Corso di laurea in Scienze e Tecniche Psicologiche

Basic assumption of Community Psychology is that individuals' behaviour is better understood if it is analyzed in relation to social contexts that characterize their daily life. This discipline is characterized by proactive perspective which seeks to prevent the psychosocial distress and promote the well-being of individuals, and its object of study is the link between the individual and the environment. Strating from this basis, the aim of the class is to provide conceptual and methodological tools that can develop the ability to analyse psychosocial processes and identify possible forms of intervention, in which the unit of analysis is the "individual in context". Specifically, at the end of the teaching the students should:

a)      know the main theoretical models and the methodological tools of community psychology;

b)      be able to use theories and methodological tools that characterize this discipline, in order to analyse the socio-environmental context and to design interventions to prevent psychosocial distress and/or to promote psychosocial well-being;

c) demonstrate to manage the constructs of community psychology and know the possible areas of intervention of this discipline. Furthermore, students are expected to be able to identify the main elements that characterise the relationship between the individual and the context (i.e: social support, social network, place attachment, sense of community).

Students should be able to demonstrate: to know the main theoretical models characterising the discipline and link the different theoretical-conceptual references, detecting their specificities and similarities. The ability of a critical analysis will be well appreciated, as well as the ability to identify forms of intervention anchored in local and social contexts

Knowledge and understanding skills

At the end of the class students should:

. know the main theoretical models underlying the discipline

. know the main research and intervention tools consistent with the epistemological perspective of the discipline

Communicative Skills

At the end of the class, students should know how to use concepts and  terms that characterize the approach of community psychology in a correct and appropriate way

Judgment autonomy

At the end of the class, students should be able to identify strengths and weaknesses of the main approaches characterizing the discipline.

The class aims to the study of human and societal problems as they occur in the life of the community understood in its aspects of civil, institutional, national and local society. The analysis will include the individual and the organization perspective, through considering the community as a fundamental place of interactions, resources and conflicts. The class will provide the historical and epistemological bases underpinning the main theoretical models of CP. Moreover, during the course, the following topics will be specifically examined:

-          Principles of community psychology in the European and American cultural traditions;

-          Interconnection of the psychological and social dimensions

-          Action-research;

-          Networking and social support;

-          Models of prevention and intervention;

-          Health as a result of a close connection between subjective aspects and socio-environmental dimensions

The course includes 60 hours of teaching

As a result of health emergency, the class will be delivered in-person.

The materials will be uploaded in Moodle

In order to receive communications relating to the course, it is necessary to register 
on Campusnet, on the course presentation page.

In addition to lectures are planned:

-          videos and materials about issues addressed during lesson, in order to promote discussion in the classroom;

-           meetings with professionals, whose experience can be a support for the students, allowing them to better understand the aims, tools, methods and operation of the psychosocial intervention.

These methods make the continuity of attendance at lessons particularly important

People in fragile conditions can take the exam ONLINE: it will be necessary to produce 
a declaration from the attending physician, sending the request to the University 
Disabled Office for verification and, for information, to the Teaching Directorate of 
the Department of Psychology.

The examination is in oral form. It will be evaluated the knowledge of the main theoretical models that characterize the discipline and the student's ability to link together the different theories and concepts, knowing grasp their specificities and similarities. It will be particularly appreciated the capacity for critical analysis, as well as the identification of possible forms of intervention anchored to local and social contexts 

 

Textbooks are available in the Department Library (via Verdi, 10); programs vary by number of credits (CFU) as follows:

 6 CFU:

- Murray Levine, Douglas D. Perkins, David V. Perkins, Principles of Community Psychology, NY, Oxford University Press, 2004.

 

8 CFU:

- Murray Levine, Douglas D. Perkins, David V. Perkins, Principles of Community Psychology, NY, Oxford University Press, 2004.

- Mark Zimmerman, Empowerment Theory: Psychological, Organizational and Community Level of Analysis, in Julian Rappaport, Edward Seidman (eds.), Handbook of Community Psychology, NY, Kluwer Academic, pg. 43-64, 2000.

 

10 CFU:

- Murray Levine, Douglas D. Perkins, David V. Perkins, Principles of Community Psychology, NY, Oxford University Press, 2004.

- Mark Zimmerman, Empowerment Theory: Psychological, Organizational and Community Level of Analysis, in Julian Rappaport, Edward Seidman (eds.), Handbook of Community Psychology, NY, Kluwer Academic, pg. 43-64, 2000.

- Ken I. Maton, Douglas D. Perkins, & Susan Saegert, Community psychology at the crossroads: Prospects for interdisciplinary research. American Journal of Community Psychology, 38(1-2), 9-21, 2006.

The handbook by Murray Levine, Douglas D. Perkins, David V. Perkins, Principles of Community Psychology (2004) can be replaced with

Bret Kloos, Jean Hill, Elizabeth Thomas, Abraham Wandersman, Maurice J. Elias and James H. Dalton, Community Psychology: Linking Individuals and Communities, Third Edition, Wadsworth, Cengage Learning, 2012 [last chapter excluded (pdf available)].

To contact Prof. De Piccoli, send an e-mail to

norma.depiccoli@unito.it