PSYC3777: Psychology and Law: An Empirical Perspective

• 60 credits from Level 2 Psychology

• None

• None

• The aim of this module is to introduce students to key concepts, methodologies and theoretical approaches in legal and forensic psychology.

• Example module topics include introduction to legal psychology and the criminal justice system, jury decision making, expert witness testimony, offender profiling, the psychological impact of the legal processes in relation to victims, witnesses and suspects of crime, detecting deception and investigative interviewing and the human rights act.
• The module will also cover related conceptual and historical issues in psychology

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• Detailed knowledge of legal psychology and the criminal justice system including current theory and evidence

Subject-specific Skills:

• Ability to review critically and consolidate understanding of a coherent body of psychological knowledge and apply it appropriately

Key Skills:

• Good written communication skills
• Good IT skills in word processing
• Ability to work independently in scholarship and research within broad guidelines

• Students' acquisition of detailed knowledge will be facilitated by lectures, interactive problem-based-learning tasks, audio-visual materials, discussions and reading lists
• These modes of teaching provide students with detailed knowledge of the key theories and the skills needed to evaluate different theoretical positions in light of current evidence
• The examination will assess students' detailed subject knowledge via essays written in the examination
• An assessment of the range, recency and appropriateness of sources will be included in the overall assessment of the essay
• The use of group discussions and interactive problem-based-learning tasks will ensure that students are exposed to a range of different theoretical positions, and encouraged to understand their inter-relations
• Lectures, discussions, and interactive problem-based-learning tasks will also give students the opportunity to interpret and evaluate the significance of empirical work
• The summative essay assesses students' acquired knowledge of theoretical principles and empirical studies and their ability to organise and synthesise them coherently and critically in written form in response to a set question
• The essay will also assess students' written communication skills enter text as appropriate for the module

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