Groups and Identities in Everyday Life

Week one – Applying Psychology to your Community

In this first week you will gain a deeper understanding of the psychological factors underpinning marginalisation of vulnerable communities as well as how the groups we belong to can both be the cause of, and solution to, societal challenges. You will consider how problems have surfaced in different communities and explore methods and approaches for addressing them.

This course takes a new social psychological approach to understanding issues of diversity and marginalisation which is rarely represented in psychology programmes, and so offers something new to those already studying psychology. Teaching is informed by the innovative real-world research being conducted by course tutors in this exciting field.

Week two – Sociology and the Everyday Life

This second week will provide you with a critical knowledge and understanding of the relation between sociology and the everyday life. It will encourage you to think sociologically about things that surround us and our routines. Your studies will concentrate on the city, in particular Nottingham, and will develop your own sociological view and analysis of everyday life issues through lectures, workshops, seminars and outdoor activities and visits.

During this week you will study social divisions and identities, how to think sociologically, classical and contemporary sociological theory, urban sociology and the city, tourism and gentrification, environment and social sustainability, modernity and postmodernity, neoliberalism and individualisation, and Globalisation.

At the end of this week you should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the core issues of urban life, reflect independently and sociologically on the real world, the city and its environments, and synthesise items of knowledge from different schools and disciplines of enquiry.