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PSY-10038 - Module Specification
School of Psychology
Faculty of Natural Sciences

For academic year: 2024/25 Last Updated: 02 May 2024

PSY-10038 - Science Communication
Coordinator: Richard Stephens Room: DH1.75 Tel: +44 1782 7 33600
Lecture Time: See Timetable...
Level: Level 4
Credits: 15
Study Hours: 150
School Office: 01782 733736

Programme/Approved Electives for 2024/25

None

Available as a Free Standing Elective

No

Co-requisites

None

Prerequisites

None

Barred Combinations

None

Description for 2024/25


Aims
This module aims to develop your ability to communicate psychological scientific content to non-specialist audiences. You will be introduced to a variety of communication techniques, such as pitching, arouse and fulfil, and story structures, and will develop your range of communication skills. The module aims to support you in understanding and evaluating psychological information, and to write about it accurately and engagingly. It will prepare you to make a difference to the wider world and help make you more employable.

Intended Learning Outcomes

Produce accurate sci coms (i.e., communications of scientific content) suitable for non-specialist audiences: 1
Demonstrate use of techniques for increasing reader engagement such as ¿arouse and fulfil¿ or ¿story structures¿: 1
Reflect on their sci-coms skill-set development: 1
Critically evaluate a range of psychological sources:

Study hours

Taught class time - 22 hours
Reading, preparation, and independent study - 68 hours, of which around 11 hours will be asynchronous guided activities
Assessment 1 - 20 hours
Assessment 2 - 40 hours

School Rules

None

Description of Module Assessment

1: Assignment weighted 30%
Pitch
Pitching for the job of psychology writer on the Science Tribune Magazine. Students will choose from a selection of short psychology studies about which to prepare a critical 500 word summary. As this is part of a competitive job application process, students are advised to use the techniques taught on the module to write as engagingly as possible.

2: Assignment weighted 70%
Blog and reflection
A critical blog (600 words),with a free choice of what research source to blog about. Students are congratulated on getting the psychology writer "job" and set this as their first assignment. Accompanying these submissions there should be a 400-word personal reflection on sci coms skills development building on the feedback provided on summative assessment 1. 60% of the overall mark will come from the blog, and 40% from the reflection.

Please note that for the 2022/23 Academic Year programmes may be adapted to operate in accordance with a flexible, digital approach. This means that there may be some changes made to how modules are delivered and assessed. The latest information will be provided to you by your School in module handbooks. We endeavour to give you as much notice as possible of any changes and details about the circumstance in which changes are made to programmes can be found in the Student Agreement, available at: https://www.keele.ac.uk/student-terms-and-conditions/

Last Updated: 02 May 2024