UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN

DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY 261 (62) 2014/15 TERM 2
COURSE OUTLINE
MWF 2:30 3:20 STM 1***
Instructor
M.R., Ph.D.
Office: STM ***
Phone: 966- ****
Email:
Office Hours:
Monday/Wednesday 1:00 2:00 p.m. or by appointment.
Department Head:
Course Description
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to Community Psychology
through an exploration of its guiding principles, concepts, theories, and practical
issues. The course presents various theories regarding human experience in the
context of community, which consists of social behavior in constructed and natural
environments.
Community psychology attempts to examine the quality of life of individuals
from the perspective of social systems. It argues that the problems faced by
individuals are often caused or influenced by conflicts and pressures from the social
settings where they live, learn and work. If social settings are part of the problem,
interventions aimed at changing social settings need to be part of the solution.
Instructional Methods
I believe that learning is facilitated best in an atmosphere of collegiality and
respect. I also believe that student participation is central to the process of learning.
The course will consist of a mix of lectures, group and class discussions. One class
each week will be spent in groups, discussing the reading materials for that week.
It is expected that students will make notes one the text material and use the
6R/3E/4Q method in preparation for these discussions. The 6R requires that you
identify 6 revelations or aspects you have learned while reading the chapter
material. The 3E requires you to record 3 of your emotional responses to the
reading material. The 4Q requires you to formulate 4 questions you would like to
ask about the reading.
You will share your 6R/3E/4Q recordings in your groups and hand in a copy of your
notes at the end of the class. Then you will determine the most important 3
revelations, the most important emotional reaction and the most important 2
questions from those shared within the group. Your group will share these with the
rest of the class.
Required Texts:
Moritsugu, J., Vera, E., Wong, F., Duffy, K., (2014). Community Psychology 5 th
Edition. Toronto: Pearson Education Canada.

Stone, D., Patton, B., & Heen, S., (2010). Difficult conversations: How to discuss
what matters most. London: Penguin Books
Assignments
There are three assignments, one ongoing, one a reflection paper and the third, a
research review assignment.
1.

Discussion Notes
A copy of the notes you make on the text material assigned each week will be
handed in at the end of the first class of the week.

2.

Reflection Assignment
Think about a volunteering or work activity you have been involved with (past
or present). The volunteering activity must be within the human service field.
If you are not sure, talk to me.
First: describe the organization for which you volunteered or worked, and your
role in service delivery. The description should include the name of the agency,
a definition of its mandate (what you experience and understand it can and
cannot do), the sources of funding, the clients served, the method by which
services are delivered, and what particular part of the community this service
addresses.
Second: take 3 concepts from the course (at least one must be from Moritsugu)
and show how those concepts identify a community psychology perspective in
your volunteer work. This means identifying and defining the concepts clearly
and providing an analysis of how they apply to your volunteer activities. The
concepts may come from the text or lecture materials.
Size of the paper is 10 pages not including title and reference pages.

3.

Research Review Assignment

The assignment for the Basic Research option is a library research assignment.
On January 30th you must submit a topic along with the front page of 2
empirical articles you intend to use in your literature review. Empirical
articles are those in which the collection of new data is described. Articles that
review other peoples empirical work are not acceptable. These latter articles
may be used as references for discussion of theory and of criticisms of studies
referenced in your literature review paper.
Your term paper will be a review of empirical work. From the following list of
Community Psychology topics (or from issues which interest you and about
which you can convince me that there is Community Psychology content, and
that there is literature available through the library), you may get an idea of
what topic to choose and then to review the Community Psychology literature
on that issue for your term paper. Your review must contain the following:

A thesis about the yield of your literature review.

A definition of the Community Psychology concepts relevant to the
topic of your review.

A review of the empirical findings, i.e., an explanation of the

hypotheses to be tested, the methods used to test them and the results from
the methods used. Give enough detail such that your reader can understand
the research without going directly to the original article.
A critique of the empirical findings, i.e., have they been obtained
with sound methods and might there be other interpretations of the results.
Size of the term paper is 8 pages not including title and reference
pages. This paper is to follow the most recent APA formatting
guidelines.

Failure to submit the Basic Research Assignment will

result in a maximum final mark of 49% for the course with
a designation of Incomplete.
List of suggested topics:
Criminalization of the mentally ill
Alternatives to incarceration
Victimization
Assertive Community Treatment
Burnout
Farm Stress
Quality of Work Life
Organizational culture
Child maltreatment
Crime prevention
Community Psychology and the
elderly

Daily life hassles

Success of victim/offender
reconciliation programs
Sports and society
Base communities of
underdeveloped countries
Marriage or divorce
Neighbouring
Poverty
Religion
Youth employment

You may find other topics from your reading in the first few weeks.
Exams
A.
B.

Midterm exam (multiple choice and short answer) covering chapters 1- 6 in Moritsugu
and corresponding lecture and discussion materials (15%).
A comprehensive multiple choice and short answer Final Exam (40%)

Marking Scheme
Discussion notes
5%
Group participation
5%
Mid Term Exam
15%
Reflection Assignment
15%
Research topic and abstract/date of publication of
2 empirical articles
5%
Research Assignment
15%
Final Exam
40%
Total
100%
Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty
St. Thomas More College follows the rules regarding Academic Dishonesty as
described in the University of Saskatchewan Calendar [also see www.usask.ca/honesty/]. Of
these, plagiarism is a particularly serious offense that involves presenting another persons
writing, ideas or creative work as your own. When quoting, paraphrasing, describing,
presenting, summarizing, or translating the work of others, you must acknowledge the
source of the information you use, which includes ensuring that the reader can differentiate
between your words and the words of others. Sources may come in print, electronic, digital,
visual or oral form and may be provided by a published author, fellow student, artist, or
Internet site. Purchasing papers is not permitted. It is your responsibility to understand
what constitutes plagiarism; when in doubt, consult your professor.
St Thomas More College respects the rights of copyright holders, their legitimate assertions
of their rights and any rules that they articulate for the use of their material. Faculty and
students have the responsibility to respect the rights of copyright owners, to make
themselves aware of federal legislation and to take the steps necessary to ensure that their
use of all copyright materials is compliant. Please, familiarize yourselves with Copyright
Law. You can find relevant information here: http://www.usask.ca/copyright/CopyrightLaw.php.
*Students are responsible for determining whether they have completed the
appropriate prerequisites for the course. Credit for this course will not be
granted without previous completion of the prerequisites or permission of the
Department.*
If you are a student who is registered with the Office of Disability Services for Students, you
may apply for unique services or arrangements to complete the requirements for this
course. Normally, these services will be provided through the DSS office. If you have not
yet registered with that office, please do so as quickly as possible.
Timetable (follows Moritsugu)
Week 1:

Community Psychology: Introduction

Week 2:

Community Psychology Research methods

Week 3:

Stress and resilience

Week 4:

Social change

Research topic and front page of 2 empirical articles due January 30 th

Week 5:

Community intervention strategies

Week 6:

Mental health system

Midterm exam

February 27th

Week 7:

Social and human services

Reflection Paper due March 6th

Week 8:

Schools, children, and the community

Week 9:

Law, crime, and the community

Week 10

Healthcare system

Week 11

Community health and preventive medicine

Week 12

Community/Organizational psychology

Week 13

The future of community psychology

Basic Research Paper due April 8th

Group work reading schedule for Difficult Conversations: how to discuss what
matters most:
January 19th

Introduction and the Three Conversations

pg xxvii 20

January 26th

Stop Arguing & Dont Assume They Meant It

pg 21 57

February 2nd

Abandon Blame

February 9th

Have Your Feelings

February 23nd

Ground Your Identity

pg 58 82
pg 85 108
pg 111 128

March 2nd

Whats Your Purpose?

pg 130 146

March 9th

Getting Started

pg 147 162

March 16th

Learning

pg 163 184

March 23rd

Expression

pg 185 200

March 30th

Problem-solving & Putting it all Together

pg 201 234

April 6th

Ten Questions

pg 235 - 295