of social cultural factors in psychology, how your understanding of social support and social power has either been consolidated or changed during that week and what dilemmas or inconsistencies you have identified in your understanding of psychology’s approach to particular social issues. You should approach this task as an exercise of considering your own thoughts, feelings and actions through the perspective of the different approaches we cover that week. This section should be no longer than 275 words.

Once you have completed eight weeks of diary entries (one entry per week for the first eight teaching weeks), you will choose the two diary entries that you feel best meet the marking criteria. Pick you best work and submit those two diary entries in one document. The other six logs should be included as a appendix to that document but will not be assessed. The length of the assessment must not exceed 800 words (this word count does not include your appendices).

  • Text should be word-processed and follow the APA style for layout.
  • Use Arial font and double spacing.
  • You must include a reference section at the end of the assessment. Referencing and citations should be in APA format.


Assessment Due Date

Week 10 Friday (22 Sept 2023) 1:00 pm AEST

AEST


Return Date to Students

Marks and feedback will be returned approximately 2 weeks after submission.


Weighting
30%

Assessment Criteria

The marking criteria will be in the form of a detailed marking rubric available on the Moodle site. The criteria laid out in the rubric will assess you on how well you are able to: identify and describe the socio-cultural contexts that impact two key areas of social psychological enquiry; recognise how privilege, power and oppression impact upon the social practices of prejudice and discrimination and the social context of inequity; identify the personal dilemmas you face and inconsistencies of beliefs you have in relation to social psychological topics and how well you think through possible resolutions for these; and, attain knowledge about key social psychological concepts by sifting and sorting through complex areas of the research literature. 30% of the mark will be on your review of the key content of a teaching week, 40% will be on your interrogation of the social and cultural context of key piece of mainstream psychological theory or practice, and 30% will be on your analysis of the vested interests behind that mainstream psychological theory or practice.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submissions must be in Microsoft Word format. Other file types will not be accepted. Only submit one document (containing the two diary entries). You MUST name your file in the following way: <>.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Identify the sociocultural contexts that influence individual differences in beliefs, values, and behaviour
  • Explain how privilege, power, and oppression affects prejudice, discrimination, and inequity.

3 Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Critical Essay

Task Description

Essay writing has been one of the key skills used by critical social commentators. It is the medium that offers you the opportunity to fully engage with and communicate your critical thinking on important social issues. Throughout history, skilled essay writers have been among the most important agents of social change. They are able to combine literary skills with research skills to produce written texts that can create sufficient social and political ruptures to enable progressive social change. For example, the writings of Gore Vidal have influenced the peace movement, James Baldwin’s writing influenced the black civil right movement, Simone de Beauvoir influenced the women’s movement and so on. So, be inspired by the prospect of writing an essay, don’t be daunted by it.

Once you become skilled at essay writing it can become a means for you to find your ‘academic voice’ – a style of argument that both conforms to the conventions of academic practice but also has a unique quality that reflects your disposition, your life experiences and your particular way of seeing the world. The convention that you will follow will be to: cite evidence to support your arguments; provide citations and references to the literature from where that evidence comes; structure your essay with an introduction, main text body and conclusion (no abstract required); and, to identify and defend against the counter arguments and counter claims that are made in relation to your own arguments and claims.

Your voice comes through with the way you express your ideas. The more you stay away from citing too many long quotes and the less you paraphrase the work of others, the more space you will have to hone your skills and develop your own writing style.

For this assignment you will be given an essay title and a choice of three essay topics. More details about each of these topics will be shown on the Moodle site and will be discussed in class. Please consult those resources before starting your essay.

The length of the assessment must not exceed 1200 words.

  • Text should be word-processed and follow the APA style for layout.
  • Use Arial font and double spacing.
  • You must include a reference section at the end of the assessment. Referencing and citations should be in the APA format.


Assessment Due Date

Week 12 Friday (6 Oct 2023) 1:00 pm AEST

AEST


Return Date to Students

Marks and feedback will be returned approximately 2 weeks after submission.


Weighting
50%

Assessment Criteria

With this being the main piece of assessment, the marking criteria will cover all of the unit’s planned learning outcomes. The marking criteria will be in the form of a detailed marking rubric available on the Moodle site. The criteria laid out in the rubric will assess you on how well you are able to cover both mainstream and diverse perspectives in your essay, to reflexively describe how sociocultural and international contexts impact those perspectives, to evaluate the usefulness of particular social psychological ideas and to map out the way social power impacts social phenomena. 25% of your mark will be on how well you identify the cultural and political context, 10% on how you articulate a particular psychological approach, 25% on how you critically refelect on that approach and 40% on your recognition of how social power maintains the status quo. There will not be a separate marking criterion related to your written expression (such as the clarity of your writing and your avoidance of spelling and grammatical errors), but implicit to each element of the marking criteria will be an assessment of your writing skills. I.e., if you present an idea poorly because of writing errors, you will not pick up as many marks as you would if you were to present that same idea well written.


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Submission Instructions
Submissions must be in Microsoft Word format. Other file types will not be accepted. Only submit one document. You MUST name your file in the following way: <>.

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Articulate social and critical psychology concepts from both mainstream and diverse perspectives
  • Identify the sociocultural contexts that influence individual differences in beliefs, values, and behaviour
  • Evaluate social psychological concepts, research and theories from a critical perspective
  • Explain how privilege, power, and oppression affects prejudice, discrimination, and inequity.

Academic Integrity Statement

As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.

Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.

When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.

Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.

As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.

What is a breach of academic integrity?

A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.

Why is academic integrity important?

A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.

Where can I get assistance?

For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.

What can you do to act with integrity?