University of Sussex

This course examines attention research and theory from an individual differences perceptive. Students learn about a wide range of factors that can influence the ability to focus and maintain attention. Topics covered include the relationship between IQ, cognitive control and attention; attentional effects of individual differences in perception; age-related changes in attention; mind wandering; attentional biases associated with depression, addiction, and anxiety; clinical syndromes associated with attention problems (e.g. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). This course also covers key measures and methods used, and provides training in the critical analysis of research studies in the field.

In this course, students explore children and young people's development from an interdisciplinary perspective. The course takes a holistic and ecological view of developmental trajectories in the context of social relationships. It provides an overview of children and young people's bio-psycho-social, cultural, and emotional development. Students examine the role that relationships with primary carers, significant others, family members, and friends play in that development. Students reflect on key concepts in child and youth development, such as attachment, transition, identity, risk, and resilience. 

How do different actors shape, relate to, sustain or contest the shifting orthodoxies of development? This course is organized as a genealogy of development policy thinking from post-war decolonization onwards. It gives students an essential introduction to the evolution of international development as a global project from its post-World War II origins to the present day. It maps out the key moments (of innovation, crisis, and reinvention) in that evolution and the shifts in thinking that underpin changes in global development agendas/policy.

Throughout this course, the class reflects on individuals and cultures that have at one time been considered (and are sometimes happy to be considered) aberrant, not “normal”. The course balances questions of identity (who we are, who we think we are, who others think we are) with questions of desire and sexual aim (who – or what – we are attracted to, if anything). This course asks students to focus on one question throughout: should we understand ourselves, and be understood in turn, as sexual and gendered identities; “straight”, “queer”, “female”, “heterosexual”, etc., or by our attachments; who we love, who we desire?

Emphasis is be placed on works from Britain or from the British post-colonial diaspora and students examine mediums including literature, art, and film.

This course introduces students to relevant concepts to provide an understanding of the business environment. It sets the scene and provides a platform for future study as well as helping students to appreciate the interconnected nature of business organizations, the environment in which they operate, and the people involved. Through collaborative team-based activities, students show an ability to engage in a critical discussion of issues affecting contemporary business and analyze a selected organization’s approach to a selected managerial process. Topics and concepts may include – Organizational Structure, Management Theory, Corporate Social Responsibility and the culture and ethics of business organizations. The course help students contextualize the study of organizations and should give students the capability to analyze organization and management issues in a contemporary setting. Students also work collaboratively in team-based activities providing networking opportunities throughout the module. This module may include in-class simulations, where students evaluate the success of a selected organization’s market performance.

Psychology Now! introduces students to a variety of contemporary topics in psychology and a variety of ways in which psychological knowledge is applied to understand and solve everyday problems. The course covers topics related to well-being, mental health, the psychology of work and rest, hypnosis, gender differences, educational psychology, and how the presence of others affects our behavior.