PSY-20033 - Module Specification
School of Psychology
Faculty of Natural Sciences

Programme/Approved Electives for 2023/24

Available as a Free Standing Elective

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

N/A

Barred Combinations

N/A

Description for 2023/24

Psychopathology describes the study of mental illness or mental distress or the manifestation of behaviours and experiences which may be indicative of mental illness or psychological impairment.
In this module, we ask the question, what has happened to the brain and the cognitive structure of the mind to cause the development of conditions such as autism, schizophrenia and depression.
The module will primarily offer a biological and cognitive perspective, but students will be encouraged to apply knowledge from other perspectives to support critical thinking skills drawing on the whole of the psychology curriculum.
This module is taught by lectures, and will be of particular interest to students wishing to pursue careers in professional psychology, but is also relevant to anyone who is interested in mental health more generally.
No single text covers all the relevant material. Therefore, students will be expected to make extensive use of journals and databases to identify pertinent articles.

This module will further develop students' understanding of the human brain and mind, by providing an opportunity to study what happens when things go wrong (psychopathology). The module will primarily offer a biological and cognitive perspective, but students will be encouraged to apply knowledge from other perspectives to support critical thinking skills drawing on the whole of the psychology curriculum.

Intended Learning Outcomes

critically evaluate primary source literature and research on the topic of psychopathology: 2
use advanced literature searching techniques to find and select appropriate sources for independent study: 1
write coherently and clearly about complex academic topics: 2
apply their understanding of biological and cognitive psychology to the psychopathological brain: 1

Study hours

10 x 2 hour synchronous teaching
10 X 4 hour asynchronous teaching
10 X 2 hour guided reading reading
3 X 4 hour preparation for and sitting the MCQ
58 hours preparation for and writing the critique

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment