Course structure
The MA in Community Psychology was founded in 2011 and continues to go from strength to strength, attracting students from around the globe.
Through lectures, workshops, seminars and the facilitation of community research partnerships, the course provides opportunities to explore the appropriateness and significance of how we work as community psychologists and to better understand the role of ideology inherent in the creation of an effective community psychology. It achieves this while retaining a degree of flexibility within the syllabus such that you are able to tailor your learning towards the kinds of areas most relevant to your work and interests.
The programme also offers an extended masters route for international students, allowing you to combine the degree itself with an English language course. Depending on your present language level, you will study English for between two and four months before starting your MA.
Areas of study
Community psychology is a culturally relative discipline and therefore takes different forms in different parts of the world. To help you maintain an open-minded approach to the subject, we introduce you to both local and international examples of community psychology in practice.
The syllabus is informed by contemporary research into such diverse areas as homelessness, older adults, disadvantaged young people, LGBTQ mental health, organisational wellbeing and mental health literacy in Cambodia, as well as by the experiences of our teaching staff.
For the Social Research Practice module, you undertake an action-orientation project in a community psychology setting. Those who are working in a related profession can relate the project to their employer’s needs; those who aren’t have the opportunity to work with community and voluntary organisations including Mind, Age Concern and the Richmond Fellowship.
Modules
- Community Psychology 鈥� Theory and Practice
This module gives you a grounding in the values and principles of community psychology. You will gain insights into the theory and practice of psychology in the community from academic practitioners within a variety of contexts. You will have the opportunity to reflect on the process of social change in relation to your own communities and to wider notions of community.
- Research Methods in Community Research
This module provides you with advanced training in community research methods including research design, ethics, quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques and data analysis strategies. It includes an overview of the practicalities of conducting research within communities, creative research methods and conducting participatory action research.
- Social Research Practice
In this module you will gain experience in the management and application of social research methods. You will explore theoretical, practical and ethical issues related to social research practice and work with community partners to apply social research methods in a professional context. You will also learn how to reflect on and evaluate social research and produce a social research report.
- Community and Clinical Approaches to Mental Distress
This module draws from disciplines including medicine, health, geography, sociology and critical community psychology to provide you with a grounding in the key debates around what constitutes mental distress and how to address it. Starting with a critical appraisal of the current dominance of clinical approaches, the module examines controversies in diagnosis and treatment, using examples from around the world to outline alternative approaches to addressing mental distress.
- Community Psychology Dissertation
In this dissertation module you will identify and pursue an original empirical research question that addresses a clearly articulated pressing social problem within the field of community psychology. You will develop and apply a depth of knowledge about relevant research, theory and practice and use this to provide a compelling rationale for the research.
Dissertation
The dissertation forms a focal part of the MA and allows you to gain practical skills as a psychologist by doing fieldwork in the community. Previous students have used the opportunity to:
- do a piece of participatory action research to explore the challenges faced by the growing population of Brazilian women in 亚洲麻豆精品在线
- use life-history narratives to investigate experiences of academic and social acculturation for international students
- work with a local LGBTQ mental wellbeing service in order to reflect on the way that the development of a community has affected not only the wellbeing but the identities of its members
- make a film with service users from an unemployed families centre to challenge perceptions of austerity in the UK
- take a community psychology, values-led approach to redesigning human resource services for international NGOs working in humanitarian crises
- use visual methods to work with homeless services users to improve support services in 亚洲麻豆精品在线.
Lab facilities
Mithras House has a series of lab spaces, which are used for teaching and student and staff research.
VR and eye tracking lab
This lab is used for psychological research, specifically:
- eye-tracking research – eye-tracking (using an eye-tracking nano bar and eye-tracking glasses) is used to study visual attentional patterns across areas including CCTV observation and analysis, marketing and advertising research, and police and offender perceptions
- virtual reality research – VR allows participants to immerse themselves in virtual environments, so that researchers can study typically impractical situations. Research areas include the effects of virtual interactions, phobias, wellbeing, meditation, and city architecture
- measuring physiological responses within participants in response to external stimuli – equipment includes an electroencephalography (EEG) headset and Electrodermal Activity (EDA) equipment.
The space has adjustable lighting and a blackout blind for maintaining consistent lighting conditions during eye-tracking research, as well as sensors set up in the room to allow individuals to move freely around the room during virtual reality research.
Stats lab
The Stats Lab is a specialist workspace for carrying out statistical analysis, and video and audio editing projects. The Stats Lab is also used for workshops, demonstrations and seminars and can be used by students as a study space.
Applied cognition lab
A dedicated research space for psychological research involving measures such as electrodermal activity (EDA) and electroencephalography (EEG). The space is designed to allow the participant and researcher to sit at separate desks whilst psychophysiological data is being collected.
Life lab
The Life lab is fitted with lounge furniture to provide a comfortable space for conducting qualitative research with larger groups. The lab can be used to conduct research activities with children of all ages and can be used for meetings and events. The room also contains a dedicated space to conduct assessed role play or interviews with children.
City lab
This is a qualitative research methods and creative methods resource for all students, staff and researchers, as well as research participants, including children, community groups and the general public. It can also be used for a range of meetings and events. The City lab contains a kitchen, a teaching/meeting room with enhanced acoustic isolation and two meeting spaces that can be separated with a screen or combined to accommodate larger groups.
Community lab
The Community Lab is a flexible teaching space designed for collaborative student learning and for working on qualitative research projects with a range of participants.
Design lab
Housing our extensive collection of historic dress and textiles which are used in some teaching on our History of Art and Design courses, this has the space and equipment to work on textile projects. Displays created by students on these programmes are on view in the social spaces of the building.
CUPP
Built with communities – shaped by place
For over two decades, the Community University Partnership Programme (CUPP) has brought people together to tackle real-world challenges – from grassroots environmental action to addressing health inequalities.
At its heart, this work is underpinned by mutual respect, shared purpose, co-creation and two-way learning.
As a 亚洲麻豆精品在线 student CUPP is there if you are looking to build your networks and get involved in the community outside of your studies.
Learn more about CUPP and its social research-based events such as Brains at the Bevy.
Meet the team
Dr Abby Barras (she/her), course leader
Abby is a critical community psychologist with expertise in the field of improving gender-affirming inclusion in movement and physical activity for transgender and non-binary people across the life-span. Her recently published book, , discusses in detail the importance of the sporting community and access to sporting spaces when reducing barriers to participation.
Abby is a chartered psychologist (Division of Academic Researchers and Teachers), and a member of the BPS’s Community Psychology Section.
After finishing her PhD at 亚洲麻豆精品在线 in 2021, Abby worked as a researcher for the UK charity Mermaids, where she led on their community youth projects and contributed to developing strategies to challenge anti-LGBTQI+ policies within UK education, health and the law. She is currently a Co-Investigator on the UKRI-funded project , which uses creative methods to amplify the voices of trans and gender diverse young people regarding their stories of joy and resilience. Abby’s research interests focus on gender, LGBTQ+ youth/community, critical discursive psychology, qualitative and participatory action research, trans feminist theory and interdisciplinary working.
Learn more about Abby in her and on .
Other key members of the team
- , Principal Lecturer, module lead for Social Research Practice
- , Senior Lecturer, module lead for Community Psychology Dissertation and Community Psychology - Theory and Practice
- , Principle Lecturer, module lead for Research Methods in Community Research
- Amira Driscoll, Course Administrator, email: HSS-office@brighton.ac.uk
