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Accessibility statement
Social psychologists study people as social beings, looking at their relationships and shared experiences in context. This module discusses social psychology's insights into life and people in a globalised and fast-changing 21st-century world. The module explores current issues in contemporary UK society, including gender, multiculturalism, immigration, global conflicts and work. You'll learn about recent research findings and different social psychological theories and approaches, including a critical approach towards psychology itself. As preparation for future study, work and life activities, you'll develop the academic and communication skills to study independently and follow your interests.
The module discusses social psychology's insights into life and people in a contemporary globalised world. It explores the new developments and interdisciplinary boundaries of social psychology today. The study programme is divided into an introduction, five main blocks and a conclusion, with additional weeks for review and revision.
Block 1: Social psychology for a contemporary society

In the first block, you'll be asked: How are we changed by our changing world? What can social psychology tell us about life today and contemporary people? What do social psychologists contribute to discussions of big issues like globalisation, new media and surveillance technologies, mobility and migration, political change and economic crises? You'll also consider the power of psychology itself, looking at ways that psychological knowledge has impacted our daily lives. The areas of social psychology covered in this block include critical social psychology and research, and social psychology linked to theories of the subject.
Block 2: New encounters across cultures in a globalised world

You'll explore the relationships between individuals and cultures in modern, diverse societies. Looking at the encounters between people in a world of increased mobility, you're asked: What happens when different cultures meet? What are the potential barriers? Can intercultural dialogue be achieved? You'll study how new encounters can lead to both conflicts and positive cultural mixing. The block also asks: What are the politics of identity and difference in today’s mobile society? The approaches covered include sociocultural psychology and social representations theory.
Block 3: Social psychology and participation: understanding and effecting change

You'll look at how people get involved as members of society or citizens and study how they join together to produce social change. These include everyday actions, such as voting, as well as more extreme forms of political action, for example, in contexts of conflict and uprising. The block asks: What drives people to join large-scale protest movements? And how is their participation affected by social media? You'll also investigate how social psychology itself has contributed to social action and change. The approaches covered include political psychology, liberation psychology and the social identity approach.
Block 4: A contemporary subject

This block centres on the idea that the person studied by psychologists is socially produced. This again raises questions about similarity and difference, and how free we are to choose who we want to be. You'll be asked how recent changes in work and employment have impacted our lives and identities, comparing the ‘good’ workers of today with workers of the past. It discusses gender, looking at research on ‘new’ femininities and masculinities in contemporary society. It discusses happiness and suggests that the goal of being happy is more complicated than it appears! The approaches covered include social constructionism, critical discursive psychology, a psychology of the second order and positive psychology.
Block 5: Threats and fears

This block features one of the most famous areas of psychology: the theories of psychodynamics and psychoanalysis, which originated in the work of Sigmund Freud. The block considers these not in relation to therapeutic practice but for their application to society more generally. It offers psychoanalytic re-interpretations of classic psychological topics like bystander behaviour. You'll read accounts of ongoing conflicts (like Israel-Palestine) and explanations of people’s fears and responses to contemporary threats. The areas covered include psychoanalysis, psychodynamics and psychosocial studies.
The content of this module is delivered through blended tuition using online materials and two textbooks. You'll be required to read the module textbook and other published material, watch videos and listen to interviews with leading international scholars, complete online activities, and participate in forums. This will help to develop your academic and communication skills. You'll also spend time working independently, for example, to search for more information about the areas of social psychology that you find especially interesting.
This is an OU level 3 module. OU level 3 modules build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from previous studies at OU levels 1 and 2 with the OU. They are only intended for students with recent experience of higher education in a related subject.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
You’ll get help and support from an assigned tutor throughout your module.
They’ll help by:
Online tutorials run throughout the module. While they’re not compulsory, we strongly encourage you to participate. Where possible, we’ll make recordings available.
Course work includes:
You'll be provided with two textbooks and have access to the module website, which includes:
The OU strives to make all aspects of study accessible to everyone, and this Accessibility Statement outlines what studying DD317 involves. You should use this information to inform your study preparations and any discussions with us about how we can meet your needs.
To find out more about what kind of support and adjustments might be available, contact us or visit our Disability support website.
Advancing social psychology starts once a year – in October.
This page describes the module that will start in October 2025, when we expect it to start for the last time.
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