English for Psychology

Study Course Description

Course Description Statuss:Approved

Course Description Version:12.00

Study Course Accepted:17.06.2024 13:17:35

Study Course Information
Course Code:		VC_043		LQF level:		Level 6
Credit Points:		4.00		ECTS:		6.00
Branch of Science:		Linguistics		Target Audience:		Psychology
Study Course Supervisor
Course Supervisor:		Anna Jurčenko
Study Course Implementer
Structural Unit:		Faculty of Social Sciences
The Head of Structural Unit:
Contacts:		Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szfrsu[pnkts]lv
Study Course Planning
Full-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)		0	Lecture Length (academic hours)		0	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		0
Classes (count)		20	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		40
Total Contact Hours								40
Full-Time - Semester No.2
Lectures (count)		0	Lecture Length (academic hours)		0	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		0
Classes (count)		20	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		40
Total Contact Hours								40
Part-Time - Semester No.1
Lectures (count)		0	Lecture Length (academic hours)		0	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		0
Classes (count)		10	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		20
Total Contact Hours								20
Part-Time - Semester No.2
Lectures (count)		0	Lecture Length (academic hours)		0	Total Contact Hours of Lectures		0
Classes (count)		10	Class Length (academic hours)		2	Total Contact Hours of Classes		20
Total Contact Hours								20
Study course description
Preliminary Knowledge:
Knowledge of English at the level of secondary school programme.
Objective:
Develop the English language communication skills for study and further work purposes in the chosen specialty and promote the acquisition and practical use of specialised professional terminology.
Topic Layout (Full-Time)
No.	Topic			Type of Implementation		Number	Venue
1	Definition of ‘psychology’. Branches of psychology. 1.1. Course "English for Psychology" overview: objectives, tasks, learning outcomes, requirements, tests and examinations. 1.2. Words from general English with a special meaning in psychology.			Classes		2.00	auditorium
2	Academic English. 2.1. Using an English-English dictionary: entries, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, word collocations, set expressions. 2.2. Presentations. Structure of presentations. Signposting language. Presentation evaluation.			Classes		4.00	auditorium
3	Branches and sub-branches of psychology and professional fields. 3.1. Fixed phrases from psychology and academic English. 3.2. Academic English: a summary - writing principles, a topic sentence and supporting ideas.			Classes		4.00	auditorium
4	Psychology in practice. 4.1. Occupational psychology. Personality testing. Different types of questions. 4.2. Clinical psychology. Adjectives to describe personality and personality traits.			Classes		4.00	auditorium
5	Computers and psychology in the 20th and 21st centuries. Using technologies for research. 5.1. Understanding computer jargon. Abbreviations and acronyms. Verb and noun suffixes. 5.2. Analysing Internet search results. Reporting research findings.			Classes		3.00	auditorium
6	Outstanding scientists in psychology. 6.1. S. Freud and C. G. Jung. Dreams and personality. 6.2. L. Vygotsky and J. Piaget. Cognitive psychology. Cognitive skills.			Classes		3.00	auditorium
8	Mental health. 8.1. Popular myths about mental disorders. 8.2. Phobias.			Classes		4.00	auditorium
9	Academic English. Describing trends: describing change, degree of change, speed of change (line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, tables). The most common adjectives, adverbs, nouns and verbs for describing changes.			Classes		4.00	auditorium
10	Memory. Models of memory. Short-term and long-term memory. Forgetting and remembering. Memory and hypnosis. Compound nouns and fixed phrases from psychology.			Classes		4.00	auditorium
11	Modern Addictions. 11.1. Abuse and dependency. Identifying stance. Expressing confidence and tentativeness. 11.2. Expressing one’s point of view. Building an argument. Reported speech.			Classes		4.00	auditorium
12	Multimedia technologies and psychology. 12.1. Social Media. Virtual relationships. Violence, music and video games. Cyberbullying. 12.2. Research reports and their sections; data description; writing a reference list.			Classes		4.00	auditorium
Topic Layout (Part-Time)
No.	Topic			Type of Implementation		Number	Venue
1	Definition of ‘psychology’. Branches of psychology. 1.1. Course "English for Psychology" overview: objectives, tasks, learning outcomes, requirements, tests and examinations. 1.2. Words from general English with a special meaning in psychology.			Classes		1.00	auditorium
2	Academic English. 2.1. Using an English-English dictionary: entries, definitions, synonyms, antonyms, word collocations, set expressions. 2.2. Presentations. Structure of presentations. Signposting language. Presentation evaluation.			Classes		2.00	auditorium
3	Branches and sub-branches of psychology and professional fields. 3.1. Fixed phrases from psychology and academic English. 3.2. Academic English: a summary - writing principles, a topic sentence and supporting ideas.			Classes		2.00	auditorium
4	Psychology in practice. 4.1. Occupational psychology. Personality testing. Different types of questions. 4.2. Clinical psychology. Adjectives to describe personality and personality traits.			Classes		2.00	auditorium
5	Computers and psychology in the 20th and 21st centuries. Using technologies for research. 5.1. Understanding computer jargon. Abbreviations and acronyms. Verb and noun suffixes. 5.2. Analysing Internet search results. Reporting research findings.			Classes		1.50	auditorium
6	Outstanding scientists in psychology. 6.1. S. Freud and C. G. Jung. Dreams and personality. 6.2. L. Vygotsky and J. Piaget. Cognitive psychology. Cognitive skills.			Classes		1.50	auditorium
8	Mental health. 8.1. Popular myths about mental disorders. 8.2. Phobias.			Classes		2.00	auditorium
9	Academic English. Describing trends: describing change, degree of change, speed of change (line graphs, bar charts, pie charts, tables). The most common adjectives, adverbs, nouns and verbs for describing changes.			Classes		2.00	auditorium
10	Memory. Models of memory. Short-term and long-term memory. Forgetting and remembering. Memory and hypnosis. Compound nouns and fixed phrases from psychology.			Classes		2.00	auditorium
11	Modern Addictions. 11.1. Abuse and dependency. Identifying stance. Expressing confidence and tentativeness. 11.2. Expressing one’s point of view. Building an argument. Reported speech.			Classes		2.00	auditorium
12	Multimedia technologies and psychology. 12.1. Social Media. Virtual relationships. Violence, music and video games. Cyberbullying. 12.2. Research reports and their sections; data description; writing a reference list.			Classes		2.00	auditorium
Assessment
Unaided Work:
Students prepare individual and group presentations on topics covered during the course, they do written vocabulary tasks, read authentic texts on topics covered during the course and finish comprehension tasks; work independently with English-English dictionaries. Students write summaries and diagram descriptions. Students are obliged to fill in the course evaluation questionnaire at the end of the course.
Assessment Criteria:
1) Active participation in classes; timely submitted written tasks of high quality; presentations made in accordance with the topics covered during the course; vocabulary tests, written assignments – 50 %. 2) Written part of the examination consisting of tasks on the use of terminology, reading comprehension tasks and a written task – 25%. 3) Spoken part of the examination – an individual presentation on one of the topics covered during the course – 25%. The grade can be lowered in case of assignment submission after the deadline and unjustified absence during more than 30% of the classes. Cumulative assessment can be offered in case the coursework result throughout the semester (tests, written assignments and presentation together) is 8 and higher.
Final Examination (Full-Time):		Exam
Final Examination (Part-Time):		Exam
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge:		On successful completion of the course the students will be able to: • recognise, translate and explain terminology related to psychology; • name the most commonly used equivalent terminology in English in the field of psychology and medicine; • determine and report the speaker’s point of view; • find and reproduce main information from authentic texts both in spoken and written English.
Skills:		On successful completion of the course the students will be able to: • use the relevant professional terminology both in spoken and written English; • prepare and give presentations on issues related to psychology; • express and defend their own opinion using the appropriate vocabulary; • prepare questions of different types to interview people; • write a summary; • describe trends given in a graph.
Competencies:		The students will be able to work as a team, express and defend their point of view both orally and in writing, using the professional terminology.
Bibliography
No.	Reference
Required Reading
1	Short, J. (2011) English for Psychology in Higher Education Studies. Garnet Publishing Ltd.
2	McCarthy, M. and O'Dell, F. (2016) Academic Vocabulary in Use: Second Edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
3	Fiske, S. (ed.). Annual Reveiwes of Psychology: Online Journal.
Additional Reading
1	Bailey, S. (2011) Academic Writing : a Handbook for International Students. New York : Routledge.
2	Matsumoto, D. (2009) The Cambridge Dictionary of Psychology. Cambridge ; New York: Cambridge University Press.
3	Swales, J. (2012) Academic Writing for Graduate Students: Essential Tasks and Skills. Ann Arbor : The University of Michigan Press.
4	Wood, S. (2004) Mastering the World of Psychology. Boston : Pearson/Allyn and Bacon.
Other Information Sources
1	Psychology Articles. Available from: http://www.psyarticles.com/
2	https://dictionary.apa.org/
3	Psychology Today. Available from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us
4	https://www.simplypsychology.org/theories