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Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
105
The Sophister years
By the Junior Sophister (third) year you will have identified areas within psychology that are of particular interest to you and you will
have the opportunity to develop these interests throughout the Sophister years. In addition to a number of core advanced modules, you
will choose modules from a series of advanced options. These optional modules will allow you to gain a deeper understanding of the
various branches of psychology and the different ways in which research is carried out. The options you select may also help you to
make decisions about your future career, if it is to be in psychology. Single honor students and TSM students majoring in Psychology
also take additional modules in research methods and statistics.
On completion of the Sophister years, students must have taken at least one module from each of the five specified thematic areas.
The following table shows the kind of modules which have been offered within each of these areas:
BIOLOGICAL
n
Neurological rehabilitation
n
Behavioural neuroscience
n
Memory, synaptic plasticity and the brain
n
Clinical and experimental neuropsychology
COGNITIVE
n
Rationality and reasoning
n
Creativity and imagination
n
Cross-modal cognition
n
Development of perception throughout the lifespann
SOCIAL
n
Culture and health
n
The social self: Theory and measurement
n
Organisational psychology
n
Social neuroscience
PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
n
Clinical cases
n
Advanced individual differences
n
Embodiment
n
Human sexuality
n
Health psychology
DEVELOPMENTAL
n
Child development in changing family contexts
n
Debates in child psychology
n
Language and language disorders
n
Applied issues in developmental psychology
As a Junior Sophister (third) year student you will carry out a group research project on an important community-based psychological
issue. This will give you experience of working as a team member, of working with a range of research methodologies in psychology
and of presenting psychological research. A series of seminars in the Junior Sophister year, in which staff talk directly about their own
research, gives you a first-hand account of the research process.
In the Senior Sophister (fourth) year a large part of your workload involves carrying out an independent research project under the
supervision of a member of staff. Typically, the topic you choose to investigate will coincide with your supervisor’s own research
work, giving you all the benefits and support of an active and accessible research group. Many students report that this project, while
challenging, is one of the most rewarding parts of the course.
Assessment
A combination of end-of-year written examinations and
continuous assessment is used. In your final year, you will also
submit a report of your research project.
Study abroad
Second and third-year undergraduates are eligible to apply to
study for one or more terms (students usually go for a whole
academic year) in certain other European psychology schools,
with travel, and where appropriate, some subsistence funding
provided by the EU Erasmus fund. There are no basic course
charges to be paid abroad. Assessment is carried out in the host
(i.e. foreign) institution and is accepted by TCD as if students
were examined here. This School has bilateral agreements with
several European universities where arrangements have been
made for students to study.
Career opportunities
Many psychology graduates proceed to a career in professional
psychology through professional training or higher education in
areas related to psychology. The School of Psychology offers
a range of postgraduate programmes including professional
doctorates in Clinical psychology and Counselling psychology,
Masters courses in Applied psychology, Applied behaviour
analysis and Clinical supervision, a postgraduate diploma in
Applied behaviour analysis as well as research M.Sc. and
PhD degrees. However, the advanced understanding of
human behaviour and experience and the wide range of skills
developed during the course have allowed students to enter
many professions, ranging from management, marketing,
advertising and accountancy, to journalism, broadcast media,
teaching and recruitment. Seminars about career development
will be provided by the School during the course of your degree.