- UCAS course code
- C800
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Science (BSc)
BSc Psychology
Duration: 3 years (4 years with Study Abroad/Placement Year)
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: C800 / Institution code: M20
- Key features:
Study abroad
Industrial experience
Scholarships available
Accredited course
- Typical A-level offer: AAA including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
- Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36 points overall with 6,6,6 at HL, including specific requirements
Fees and funding
Fees
Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £32,500 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
Course unit details:
Emotion
| Unit code | PSYC37111 |
|---|---|
| Credit rating | 20 |
| Unit level | Level 6 |
| Teaching period(s) | Semester 1 |
| Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
We will explore fundamental questions about emotion, such as: What are emotions? How are they measured? How many emotions are there? Are emotions innate or learned? Are they universal or culturally determined? How are emotions related to bodily sensations and expressions of the face, voice or body? What is the role of 'thinking' in 'feeling', and of 'feeling' in 'thinking'? Does damage to the body or the brain alter the emotional experience? What happens when emotional processing goes wrong? We will link empirical findings to the main theoretical frameworks in the scientific study of emotion. Understanding these theories of emotion and the type of research studies that support them will allow us to examine these fundamental questions.
This is an optional Year 3 course unit on the BSc Hons Psychology that falls within the Mind and Brain theme.
Aims
Enhance students’ knowledge of emotion science and their capacity to evaluate empirical data and current emotion theories. Show how findings from a range of methodologies contribute to our understanding of emotion and strategies for enhancing emotional wellbeing. Enable students to discuss and evaluate contemporary research in written and oral formats, both independently and in groups.
Syllabus
Teaching and learning methods
The unit will be split into 2-week modules focussing on a different question in emotion science. Each week there will be an online asynchronous lecture that draws from a range of media types (video lectures, case studies, podcasts, visuals and text) and an online synchronous learning activity (either a collaborative reading group or a discussion board debate). There will also be an independent study task each week that is completed before the synchronous learning activity (e.g. reading 1 journal article). The materials developed in each synchronous learning event will be made available online after the event. In person lectures will also be delivered in weeks 2 and 12 to prepare for the unit and the end of unit exam. Feedback will be provided on the coursework oral presentation and the discussion board debates before the exam.
Knowledge and understanding
- Describe current theories of emotion and conceptualisations of what emotions are
Intellectual skills
- Evaluate the empirical basis for theories of emotion
- Understand how we apply multidisciplinary methods to elicit and measure emotion, and to interpret empirical findings
- Apply understanding of theories of emotion and empirical research to answer current questions in Emotion science
Practical skills
- Independently and collaboratively gather and organise material from various sources, including library and electronic sources
- Present arguments coherently orally and in writing
Transferable skills and personal qualities
- Teamwork
- Independent research
- Effective communication
Assessment methods
Engagement in collaborative learning (online debate and reading group) - 10% (2.5% per module)
Mid-term coursework: video recorded essay/presentation - 40%
End of unit exam: 1 open book essay questions (from a choice of 3) – 48 hour release - 50%
Feedback methods
Students will receive a grade and written feedback
Recommended reading
There will not be a single recommended text book as the core course material will be recent journal articles. Some examples of references covered in the course:
- E. Fox (2008). Emotion Science: An Integration of Cognitive and Neuroscientific Approaches. Palgrave Macmillan.
- Chwalisz K, Diener E, Gallagher D. (1988). Autonomic arousal feedback and emotional experience: evidence from the spinal cord injured. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(5),820-8.
- Folkman S & Lazarus, R.S. (1985). If it changes it must be a process: Study of emotion and coping during three stages of a college examination. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 48 (1),150-70.
Study hours
| Scheduled activity hours | |
|---|---|
| Lectures | 3 |
| Work based learning | 29 |
| Independent study hours | |
|---|---|
| Independent study | 168 |
Teaching staff
| Staff member | Role |
|---|---|
| Elizabeth Lewis | Unit coordinator |