Psychology BSc

Core modules:

Social Psychology I

This module will provide an overview of the fundamentals of social psychology. The module will introduce and explain key theories and research, and their application, for understanding social psychological phenomena. Content is organised around two themes: How people think, and how people feel and behave. The module will include lectures that will provide opportunities to learn how to critically evaluate social psychological research and theories, as well as to describe how social psychology theory can be applied to address real world issues.

20 credits

Cognitive Psychology I

This unit provides an overview of core components of cognition, and principles of their investigation. The module covers perception, attention, performance, cognitive neuroscience, language, learning, memory and reasoning. It introduces and explores key concepts, theoretical perspectives and foundational methods. Examples of key studies in cognitive psychology will be considered critically.

20 credits

Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology I

This unit aims to provide students with an understanding of the key principles within neuroscience and clinical psychology. The module will introduce students to the basic structure and function of the brain, techniques and assessments used within neuroscience and clinical psychology, and an awareness of the ethical issues. The module will cover the aetiology, development, assessment and treatment of specific psychological and neurological disorders. Students will develop their knowledge, skills and understanding by attending lectures, engaging with activities/discussions within the lectures and engaging with the reading for this module.

20 credits

Developmental Psychology I

This module provides an overview of the fundamentals of Developmental Psychology from infancy to adolescence, and into later life. The module introduces concepts of development, including cognitive development, social development, and neurological development. It summarises major developmental changes, and discusses theoretical perspectives underlying developmental research. Examples of key studies in developmental psychology will be considered critically.

20 credits

Psychological Research Methodology I

This module provides an introduction to the knowledge and skills that underpin the science of psychology. We consider why psychological scientists conduct empirical research the way they do, and how to conduct research in psychological science. Topics span the various stages of the research process, including the logic of hypothesis testing; types of research designs, methodologies, and measurement strategies; descriptive statistics; simple qualitative and quantitative analytic techniques; and critical thinking about published research. Students will develop their knowledge and skills by attending lectures and participating in activities and discussions in workshops and tutorials.

20 credits

Students will also be able to take 20 credits of optional modules.

Core modules:

Social Psychology II

The module continues from the linked first year social psychology module, Social Psychology 1 to cover specific social psychological topics in greater detail and depth. Lectures cover key theories and empirical research in social psychology. Lecture activities provide opportunities for applying social psychological theory and empirical research to explain or solve real world issues.

20 credits

Cognitive Psychology II

This unit builds on the overview of core components of cognition established at level 1 (Cognitive Psychology I). The module covers the same broad topics as Cognitive Psychology II - perception, attention, performance, cognitive neuroscience, language, learning, memory and reasoning. It expands on key concepts and introduced additional details of experimental methods and theoretical nuance. Applications of fundamental science are discussed.

20 credits

Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology II

This unit will build on the content of Neuroscience and Clinical Psychology I, to provide students with a more in depth understanding of principles within neuroscience and clinical psychology. The module will cover the aetiology, development, assessment and treatment of more complex psychological and neurological disorders. Students will develop and build on their knowledge, skills and understanding by attending lectures, engaging with activities/discussions within the lectures and engaging with the reading for this module.

20 credits

Developmental Psychology II

This module provides an in depth understanding of development from infancy to later life. The module builds on the overview of Developmental Psychology established at level 1 (Developmental Psychology I). The module examines how cognition, language, perception, and social skills develop, as well as considering individual differences in development and developmental disorders. It summarises major developmental changes, and discusses theoretical perspectives underlying developmental research. Examples of key studies in developmental psychology will be considered critically.

20 credits

Psychological Research Methodology II

This module builds on knowledge and skills developed at Level 1 to introduce more advanced concepts and techniques in research methods and statistics. Topics including research ethics; scale development; questionnaire design; advanced qualitative and quantitative analytic techniques; and critical thinking about published research. Students will develop their knowledge and skills by attending lectures and participating in activities anddiscussions in workshops and tutorials.

20 credits

Students will also be able to take 20 credits of optional modules.

Core modules:

Extended Essay in Psychology

The extended essay is intended to give students an opportunity to study in some depth a topic of particular interest to them within the subject of Psychology. The topic must be approved by the supervisor. The essay will not entail the student conducting empirical research. Rather, it is intended to provide an opportunity for the student to write critically about a selected area in considerably more depth than is possible in a tutorial essay. The work is presented as a typed essay no longer than 3000 words not including abstract or references. Students will also write a short critical reflection on the resources they have used to write their essay. The reflection will form part of the assignment cover note  submitted with the essay and will be no longer than 500 words. 

20 credits

Research Project in Psychology

The research project is intended to give students an opportunity to investigate a topic in Psychology in depth, by empirical research or computational modelling over two semesters. The topic must be approved by the Level 3 Tutor and the Departmental Ethics Committee.Staff may offer ideas for research project work and/or students are encouraged to develop their own ideas. They are expected to carry out the research themselves, although assistance is given, as appropriate, with equipment, programming or other technical requirements. The completed project is presented as a typed dissertation. There is an 8000 word limit.

40 credits

Optional modules:

A student will take a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 60 credits from this group.

Understanding and Evaluating Psychological Research: Real-world implications.

What is this module about?

If you would like to improve your ability to understand and critically evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of psychology research papers, this module is for you. This module will:1) Provide a clear framework to read and evaluate psychology research papers critically2) Provide direct experience practising critical evaluation in a supportive tutorial environment3) Help you better understand and evaluate the real-world implications of scientific literature

Who is this module for?The module aims to make critical evaluation of research papers accessible and interesting for all students - including those who have found it challenging or confusing during Levels 1 and 2. The module will be useful for students interested in applying psychological research to solving real-world problems, science communication, or pursuing further study and research.

10 credits

The psychology of sexual orientation and gender identity

Diversity in sexual orientation and gender identity is a fact of human existence. Starting from the end of the 19th century, scientists have made efforts to understand the psychology underlying this diversity. Since then, and in the last decades in particular, societal attitudes towards sexual/gender diversity have changed substantially. Our scientific understanding followed suit. This module charts through the history of these changes, covers current scientific understanding of sexual/gender diversity, and introduces endeavours to understand and improve the lives of LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other sexual/gender minority) individuals.

At the beginning of the module, we will consider scientific attempts to define sexual/gender categories. Then, throughout the module, we will cover empirical psychological research past and present: developmental research, mental health research, and social psychological research. We will cover major themes in these fields of research, including current research of the development of LGBTQ+ identities, social stereotypes and prejudice, parenting and relationships. This module shall give a wide background to anyone interested in the psychology of LGBTQ+ individuals and will develop critical thinking relevant for researching LGBTQ+ issues. While the module will be research-oriented, it will also be valuable for anyone who professionally interacts with LGBTQ+ individuals, such as psychotherapists.

10 credits

Neurodiversity

The neurodiversity movement emerged from early online autistic culture which was self-advocating against ableist practices. The concept of biological diversity was adapted to state that neurodevelopmental disabilities, such as autism, dyslexia and ADHD, are all part of natural variation in the human species rather than disorders that need to be corrected. The neurodiversity movement asserts that: a) diversity in cognition and behaviour has collective benefit for humanity b) neurodivergent people should be granted rights and opportunities to lead on decision making which impacts their lives. 

These ideas have led to the development of the neurodiversity paradigm which is reshaping psychological research and practice. The aim of this module is to introduce students to neurodiversity and how these ideas contrast with those derived from the medical model of disability. Students will explore the implications of the neurodiversity paradigm for psychology. This will involve engaging with contemporary theories and research from a range of disciplines. 

10 credits

Conditions affecting cognition and behaviour across the lifespan

This unit investigates the causes and consequences of conditions affecting cognition and behaviour across the lifespan. It specifically focuses on neurodevelopmental conditions and stroke. For each topic (i.e. for each neurodevelopmental condition covered and for each type of stroke), diagnosis, cognition and behaviour will be discussed. Each condition will also be set in context, explaining the support which may be required, including family support and intervention strategies.

10 credits

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Eating Disorders

The broad aim of this module is to introduce students to the link between academic evidence and clinical practice when delivering evidence-based psychotherapies. The more specific aim is to introduce principles and practice of cognitive behavioural therapy, as applied to the treatment of eating disorders, linking evidence and practice explicitly. The module will commence with an introduction to cognitive-behavioural models of eating disorders. It will then address the evidence that supports those models and the effectiveness of the therapy overall. Subsequent lectures will introduce and demonstrate therapist skills and impact on patients (e.g., formulation; cognitive restructuring; behavioural experiments; exposure; psychoeducation).

10 credits

Criminal Psychology

This module will introduce students to the psychological aspects of criminal behaviour. Developmental, social, biological, and genetic perspectives on the origins criminal behaviour will be considered. Different types of crimes, including homicide, crimes against children, crimes committed by gangs, and sexual and intimate partner violence, will be introduced and research in those areas will be critically evaluated. Following lectures, students will engage in independent study to critically evaluate causes of crime and to compare and contrast relevant preventions, using a self-selected case study. The module focuses on important aspects of criminal psychology. No prior knowledge of criminal psychology is assumed.

10 credits

The neuroscience of learning and memory

The aim of the course is to explain current research, both experimental and theoretical, into the brain mechanisms that underlie basic forms of reward processing, associative learning and the formation of episodic memories. The lectures first cover the neural responses to pleasurable stimuli, including drugs of abuse. Next, the main characteristics of classical conditioning are outlined, followed by an account of cerebellar anatomy and physiology: a necessary basis for the evaluation of models of cerebellar function as applied to classical conditioning. Then, the anatomy and physiology of the hippocampus and its involvement in learning and memory will be described. Focus will be on episodic memory and how neural coding in the hippocampus might be used to store and recall memories.

10 credits

Occupational Psychology

To introduce and explore psychological issues in work settings, examining people's behaviour, thoughts and feelings related to their work. The course also focuses on some key organisational practices and processes, such as training and development, and leadership.

10 credits

Psychology of eating behaviour and weight management

This module will cover key theories and empirical research on the psychology of eating behaviours and weight management. We will consider the main drivers of eating behaviours and strategies to reduce overconsumption, as well as considering effective strategies for weight loss and weight loss maintenance. Throughout the course, we will consider why some individuals are more susceptible to overconsumption and weight gain compared to others. We will also cover the stigma that people with obesity experience and consider stigma-reducing strategies. You will learn about the methods used and the challenges faced by researchers in this area. You will also have the opportunity to apply your learning to inform interventions and/or programmes to promote successful weight management and/or reduce weight stigma. The module will be delivered via lectures.

10 credits

How children learn to use language for social communication

How do children learn to use language with other people? This is the question addressed by research on pragmatic development. This module will start with some theoretical background on the nature of human language and the definition of pragmatics. It will then introduce you to the series of pragmatic skills acquired during infancy, childhood and adolescence (from prelinguistic communication right up to sarcasm and story-telling). We will finish up by considering individual differences in pragmatic development and atypical developmental trajectories. Throughout the course, we will highlight the research methods used to test pragmatic skills, the learning mechanisms that drive developmental change and the real world applications in computational, educational and clinical domains. The module will be delivered via lectures.

10 credits

Using Behavioural Science to tackle Sustainability Challenges

Human behaviour is one of the biggest contributors to climate change, loss of biodiversity, and deforestation. As such, understanding behaviour, and learning how to change it, has the potential to have a significant impact on these issues. This module will provide students with an understanding of how theories and methods used in the behavioural sciences are being used to tackle real-world environmental challenges. Students will use theoretical models of behaviour (e.g., Theory of Planned Behaviour, COM-B) and previous research to understand the barriers and enablers of pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour. Students will also evaluate a range of lab- and field-based interventions designed to promote pro-environmental behaviour (e.g., via incentives, fines, and persuasive technologies) and will consider the impact that environmental challenges have on our health and wellbeing (e.g., in the case of eco-anxiety and climate grief).  Through lectures and activity-led workshops students will gain skills in designing and evaluating behaviour change interventions and disseminating research to relevant stakeholders (e.g., by responding to government consultations). This module will also provide students with an overview of the innovative sustainability research taking place within the School of Psychology here at Sheffield and will demonstrate how psychologists can (and should) collaborate with scientists from other disciplines to avoid unintended negative consequences (i.e., an outcome of an intervention that was not expected, but had a negative impact on the environment) and develop interdisciplinary solutions.

10 credits

Offending Behaviour: Rehabilitation and Resettlement

This module will introduce various concepts related to the field of Forensic Psychology, specifically considering what happens after a person has been convicted of a criminal offence. You will learn about different factors that contribute to the rehabilitation and resettlement of people with various conviction types. Example topics might include: post-conviction living environments, offending behaviour treatments, risk considerations, resettlement issues, and desistance from crime. You will learn about these issues for people with various different offence types. The module aims to develop your understanding of topics that are central to reducing reoffending, and aiding people with convictions to live positive, offence-free, lives. 

10 credits

Coding for psychologists

Managing large datasets is increasingly seen as a key skill by employers both inside and outside of academia. Best practice in this area often borrows from fields such as data engineering, where the ability to write code and understand programming principles is crucial. Students who complete this module will gain an understanding of these principles, and will learn the fundamentals of how to code using R, an approachable open source coding language commonly used in psychology, data science engineering, and  bioinformatics.  

This module provides an introduction to processing and managing data sets with R, with a focus on processing data from psychological research. After collecting the data, both students and researchers can be overwhelmed by the huge amount of data and different files and are at risk to get lost in the many steps of preprocessing and analyses. In this module, students will learn how to organise and prepare data for the next steps of analyses. The module will teach fundamental coding principles, and cover how to develop routines for checking the plausibility and quality of data. By the end of the module, students will have acquired the knowledge to write a set of scripts and routines to preprocess empirical data sets from psychological research.

10 credits

Psychology in the Community and in the Workplace

The aim of this
module is to provide students with the opportunity to apply their learning from
the first 2 years of their Psychology degree by undertaking a six-week
part-time placement that would be completed alongside their other third year
modules. Students will work alongside local community partners to complete
project work that will make a tangible contribution to an organisation, local
community, or specific service user groups. This module will enable students to
see how a wide variety of professionals from different psychology, health,
education, social work, youth work and other backgrounds work together to
address the health and well-being of local communities.

20 credits

Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy

This module introduces students to the fundamental principles and practices of counselling and psychotherapy. It provides a comprehensive overview of different counselling approaches, models, and therapeutic techniques while emphasising the ethical considerations and self-awareness required for effective practice. Students will develop their active listening, empathy, and communication skills, gaining exposure to various intervention techniques and group dynamics. Through case studies and real-world scenarios, students will learn to apply counselling concepts to diverse client experiences, fostering critical thinking and reflective practice.

10 credits

Psychology of Sleep

The module provides an overview of the neural basis of sleep and the changes in the brain which occur during various stages of the sleep cycle. It will also cover the reasons why we sleep and the functions of sleep, with examples from Cognitive Psychology. In addition to this, some of the most common sleep disorders will be examined, including explanations regarding their underlying aetiology and current available treatments. This module is broad and will make references to different areas of Psychology, including elements of Neuroscience, Clinical, Cognitive and Health Psychology.

10 credits

Current Controversies in the Psychology of Addiction

This module will introduce students to controversial issues related to addiction from a psychological perspective. Topics will cover the nature of addiction, its determinants, underlying neurological basis, treatment, and prognosis. During each lecture, the controversial topic will be introduced before relevant evidence is described and critically evaluated. Clinicians and / or service users with direct experience of addiction may contribute to some of these sessions. Topics covered may vary from year to year as new controversies emerge, but are likely to include critical appraisals of the brain disease model of addiction, and the roles of compulsion and habit.

10 credits

Interventions and treatment in clinical psychology

This module aims to increase students' knowledge of clinical psychology in practice. It will familiarise students with a range of treatments and interventions used in clinical psychology and their effectiveness, with an emphasis on current research evidence (where available). The module will concentrate on how therapeutic interventions can be used to alleviate emotional distress and improve functioning in common and complex mental health conditions; along with considering the use of transdiagnostic models where appropriate.

20 credits

A student will take up to 20 credits from this group.

What is Learning?

The module explores understandings about how people learn, and implications that these understandings have for how we conduct key social practices, including teaching, caring for children, assessing learning, and on educating generally. We will also look 'beneath' understandings of learning to the worldviews on which they stand, particularly 'realist' and 'constructivist' positions. This matters because 'realism' and 'constructivism' carry implications for how we conceptualise things we take for granted: the nature of truth, the process and products of science, the basis for ethics, the outcomes of research, and assumptions about what is. The module will explore these challenging issues.

20 credits

Philosophies of Education

This module will explore the importance of philosophy to the study of education. It covers key moments in the history of Western philosophy, focusing on the question of modernity (What is modernity? What are its ramifications for education?). The module will investigate the consequences of late modernity for present day education, a period in which the aims and purposes of education have become increasingly unclear, leaving education open to the rise of instrumentalism and the forces of capital. Overall the module offers a critique of common assumptions in education, provoking questioning about its nature and purposes.

20 credits

Educational Psychology in Practice

This module provides an overview of Educational Psychology in practice, broadly based on the core professional competencies of Educational Psychologists. Students will consolidate their knowledge of childhood educational and learning theory, and learn how psychology is applied in practice by Educational Psychologists. The module encompasses topic-specific material (e.g. attachment theory, ADHD, Dyslexia) as well as addressing wide-ranging issues in practice such as mental health and (neuro)diversity. Throughout the module, students will explore the professional skills practised in the field of Educational Psychology, including assessment and formulation, intervention and evaluation, and ethical and reflective practice. Students will adopt critical skills in their learning. The content of the module reflects the complexity of delivering services in ever-changing organisations and equips students with skills and knowledge of the application of theory to practice.

20 credits

Bodies and Souls

Descartes is famous for his view that all mental activity takes place in an immaterial substance, so that what we call a human being is really two things:  a thinking soul and an unthinking body.  Aristotle thought that every living thing, whether conscious or not, was a compound of matter and form, and he called this form a 'soul'.  This view, 'hylomorphism', dominated European philosophy throughout the middle ages.  Both views are currently the subject of renewed interest.  This module will examine them from a contemporary perspective.

20 credits

Ancient Chinese Philosophy

This course will introduce students to ancient Chinese Philosophy through a study of some of it classical texts.

20 credits

Advanced Political Philosophy

This module will investigate a broad range of topics and issues in political philosophy and explore these questions in some detail. It will include both historical and foundational matters and recent state of the art research.

20 credits

Global Justice

What are the demands of justice at the global level? On this module we will examine this question from the perspective of analytic Anglo-American political philosophy. We will start by looking at some debates about the nature of global justice, such as whether justice demands the eradication of global inequalities. We will then turn to various questions of justice that arise at the global level, potentially including: how jurisdiction over territory might be justified; whether states have a right to exclude would-be immigrants; whether reparations are owed for past international injustices such as colonialism; and how to identify responsibilities for combatting global injustice.

20 credits

Free Will & Religion

This module focuses on philosophical questions about the relationship between free will and theistic religions. It has often been claimed that adherents of these religions have significant motivations to affirm an incompatibilist conception of free will according to which free will is incompatible with determinism. Incompatibilist conceptions of free will, it has been argued, have benefits for the theist such as enabling them to better account for the existence of moral evil, natural evil, divine hiddenness, and traditional conceptions of hell. Yet, on the other hand, it has been argued that there is a significant tension between theistic religions and incompatibilist conceptions of free will. For example, there are tempting arguments that an incompatibilist conception of free will makes trouble for affirming traditional views about God's omniscience, freedom, and providence. We will engage in a critical examination of these and related arguments.

20 credits

Ethics and Belief

We know things as individuals, but we also know things collectively. And what we know individually can depend on our relation to other knowers and collective knowledge. These relations are not merely epistemic, they are also practical and ethical. Knowledge can, for instance, be based on trust, while a failure to recognize someone as a knower can be a matter of injustice. Knowledge thereby has a social character and an ethical dimension. This course will introduce a broad range of topics in epistemology that explore this social and ethical turn.

20 credits

Children, Families and Welfare States

This module examines welfare state support and services for children, parents and families, informed by sociological and social policy theories, concepts and research. Adopting a comparative approach, the module critically reviews different approaches to, and configurations of, welfare state support and services for children, parents and families across the UK and Western/Northern European welfare states. Four policy and provision domains are examined, namely cash support for children and families; childcare and early years' services; parental leave and work-family balance policies; and child welfare and family support services.

20 credits

Ethics in Practice

Ethics in Practice builds on the students basic understanding of ethics in health care. It will offer a deeper consideration of the philosophical underpinnings of ethics and demonstrate the value of these to resolving ethical issues in health care through consideration of applied examples. Key topics, such as end of life care (inc. euthanasia), the allocation of scarce resources (organ transplantation), practice issues (mental health and mental capacity), professional issues (whistle blowing) and diversity in healthcare research will be used to develop students' understanding of the issues involved in these areas and their ability to reason ethically and rationally.

20 credits

Education@Sheffield

In Education@Sheffield students are invited to explore and evaluate the rich and diverse research taking place within the School of Education. Through a series of seminars presented by active researchers, students are encouraged to critically engage with research - and the researchers themselves - in the fields of educational and childhood studies. The Education@Sheffield module enables students to acquire a critical understanding of various themes, settings and methodologies which shape contemporary educational research.

20 credits

Globalising Education

This module considers the extent to which education might be viewed as a global context with a shared meaning. Moving outwards from the dominant concepts, principles and practices which frame 'our own' national, or regional responses to education, the module explores other possible ways of understanding difference. By examining 'other ways of seeing difference', in unfamiliar contexts, students are able to examine the implications of globalisation for education and explore the opportunities and obstacles for the social justice agendas within a range of cultural settings.

20 credits

Biological Basis of Brain Disease 1: Neurodegeneration

The module will examine recent and current research into human neurodegenerative disease including Huntington's, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and motor neuron disease. In addition, reference may be made to the spongiform encephalopathies, frontal dementias and Lewy body disease, with emphasis on their inter-relationships and commonalities. The genetic and non-genetic aetiological influences, defining pathology and pathophysiology and current understanding of the underlying biology will be examined by a detailed consideration of current research in these areas. The module will also include discussion of the prevention and treatment of the diseases, highlighting possible therapies which may be useful in several pathologies.

10 credits

Phenomenology

This module introduces students to Phenomenology - a philosophical tradition in continental European philosophy, which is closely related to Existentialism. Phenomenology seeks to understand the human condition. Its starting-point is everyday experience, where this includes both mundane and less ordinary forms of experience such as those typically associated with conditions such as schizophrenia. Whilst Phenomenology encompasses a diverse range of thinkers and ideas, there tends to be a focus on consciousness as embodied, situated in a particular physical, social, and cultural environment, essentially related to other people, and existing in time. (This is in contrast to the disembodied, universal, and isolated notion of the subject that comes largely from the Cartesian tradition.) There is a corresponding emphasis on the world we inhabit as a distinctively human environment that depends in certain ways on us for its character and existence. Some of the central topics addressed by Phenomenology include: embodiment; ageing and death; the lived experience of oppression; human freedom; our relations with and knowledge of, other people; the experience of time; and the nature of the world. In this module, we will discuss a selection of these and related topics, examining them through the work of key figures in the Phenomenological Movement, such as Edmund Husserl, Simone de Beauvoir, Maurice Merleau-Ponty, Frantz Fanon, and Edith Stein.

20 credits

Philosophical Problems 1

The detailed content of this course will vary from year to year depending upon the member of staff teaching it. For details contact the School of History, Philosophy and Digital Humanities.

20 credits

Plato's Symposium

The Symposium is a vivid, funny and moving dramatic dialogue in which a wide variety of characters - orators, doctor, comic poet, tragic poet, soldier-cum-statesman, philosopher and others - give widely differing accounts of the nature or erotic love (eros) at a banquet. Students should be willing to engage in close textual study, although no previous knowledge of either ancient philosophy or ancient Greek is required. We will be exploring the origins, definition, aims, objects and effects or eros, and asking whether it is viewed as a predominantly beneficial or harmful force. Are some manifestations or eros better than others? Is re-channelling either possible or desirable, and if so, how and in what contexts? What happens to eros if it is consummated? We will in addition explore the issues that the dialogue raises about relations between philosophy and literature, and the influence it has had on Western thought (e.g. Freud). The edition we will use is Rowe, C . J., 1998, Plato Symposium. Oxford: Aris and Phillips Classical texts.

20 credits

Pain, Pleasure, and Emotions

Affective states like pain, pleasure, and emotions have a profound bearing on the meaning and quality of our lives. Chronic pain can be completely disabling, while insensitivity to pain can be fatal. Analogously, a life without pleasure looks like a life of boredom, but excessive pleasure seeking can disrupt decision-making. In this module, we will explore recent advances in the study of the affective mind, by considering theoretical work in the philosophy of mind as well as empirical research in affective cognitive science. These are some of the problems that we will explore: Why does pain feel bad? What is the relation between pleasure and happiness? Are emotions cognitive states? Are moral judgments based on emotions? Can we know what other people are feeling?

20 credits

Moral Theory and Moral Psychology

This course examines the relationship of moral theory and moral psychology. We discuss the relationship of science and ethics, examine the nature of self-interest, altruism, sympathy, the will, and moral intuitions, explore psychological arguments for and against familiar moral theories including utilitarianism, virtue ethics, deontology and relativism, and confront the proposal that understanding the origins of moral thought 'debunks' the authority of ethics. In doing so, we will engage with readings from historical philosophers, including Hobbes, Butler, Hume, Smith, Kant, Mill, Nietzsche and Moore, as well as contemporary authors in philosophy and empirical psychology.

20 credits

The Science of Consciousness

Consciousness is at once both something incredibly familiar and something utterly mysterious. Consciousness seems to be a subjective phenomenon to which we have a privileged first-person access Yet, this very subjective nature of consciousness makes it hard, if not impossible, to scientifically study. In this module we'll look at recent developments in the study of consciousness from across the cognitive sciences (including philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, and biology). This module will also serve as an introduction to some core issues in the philosophical foundations of cognitive science.In the first part of the module, we will look at various theories of consciousness from across different disciplines. In the second part of the module, we'll look at specific methodological issues that arise in studying consciousness in human and non-human animals.This is an interdisciplinary module. Understanding how the mind is structured is a complex project. In order to make progress we need to appeal to both empirical and philosophical work (and work that blurs this distinction). We'll read scientific and philosophical papers; however, no prior knowledge of cognitive science (or neuroscience) will be presumed.

20 credits

Ethical Scepticism

The module will explore the historical roots as well as contemporary forms of ethical scepticism. We will distinguish different reasons for scepticism and the variety of practical conclusions drawn by sceptics. We will analyse the arguments for scepticism and assess their soundness. We will also consider several replies to the sceptic and assess how successful these replies are

20 credits

Reimagining Care: Families, Services and Policies

The need for care has never been greater. An increasing number of people made vulnerable by experiences of disability, old age, or family circumstances, rely on care and support provided by social care services or family and friends to ensure their wellbeing and their inclusion in daily life. Despite this, we are surrounded by narratives of social care systems in crisis, including the bankruptcy of local authority providers, chronic care worker staffing shortages, poor outcomes for service users and for carers, and so on, with a seeming lack of political imagination or will with which to address this. At the same time we are witnessing changes in the nature of care, with increasing opportunities provided by new technologies. In this module, we ask why this is the case, and consider evidence-based solutions to these crises.

To do so, this module draws on the ongoing research of the ESRC Centre for Care, hosted at the University of Sheffield, to consider a series of issues and contexts drawn from our own research, practice and personal experiences, and covering the breadth of children's and adults' care, and including a lifecourse and intergenerational perspective. Across these examples, we will explore the varied care needs and experiences of people with physical disabilities or learning difficulties, vulnerable children, and older people supported at home or in residential care. We will also explore the roles and experiences of those who provide care and support in the form of family carers and the paid care workforce. This will engage with gendered and ethnic inequalities in care provision. We will also engage with key sociological and policy debates, including questions of the meaning of 'care', funding and affordability, and the mixed economy of care provision, and by doing so imagine policy alternatives.

20 credits

Global Health Challenges

The module builds on the study undertaken in year one and two of the programme (NURU 146) and will explore the challenges facing health in the 21st century in greater depth. Topics covered will include: commissioning and the potential risks to service delivery, the personalisation and self directed support agenda, persisting health inequalities, economic pressures, management of scarce resources, demographic challenges, health promotion strategy in hard to reach groups, the need for evidence based interventions and their cost implications, consumerism and the market in health care.

20 credits