Master 2022/2023

Environmental Psychology

Type: Elective course (Applied Social Psychology)

Area of studies: Psychology

Delivered by: School of Psychology

Where: Faculty of Social Sciences

When: 1 year, 3, 4 module

Mode of studies: offline

Open to: students of one campus

Instructors: Elena Sautkina

Master’s programme: Applied Social Psychology

Language: English

ECTS credits: 6

Contact hours: 48

Course Syllabus

Abstract

The scope of Environmental Psychology as a discipline is to study the interplay between people and their natural and built surroundings. On the one hand, Environmental Psychology focuses on the role of physical environments in people’s lives, for example, the capacity of natural environments to restore people’s psychological resources. On the other hand, it examines the ways people shape their physical environments, e.g., psychology of urban design, or processes involved in pro-environmental action. Since the 1960s, the role of Environmental Psychology has been twofold: to conduct research and to apply this research evidence in real life, e.g. in urban design, environmental sustainability, health, education, and other areas. Today, Environmental Psychology plays a very important role in helping to shape people’s awareness and behaviour in order to transition towards a sustainable future, and to mitigate and adapt to various environmental threats caused by climate change and environmental degradation. This course will introduce students to key theories, concepts, methods and applications of Environmental Psychology to empower them to conduct basic research and practice work in this area. Students will be able to gain knowledge and experience in Environmental Psychology through interactive lectures and active learning seminars. Course topics will include: history and scope of Environmental Psychology; psychology of built environments and urban design; psychology of human-nature interactions; psychology of environmental risks; psychology of pro-environmental action; and fundamentals of applied Environmental Psychology.

Learning Objectives

• This course is designed to provide an overview of the theory, methods, contemporary academic research and practical applications in the field of environmental psychology.
• This course aims to develop an appreciation of how psychology can contribute to shaping urban environments, preserve natural environments, and deal with the challenges of environmental degradation and climate change.
• The course aims to develop initial capacities in order to conduct basic research, practice or policy work in the field of Environmental Psychology.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• Able to analyse and build interventions behavior aiming to change environmental behaviour.
• Is able to clearly and successfuly disseminate environmental psychology research among non-academic audiences from different sectors.
• Is able to conduct a basic evaluation of an environmental intervention.
• Is able to conduct case study analyses and evaluate the restorative potential of environments.
• Is able to critically analyse built environments drawing on environmental psychology methods, theories and evidence, and suggest evidence-based improvements.
• Knows key theories of people-nature relationship in the field of environmental psychology.
• Knows the key concepts, theories and methods in the field of environmental psychology.
• Knows the key determinants and models explaining pro-environmental behaviour.
• Knows the key principles of application of Environmental Psychology in design of urban and built spaces.
• Knows the key principles of successful collaboration of environmental psychologists with policy-makers and practitioners.
• Knows the key theories in Environmental Psychology regarding urban and built environments.
• Knows the key theories of environmental risk perception and human behaviour in face of environmental risks.

Course Contents

• Environmental Psychology: History, Key Theories and Methods
• Urban Environments: Overcoming Stressors with Opportunities
• People and Nature
• The Psychology of Pro-Environmental Action
• Environmental Risks
• Building links between Science, Policy and Practice in the Area of People-Environment Studies

Assessment Elements

• Activity during lectures and seminars
• Individual Written Assignment: Research Study Design
  Students produce an individual essay of 1500-2000 words, presenting a problem pertaining to the field of Environmental Psychology, it's theoretical analysis, and design a research study, based on the key contents of the course and recommended literature. The three recommended journals are: Journal of Environmental Psychology, Environment and Behavior, Frontiers in Environmental Psychology. IMPORTANT: Study design should present a new, original study, and will be checked for plagiarism.
• Quiz
  There will be two quizzes based on lectures content: one in the middle and one at the end of the course. Students will have a limited time to answer the quiz questions.
• Seminar Tasks
  During seminars, students engage in five task requiring homework, including: article presentations, assessment of spatial design, research, debate and intervention design.

Interim Assessment

• 2022/2023 4th module
  0.2 * Seminar Tasks + 0.2 * Individual Written Assignment: Research Study Design + 0.1 * Quiz + 0.1 * Activity during lectures and seminars

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Clayton, S. (2012). The Oxford handbook of environmental and conservation psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
• de Groot, J. I. M., Berg, A. E. van den, & Steg, L. (2019). Environmental Psychology : An Introduction. Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Fleury-Bahi G., Pol E. & Navarro O. (2017). Handbook of Environmental Psychology and Quality of Life Research. Springer Link.

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Goleman, D., Bennett, L., & Barlow, Z. (2012). Ecoliterate: How educators are cultivating emotional, social, and ecological intelligence. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Authors

• SAUTKINA ELENA V.